Thank you glojo.
However I live in Brittany. Now you have given me the courage to continue my Chapter 13
Harrogate
Having passed out of No 3 BFTS we again travelled back to Moncton to be boarded on our ship for the return journey to the UK. We had about two weeks wait in the freezing temperatures of Nova Scotia. I met Chas Blyth again he having completed his pilot training at Medicine Hat in Canada.
I recall leaving our barracks at about 2am one morning for our embarkation at Halifax. I put on all the clothing I possibly could, to combat the cold, but as I exited the main door the freezing wind just cut through me as though I was naked. I was pleased to get away from that Godforsaken place.
We embarked on the Mauritania and I was again mistaken in thinking that as I was going back a Sergeant having come out as an IRK I would get some special treatment. I did, but not the sort I had in mind I didn't get a cabin this time I got a Hammock! and I thought I would be clever I tied it between two posts and having another post close by with a light my thought was that I would be able to read until I was tired enough to sleep then all would be OK. It was, while the ship was at anchor but I hadn't given a thought to the fact, that when we were under way the blooming thing would sway. Well, the first night, instead of sleeping, each time we swayed to the right I was banged up against the post with the light. I changed my location to what I thought looked a quiet unused passageway only to find that every five minutes one of the crew would pass under my hammock and not duck sufficiently, so giving me a header up the backside and that each five minutes can get to be a bore.
We ate in a rather shabby mess hall and one day I was the last to leave the table. I had some leavings on my plate and I was scraping these into a large basin at the end of the table which I thought was for slops when the food orderly said " What are you doing, that was the food for another three people" I said " They will never know"
There were many hundreds of American soldiers on board and we were very surprised one morning about two days out from UK to find that they were all rigged out in full battle kit. When we asked what it was for they replied we were now in the War Zone!!
Of course we were old hands at war and they had yet to see one!
(My Father once told me. The only war I saw was when I came home on leave)
Following our disembarkation we were posted to Harrowgate after of course, a period of leave. Naturally I was very proud to show off my wings at home and I was very surprised to find that there was a different relationship between my Father and me. I think I had proved myself to him; I had succeeded in what I set out to do and not cried out for help. My Mother on the other hand never really understood what it was all about. I remember when she read my log book and asked me what SOLO FLYING meant. When I explained that that was when I flew by myself, she said " Oh just you and the instructor" I replied “No, just me" Well I could see she could not adjust to that idea and she never asked me a thing about flying from that day on.
Harrowgate was a pain. Not in the sense that it was uncomfortable but if you can imagine thousands of newly qualified aircrew all housed in the big hotels of this old fashioned Spa town, all with unbounding energy and nowhere to unleash it. We were to be tied to this place for about a year during which we were sent off on various courses mainly I'm sure to keep us quiet and out of mischief. I did two Pre- AFU's (Advanced Flying Unit) for three months each. Flying Tiger Moths. Plus a number of other small courses and detachments. One of the latter was to RAF Wickenby a bomber station which was very active at that time. We felt even more frustrated there because we were the only aircrew on the station without an active role to play.
The reason for this hold up in our progress was that the casualties in aircrew had slowed down and therefore the operational stations had no immediate need of us. I am sure many people would be shocked to learn how some aircrews were used during this period. For instance as Farm Hands, Firemen on railway engines etc. It used to be a joke when we passed a train crew on a station to say "Aircrew Mate?"
I was on a course I forget where, when an AMO (Air Ministry Order) came in advising us that the Fleet Air Arm wanted trained pilots from the RAF to transfer for Naval Flight Training for the Japanese offensive. Well Cliff, Fin and me, discussed this and came to the conclusion that it was the only way we would see any war at all so we agreed we would opt for it. Well, we did. But the next day we thought it was not such a good idea and decided against it. However, life is full of little surprises and unknown to us some weeks later there was a parade in which the list of names for transfer were read out. We naturally were not on it. One of the chaps who was in on the original discussion was on the parade and explained that we had been keen to volunteer. So, our names were added without our knowledge.
You can imagine our feelings when some time later we found ourselves posted to Tealing (Scotland) on a Harvard 'Selection course' Selection for what?? It was not until we arrived there that we found it was selection for the Fleet Air Arm. Of course it's no problem passing tests you don't particularly wish to succeed in, so, we all passed, and found ourselves on our way to Lee on Solent to join the Navy. Were there three more unlikely looking sailors than us I doubt it.