Plea for information from Albany or elsewhere
I am only a very recent reader of this forum and my plea is made all the more urgent because of the very sad news of Cliff’s departure. His contribution in starting this forum and his continuing comments have been a delight being both informative and amusing and above all valuable. Please pass on my condolences and best wishes to his family. Through this forum his name will live on with the many of us who have so enjoyed his company and memories.
My father, apparently, also trained under the Arnold Scheme although, in common with many mentioned here, he rarely spoke about his experiences and I certainly then never asked him about them. Unfortunately, he was killed in a hit and run accident some 35 years ago. The only clues I currently have are in some old photographs with the stamp of McCollum’s Photo Shop, Albany GA on the back. One of these is of my father (in shorts only) his head down in his books, dated Jul 29 1941. I also met Mr and Mrs Carter who had befriended him (hospitality as frequently mentioned in the blog and in the book) and were on their Grand Tour of Europe on Mr Carter’s retirement. That was some time in the late 50’s as they stayed with my grandparents on their visit to the UK.
My father was LAC Cook E 1072966, information I can obtain from his (RCAF issue) Observer’s and Air Gunner’s Flying Log Book. I knew he had not completed pilot training. At that time he would have been aged 28 which does seem rather old and may have been part of the reason.
His first observer experience was on 27 November 1941 in an Anson piloted by P/O Sorby from No 33 ANS, Mount Hope, Hamilton, Ontario. He completed that course on 14 February 1942 (his birthday) and then went to No 31 B&GS (Bombing and Gunnery School) at Picton on No 38 Course until 27 April 1942.
Working from his log book:
On 12 May 42 he did 2 hrs 40 in a Ventura flying from Moosehead Lake, Maine doing Sunsights, followed on 17 May with 5hrs 10 at night in a Hudson from Windsor to Montreal doing astro navigation. Both are logged as first navigator. There is no evidence of any training in either the Ventura or the Hudson.
Then on 19 May with pilot P/O Sargent he flew Montreal/Dorval– Presque Isle – Gander before at 0900 on 22 May setting off from Gander to Millom, a 12hr 20 flight of which 5 hrs 10 was at night, and then finally to Prestwick on 24 May. (I never did get to ask him about the Flyers in 1942!)
He then appears to have been commissioned, as the first entry with a P/O signature is the August 1942 summary at 5 OTU, Turnberry where he was on No 20 Cse flying Ansons and Beauforts.
He left for North Africa in March 1943 and served at 5 METS (Beaufort) and then 39 Sqn (Beaufort –May/June 43) and 458 Sqn (Wellington – July to October 1943) and Communication (?) flying (Fairchild, Anson and Ventura) at HQ 203 Group before returning to the UK between February and May 1945.
I have applied to RAF Records for his Record of Service but there will be a wait of several months before they can reply and it will, no doubt, be more of the bones and little of the meat. However, my plea is simple– is there anybody out there who remembers him and can give me any other information about his wartime career either as a cadet pilot or cadet/qualified observer/navigator? Any information at all will be very gratefully received.