Danny has first sight of his new home.
(Follows on my #3676 p.184).
Came the dawn at Thornaby, and the usual silent breakfast, everyone immersed in his own thoughts, or reading a paper. Then Jack and I strolled over to the SHQ, only a short step. It was the next building to the Guardroom, where I had first arrived the evening before. Next to it was the Flagstaff, and directly opposite that my place of business. It looked formidable, a single storey building surrounded with high blast walls and (so Jack said) had six feet of reinforced concrete on top. It would need a Tallboy to get through that lot.
Thornaby had been a Coastal Command station during the war, with Hudsons and Ansons on anti-submarine duty over the North Sea. This had been the station Operations Room, and had very easily converted into a mock Fighter Sector Operations Room for us. But, although Jack gave me my keys and Secret Documents, he'd never been in the place himself and so was no use to me as a guide.
However, first things first. W/Cdr Sewell greeted me warmly and confirmed what I already knew - I would be acting C.O. of this lot TFN. In my innocence, I had supposed that it would not be difficult for 12 Group to choose one of my half-dozen auxiliary Fighter Control Flt. Lts. for the post. But in all dealings with the Auxiliaries there was an Elephant in the Room - and a big, strong beast was he.
I refer, of course, to the Territorial and Auxiliary Forces Association (TAAFA). This sounds like a fairly harmless gathering of old fuddy-duddies with vaguely charitable purposes in mind. It was nothing of the kind. It was a power in the land. Created in the early years of the last century to gather all the many semi-official Yeomanry and Volunteer companies into one single organisation, it was established on a county (almost a feudal) basis to administer the newly formed Territorial Army, and it was very jealous of its privileges. Naturally, the R.Aux.A.F. was incorporated into this body.
The Lord Lieutenant of the County was ex officio the President. All the major landowners of the district would have retired Generals and Admirals somewhere in the family tree: they naturally gravitated to the governing bodies of TAAFA. The Secretary of the North Riding of York Branch was a Brigadier Fairweather, and it was with him that I would have most of my dealings. They operated from County Hall in Northallerton; their quarterly meetings (which all Territorial and Auxiliary C.O.s had to attend, or be represented by their Adjutants) were held in the palatial brass, mahogany and leather Council Chamber there (the County Councillors being told meanwhile to go and play somewhere else).
TAAFA had the last word in the appointment of Auxiliary C.O.s, but fortunately their thinking (in our case) was in accordance with mine, after I'd had time to get to know my people. All but one of my Fighter Control officers were ex-war pilots and navigators (who would be "naturals" for the new Branch). The odd man out (David Brown) had been an Air Gunner - with a DSO. You don't see many of those about, and they don't come "up with the rations". Of course, the unspoken rule then was: "Never ask, never tell"; and it is only a few months ago that I learned (from Google) of his WW2 record. He would have finished, after 61 ops, as his (Lancaster) Sqdn's Gunnery Leader, and must have been a fine one, too. There was another "front runner" (at least, in his own estimation), but he was doomed to disappointment.
My log shows that I flew David Brown (as passenger in the Harvard) as a F/Lt on 30.8.52. and as a S/Ldr on 3.3.53, so he must have been appointed some time between the two dates. It seems that I was "holding the fort" for at least nine months, and I suspect the delay was due to infighting between TAAFA and 12 Group.
Next time we'll explore the place more thoroughly.
Goodnight again, chaps,
Danny42C.
Press on regardless.
Last edited by Danny42C; 14th Apr 2013 at 17:21.
Reason: Add Text.