Walter,
and we were off to the recruit training centre at Bridgenorth, Shropshire, where we were to spend the next five weeks becoming trained airmen
Another reason why it might have been better to opt fot "Deferred Service". I dodged all that, did my two weeks at Reception Centre at Babbacombe and went straight to ITW at Newquay.
I was a Flight Sergeant when shot down, but lucky bugger, I had been put up for a Commission and it was back-dated to 27 October 1943, and I didn't find out until I'd been a PoW 10 months later.
And then you'd be credited with the arrears as a P/O (or did you go straight to F/O ?), and debited with your pay over the period as a Sgt and F/Sgt. Did you finish out of pocket ?
When I was commissioned in India, the Raj (not UK) paid officers' pay, so I got the whole lump in rupees (at almost double the UK pay rate) without any deduction.
It took the RAF nearly two years to claw its money back, but at date of Commission I was two weeks overdue for my 'crown', but it hadn't come through and I hadn't been paid for it. But accounts insisted that I
had, and docked me accordingly. Ah, well.
There's no justice !
Danny.