topgas, a lot of what you were told chimed with the account written by Norman Hanson in his book Carrier Pilot. Same campaign, same aircraft, different ship, in this case HMS Illustrious. His story started off as so many have done here, but with different locations such as Pensacola and Opa Locka, and different aircraft such as the N3N-3, or the same such as the Harvard (though called the SNJ-3).
Then it was onto the Brewster Buffalo (F2A) before embarking for Britain in the Escort Carrier HMS Avenger for their next phase, the "Knife and Fork" course at RNC Greenwich. They were now RNVR officers who were famously celebrated in the saying:-
The RN are gentlemen trying to be sailors;
The RNR are sailors trying to be gentlemen;
The RNVR are neither trying to be both.
Next was RNAS St Merryn (Nr Padstow, N. Cornwall) with the Fairey Fulmar together with a change from inches of mercury to pounds of boost (the reverse path that was inflicted to we on the Hastings), and briefly Grumman Martlet, then "deck landings" on the runway, before trying it for real in the Fulmar on the training carrier HMS Argus.
Thus it was off to war and RNAS Dekheila as pax on MV Penrith Castle out of Milford Haven, via Freetown, Cape Town, the Gulf of Suez, to Port Said. Certainly the long way round! He had hoped for Hurricanes in the desert but got the Comms Flight of 775 Sqn, flying the Navy brass around in Fulmars. There were however goes in a Tiger Moth (disastrous) and a Gladiator (amidst a veritable amada of Swordfish, Albacores, Fulmars) in a simulated mass torpedo attack on a returning fleet of cruisers and destroyers from Malta. Other than dust ups with the RAF at Heliopolis and Fayid (seems he didn't rate us much), it was all too good to last. Off again by BOAC Liberator via El Adem, south of the Mareth Line, Algiers, and Lisbon (eying up Afrika Korps guys, also in ill fitting civilian suits, also going home). Home leave in Carlisle, back to St Merryn for time on Hurricanes and Spitfire Vs, more home leave, thence Liverpool and RMS Empress of Scotland for Newport News, thence USNAS Quonset Point as Senior Pilot 1833 Squadron, which was to be trained up on the Chance Vought Corsair, this time for a real war in the Far East...
Last edited by Chugalug2; 4th Feb 2016 at 12:09.