The memoirs of Sqn Ldr Rupert Parkhouse, recorded in 1995 – Part 2
The first post in this series is #9775 on page 489 of this thread.
I entered Cranwell on April 29 1939 and I was very proud of my hat and uniform, I thought I was very handsome. Because we had all been in the OTC at public school we drifted easily into the drill routines of the cadet squadrons, which were commanded by a cadet under officer, a cadet sergeant and cadet corporals who kept us in line.
The great thing was that one began flying on the Avro Tutor straight away. One had ground school but on a hot, dozy summer's day in class there was the glorious thrill of knowing that in an hour or so one could be up flying.
I found flying rather difficult at first, and I had a bad-tempered Rhodesian instructor, and I didn't do terribly well with him. So they gave me to a very experienced Sergeant Pilot Booker, who eventually became Wing Commander Booker who was CFI at the Empire Central Flying School in about 1945. He had come into the RAF as an apprentice clerk and transferred to flying duties.
We got on extraordinarily well, he was a very quiet and tolerant chap who never lost his temper, and after my first three weeks at Cranwell and about nine hours dual Dermot Boyle the CFI – who eventually became Marshal of the Royal Air Force – took me for a flying test and after a little confab with Booker on the ground I was given another quick circuit and was sent off solo. That was a great thing.
As summer progressed I got my half-blue on the athletics team. I was completely surprised to be awarded a Viscount Wakefield scholarship for the sons of parents of limited means. The important thing is that my father had thought he had to pay £100 a year for tuition and £100 for uniform and books for my course even though he got reduced fees because he had been in the RFC. The scholarship covered the cost of tuition and so boys of moderate means could enter the RAF and have a fine career.