J.E. Lydall Log Book No.2
This log book starts on Dec. 5th 1940 when Lydall was with No.267 Comm Sqdn. based at Heliopolis. He had just over 600 hours brought forward. He leaves this unit 6 months later, 9th June 1941, having flown some 330 hours in a variety of aircraft as follows.
As 1st. Pilot
Miles Magister
Percival Vega Gull
Percival Proctor
Westland Lysander
Long Nose Bristol Blenheim Mk. 4
Avro Anson
Percival Q6...........(YLSNED I had never heard of this A/C before. He reports that on at least 6 flights he experienced "Tail Flutter" mainly on landing but sometime on T/Off) One to avoid methinks!
As 2nd Pilot
Lockheed 14 (Pax General Wilson & Staff)
Lockheed Lodestar (To Crete and Athens)
Savioa March- SM 79 (captured 3 Donk machine used as a taxi for return from ferry flights).
He names some of his more notable Pax, for example:
Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham (C in C Med).
Rear Admiral Baillie-Grohman
General Sir Archibald Wavell
General Catroux
Brigadier Kisch
Brigadier Maxwell
The majority of these flights were within Egypt or Libya sometimes to places with no name, just a number eg. LG 21, LG 91, LG 57, LG 103, LG 75, LG60, LG 05. (I presume that LG means Landing Ground). The main problems he records are of dust storms and u/s items on the aircraft involved, which were mainly outdated marks from the UK theatre.
His shooting war was soon to start - he was posted to No. 113 Bomber Squadron (Blenheims) on June 15th 1941.
Ian BB
Last edited by Ian Burgess-Barber; 29th Aug 2017 at 20:04.