No. 5 B.F.T.S Clewiston FL USA

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

Is there anyone around who gained their RAF Wings at the No. 5 B.F.T.S., on course no. 11 - Nov 1942 - May 1943 who I could correspond with?

Many Thanks

Ian BB

PS May I now widen my search to anyone on the base at Clewiston - Nov 1942 - May 1943, whether RAF, US Army Air Corps or civilian Instructor, this would include, I believe, members of courses 8 9 10 & 12 13 14 for part of that time.

Here's hoping - Thanks Gents.

[AQAfive]

My Father (now with wings of his own), was there in 1944, (course 21 I think), so outside your time frame; but I have visited the museum dedicated to 5 BFTS in Clewston and may have some info of interest.

If so PM me, if not good hunting.

[Evileyes]

Not certain of the nature of your project but I'd suggest contacting the editor of the Clewiston News. It's quite possible that some may have settled there post-war and it is still a relatively small town.

The paper reportedly have archives of newspapers going back to 1928.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clewiston_News (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clewiston_News)

Clewiston News
820 W Sugarland Hwy., Suite 5
Clewiston, FL33440

Editor: [email protected] ([email protected])

Good luck!

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

Thank you both for responding,

Aqafive I will PM you. According to a book I am reading - "RAF Wings Over Florida" by Will Largent, ISBN 1-55753-203-6, course 22 Wings Day was 31st March 1945 so if your father was on course 21 his Wings Day would have been 6-7 weeks earlier. The course was 28 weeks so you can work back to his start date. I have emailed the Chairman of No. 5 B.F.T.S. Association who I think may be key to my enquiries - but no response yet - possibly on hols. at this time of year.
See - RAFRA - Royal Air Forces Register of Associations (formerly BCAUR) (http://www.associations.rafinfo.org.uk/royal-air-forces-register-of-associations.htm)
Evileyes, thanks, I will write to the editor of the Clewiston News. My project is to try and find anyone who might remember my father, the late F/O Geoffrey Burgess who gained his wings at Clewiston 25th May 1943 and lost his life flying Mosquito TE 872 14th Jan. 1948 at RAF Pershore. I was just 4 months old at the time, so sadly I have no memory of my dad.
I now have some photos, with christian names on them, that he took while at Riddle Field Clewiston and it would be great if someone who was on that course could put surnames to the faces. I realise this is a long shot now, as I am looking for someone who would be at least 85 years young - but it's worth a go
Again sincere thanks for your assistance
Ian BB

[Lizh]

Hi Ian,

I happened upon your posting whilst arranging a visit to the 5BFTS reunion in Bedford next weekend.

I knew that my uncle P/O Francis William Baker (my mother's brother) had been killed in WW2 and was buried somewhere in France. That was about it until I came across some papers at my parent's house and found that he had trained in Florida.

With my husband and my brother, I began to research his RAF career and very quickly, thanks to the wonders of the internet, found the Clewiston Museum site (have you seen this?) and discovered that posted there were photographs of all the Course members. After some trawling we found him on Course 11.

Number 5 British Flight Training School - Course 11 (http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/UFDC.aspx?s=clew&b=SW00000519&v=00001)

Frank is 2nd from the left (front row) and your father is 5th from the left - so they must have known each other!

We would love to see your photographs (maybe Frank's in one of them). If you could possibly email them to me, I could take them to the reunion and maybe someone there might recognise them.

Frank went on to train as a Lancaster pilot and served with 460 Squadron (RAAF) based at Binbrook. Tragically he was killed on his first op (along with all his crew) during the disastrous raid on Mailly-le Camp, on the night of 3rd/4th May 1944. He and all his crew are buried in a beautiful churchyard at Dommartin-Letree. We have just returned from visiting their graves.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Regards, Liz

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

Hi Liz

Thanks for your post and your PM which I only opened today.
I am sorry to say that I cannot help you with my father's photos as they are not of course 11! Let me explain. As you know from the course 11 photo on the University of Florida site my dad can clearly be seen on the front row. That picture is the only link to course 11 that exists, because, within a day or two of that arrival picture my dad was in sick bay (we don't know with what) but he must have been quite ill, as we know that he was sent off-base later to recuperate. As a result he never rejoined course 11 but he (and I believe two other cadets) were put onto course 12 and he gained his wings with them on 25/05/1943. I have now had the privilege of speaking to Mr Eddie Habberley who was also on course 12 and he was able to tell me a little about my dad which wonderful for me. This came about as a result of the great help that I have received from the 5BFTS archive run by Gordon Newsham.

I am sorry to hear of Mr Baker's death on his first op. - such a tragic waste - but at least now as a result of your research you know where he lies.

Sorry that I have nothing more on course 11 for you.
Best Wishes
Ian Burgess-Barber

[Johnnie214]

I have just found this thread while reseaching a chap (Michael John O'Donohoe) who was at 5 BFTS from August 1942 until April 1943.

After leaving he moved through various units however seems to have become an instructor rather that moving to ops.

I was wondering if you might have come across him during your research, or if you have any further information about his course.

All the best,

Johnnie

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

Hi Johnnie

If you go to www.clewistonmuseum (http://www.clewistonmuseum.org).org and click on No 5 BFTS Photo Archives that will take you to the University of Florida Digital Collection of pictures. Scroll down until you find the Course 10 photo, click on the zoom tag and you will see your man 3rd from the left on the 3rd row.
Then contact the No 5 BFTS Association Archivist, Gordon Newsham who may be able to put you in touch with members of Course 10 who are still around, and who might remember Mr O'Donohoe.
I have no other knowledge of him or of Course 10.
Best of Luck with your search
Ian BB

[Johnnie214]

Many thanks for the reply. It is always great to have web sites like the one you mentioned brought up. I'll have to hunt through the names of others I have been researching to see if any of them flew from 5 BFTS and have photos on the web site.

Johnnie

[GordF]

Hi Liz - Are you related to anyone on JB741 which crashed on the 1st op out of Binbrook May 3/4 1944? I am the nephew of the air bomber.
Gordon

[VQ5X03]

Hi Ian,

My father was on course 12 at 5BFTS. He is still with us and still has an interest in aviation. If you are still following this thread, what would you like me to ask him ?

All the best

Martin (Swift)

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

Hello Martin

I would be most grateful if you would ask your dad if he has any recall at all of the father I never knew. It may help his memory (if he was on the appropriate flight) that my dad was a corporal at the time - which was unusual.

Thanks for your response

Best wishes

Ian BB

[Lizh]

Hi Ian,

I see you are still following this thread. Thought you might be interested to know that The Clewiston News always put a mention on their front page as each 5 BFTS Course passed out. The link below should take you to Course 12. If it dosen't work let me know and I will try again.

Clewiston news (http://ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?a=fdnl1&m=hd1X&i=94969&vo=3)

Regards Lizh.

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

Hi Liz

The Link was fine

Thank you so much, I was not aware that the old newspaper was online.

I am now waiting to see if Mr Swift (see previous) might have known my dad - it is amazing how people turn up out of the ether on this great PPRuNe thingy!

Good Hunting with your researches

Ian BB

[NVarchitect]

My Dad served on 460 squadron at the same time as Frank. I am helping him write stories of his time there, which you can view in the link below. He may know of Frank, so I suggest you leave a comment of one of his articles and he will get back to you.

[Lizh]

Hi NVarchitect,

Thanks for your message, would love to be in touch, but there was no link shown. Can you try again, otherwise I will email you.

Liz.

[Lizh]

Hi NVarchitect,

Sent you an email, just making sure you got it.

Liz.

[NVarchitect]

Liz I got the email and I have passed it on to my father. I'm sure you will hear something soon. I'm new to the forum and so did not know how to post links. Here is the link to all my father's articles on 460 Squadron so far. Peter
460 Squadron - Collection - a collection by Henry Baskerville (http://knol.google.com/k/460-squadron-collection#)

[Lizh]

Hi Peter,

Thanks so much for your Dad's articles.

I haven't yet had time to read everything, but as I said, even though Frank had such a short time at Binbrook it shows what life would have been like for him, had things not gone so tragically wrong on the night he died, which was just what I wanted to know.

I was however very interested in your Dad's account of his "second dickie". Apparently Frank went on his 1st Op without having done one.

Would your Dad be able to throw any light on why this might have been?

Regards Liz

[SinglePin]

Ian, my father George Applegarth was at No. 5 B.F.T.S, based at Clewiston but was a bit after your dads time. I do however have photo's of the aircraft and buildings that my dad took if they would be of any interest. I also visited Clewiston after my father passed away, I did it in style by flying a Harvard (actually a SNJ-6) from Kissimmee and parked it on the old flight line. I would also be interested in finding out more about my dads time in the states.

Regards Chris

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

Suprised to see this thread spark up again - have sent you a PM

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

If anybody knows VQ5XO3 (see Post 11) you might just ask him to respond - he (or possibly she) never came back to the thread, and gave no response to the PM that I sent either. Makes you wonder don't it?

[octavian]

Lady and Gentlemen,

I browsed this thread, with great interest, about a year ago. My dad was also at 5 BFTS, albeit somewhat later than Ian and Liz's fathers and was on the last course (No 25) to undertake and, mostly, complete their training, some of it during the wind-down of the BFTSs following the end of the war.

Like Chris (SinglePin post 20) I have also visited Riddle Field by air. The first time (Cessna 172) was in December 1984 when most of the buildings on the domestic site had been demolished some years earlier to prevent the site's use as a "corrective institution", however, the swimming pool guard house and some other obvious wartime buildings still existed. The airfield was then little used as Clewiston Municipal Airport existed pretty much within the city boundary at the west end.

My second visit was in 2006 , also in a Cessna 172, by which time Municipal had been closed and Riddle Field was being promoted as Airglades. Some new buildings had been built including a new terminal.

I have just returned from a holiday in Florida which included a pre-arranged visit to the Clewiston Museum, which has an excellent archive and a small display relating to 5 BFTS. The Museum Director, Mr W P (Butch) Wilson was very helpful and had laid out many of the archive photos and memorabilia for me. I would mention that much of the material is available on line as are the Clewiston News issues for the period of 5 BFTS operation. I again visited Riddle Field where some more new hangars have been erected, but little other change. The highlight of my trip was, like Chris, a flight in a T-6 (SNJ-6)out of Kissimmee. Alas I didn't get down to Clewiston in it, but was told of someone who had done so recently!

I have my Dad's photos and his log book as well as a number of other articles and books which relate to AT-6, Riddle Field and the Arnold Scheme.

I don't know whether me posting this note will draw the thread back into the current area on PPRune, but if so, I would be delighted to make contact with those of you with similar interst in 5 BFTS and Riddle Field.

Kind regards,

Paul

[No5BFTS]

Ian, my father was Capt John Seymour Westom Davis and if you have the book RAF WINGS OVER FLORIDA you can read about him [look at the inddex] ... he was an Advanced Instructor and Flight Commander throughtout the years of the No5BFTS. Sadly he died in 2001. There are course pictures on the internet w/ first initials and last names. I have an alblum of many pics and things from the No5BFTS. There is also a movie made about the No5BFTS called THE FLYING DAYS OF RIDDLE FIELD in which my father is pictured as an instructor and interviewed as an older man. Some of the gentlemen interviewed in the movie may still be alive. The movie premiered on Public Television on Memorial Day weekend, May 2001, two months after my father died.
Anita Davis Revell
[email protected]

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

Hi Anita - delighted that you have turned up on here - you may have the answers to so many questions in your possession. I will email you.
Thanks
Ian BB

[David Halstead]

Hello,

My late father Harold F Halstead was training there in 1943 (Course 18) and I wonder if one of your photo's is of him.

Let me know,

Regards,

David Halstead

[Captain Capstan]

David this link will take you to a course photograph of your father's course
http://www.5bfts.org.uk/courses/images/large/Course%2018%20A-LC.jpg:

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

David, my father graduated on Course 12 (May 1943), so he would have left Clewiston before course 18 arrived, so I have no relevant photos. Have you tried all the links previously posted in this thread?
IanBB

[thorsdag]

08-25-2015

I am the editor of the book RAF WINGS OVER FLORIDA, which contains several reminiscences by cadets and others associated with the No. 5 BFTS. The book was published in 2000 by Purdue Univ. Press. My page on this publication is here: RAF WINGS OVER FLORIDA (http://www.todroberts.com/TER/WINGS.htm)

It can be read as a free e-book at this link:
http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=press_ebooks

Kind regards,

Tod Roberts ([email protected])

[Ian Burgess-Barber]

Welcome to PPRuNe Tod. My copy of Will's book is well-thumbed and I have often quoted from it in these forums, (see Post No. 4 on this long-dormant thread, and, from page 276 onwards in the long-lived "Gaining an R.A.F. Pilot's Brevet in WW 11" thread in the Military Aviation Forum).

'Best
Ian BB

[creweite]

A few years ago I attended a Quiet Birdmen dinner meeting in Miami. The guest speaker had been an instructor in Clewiston, starting with about one hundred hours in his log book! Sorry I cannot recollect his name from memory but it will be in the QB system some place if anyone is interested. The former owner of Pelican flight school at Hollywood/N.Perry (Florida) airport told me his former RAF CO learned to fly at Clewiston, and he flew him out there when he was on a visit to Florida, found his photograph in a group they had on display! The field now goes by the name Airglades.

[ronkennyraf]

Hello all, I'm researching Ron Kenny who graduated from Pan American Navigation Section at Miami University. He was from Rochdale in England. Ron was my GG. I have dozens of documents relating to the training of these guys and i'd like to share them.

I can't upload them for some reason so please message me. There are literraly hundreds of photos and documents. I'm in love with him and need to know more x

This website won't allow me to upload them. Stops at 50%. Unlike Ron x

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Until you have a posting history you don't have access to private messaging and adding urls. An email address will give a chance of results.

[India Four Two]

Ron,

See the note added to your post by a Moderator.

You cannot upload photos until you have at least 10 posts AND you haven't posted anything to offend the Mods! ;)

[megan]

Ron, if you like you can email me the photos you want to put up and I'll post on your behalf babrahamATnetspace.net.au

[Frog1]

Hi, My Grandfather was on Cse 15, 5BFTS. He turned 100 on June 12th and after spending time with him today, and him joyously spinning stories about his time at 5BFTS, I thought I’d try and find some info.
I came across this thread which has been a really interesting read. Does anyone know if the memorabilia is still at Clewiston or if indeed there may be any other 5BFTS still around?

Many and huge thanks if anyone is still monitoring this thread.

all the best
Billy