WW2 aircrew in ATC
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: UK
Worked with Norman Whitelock at Hack Green in the 60's.
Neil Broadbent (EX RN/FAA.) Bob Drinkwater ex Lanc rear gunner and
?Chadwick (he was an ADC to the Duke of Kent who was killed in the Sunderland crash.......all at ATC Manchester at the time.
TR Newton was at EGBB ATCO i/c ex RAF (NON aircrew).
George Russell ex RAF Upper gunner Lancs ..was at AIS EGPK and then i/c AIS EGBB
Few more but the memory is not what it was!! (retired in 1986 after 27 yrs
Neil Broadbent (EX RN/FAA.) Bob Drinkwater ex Lanc rear gunner and
?Chadwick (he was an ADC to the Duke of Kent who was killed in the Sunderland crash.......all at ATC Manchester at the time.
TR Newton was at EGBB ATCO i/c ex RAF (NON aircrew).
George Russell ex RAF Upper gunner Lancs ..was at AIS EGPK and then i/c AIS EGBB
Few more but the memory is not what it was!! (retired in 1986 after 27 yrs
Last edited by BRIEFING OFFICER; 2nd November 2015 at 08:40.
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: New Forest
Harry and Hugh (Q) McGrath
Q is well covered elsewhere. He was a legend at Aldergrove though he had left/retired before I got there in 1969. Harry was I think someone quite different. Harry ran the Aerodrome FTU at Aberdeen at which I was a student in 1967. Harry did indeed have a limp; plus thumbstick, deerstalker and plus fours too. I don't think Harry was air crew. The story was that he served under Fritzroy Maclean (Sir Fitzroy Hew Royle Maclean) in Yugoslavia, working with Tito's partisans. Exactly what Harry's military status was remained a bit obscure - possibly SOE though Maclean had served with the SAS in Africa.
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Winchester
How about Basil Friendship, ATCO.
A real character at Stansted when I was there in the late 70's. Sergeant Friendship, DFM and bar (the non-com equivalent of the DFC, and much rarer...). Posted to France with No 3 Sqn (Hurricanes) on 10th May 1940. Started with 2 HS126s on the 12th, 2 Me109s and a Ju87 on the 14th, an Me109 and a Heinkel 111 damaged on the 15th, He111 on the 17th, Ju87 on the 18th, shared a He111 on the 19th and finished with an Hs126 on the 20th....
Totally irreverent with managers and one-time publisher of "Transmit".
Top bloke.
A real character at Stansted when I was there in the late 70's. Sergeant Friendship, DFM and bar (the non-com equivalent of the DFC, and much rarer...). Posted to France with No 3 Sqn (Hurricanes) on 10th May 1940. Started with 2 HS126s on the 12th, 2 Me109s and a Ju87 on the 14th, an Me109 and a Heinkel 111 damaged on the 15th, He111 on the 17th, Ju87 on the 18th, shared a He111 on the 19th and finished with an Hs126 on the 20th....
Totally irreverent with managers and one-time publisher of "Transmit".
Top bloke.
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,184
Likes: 0
From: USA
Levesley. I thought you may have mentioned Bill Eames who ended up as Chief Officer at Aldergrove. He had left before I arrived there in 1985 but he can still be found in the mess on occasion.
D-Day at 70: War hero Bill Eames on his part in the Normandy landings - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
D-Day at 70: War hero Bill Eames on his part in the Normandy landings - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: New Forest
Bill Eames
I don't ever remember anyone at EGAA ever mentioning his service. He took over as Chief Officer well before I left in 76 but I don't ever remember any discussion about him or with him that even hinted at his war service. Bill's office was in an adjoining building so he wasn't ever an everpresent in the tower so contact was more fleeting than with the watch keeping staff.
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,266
Likes: 1
From: Berkshire, UK
I just remembered - good friend of mine, with whom I have long lost contact - was Trevor Devine St John-Murphy - "Spud" to his mates. I believe Spud flew Mossies. Typical ex-RAF aircrew Spud had a huge handlebar moustache and he was as mad as a hatter. Doing outbound radar at SATCC one day a Comet asked to stop climb with a pressurisation problem. Spud, recently having had a fam flight on a Comet, told him it was probably the pressure dome at the back of the aircraft. Minutes later the Comet asked to continue climb and asked how Spud had known the cause. "It's this new radar; very sensitive you know!"
Joined: Nov 2005
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
Posts: 12,458
Likes: 368
From: Wildest Surrey
Mention of Spud Murphy who I met at LATCC c1971 reminds me of assistant Arthur Bramall who like Spud, hard a large amount of face fungus.
Arthur once told us that during his flying training, he was given a check ride by another instructor who told him to do a steep turn. He omitted to say 'one' steep turn and they did 13 before the instructor told him to stop!!
Arthur once told us that during his flying training, he was given a check ride by another instructor who told him to do a steep turn. He omitted to say 'one' steep turn and they did 13 before the instructor told him to stop!!
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 251
Likes: 0
From: That France
Spud Murphy
Does anyone herein remember Spud's biscuit-tin? IIRC - and it's nearly 40 years ago mind - a local-to-him bakery had a run of biscuit tins made with a scene out of Lowry gracing the lid and sides. Unfortunately, they'd not checked the artwork before placing the order, and the first batch were released into the shops with a scene more out of one of Ron Jeremy 's movies. Spud managed to get one of these before the shelves were cleared.
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: Luton
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: Luton
I worked with George Lapka also at Brize I was there 1980 to 1983 he left before I did to go to Cosford ATC prior to retiring he lived in Wolverhampton.
He told me he flew Hurricanes at the start of the war supposedly during the Battle of Britain period before moving on to Spitfires and eventually Mustangs which he told me he was flying on D-Day staffing the beaches for the invasion and air support there after. However I have searched many sites and found no mention of him as a Battle of Britain pilot nor anything to confirm what I was told is true but he definitely was a Master Pilot so did fly as Sgt or Master aircrew in that period. There where also two Master Navigators at Brize at that time one in ATC George Elland interesting guy who explained the fine art of astral navigation to me on one nights shift then there was a Master Nav in charge of Flight Planning too he was Master Nav Edwards (first name escapes me) he lived in Witney and retired during my time at Brize I believe.
He told me he flew Hurricanes at the start of the war supposedly during the Battle of Britain period before moving on to Spitfires and eventually Mustangs which he told me he was flying on D-Day staffing the beaches for the invasion and air support there after. However I have searched many sites and found no mention of him as a Battle of Britain pilot nor anything to confirm what I was told is true but he definitely was a Master Pilot so did fly as Sgt or Master aircrew in that period. There where also two Master Navigators at Brize at that time one in ATC George Elland interesting guy who explained the fine art of astral navigation to me on one nights shift then there was a Master Nav in charge of Flight Planning too he was Master Nav Edwards (first name escapes me) he lived in Witney and retired during my time at Brize I believe.
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 865
Likes: 1
From: Cheshire, California, Geneva, and Paris
Master Navigator "Ness" Edwards was in the flight planning department at Brize whilst there was another Master Signaller/Air Electronics Officer who worked in the navigation department who, I was told served on Lancasters with the very secret 101 Squadron based at Ludford Magna in Lincolnshire during World War II and for some reason was known as "Harry Chunkers" There was also Master Pilot Jack Meakin in the ATC tower at Brize who was a post war Meteor and Javelin pilot and instructor.
Last edited by DC10RealMan; 16th June 2025 at 07:19.
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,146
Likes: 31
From: Herefordshire
Tony Boo
I have a copy of Kenneth G Wynn's book 'Men of The Battle of Britain'. There is a Lapka mentioned, Stanislaw not George. After service with the Polish Air Force he joined 302 Sqn when it formed on 13/7/40 flying Hurricanes. He survived the war, settled in England and died in 1978.
Joined: Dec 2020
Aviation Qualifications: ATCO
Posts: 298
Likes: 237
From: Home
I met Larry Curry back in the early 80s. Didn't know him at all well but I'm pleased to say he was instrumental in the early days of my career during a rather sticky patch. Also believe that Vic Jackson worked at an ATCO around that time - previously on Vampires and the King's Flight, I was told.
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 15
Likes: 3
From: south UK
Have trawled through previous posts but couldn’t find mention of these two. John Halloway, Heathrow and LATCC, previously Spitfire and Hurricane in the far east and Reg Hussey, LATCC ATCO 1 crew chief Lancaster pilot with, at least two tours, unfortunately, they bit him some 30 years later but he came through it. Great blokes to work with for a young sprog like I was. I was, and I remain, greatly honoured to have considered them friends. Unfortunately, I lost touch with Reg but met regularly with John and his wife Val (also in ATC at Heathrow and LATCC) until their demise in November last year. Greatly missed.