Mosquito pilot
Suspicion breeds confidence
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Mosquito pilot
Just had a good chat with an ex WW2 Mosquito pilot of 151 Sqn based at Colerne near Bath. Nice to know these gents are still with us.
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I had a rather lengthy conversation with a chap who had been alive for, oh God, I think he said 80 years or so. Anyway, he had worked at his local airport for something like 50 years and had seen some stuff fly in and out over that time. Just thrilling to hear him speak and know he had been alive all that time.
I recall flying an instrument approach to W Raynham in a 360 Sqn Canberra in the late 60s with a Nav who was much older and wsier than me. Cloudbase as reported was pretty near my break-off height, I was on the dials, and he was looking foward from his black hole looking for the ground. First call was not "field in sight", but "what are those "expletive deleted" Mossies doing there?" - he had been a Mosquito nav in earlier days and as we broke cloud he thought he had experieneced a major deja vue or gone straight to heaven. In fact it was the few flyers and more statics for making the aforementioned "633 Squadron" spread around WR.
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The next door neighbour is ex Lancs and Mosquitos, must be pushing 90 now and certainly got a few dits to spin. Served with Gibson VC (on Mosquitos) didn't have a kind word to say about him, "Short, arrogant, over confident and ill prepared," as he recalls.
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G Gibson
Mixed reports concerning G Gibson. Undoubtedly a driven individual (thank goodness) and a very good writer (Enemy Coast Ahead - the recent uncensored version is a treat to read) but it is not the first time I have heard of him wanting to be recognised. An old Mossie pilot who is unfortunately no longer with us told me of the day he turned up at a squadron which had a large proportion of Aussies. When they figured that he was expecting just a little too much attention they debagged him. Apparently he did see the funny side of it and settled down a bit after that...
Mmmm.
Jokes aside, in the early 70s, (70-73) there was a certain Flt Sgt R*****d J***s, or should I say Master Pilot, at Coningsby.
At that time he was an Air Traffic er but had been a Mosquito Pilot in WW2. His rank at the time made him one of the very few remaining Master Pilots still in service. I think the subject of Master Pilots has been done to death on here already, but what impressed the hell out of kids were the rows of medal ribbons at a time when they weren't that common. Further, he wore his wings at a time, again, when the only other wings we saw were on steely eyed F4 jocks less than half his age (or so it seemed to us).
Anyone on prune remember this guy?
Jokes aside, in the early 70s, (70-73) there was a certain Flt Sgt R*****d J***s, or should I say Master Pilot, at Coningsby.
At that time he was an Air Traffic er but had been a Mosquito Pilot in WW2. His rank at the time made him one of the very few remaining Master Pilots still in service. I think the subject of Master Pilots has been done to death on here already, but what impressed the hell out of kids were the rows of medal ribbons at a time when they weren't that common. Further, he wore his wings at a time, again, when the only other wings we saw were on steely eyed F4 jocks less than half his age (or so it seemed to us).
Anyone on prune remember this guy?
We are all able to enjoy a good read about Mosquitos in some of his earlier posts on Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW11 thanks to our very own Regle - 87 years young and still, thankfully, going pretty strongly.
Ever ready for the next episode, Reg!
With best wishes
Jack
Ever ready for the next episode, Reg!
With best wishes
Jack
I think Reg is busy this weekend organising the Bleriot centennial flights. No doubt he'll be able to tell us what Bleriot was REALLY like when he was teaching him to fly!!!
Powys Castle
This is from memory, but believe the son of the family who lived in Powys Castle, Shropshire became a Mossie Pilot in WWII. Barrister by profession and died in accident by flying into power cables in Norfolk.
Story is told in both Powys and the De Havilland Museum, South Colney, just off the M25 near Hatfield, the spot where the first Mossie was built.
Reminds us how 'normal' men gave it all.
We Will Remember.
Story is told in both Powys and the De Havilland Museum, South Colney, just off the M25 near Hatfield, the spot where the first Mossie was built.
Reminds us how 'normal' men gave it all.
We Will Remember.
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Wander00
Re 633 Squadron.
If it was late 60's the film would have been the sequel "Mosquito Squadron". There would have been a Shackleton from Farnborough there too. The pilots included Taffy Rich, Neil Williams and Pat Fillingham. It was the Aerial Unit shooting the opening titles sequence off the North Norfolk coast. What was scary was the Bloodhound devices waking up and tracking
the returning Mossies and Shackleton! The Shackleton flew so low that it caused a wake to form! I gather the Farnborough based pilot said he hadn't had so much fun for some time.
Re 633 Squadron.
If it was late 60's the film would have been the sequel "Mosquito Squadron". There would have been a Shackleton from Farnborough there too. The pilots included Taffy Rich, Neil Williams and Pat Fillingham. It was the Aerial Unit shooting the opening titles sequence off the North Norfolk coast. What was scary was the Bloodhound devices waking up and tracking
the returning Mossies and Shackleton! The Shackleton flew so low that it caused a wake to form! I gather the Farnborough based pilot said he hadn't had so much fun for some time.
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My father, who is 88 and probably fitter than I am, did two tours in Bomber Command - one in Hampdens, and the second in Mosquitoes ... including 38 trips to Berlin (some in Hampdens, which is a fairly horrific thought).
If I may relate two anecdotes ...
First was when I showed him some charts of the Frisian Islands - I'd been sailing along there. 'Oh, yes,' he said, and began reeling off the names: 'Schiermonnikog, Memel, Joust, Borkum, Nordeney,' and so on. When I asked how he knew them, he told me he'd been sent out to mine the approaches to Cuxhaven. They'd fly from Lincolnshire in the clouds with compass, ASI and stopwatch, pop out, and with luck, see an island. Depending on which one it was, they had to fly such and such a course at so many knots for so many minutes and drop the mine. But they had to know which island it was, so Father got the charts and aerial photos and memorised them all. Nearly 70 years later, he could still recall them. I told him I'd stopped at Borkum. 'Ah, Borkum,' he said. 'Lot of flak over Borkum,' and related another story.
But to Mosquitoes. He told me that on one Berlin trip, he called to the navigator for the bomb doors during the run up. No response. Tried again - still no response. Apparently the cockpit was so cramped, he couldn't turn round to see what the problem was. He guessed that the nav's oxygen lead had become disconnected - apparently this was quite easy to do - fumbled around, and managed to reconnect the lead. The navigator recovered, but it meant having to go round again, which was not the healthiest of things to do.
If I may relate two anecdotes ...
First was when I showed him some charts of the Frisian Islands - I'd been sailing along there. 'Oh, yes,' he said, and began reeling off the names: 'Schiermonnikog, Memel, Joust, Borkum, Nordeney,' and so on. When I asked how he knew them, he told me he'd been sent out to mine the approaches to Cuxhaven. They'd fly from Lincolnshire in the clouds with compass, ASI and stopwatch, pop out, and with luck, see an island. Depending on which one it was, they had to fly such and such a course at so many knots for so many minutes and drop the mine. But they had to know which island it was, so Father got the charts and aerial photos and memorised them all. Nearly 70 years later, he could still recall them. I told him I'd stopped at Borkum. 'Ah, Borkum,' he said. 'Lot of flak over Borkum,' and related another story.
But to Mosquitoes. He told me that on one Berlin trip, he called to the navigator for the bomb doors during the run up. No response. Tried again - still no response. Apparently the cockpit was so cramped, he couldn't turn round to see what the problem was. He guessed that the nav's oxygen lead had become disconnected - apparently this was quite easy to do - fumbled around, and managed to reconnect the lead. The navigator recovered, but it meant having to go round again, which was not the healthiest of things to do.
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Gibson is always said to have been an independent and reclusive leader.
Cheshire however was the entire opposite to him.
But, It was said that Gibson was entirely focused on the job, And was only one of a few in Bomber Command who could be trusted to deliver results ie the Dams Raid.
But everyone needs to relax and mix socially on a Sqn for the morale sake.
Think Gibson felt that he was just at Scampton to work and not socialise?
He was sadly killed not long after the Raid flying a Mossie? on a Training Flight.
Cheshire however was the entire opposite to him.
But, It was said that Gibson was entirely focused on the job, And was only one of a few in Bomber Command who could be trusted to deliver results ie the Dams Raid.
But everyone needs to relax and mix socially on a Sqn for the morale sake.
Think Gibson felt that he was just at Scampton to work and not socialise?
He was sadly killed not long after the Raid flying a Mossie? on a Training Flight.
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If memory serves, the Fleet Requirements Unit at Exeter operated Mosquitos as target towers - an airscrew-powered unit on centre line - into the sixties. One was a regular at Chivenor air shows which was also where I met one of the last Sergeant Pilots happily flying one of 22 Squadron's Whirlwinds. (22's wives also made excellent aircrew coffee but it wasn't meant for 12 year old sprogs even if they were half-frozen marshalling go karts).
Last edited by ICT_SLB; 3rd Nov 2009 at 03:20.
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"On September 19th 1944, Gibson led a huge force into Germany as master bomber to attack railways and industrial targets at Monchengladbach and Rheydt. Gibson did not return from the operation in his Mosquito. Mystery and controversy have surrounded his crash ever since. He orchestrated the attack and ordered the bombers home but was then never heard from again. His Mosquito was seen plunging into the ground at Steenbergen in Holland. Part of his remains were later found."
Some training flight!
Some training flight!
