Air Training Corps - WW2
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Air Training Corps - WW2
Can anyone tell me about the following-
(a) ATC No 483 Squadron; where is was located?
(b) How long did the training last?
(c) What subjects did the training cover?
The reason I'm asking this is that I'm charting the RAF career of a late friend of mine who started in the ATC and went on to fly Catalina's in Pensacola
(a) ATC No 483 Squadron; where is was located?
(b) How long did the training last?
(c) What subjects did the training cover?
The reason I'm asking this is that I'm charting the RAF career of a late friend of mine who started in the ATC and went on to fly Catalina's in Pensacola
Corp is an American shortening of 'Corporation'
Getting back on topic, I recall that ATC Squadrons were given a dedicated reporting section in a period magazine (The Aeroplane Spotter?) - anyone recall this? It might be worth a look. Even in wartime, I remember seeing photos in said magazine of these units proudly showing off their training airframes, which usually comprised various golden-era ex-RAF biplanes.
The Air Training Corps came into being with the RAF on 5 Feb 1941 having been originally set up as the Air Defence Cadet Corps under the Air League.
a) No 483 Squadron. Squadrons were assigned their numbers originally as they were formed. No 483 Sqdn appears to have been formed amongst a 'cluster' of other squadrons numbered in the same sequence and some of these were from the county of Warwickshire, however, squadrons have often been disbanded and/or re-formed more than once in which case the squadron may be re-formed in a totally different part of the country depending on when they were re-formed and the number becomes available again ie there COULD be a squadron in Warwickshire with this number but it could be anywhere else in the country or the squadron number could presently be in abeyance.
b) In 1941, male cadets could join at the age of 16 years and leave at the end of 18 years when they were expected to be called up for war service.(There were no female ATC cadets until 1980)
c) Training could consist mostly of RAF based subjects with an emphasis on preparing the cadets for potential adult service, subjects such as navigation, meteorology, shooting, flying (cadets sometimes 'volunteered' to assist in local Air Transport Auxiliary units and often flew when the aircraft being moved needed an extra 'hand' on board) and gliding (the ATC established gliding schools at many airfields in order to provide cadets with basic flying training).
a) No 483 Squadron. Squadrons were assigned their numbers originally as they were formed. No 483 Sqdn appears to have been formed amongst a 'cluster' of other squadrons numbered in the same sequence and some of these were from the county of Warwickshire, however, squadrons have often been disbanded and/or re-formed more than once in which case the squadron may be re-formed in a totally different part of the country depending on when they were re-formed and the number becomes available again ie there COULD be a squadron in Warwickshire with this number but it could be anywhere else in the country or the squadron number could presently be in abeyance.
b) In 1941, male cadets could join at the age of 16 years and leave at the end of 18 years when they were expected to be called up for war service.(There were no female ATC cadets until 1980)
c) Training could consist mostly of RAF based subjects with an emphasis on preparing the cadets for potential adult service, subjects such as navigation, meteorology, shooting, flying (cadets sometimes 'volunteered' to assist in local Air Transport Auxiliary units and often flew when the aircraft being moved needed an extra 'hand' on board) and gliding (the ATC established gliding schools at many airfields in order to provide cadets with basic flying training).
Last edited by chevvron; 21st May 2023 at 07:22.
Getting back on topic, I recall that ATC Squadrons were given a dedicated reporting section in a period magazine (The Aeroplane Spotter?) - anyone recall this? It might be worth a look. Even in wartime, I remember seeing photos in said magazine of these units proudly showing off their training airframes, which usually comprised various golden-era ex-RAF biplanes.
There was a hangar at my school (Kings College Taunton) which had been built in 1938. At various times it had held a Bristol Bulldog, Hawker Nimrod and ultimately after the war, a Spitfire!
All gone by the time I was there - it was just used to store the boarders' school trunks....and an old car belonging to the Motor Club.
All gone by the time I was there - it was just used to store the boarders' school trunks....and an old car belonging to the Motor Club.
Potential thread creep !!!
There was a hangar at my school (Kings College Taunton) which had been built in 1938. At various times it had held a Bristol Bulldog, Hawker Nimrod and ultimately after the war, a Spitfire!
All gone by the time I was there - it was just used to store the boarders' school trunks....and an old car belonging to the Motor Club.
All gone by the time I was there - it was just used to store the boarders' school trunks....and an old car belonging to the Motor Club.
We had an AC two litre saloon at Kenley parked behind the fretwork fighters .It would carry 6 staff cadets who would bump start it as it had no starter or generator. We found an enormous extra battery and kept it charged and would use it on side lights only for evening ops around Surrey and London (lots of street lights). It consumed vast amounts of OMD 110 and had an oil filler like a submarine escape hatch (half a gallon at a time). It even 'escaped' to Cornwall for a S Cadet outing with a charge en route. (they were big batteries) probably 'borrowed' off a Wilde twin drum winch. CO not happy the following w-end as the G School was rather short of the 'workers'.
I think it was an unofficial protest as we were not getting much flying ourselves due to an influx of u/t civilian instructors, and it did improve after we were 'missed'.
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ATC TRAINING
Back on topic (ish)
I joined 148F ( Barnsley) Sqn in the early 1960.
To preempt the purists getting in a twist, no we weren't officially entitled to the F denoting the first 50 Sqns but the unit had formed as one of the first Air Defence Cadet Corps units and applied to be part of the ATC in time but, to coin a phrase, we wuz robbed!. So we took the F anyway and it stayed for a very long time.
Anyway, the training, at my time of joining we still had a radio room stuffed with WW2 transmitters and receivers which still functioned into the 50s, I'm assured by former members. So, radio etc
There was an engine's room containing a cut away instructional Merlin plus a similar jet engine and bits of a functional workshop.
We also had a complete Link Trainer, some of which still worked in my time, plus myriads of things like Dalton computers and navigation kit.
It follows that the ATC was capable to offer a wide range of training in aviation subjects and, by all accounts, did so.
Until late in the war, membership of the ATC conveyed the automatic right to enter the RAF on reaching the appropriate age. I think it changed with the advent of the "Bevin boys".
Thread drift: years later I became OC 2500 Sqn. My predecessor was the first female VRT officer and this really was the first Sqn authorised to recruit girls. They were real trailblazers those girls, I'm still proud of them now.
I joined 148F ( Barnsley) Sqn in the early 1960.
To preempt the purists getting in a twist, no we weren't officially entitled to the F denoting the first 50 Sqns but the unit had formed as one of the first Air Defence Cadet Corps units and applied to be part of the ATC in time but, to coin a phrase, we wuz robbed!. So we took the F anyway and it stayed for a very long time.
Anyway, the training, at my time of joining we still had a radio room stuffed with WW2 transmitters and receivers which still functioned into the 50s, I'm assured by former members. So, radio etc
There was an engine's room containing a cut away instructional Merlin plus a similar jet engine and bits of a functional workshop.
We also had a complete Link Trainer, some of which still worked in my time, plus myriads of things like Dalton computers and navigation kit.
It follows that the ATC was capable to offer a wide range of training in aviation subjects and, by all accounts, did so.
Until late in the war, membership of the ATC conveyed the automatic right to enter the RAF on reaching the appropriate age. I think it changed with the advent of the "Bevin boys".
Thread drift: years later I became OC 2500 Sqn. My predecessor was the first female VRT officer and this really was the first Sqn authorised to recruit girls. They were real trailblazers those girls, I'm still proud of them now.
To preempt the purists getting in a twist, no we weren't officially entitled to the F denoting the first 50 Sqns but the unit had formed as one of the first Air Defence Cadet Corps units and applied to be part of the ATC in time but, to coin a phrase, we wuz robbed!. So we took the F anyway and it stayed for a very long time.
Should the squadron subsequently be disbanded and re-formed, theoretically it would lose the suffix however from reports I've read, this did not necessarily happen. Some squadrons which were originally established at public schools subsequently transferred to the CCF in 1948 losing their squadron numbers in the process*
I joined 2204 (Chesham) Sqdn as a second class cadet in 1962 (becoming commisioned in 1979 and moving to command 1811 [Marlow] Sqdn in 1983); my brother was a member of 2204 squadron from about 1957 to 1961 when he joined the RAF; 2204 Sqdn had just changed its name from 'Germain Street School' Sqdn and previously had been 1414 (Chesham and Amersham) Squadron c1950 - we had a silver cup showing this number and date but when it disbanded and re-formed is unknown and HQAC don't keep any such records.
So you can see from the above that squadron numbering can be best described as 'haphazard' post WW2.
* Needs confirmation.
Last edited by chevvron; 28th May 2023 at 10:06.
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F
Sorry Terry, the cadet training handbook pt1( orange/ Yellow version )always said first 50 . That continued when the blue loose-leaf version came along much later.
Your version was probably the rationale that 148 used to adopt it tho'.
Having said that, who am I to argue with their remotenesses at HQAC who could not possibly make a mistake in their training manuals!
Your version was probably the rationale that 148 used to adopt it tho'.
Having said that, who am I to argue with their remotenesses at HQAC who could not possibly make a mistake in their training manuals!
Sorry Terry, the cadet training handbook pt1( orange/ Yellow version )always said first 50 . That continued when the blue loose-leaf version came along much later.
Your version was probably the rationale that 148 used to adopt it tho'.
But having said that, who am I to argue with their remotenesses at HQAC who could not possibly make a mistake in their training manuals!
Your version was probably the rationale that 148 used to adopt it tho'.
But having said that, who am I to argue with their remotenesses at HQAC who could not possibly make a mistake in their training manuals!
Yes I remember the yellow/orange handbooks; they were hardbacked and were for 1st Class, Leading and Senior Cadet training to which was added Staff Cadet just before they became blue paper back manuals.
As to HQAC staff being a bit 'remote' I have to agree; I tried to correct the books in several places (even visiting them when I was on my Senior Officers course at Newton) and they didn't seem too bothered by the innacuracies; I once found a mistake in the training manual for air rifle shooting and told my my Wing Ad O who was a retired Wingco Rock; (it was a mistake transposing 'mils' for 'deg') and he agreed but even when he told HQAC, we never did get it corrected!
