Gurnerworld

Like your father, I too was in Rhodesia (5 FTS RAF Thornhill) from 1951 to 1953 as a ground radio operator and have contributed extensively to this and other forums about my time there complete with a large number of photos.
To see some of what I have posted here on PPRuNe I suggest you do an "Advanced Search" in the Search column and in the Keyword Box enter 5 FTS and in the Username box enter Warmtoast. The results should keep you or your father entertained for a little while!

WT

Philip

I run the Spyflight Website and wrote the article about the incidents between the RAF and various Israeli aircraft.

Sorry about the error in your fathers name - I shall change it to Waddingham when I next update the site.

My father F T Williamson was a QFI in Rhodesia when your father went through training and they may have flown together.

Regards,

Matoman

Sorry about late reply.
Thanks for correcting your website.
I have found that he flew with another Williamson but will have to get his log books out to see if he flew with your father.
I attach the wings party list for 1943, which shows the list of trainee pilots on the 1943a course, which might interest others here?
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....a5a5fc3267.jpg
1943 WINGS PARTY 1943a course

enfranglais

I don't know why I looked at your list of pilots, must be a quiet Sunday morning - but lo and behold I recognised the name E G Waddingham, 'Ed the Wad' as he was known on 30 Squadron. He was a Herc' skipper on 30 at Fairford and then Lyneham from '68 to at least late '73 when I left. I think he had been on Hastings in Akrotiri prior to the Herc'. He was a Spec' Aircrew Sqn Ldr and very pleasant man to fly with.
There were a few photos of him on the '60 years of the Hercules' thread' on Prune.
Edit - just noticed that his son had already placed them above - I'd not noticed them before!

My late father (Noel "Steve" Stevens) was a nav instructor with RATG after completing a tour in Europe with 106. Info I have is:

13/8/43: Rhodesian Air Trg Gp duties: supy
02/2/44: 26 Elementary Flg Trg group:RATG duties: Staff Nav
Then back to UK 07/09/45.

Unfortunately, his wartime log book was destroyed in an officers' mess fire in Japan in '47, so I only have his post-war logs. The info above I obtained from his service records.
Tim.

Good Day All

I am looking for assistance please, I bought a propeller from a lady called Lisa Heigh here in Zimbabwe about 17 years ago the propeller was handed down to her from someone in the RAF, I believe it use to hang in a officer mess some where in Rhodesia, I have the Part No and Her No of the prop but can't find the origin.

I will add some pictures, I think I came off a Fairtchild Cornell.

Any assistance will be appriciated.

Regards
Leon Snyman

Good Day

Having problems uploading my pictures, the propeller is a Sensenich Model 43K15131A Ser No AF43B9293

Regards
Leon

Hi all, only just come across this thread but I have a lot of information I can supply.
My father was an Insructor on Oxfords at RAF Kumalo from 1942 to 1944, having been posted there after spending 7 months in Hospital in Cairo after being shot down while flying a Blenheim from Palestine.
A few weeks ago my brother found his old logbooks in a box of our mother's possessions so I have details of many of the people involved both students and some instructors and groundcrew. In addition details of all their aircraft over that period.
I also have logbooks from 1935 when he started as a cadet flying Cadets through to 1954 when he was an air traffic controller.

Ref post #83:

I suspect that "J D Mercer" is Jack Mercer, who was a QFI at Bristol UAS at the end of the '50s when I was a student there. He would be about the right age, and wore several WW2 medal ribbons. The last time I saw him was at Kidlington, about 1978; he was a flying instructor with what was then OATS, and I was there to do a civil IR.

Small world!

Aircrew Training in Rhodesia
 

Leon,
Firstly as the O.P. of this thread I owe you my sincere apologies for not finding and replying to your posting a lot sooner.
As regards your propellor. Yes, very likely it is ex-Cornell.
From Canadian Air Publication No.347, Cornell Schedule of Parts. "Sensenich Propellors 43K15131 to be used on WSL72-204 Contract (AC30109)....".
Fifty Cornell II from Contract AC30109 were assigned to the R.A.T.G. These aircraft wore the RCAF serials 16651 to 16700.
Tony Broadhurst

Fairchild Cornell - and Argus
 

The original posting of this thread was to assist in the search for resources for a series on the Rhodesian Air Training Group to be published in an Air-Britain Journal. The eleventh and the final part of the series was published in the Summer 2016 issue of "Aeromilitaria" .
The thread proved invaluable to my own Fairchild Cornell research and I am sure assisted the series author, Dave Newnham.
I remain interested in seeing and recording any logbooks with Fairchild Cornell or Argus entries.
Tony Broadhurst