Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,803
Received 135 Likes
on
63 Posts
"Chocks Away" on Ch. 5 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: over the rainbow
Age: 75
Posts: 562
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
News of Group Captain Hemingway D.F.C.'s passing has been much exaggerated, at the age of 98 he is still in the prime of his life.
Surviving total of Battle of Britain veterans increases from eight to nine | Daily Mail Online
What is remarkable is that he survived the War. He was shot down four times, including in France in 1940, in the Battle of Britain the same year and in Italy in 1945. He was never captured
In these short clips he describes the four occasions he had recourse to his parachute.
Surviving total of Battle of Britain veterans increases from eight to nine | Daily Mail Online
What is remarkable is that he survived the War. He was shot down four times, including in France in 1940, in the Battle of Britain the same year and in Italy in 1945. He was never captured
In these short clips he describes the four occasions he had recourse to his parachute.
Last edited by roving; 27th May 2018 at 13:10. Reason: added detail
Remember the memoirs of Sqn Ldr Rupert Parkhouse, shot down in France on his third sortie in a Farey Battle? His son Richard found this gem on another website, Battle of Britain London Monument - Airmens Stories - Barthropp PPC
One young man, Rupert Parkhouse, a young Cranwell cadet, spent five years as a Prisoner-of-War only to be told when he got home that one third of his service pay was deducted and that he didn't qualify for the Air Crew Europe Star as he had not completed sufficient time in an operational squadron.
We serialised Rupert's memoirs in this thread last year and they are available if anyone wishes to read them as one document. There is also the e-Book of Danny42C, entitled In with a Vengeance and much enjoyed by many who have received it so far. If you want a copy of either, send me, Geriaviator, a PM containing your email address as we can't send attachments via Prune.
One young man, Rupert Parkhouse, a young Cranwell cadet, spent five years as a Prisoner-of-War only to be told when he got home that one third of his service pay was deducted and that he didn't qualify for the Air Crew Europe Star as he had not completed sufficient time in an operational squadron.
We serialised Rupert's memoirs in this thread last year and they are available if anyone wishes to read them as one document. There is also the e-Book of Danny42C, entitled In with a Vengeance and much enjoyed by many who have received it so far. If you want a copy of either, send me, Geriaviator, a PM containing your email address as we can't send attachments via Prune.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,803
Received 135 Likes
on
63 Posts
Bean-counters are nothing new, sadly. A very sad treatment of a victim of the conflict.
A sad sequel ... Rupert, who has vascular dementia, lives in a Bournemouth nursing home. He lost his wife Rosemary last year and he is bereft, but he does not know why.
Guest
Posts: n/a
To all our American Friends:
Why do you not have a "Midway Day" celebrated, as we do our Battle of Britain Day?
Danny (class of 42C USAAC)
Why do you not have a "Midway Day" celebrated, as we do our Battle of Britain Day?
Military historian John Keegan called it "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare. [Wiki]
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: over the rainbow
Age: 75
Posts: 562
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In January 1939, John began training in Yorkshire, and after a period in a flight training school, Pilot Officer Hemingway was posted to No 85 Squadron in Debden, flying Hurricanes.
When the war broke out, John’s squadron was sent to Rouen in northern France and would form part of No 60 Fighter Wing of the Advanced Air Striking Force, providing air support to the British Expeditionary Force. On May 11th, 1940, during the Battle of France, John claimed his first kill, a German Dornier Do 77 light bomber which he helped to shoot down. Later that same day, John was himself brought down by enemy anti-aircraft fire and had to make a forced landing in a field. He was one of the first RAF pilots to shoot down an enemy aircraft over Europe, and was also one of the first to be shot down.
When the war broke out, John’s squadron was sent to Rouen in northern France and would form part of No 60 Fighter Wing of the Advanced Air Striking Force, providing air support to the British Expeditionary Force. On May 11th, 1940, during the Battle of France, John claimed his first kill, a German Dornier Do 77 light bomber which he helped to shoot down. Later that same day, John was himself brought down by enemy anti-aircraft fire and had to make a forced landing in a field. He was one of the first RAF pilots to shoot down an enemy aircraft over Europe, and was also one of the first to be shot down.
No. 85 Squadron was formed from A Flight of No. 87 Squadron on 1 June 1938 as a fighter squadron. For the first four months of its existence the squadron was equipped with the Glostor Gladiator, before receiving the Hawker Hurricane in September 1938.
In September 1939 the squadron moved to France with the Air Component of the BEF. The squadron suffered heavily during the Battle of France, losing all but four of its aircraft in the twelve days between the start of the German offensive and its return to Britain.
In September 1939 the squadron moved to France with the Air Component of the BEF. The squadron suffered heavily during the Battle of France, losing all but four of its aircraft in the twelve days between the start of the German offensive and its return to Britain.
This link is useful for 3 Sqn in France,
http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/3_squadron.html#1805
Last edited by roving; 5th Jun 2018 at 19:03. Reason: add link
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: en route
Posts: 222
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks, Roving. I don't think there are many other survivors from the Battle of France - and as your link to the 3 Sqn history indicates, there weren't too many made it back from France. 3 was more or less wiped out in twelve days.
Ages ago there was discussion about RAF Non-Commisioned aircrew ranks post WW2. I resolved to visit the only one such seen in my visits to British churchyards - Pilot3 B.P.A. Parsons, died 22 December 1947. There must be many more.
Churchyard? Naughty vicar, Daniel in the Lions Den, nearest airfield employed the only lady in this particular role at the time, 1950's. The late Puddy would not have been out of place here.
Churchyard? Naughty vicar, Daniel in the Lions Den, nearest airfield employed the only lady in this particular role at the time, 1950's. The late Puddy would not have been out of place here.
mike hallam.
. Vicar of Stiffkey was unfrocked for some scandal, became a lion tamer, lion not as tame as he thought and it killed him. Little Snoring nearby as well and my only Tiger Moth flight with the late Peter Charles (Six Feet Over his autobiography ) from Lt Snoring to Langam, where Peter Labouchere now lovingly restores Moths, etc
Last edited by Wander00; 5th Jul 2018 at 10:56. Reason: The wonderful new system dropped two words and I did not notice
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Near the watter...
Age: 77
Posts: 251
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Something for you, Danny...came across this by chance! The video seems irrelevant, but the photos further down are better...
https://www.aol.com/article/news/201...bers/21716400/
https://www.aol.com/article/news/201...bers/21716400/
Guest
Posts: n/a
Molemot,
Thanks for the link ! Video won'l load, but one or two of the pics are certainly VVs, and some of the the engines look like Double Cyclones, but if course these were fitted to many other aircraft. "Rosie the Riveter" was a popular character of the time.
Danny.
Thanks for the link ! Video won'l load, but one or two of the pics are certainly VVs, and some of the the engines look like Double Cyclones, but if course these were fitted to many other aircraft. "Rosie the Riveter" was a popular character of the time.
Danny.
Guest
Posts: n/a
eko4me (#12100),
Thanks for the pointer - I had not known of this Wiki before - very interesting.
Comment:
.
Mks I and II had a hard enough job lifting off with 1,500 lb. Would say that 2,000 lb was "pushing your luck ! Never tried it on a Mk.III: never flew a Mk.IV.
If the implication is that the Mk.IV was used operationally, I would very much like to know what the dive experience (with a 4° Angle of Incidence) was like. Hitherto we'd supposed that all operations were carried out by Mks I and II only.
..
..
We paid US$63,000 each for ours, which at US$4.08/£ would represent £15.44 sterling (yes, I know we were on Lsd then). What was the relation between A£ and sterling at the time ?
AHQ India called off all VV ops on the onset of the '44 (ca mid-May), so it was a concerted Allied decision. Unecessary (IMHO) as we could've done much more useful work through the '44/'45 dry season. All the VVs and most of the crews of the six squadrons were still in India: the Mossies (which came out to replace us) brought their own crews anyway (and their aircraft started falling to bits, and did not get sorted out until early'45).
Ain't hindsight a wonderful thing ?
Senior Pilot ? Geriatric, more like ! (any advance on 96 yrs and 8 mths ?)
Thanks for the pointer - I had not known of this Wiki before - very interesting.
Comment:
...". All of the variants could carry up to 2,000 pounds (910 kg) of bombs [2][3]"
Mks I and II had a hard enough job lifting off with 1,500 lb. Would say that 2,000 lb was "pushing your luck ! Never tried it on a Mk.III: never flew a Mk.IV.
... "No. 25 Squadron, located at RAAF Station Pearce in Western Australia, received some Vengeances in late 1942, but mainly operated Wirraways until being completely re-equipped with the dive bombers in August 1943.[20] This squadron was the only RAAF unit to be equipped with Mark IV aircraft, which provided far superior performance to the other variants"...
..
."The price for each of the aircraft purchased by Australia was A£90,000.[4]"
We paid US$63,000 each for ours, which at US$4.08/£ would represent £15.44 sterling (yes, I know we were on Lsd then). What was the relation between A£ and sterling at the time ?
"On 8 March 1944, General Douglas MacArthur's General Headquarters, which commanded all Allied forces in the South West Pacific Area, directed No. 77 Wing's squadrons to return to Australia and No. 78 Wing to move to the Cape Gloucester area of New Britain......... During a subsequent discussion between Kenney and Air Vice-Marshal George Jones, the Chief of the Air Force, the American general stated that he did not intend to use the Vengeance in combat again"
Ain't hindsight a wonderful thing ?
Senior Pilot ? Geriatric, more like ! (any advance on 96 yrs and 8 mths ?)