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Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II

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Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II

Old 11th Nov 2018, 15:56
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Sandisondaughter

Air Britain's book 'The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force' contains some details of 15 Sqn
No.15 Squadron was formed at Farnborough on 1 March 1915, from a nucleus supplied by No. 1 Reserve squadron and after training moved to France in December with B.E.2c's as a reconnaissance unit. Artillery spotting and photography occupied the squadron for the rest of the war, the obsolete B.E.2c's being replaced by R.E.8s in June 1917. During the German offensive of March 1918, No. 15 was pressed into ground-attack missions against the advancing enemy troops but resumed its corps reconnaissance role after the crisis had passed. In February 1919, the squadron returned to the UK and disbanded on 31 December 1919.
Their bases as below.



Hope this helps.

WT
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Old 13th Nov 2018, 10:51
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May I very respectfully suggest posting condolences etc. on Danny's dedicated thread? Whilst Danny may have left the room, we still have work to do here helping others unravel the past.

I see the Mods are already moving posts, and a Sticky thread has been created..
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Old 14th Nov 2018, 02:17
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Originally Posted by Taphappy
Franek.
When I was a staff Wop at Topcliffe in 1946/47 there were a few Polish pilots based there and I flew with most of them on many occasions. Names that spring to mind are F/Lt Kula who unfortunately was killed as a result of a midair collision of two Wellingtons in 1948, WO Marian Zawodny, WO Stepien and WO Ted Poludniak.
They were all great guys.
Please message me again, I've cleared my inbox
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Old 14th Nov 2018, 23:45
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Originally Posted by danbenreiter
Please message me again, I've cleared my inbox
Me or taphappy?
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Old 14th Nov 2018, 23:47
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Sorry. I should have been more specific. That was for Taphappy. He was kind enough to send me info about my grandfather Marion Zawodny.
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Old 15th Nov 2018, 07:51
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Thank you very much for your help Warmtoast. I think a little tour of France may be in order for me some time soon.
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Old 15th Nov 2018, 10:59
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Originally Posted by Sandisondaughter
Thank you very much for your help Warmtoast. I think a little tour of France may be in order for me some time soon.
I wish you luck. Apart from St Omer and Senlis the others are totally unknown to me - I suspect some are no more than fields in farmland!

WT
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Old 15th Nov 2018, 13:12
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Airfields

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...9444445184&z=9


https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/...e-and-belgium/
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Old 17th Nov 2018, 18:54
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Amazing resources NutLoose - thanks so much for your help
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Old 18th Nov 2018, 08:57
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Re-reading the engraving on my grandfather's WW1 RNAS pipe, I see he served at ...
Furnes [1917]
Dunkirk
Izel-les-Hameau
Bray Dunes
Cuizancourt
... and, almost illegible ...
Leffrinckhoucke
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Old 28th Nov 2018, 10:27
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New e-book: DANNY AND THE COLD WAR



TODAY we say our last farewell to our dear friend Danny42C, who has been the life and soul of this thread for the past six years. His followers wish to thank PPrune for giving him the honour of his own obituary thread at the start of this Military Aviation section, reflecting his hundreds of posts which provide, as the Mods say, a living history of aviation.

As Danny (Dennis O’Leary) today makes his last journey to St. Mary’s Church in Middlesbrough, we are pleased to announce the second volume of his memoirs entitled Danny and the Cold War. Earlier this year his collated posts were published as an e-book, In with a Vengeance. This second volume encompasses his post-war RAF career; may it form a lasting tribute to his Service and the long and happy life of an eloquent, witty and delightful gentleman.

It tells how a young man struggled to cope with office life after going from dive-bomber to desk; it was no wonder that after three years he rejoined the RAF to fly his favourite Spitfires at last and then the RAF's first jet fighters. When his flying career was ended in 1954 by a persistent lung infection, Dennis transferred to Air Traffic Control and served in Cold War Germany as well as RAF bases around the UK until his retirement in 1972.

As long retired publishers my wife and I were very happy that Danny was able to read his second book a fortnight before he died, and to say that as with the first book, we would very much appreciate your donation of say £10 direct to his favourite charities, the RAF Benevolent Fund and Marie Curie Cancer Care, as per his last wishes. Please send me, Geriaviator, a PM with your email address -- I can’t send you the book unless I have an address to send it to!

Three post-war years in the Civil Service and the prospect of pushing paper for a further 30 years was losing its appeal, but it was the Tale of Two Rats which was the last straw. Told as only Dennis could, this is why he rejoined the RAF.
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Old 29th Nov 2018, 12:00
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WW2 pilot - funeral but no family
Now Flying Officer Walter Bentley RAF has died, aged 97.
His funeral will take place at Agecroft Cemetery at 1pm on Monday, December 10.
He worked at the CWS furniture factory on Dumers Lane in Radcliffe - and later as a bus driver for Salford City Transport.
His hobby was building model railway engines.
Few knew of his courage in the heat of one of the most notorious battles of the Second World War. He didn't like 'fuss'.
Walter has donated his medals and his flight logbook to Broughton House.
Walter lived at Alderwood Care Home in Boothstown, Salford.



Walter has no surviving family and only a handful of friends.
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Old 29th Nov 2018, 14:18
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It seems 97 is a dangerous age.

God Speed, Walter.
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Old 29th Nov 2018, 15:43
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And speed he will; "He has left instructions for his funeral, including that the funeral car must not drive slowly, because he hated getting stuck behind a funeral cortege. He was quite a character."
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Old 29th Nov 2018, 17:12
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Yes, that tickled me too, goofer3

He force landed his burning Stirling at Nijmegen and his entire crew walked safely away (they were supply dropping at Arnhem). Salford Veterans Assn didn't know about him. We didn't know about him. I'm sure that Danny would have been keen to get him online and posting here.

Well, they can compare notes now in the great crew room in the sky.

Thank you for your service, Walter. Fly free now, your duty done.
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Old 2nd Dec 2018, 12:02
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A Danny memory

Our sorely missed Senior Crewman Danny/Dennis had a great sense of humour but highly valued his privacy. Going through our old files, I have discovered a few of the texts we used to exchange in Latin.

SALVE DENNIUS! Greetings, Dennis! I began to celebrate his 93rd birthday. Roma Dionysius sum, he replied. Nit-picking I know, but I am Dionysius in the tongue of the Caesars. Will send you a picture to prove it.

At last, I thought, we’ll get to see what this man looks like. And then he sent this:

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Old 2nd Dec 2018, 16:24
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Pretty sure that I may have divined the classical bent in the posts of the 42C. His school, judging from notes we exchanged, was Saint Joseph's College Blackpool. 'Joe's Jailhouse,' as once broadcast on Radio Luxembourg, with the broadcast leading to expulsions from the Roman Catholic establishment I am told.
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Old 3rd Dec 2018, 08:13
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I must admit that Danny's classical references made me grateful that I hadn't thrown away my Latin primer and dictionary … O Level Latin could only take one so far!!
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Old 6th Dec 2018, 06:53
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Lancaster(?) Wings
When I was a child I remember a friend of my father describing a flight he took as a Flight Engineer in what may have been a Lancaster/Halifax. The airframe was to be over stressed in order to reveal causes of failures in the wing structure. The airfield was a company field somewhere just to the north Of London.
Has anyone ever heard/read of such a trial?
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Old 6th Dec 2018, 07:07
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I've never heard of such a trial and I would have thought somebody could have come up with a better plan that didn't involve risking a flight crew.
That said, if it was a Lancaster I assume it would be done nearer the factory but if it was a Halifax, Handley-Page's airfield was at Radlett which is just north of London.
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