Wg Cdr Arthur Gill, OBE, DFC
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Danny's last message is a severe turn of events.
One of the satisfactory features of communicating online is that you can read and write with a sort of detachment, if you so wish. There's the more remote cyber world and the actual real world and you can separate the two. But here, at this moment, the two coalesce. Danny's time of trial and trauma is inescapable for us too. That's how it is with true friendships.
For who, among those who visit this place regularly, cannot have formed a strong attachment to Danny? Full of life, wit, knowledge and shrewd observation, he is a paragon... a gentleman too. It's a point of frustration for me, therefore, that I can't reach out to embrace him, as I might in the real world. To share his great burden, beyond the limitations of the screen and the keyboard.
The one comfort is the knowledge that he understands that we are beside him, as family, on the difficult journey that he has now been compelled to take. When the moment is right, he will busy himself again with that great distraction called 'Pprune'. And restored, we'll all be together again, Danny in the midst of us, to reflect, to share and to laugh.
Bless you Danny. We love you.
One of the satisfactory features of communicating online is that you can read and write with a sort of detachment, if you so wish. There's the more remote cyber world and the actual real world and you can separate the two. But here, at this moment, the two coalesce. Danny's time of trial and trauma is inescapable for us too. That's how it is with true friendships.
For who, among those who visit this place regularly, cannot have formed a strong attachment to Danny? Full of life, wit, knowledge and shrewd observation, he is a paragon... a gentleman too. It's a point of frustration for me, therefore, that I can't reach out to embrace him, as I might in the real world. To share his great burden, beyond the limitations of the screen and the keyboard.
The one comfort is the knowledge that he understands that we are beside him, as family, on the difficult journey that he has now been compelled to take. When the moment is right, he will busy himself again with that great distraction called 'Pprune'. And restored, we'll all be together again, Danny in the midst of us, to reflect, to share and to laugh.
Bless you Danny. We love you.
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
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NigG ... poetic and utterly accurate. Well said, Sir.
The shared grief is strong on both sides of the Atlantic. God bless you Danny.
NigG . . . .Could not agree more with a truly heartfelt position well expressed . (by by the way . . . the cyber world and the real world are typically poles apart . Except that you have made a valid distinction when you say that here, in this case, they coalesce, free of all banalities, in a spirit of comradeship.)
p.s can we not hear Danny rebutting all praise , in absolute modesty, at the same time reaffirming what these virtual lounge rooms , with comfy leather lounge chairs, signify in the way of endless cheerful discourse for him and for all gathered here.?
p.s can we not hear Danny rebutting all praise , in absolute modesty, at the same time reaffirming what these virtual lounge rooms , with comfy leather lounge chairs, signify in the way of endless cheerful discourse for him and for all gathered here.?
Last edited by Fantome; 25th Aug 2016 at 18:09.
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I agree, Fantome. Danny is modest. He's also very stoical. I think he'll be back before long to be greeted by the roar of 'Three cheers' and a triumphal carry aloft to be placed on the dais, ready for a Pprune march-past. Anyone join me in the motion: 'Danny for Chief of the Air Staff!' 
Nosing through Arthur's boxes of photos and memorabilia, I came across this:
It's an A4-size (and very musty-smelling!) recruitment brochure, dating to about June 1939, just a few months before war started. It's quite unlike a modern brochure, in that there's absolutely no hype. It runs through the training stages and prerequisites for a permanent commission via Cranwell; Apprenticeship training; the Naval Air Service; the Volunteer Reserve; the Auxiliary Air Force (apparently 'the City of London squadron draws most of its personnel from stockbrokers, banks, insurance and accountants offices'); Civil Air Guard and Cadets; Air Observers (a gunner/bomb aimer/navigator); and Short Service Commissions.
There's articles on 'Service Aircraft in use today' (Blenheim, Battle, Lysander, Whitley... identified as 'the heaviest of the big bombers'...Havard, Sunderland, Gladiator, Swordfish and Hurricane. Of Spits, there's a cutaway illustration showing 'Britain's newest fighter' and 'the world's fastest'. We're told 'the Rolls Royce engine drives a fixed pitch airscrew, but later models will have one with variable pitch' (
Eeks.. get a move on!). There's articles on armaments (torpedoes, four-gun powered turrets, bombs, machine guns and canon), aircraft testing, and the present 'RAF's 21st birthday' and how it's progressed since it's inception including the winning of the Schneider Trophy.
One advertisement does have a touch of hype. Along with a picture of a 'Spit', it says that 'A life in the air is a life worth living' and 'This is a job for keen young men. Good pay, good prospects and a handsome gratuity at the end of your regular service'. (One wonders how many of those who signed up in 1939 got to receive their gratuity.
)
This is the caption photo for a Short Service Commission:
Below is written: 'Hawker Hurricane single-seat fighters of N0. 3 (Fighter) Squadron, RAF, at Northolt Aerodrome, Middlesex. In February 1939 a Hurricane piloted by Squadron Leader J W Gillan flew from Turnhouse, Edinburgh to Northolt in 48 minutes at an average speed of 408 miles an hour. After an officer holding a short service commission has completed his training, he may be appointed to a squadron such as the one illustrated above.'
It makes slightly dry, though informative reading. But it certainly captured my imagination. I'm definitely off to the recruiting station tomorrow first thing. Who wouldn't... with the prospect of being that guy sitting in the Hurricane cockpit!
Nosing through Arthur's boxes of photos and memorabilia, I came across this:
It's an A4-size (and very musty-smelling!) recruitment brochure, dating to about June 1939, just a few months before war started. It's quite unlike a modern brochure, in that there's absolutely no hype. It runs through the training stages and prerequisites for a permanent commission via Cranwell; Apprenticeship training; the Naval Air Service; the Volunteer Reserve; the Auxiliary Air Force (apparently 'the City of London squadron draws most of its personnel from stockbrokers, banks, insurance and accountants offices'); Civil Air Guard and Cadets; Air Observers (a gunner/bomb aimer/navigator); and Short Service Commissions.
There's articles on 'Service Aircraft in use today' (Blenheim, Battle, Lysander, Whitley... identified as 'the heaviest of the big bombers'...Havard, Sunderland, Gladiator, Swordfish and Hurricane. Of Spits, there's a cutaway illustration showing 'Britain's newest fighter' and 'the world's fastest'. We're told 'the Rolls Royce engine drives a fixed pitch airscrew, but later models will have one with variable pitch' (
Eeks.. get a move on!). There's articles on armaments (torpedoes, four-gun powered turrets, bombs, machine guns and canon), aircraft testing, and the present 'RAF's 21st birthday' and how it's progressed since it's inception including the winning of the Schneider Trophy. One advertisement does have a touch of hype. Along with a picture of a 'Spit', it says that 'A life in the air is a life worth living' and 'This is a job for keen young men. Good pay, good prospects and a handsome gratuity at the end of your regular service'. (One wonders how many of those who signed up in 1939 got to receive their gratuity.
)This is the caption photo for a Short Service Commission:
Below is written: 'Hawker Hurricane single-seat fighters of N0. 3 (Fighter) Squadron, RAF, at Northolt Aerodrome, Middlesex. In February 1939 a Hurricane piloted by Squadron Leader J W Gillan flew from Turnhouse, Edinburgh to Northolt in 48 minutes at an average speed of 408 miles an hour. After an officer holding a short service commission has completed his training, he may be appointed to a squadron such as the one illustrated above.'
It makes slightly dry, though informative reading. But it certainly captured my imagination. I'm definitely off to the recruiting station tomorrow first thing. Who wouldn't... with the prospect of being that guy sitting in the Hurricane cockpit!
that recruiting brochure artwork looks like the work of Frank Wootton.
A poster that the RAAF put up all over Australia, from 1940 on, was displayed outside the recruiting centre in Adelaide. I heard once from a pilot in the Second World War (and airlines after) how he was hurrying down North Terrace, aged twenty-two, to join the police force, when that poster hit him right between the eyes. Three months latter he was out at Parafield on the outskirts of Adelaide beginning his course with EFTS there . His name was Colin Griffin. He lived near Kyneton in his latter years. He passed away in 2013. The book he rated most highly about the war in the air was Hillary's 'The Last Enemy'.
THe poster that inspired Col showed a pilot waving as he is halfway into the cockpit of his fighter , the caption reading COMING? - THEN HURRY.
Here is what the Kyneton Aero Club Newsletter had to say about Col -
Vale : Colin Sidney Griffin 01/01/19-03/06/13 by Warren Canning
Long time Kyneton Aero Club member Col Griffin passed away at Kyneton Community Aged Care on Monday 03 June at age 93.
Many members will have fond memories of hours spent with Col, listening to his stories from WWII, and later Airlines and then instructing at Melton. Col started his flying career on DH82 Tiger Moths in Adelaide, before moving to Geraldton on Avro Ansons; where he was involved in the search for HMAS Sydney, after graduating with “Wings” he headed to the UK to join 456 Squadron RAAF.
In the UK Col flew several types, but it was the DH Mosquitos that he flew operationally with 456 SQN, completing 43 missions plus a tour as an instructor on Mossies, for a total of 650 hours on type. After the war he returned to Australia to begin an airline career that would see him fly numerous types, including DC3, Bristol Freighter, Vickers Viscount, F27, DC9 and B727. Few may know that Col was the Captain of Vickers Viscount VH-RMI on its second last sector ever; into Winton in 1966. It took off with a different crew on its next sector and suffered a fire that burnt through the wing spar; with all onboard lost. Col then was seconded to the Board of Inquiry into the crash.
When Col reached the, what would now seem a very young, age of 60 he was retired from the airlines, as was the policy back then. Not to be deterred he took up GA instructing and spent 10 years at Melton as CFI, training many Private and future airline pilots, finally retiring from commercial aviation at age 70. It was a tribute to the respect in which Col was held as an instructor that many of these pilots flew to Melbourne from various interstate locations to be at his Memorial Ceremony.
When asked how many hours he had accrued, Col would respond that he stopped counting when he went over the 30,000 mark, and that was many years ago. He continued flying into his 90s, still taking his wife, Doreen, away in their RV-6 VH-EMG to Adelaide for trips to see their families. At the time CASA pulled his medical, Col had flown continuously for 70 years.
It was a great pleasure to have spent many hours flying with Col; we would often share the command on the out and back sectors to a lunch destination, where he would invariably hold the floor with his many amazing stories from those 70 years of flying, and it was again a mark of the respect in which he was held that people who had met Col through these “lunchtime” adventures flew into YKTN to be at his Memorial. In 2011 we got to share a great adventure together when we flew Yak 52 VH-YEK, in which Col was a partner, on the RAAF’s 90th Anniversary Air Pilgrimage. When the RAAF media realised they had a genuine WWII Mossie pilot on the event Col instantly became the media darling; doing numerous print, radio and TV interviews along the way. At the Gala Dinner at the Point Cook Officers Mess on the night of the 90th Anniversary he came in for special mention in front of the Chief of Defence, Chief of Air Force and 6 Retired Chiefs of Air Force, and he loved every minute of it.
As Col’s health faded he was no longer able to get into his RV-6, so Saturday lunches reverted to a very enjoyable time around the table at the Kyneton Aero Club; where Col revelled in the companionship of fellow aviators, and was always only too happy to offer very sound advice, or to listen as others gave theirs. Even in these later years, he lived life to the absolute fullest, he had a great wit and infectious sense of humor, not always politically correct, but that was one of the things we all loved about Col.
Colin Sidney Griffin will be sadly missed; he truly was one of a kind.
The club's president, Matt added these remarks -
It is sad and unfortunate that I begin another report discussing the passing of another member of the Kyneton Aero Club family. Col Griffin.
Many of you will have also attended the memorial service held on Saturday 15 June. Approximately 200 people turned up to say goodbye to a dear family member and friend, many having travelled from interstate.
It was a fitting farewell for someone who had made a positive impact on so many lives, starting with a Missing Man formation fly-past and finishing with a very moving service performed by the Kyneton RSL, complete with Bugler.
While I never had the opportunity to share a cockpit with Col, I did have the opportunity to share a couch with him on many occasions and listen to him tell countless stories of his adventures in the air over a 70 year period.
For me, a comparatively young and inexperienced pilot, Col was an inspiration. I hope I make it to 70 years of age and be fit and able to fly. The idea of flying continuously for the next 50 years is beyond imagining. He was an amazing man and will be sadly missed by all.
A poster that the RAAF put up all over Australia, from 1940 on, was displayed outside the recruiting centre in Adelaide. I heard once from a pilot in the Second World War (and airlines after) how he was hurrying down North Terrace, aged twenty-two, to join the police force, when that poster hit him right between the eyes. Three months latter he was out at Parafield on the outskirts of Adelaide beginning his course with EFTS there . His name was Colin Griffin. He lived near Kyneton in his latter years. He passed away in 2013. The book he rated most highly about the war in the air was Hillary's 'The Last Enemy'.
THe poster that inspired Col showed a pilot waving as he is halfway into the cockpit of his fighter , the caption reading COMING? - THEN HURRY.
Here is what the Kyneton Aero Club Newsletter had to say about Col -
Vale : Colin Sidney Griffin 01/01/19-03/06/13 by Warren Canning
Long time Kyneton Aero Club member Col Griffin passed away at Kyneton Community Aged Care on Monday 03 June at age 93.
Many members will have fond memories of hours spent with Col, listening to his stories from WWII, and later Airlines and then instructing at Melton. Col started his flying career on DH82 Tiger Moths in Adelaide, before moving to Geraldton on Avro Ansons; where he was involved in the search for HMAS Sydney, after graduating with “Wings” he headed to the UK to join 456 Squadron RAAF.
In the UK Col flew several types, but it was the DH Mosquitos that he flew operationally with 456 SQN, completing 43 missions plus a tour as an instructor on Mossies, for a total of 650 hours on type. After the war he returned to Australia to begin an airline career that would see him fly numerous types, including DC3, Bristol Freighter, Vickers Viscount, F27, DC9 and B727. Few may know that Col was the Captain of Vickers Viscount VH-RMI on its second last sector ever; into Winton in 1966. It took off with a different crew on its next sector and suffered a fire that burnt through the wing spar; with all onboard lost. Col then was seconded to the Board of Inquiry into the crash.
When Col reached the, what would now seem a very young, age of 60 he was retired from the airlines, as was the policy back then. Not to be deterred he took up GA instructing and spent 10 years at Melton as CFI, training many Private and future airline pilots, finally retiring from commercial aviation at age 70. It was a tribute to the respect in which Col was held as an instructor that many of these pilots flew to Melbourne from various interstate locations to be at his Memorial Ceremony.
When asked how many hours he had accrued, Col would respond that he stopped counting when he went over the 30,000 mark, and that was many years ago. He continued flying into his 90s, still taking his wife, Doreen, away in their RV-6 VH-EMG to Adelaide for trips to see their families. At the time CASA pulled his medical, Col had flown continuously for 70 years.
It was a great pleasure to have spent many hours flying with Col; we would often share the command on the out and back sectors to a lunch destination, where he would invariably hold the floor with his many amazing stories from those 70 years of flying, and it was again a mark of the respect in which he was held that people who had met Col through these “lunchtime” adventures flew into YKTN to be at his Memorial. In 2011 we got to share a great adventure together when we flew Yak 52 VH-YEK, in which Col was a partner, on the RAAF’s 90th Anniversary Air Pilgrimage. When the RAAF media realised they had a genuine WWII Mossie pilot on the event Col instantly became the media darling; doing numerous print, radio and TV interviews along the way. At the Gala Dinner at the Point Cook Officers Mess on the night of the 90th Anniversary he came in for special mention in front of the Chief of Defence, Chief of Air Force and 6 Retired Chiefs of Air Force, and he loved every minute of it.
As Col’s health faded he was no longer able to get into his RV-6, so Saturday lunches reverted to a very enjoyable time around the table at the Kyneton Aero Club; where Col revelled in the companionship of fellow aviators, and was always only too happy to offer very sound advice, or to listen as others gave theirs. Even in these later years, he lived life to the absolute fullest, he had a great wit and infectious sense of humor, not always politically correct, but that was one of the things we all loved about Col.
Colin Sidney Griffin will be sadly missed; he truly was one of a kind.
The club's president, Matt added these remarks -
It is sad and unfortunate that I begin another report discussing the passing of another member of the Kyneton Aero Club family. Col Griffin.
Many of you will have also attended the memorial service held on Saturday 15 June. Approximately 200 people turned up to say goodbye to a dear family member and friend, many having travelled from interstate.
It was a fitting farewell for someone who had made a positive impact on so many lives, starting with a Missing Man formation fly-past and finishing with a very moving service performed by the Kyneton RSL, complete with Bugler.
While I never had the opportunity to share a cockpit with Col, I did have the opportunity to share a couch with him on many occasions and listen to him tell countless stories of his adventures in the air over a 70 year period.
For me, a comparatively young and inexperienced pilot, Col was an inspiration. I hope I make it to 70 years of age and be fit and able to fly. The idea of flying continuously for the next 50 years is beyond imagining. He was an amazing man and will be sadly missed by all.
Last edited by Fantome; 25th Aug 2016 at 22:20.
408 mate? bloody sluggard . . . .in 1931 the S6b reset the world record
at 407 mph . we remember certain numbers that are locked in despite the passage of years. . . that is one of them . . . also first proper girl friend's phone number . . .363840. . . . when I gave it to the late Lane Morrow , a very dry yank flying at the time for Masling Airlines, he came straight back with "KINDA PEAR-SHAPED?" ( and THIS is what I'd call call a real segue , cobber.)\
Note that THE KING'S AIR FORCE cost sixpence . Remember that in the sixties we could . . . anybody could. . . ask DCA to send THE REGISTER OF CIVIL AIRCRAFT (in it''s pale blue covers with the metal bend over pins going through the binding holes. Publication services such as this one were free of charge. My old registers are ready to go to a good home now, along with mountains of other aeronautica)
at 407 mph . we remember certain numbers that are locked in despite the passage of years. . . that is one of them . . . also first proper girl friend's phone number . . .363840. . . . when I gave it to the late Lane Morrow , a very dry yank flying at the time for Masling Airlines, he came straight back with "KINDA PEAR-SHAPED?" ( and THIS is what I'd call call a real segue , cobber.)\
Note that THE KING'S AIR FORCE cost sixpence . Remember that in the sixties we could . . . anybody could. . . ask DCA to send THE REGISTER OF CIVIL AIRCRAFT (in it''s pale blue covers with the metal bend over pins going through the binding holes. Publication services such as this one were free of charge. My old registers are ready to go to a good home now, along with mountains of other aeronautica)
Last edited by Fantome; 26th Aug 2016 at 09:41.
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Wander00... 'Black Adder RAF WW2'. Stephen Fry as Bomber Harris... 'They sowed the wind.. now they'll reap the whirlwind!'... too grim!
That's what I thought, Stanwell, a helping hand from a convenient Northerly Force 6 to achieve that speed!
Fantome... one can hardly blame Col Griffin for getting so easily hooked (..by a poster) into becoming a pilot. The romance of the aircraft of those days seems to me to out-class anything around today. Though I suppose any sense of romance must have ebbed away pretty quickly when your aircraft turned defective in the air, or you found that you were lost due to the lack of navigational aids.
There's another photo that caught my eye in that brochure:
The caption reads: 'Final instructions being given to Volunteer Reserve pilots before practice flights from Hanworth Aerodrome. The aircraft are Blackburn B2 trainers which have side-by-side seating. Volunteer Reserve pilots receive a fifty hours course of elementary training before flying service types of aircraft. The elementary training is similar to that received by regular pilots of the Royal Air Force.'
Arthur trained at Hanworth too, though at this time he was nearing the end of his advanced training and was shortly to gain his Wings.
Caption: 'Plotting courses for cross-country flights is part of the ground instruction which all Volunteer Reserve pilots receive in addition to their flying training. Instruction in the operation of machine guns and other armaments is also given. All Volunteer Reserve training is received at civil training schools and certain payments are made in return for the men's service.'
I was definitely born into the wrong generation!
That's what I thought, Stanwell, a helping hand from a convenient Northerly Force 6 to achieve that speed!
Fantome... one can hardly blame Col Griffin for getting so easily hooked (..by a poster) into becoming a pilot. The romance of the aircraft of those days seems to me to out-class anything around today. Though I suppose any sense of romance must have ebbed away pretty quickly when your aircraft turned defective in the air, or you found that you were lost due to the lack of navigational aids.
There's another photo that caught my eye in that brochure:
The caption reads: 'Final instructions being given to Volunteer Reserve pilots before practice flights from Hanworth Aerodrome. The aircraft are Blackburn B2 trainers which have side-by-side seating. Volunteer Reserve pilots receive a fifty hours course of elementary training before flying service types of aircraft. The elementary training is similar to that received by regular pilots of the Royal Air Force.'
Arthur trained at Hanworth too, though at this time he was nearing the end of his advanced training and was shortly to gain his Wings.
Caption: 'Plotting courses for cross-country flights is part of the ground instruction which all Volunteer Reserve pilots receive in addition to their flying training. Instruction in the operation of machine guns and other armaments is also given. All Volunteer Reserve training is received at civil training schools and certain payments are made in return for the men's service.'
I was definitely born into the wrong generation!
Last edited by NigG; 29th Aug 2016 at 20:01.
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84 Sqn in the Western Desert
I've uploaded some of Arthur's photos that illustrate the Squadron's period in the desert in Nov/Dec 1941. They completed almost a full tour of 27 ops, as part of Operation Crusader. This was the British Commonwealth's first success against Rommel, causing him to withdraw, as he was outflanked by the 14th Army's advance, and effecting the relief of Tobruk.
All raids were in formations of 6, 12, 18 or 24 Blenheims; three RAF and a Free French squadron forming No.270 Wing. Normal bomb load was four 250-lb bombs, with fuses fitted at the nose and tail. The nose fuse was usually fitted with an extension rod, causing the bomb to explode above ground level, thus maximising blast, rather than the bomb burying itself. Bombs would be released when the lead aircraft was seen to release it's load, so as to concentrate the impact zone.
Above: a crew in their (personally) dug-out sleeping bay at Landing Ground 75.
Above: the CO, Wg Cdr Clayton Boyce. Short but dynamic and strictly 'no nonsense'. Much given to raising his voice.
Above: Arthur's gunner... in an excellent frame of mind. They had just returned from an operation (photo below) in which they were attacked by ME 109s. The gunner was fully occupied, and was satisfied that he had hit two German aircraft. Unfortunately four escorting Hurricanes were lost.
Above: a target photo from a full squadron attack on enemy transport at El Adem. The black dots are dispersed vehicles. Intelligence estimated that 53 vehicles were destroyed.
(More photos to follow. Previous photos on this period in the desert are on p.15 & 16)
I've uploaded some of Arthur's photos that illustrate the Squadron's period in the desert in Nov/Dec 1941. They completed almost a full tour of 27 ops, as part of Operation Crusader. This was the British Commonwealth's first success against Rommel, causing him to withdraw, as he was outflanked by the 14th Army's advance, and effecting the relief of Tobruk.
All raids were in formations of 6, 12, 18 or 24 Blenheims; three RAF and a Free French squadron forming No.270 Wing. Normal bomb load was four 250-lb bombs, with fuses fitted at the nose and tail. The nose fuse was usually fitted with an extension rod, causing the bomb to explode above ground level, thus maximising blast, rather than the bomb burying itself. Bombs would be released when the lead aircraft was seen to release it's load, so as to concentrate the impact zone.
Above: a crew in their (personally) dug-out sleeping bay at Landing Ground 75.
Above: the CO, Wg Cdr Clayton Boyce. Short but dynamic and strictly 'no nonsense'. Much given to raising his voice.
Above: Arthur's gunner... in an excellent frame of mind. They had just returned from an operation (photo below) in which they were attacked by ME 109s. The gunner was fully occupied, and was satisfied that he had hit two German aircraft. Unfortunately four escorting Hurricanes were lost.
Above: a target photo from a full squadron attack on enemy transport at El Adem. The black dots are dispersed vehicles. Intelligence estimated that 53 vehicles were destroyed.
(More photos to follow. Previous photos on this period in the desert are on p.15 & 16)
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I'm re-reading the excellent 'Chasing after danger' by Terence O'Brien. He was an Aussie who travelled to the UK in 1939 to join the RAF. He had a story to tell about the (above) Whitley bomber, mentioned earlier in the post on the recruitment magazine of 1939, where it was described as being Britain's 'heavy bomber'.
O'Brien was, at the time of hearing this story, consigned to working in the cookhouse, while waiting for a posting for pilot training. He was at Dishforth, in Yorkshire, from which 10 Sqn was flying Whitleys most nights, to drop leaflets over Germany. (The Germans, of course, were extremely grateful for such geneous supplies of toilet paper.)
There's many 'rear gunner' stories that came out of the war, aren't there? I rather sympathise with them. Many were recruited from ground staff in the early days, who eagerly seized the opportunity for adventure and promotion. Unfortunately rear turrets were cramped, cold... and very dangerous if enemy fighters latched onto the tail. Much to their regret, tail gunners who decided the role was no longer for them, discovered that it was impossible to un-volunteer themselves. Anyway, the story concerns one such tail-gunner (and I re-hash O'Brien's version mostly into my own words).
On this occasion, a Whitley was returning from France. It was a bitterly cold evening and the aircraft had crossed over the Channel. The gunner, cramped and cold, was no doubt looking forward to landing. Suddenly there was an almighty wrench and the tortured-metal cacophony of impact, followed seconds later by a dazed silence. The tail-gunner realised the aircraft had crash-landed and fearing fire, urgently reversed his turret and exited onto the ground. Then he stumbled to the front of the aeroplane desperate to help his fellow crew members to get out before a fuel tank went up. He could see no one through the perspex, so he entered the fuselage. To his utter astonishment and confusion... there was absolutely no one there!
He later learned the explanation. The Whitley, flying through freezing cloud, had become so iced-up that the pilot could no longer operate the controls. So he ordered the crew to bale-out which, heart-in-mouth, he and they urgently did. What they didn't realise was that the intercom to the tail-gunner had become disconnected. The crew were now gone into the night and the aircraft, locked with ice, flew on at a gently descending angle; the tail-gunner 'blissfully unaware of his appalling solitude'. The plane continued for some minutes before it's doomed encounter with a wide open ploughed field, where 'it belly-flopped with a heavy but not disastrous impact, and after a single stable bounce, slithered through mud and ice to a standstill'.
Apparently, the gunner was made of stern stuff. When O'Brien managed to chat with him in the cookhouse, he denied having been undermined by the experience: 'Frightened?... no not me', he said. 'I was down alright, you see!' And with that, he was off up to the counter for a second helping of breakfast... aircrew being entitled to extra on return from a night-time operation.
(If you're wanting a 'holiday read', O'Brien's book is worth hunting down. 'An extraordinary achievement' was the Times Literary Supplement's conclusion. They weren't wrong. (ISBN 0099874105)
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The photo above, which I came across recently in one of Arthur's boxes, looked to be an item worthy of the bin! It was in an envelope with another, on the back of which was written an explanation.
In January 1943 , 84 Sqn was moving from Vizagapatam, on India's west coast, further south to Cholarvarum, Madras. They had recently equipped with the Vultee Vengeance and were about to acquire Mk.2s, passing their Mk.1s over to 45 and 82 Sqns. The main party was being taken by train to the new airfield, and this rather blurry shot was taken from the train window. Arthur and his navigator, New Zealander Flt Lt Jimmy Hawke, decided on their flight south to intercept the train and put on an impromptu performance to entertain the boys on their rather slow and boring journey. The photo is of one of the passes that the two of them made during several minutes of 'beating up' the train.
(In addition, a small reminder that 'Danny' and his daughter will be attending the funeral of their respective wife and mother at 14.00 (BST/GMT+1) tomorrow (Monday). The strain on them both doesn't bear thinking about... or perhaps it does. I've been reading a sheaf of letters that Arthur kept, many of them from his ex-colleagues in 84 Sqn, written just after the war. It's striking how many were getting married to their sweethearts now that war was over. It's cheering that 'Danny' has had so many years with his wife beside him. It's sad too that that period has drawn to a close and Danny has had to face this unspeakable trauma. In my mind, I'll be with him tomorrow.)
Last edited by NigG; 4th Sep 2016 at 21:19.