National Service Flight Engineer
 

Found this in browsing. In two minds whether to post here or in aviation nostalgia- but decided here was more appropriate and of interest.

A hell of a lot of interesting - and dangerous! - flying packed into 2 years in the 1950s.

https://flighteng.org/stories-sp-566...light-engineer

I had a rather odd experience recently when I was searching on the internet for details of a family grave in Athy, County Kildare. I came across the grave of Patrick Harrington “Died in an aircraft accident in 1952”. He was a National Service Flight Engineer and was killed in a Shackleton crash from Ballykelly. He was due to be de-mobbed the following week and only went on that flight to complete his 500 hours. I was in charge of the bearer party that carried his coffin to the Dublin train from Londonderry. It felt decidedly weird to see his name again after all these years.

Fascinating stuff.

Thanks, ORAC; great read!
By the time I joined, in 1965, safety was being taken a little more seriously - TF!

Thank you ORAC,

I really enjoyed that.. I didn't realise that some of the National Service boys went Air Crew !

This famous book was written by one of them! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shepherd

ISTR that Lord (Norman) Tebbit's flying career stemmed from National Service in the Royal Air Force.

Jack

I happened to know the late Sir Malcom Bates, who was a National Service fast jet pilot in the 50s (although I believe they had to do 3 years rather than 2)

....and George Carey, the retired Archbishop of Canterbury, was a National Serviceman Siggie on Beverleys !

NRU74 - and a direct line to the Almighty I guess......

Quite true, I have an uncle who was offered pilot but he turned it down as he didn't want to do 3 years. Big mistake as he spent most of his 2 years at El Adem.

On my basic flying course on the Provost T1 at Tern Hill in 1960 one of our group already had a set of pilot's wings that he had gained in National Service. Despite this he was required to go through the entire flying training system, Tern Hill-Valley/Oakington (Varsity), to have them confirmed again.

bet he was first on the course to "solo" though....

F/E write up
 

Great read ORAC,remember flying with the polish chap on Brits in the late 60s.
His heavy polish accent trying to raise people on the H F over Africa at night brought a bit of light relief.

Policy on NS aircrew varied and AFAIR in 1952/3 pilots did 2 years, with training taking about 18 months. Those who were going to join an Auxiliary squadron stayed on jets, and the rest spent their remaining time as co-pilots somewhere. The NS intake varied and, having been through selection at Hornchurch, when our intake got to Padgate in Dec 52 we were told there were no vacancies for NS pilots - if you want to fly sign on for 8+4, so I did.

There were other ways of getting RAF training. About 1954 one young hopeful, who was flying Chipmunks with the RAFVR when the Reserve scheme closed, offered to join the Auxiliaries, so he was given a FTS and the Vampire OCU to go straight to the local squadron. He must have had about a year on it when it closed too, so he joined BKS.

Anyone know when the last NS aircrew of any kind were put through training?

Duncan Sandys 1957 White Paper on Defence ended NS aircrew training and for those on short service commissions of less than the full 5 years.
For those already in the training system would continue until passing out of their brevet courses. National service aircrew would then be released at the completion of 18 months service with option to recall without notice at any time to complete any outstanding service.
By October 1959 there appears not to be any NS aircrew left in the system.

However I still wonder if I remain under that option having just read ORAC's post Rebirth of Conscription

Heinlein was regarded as a fascist for advocating a system requiring military service - and, perhaps, mocked in Starship Troopers. Some are unsure how the director actually felt.

One wonders how those in the Baltic states and Scandinavia feel at the moment?

Patrick Harrington
 

[I]Patrick Harrington was my uncle. My father Lar, was his brother. It's amazing to read that you carried his coffin. We often spoke of the tragedy of his death. He is now survived by one of his sisters. The rest of his siblings are deceased. Prior to my fathers death he tried to find an article that Paddy wrote for the RAF magazine for which he won a prize but we couldn't track it down. There are currently 3 Patrick Harringtons' in the family.