by Gill Griffin
Chief Flying Instructor.
No.7 E.F.T.S. School
Date 17/11/40. Desford
The one serious accident that I remember during the course involved a young man from Warwick or Leamington. He failed to recover from a spin and crashed into a wood near Leicester. I believe he was seriously injured and invalided out of the service. Bearing in mind that some days in October and November we had to contend with the early winter weather, it says a great deal for the quality of our instructors and the dedication of the members of our ground staff who serviced the aircraft, that we were able to complete the course in a little over six weeks.
On 30th November the Luftwaffe made their devastating bombing raid on Coventry, giving rise to the word ‘Coventrated’. We stood on the airfield only six miles from the city and watched it all happen. Two days later I was given a weekend pass and decided to hitchhike the forty or so miles to Redditch to see my girlfriend Estelle Ludgate. There was very little chance of making the journey by public transport but I eventually got there, after many deviations for wrecked buildings and areas closed due to unexploded bombs. Searches were also continuing throughout the area for any inhabitants still alive but buried in the rubble.
Early in December I was posted to No. 9 SFTF (Service Flying Training School), Hullavington, Wiltshire, between the old towns of Malmesbury and Chippenham.
YEAR 1940 AIRCRAFT Pilot or 1st Pilot 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) Flying Time Passenger
MONTH DATE Type No. Dual Solo
December 11th Miles Master 8402 Sgt Barrett Self 6A Gliding turns with and without flaps −55
12th Miles Master 8402 Sgt Barrett Self 5, 6, 7 and 8 −50
14th Miles Master 8402 Sgt Barrett Self 6, 7 and 8 −30
Miles Master 8386 Sgt Barrett Self 6, 7 and 8 −50
17th Miles Master 8386 Sgt Barrett Self 6, 7, 8 and 8A Action in the event of overshooting −45
22nd Miles Master 8386 Sgt Barrett Self SOLO TEST −15
Miles Master 8386 Sgt Barrett Self FIRST SOLO −25
23rd Miles Master 8386 Sgt Barrett Self 15 and 23, Navigation 1–00
27th Miles Master 8386 Sgt Barrett Self 6, 7 and 8 −35
28th Miles Master 8386 Self 6, 7, 8 and 15 −50
Miles Master 8386 Self 5 and 6 Gliding turns with and without flaps 8 Action in the event of overshooting 15 Steep Turns −50
Miles Master 8386 Sgt Barrett Self 5, 6, 7 and 8 −40
22 December: For the training of those lucky enough to be chosen to become fighter pilots (every boy’s ambition) our further training was on single-engine aircraft. The Miles Master was an all-wooden, low gull winged monoplane, powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel, liquid-cooled engine. Later versions were powered by the American Pratt and Whitney Wasp radial engine, as too were the American Harvard trainers which eventually took over the training role, particularly when the Empire training scheme came into being. The Master was a modern machine, a big step forward from the little Tiger Moth, with a retractable undercarriage, flaps and a controllable pitch airscrew. It was now that certain initial letters were imprinted in my heart and mind, indelible for ever. Before take-off:
TMPFFF standing for T – trim, M – mixture, P – pitch, F-fuel, F – flaps, and F – friction nut; these may be briefly explained:
T trimming controls set neutral for take-off
M mixture set rich
P airscrew pitch of propeller fully fine
F fuel on
F flaps in the take off position (the Master did not require flaps for takeoff)
F friction nut tightened to ensure that the throttle and pitch control was firmly held
After take-off a slightly different set of letters applied, UMPFFF:
U undercarriage up and locked
M Mixture set for flight
P pitch set for flight
F flaps up
F fuel as before
F friction nut loosened as required
Before landing, the same acronym, different meaning:
U undercarriage down and locked
M mixture rich
P pitch fully fine
F fuel as before (except that on some aircraft a particular tank had to be selected)
F flaps down
F friction nut tight
These letters were our bible and applied in varying form to all aircraft. (Do they still apply to modern jets or does a computer do it all?)
23 December: The two-day break for Christmas was very welcome and although there was not yet any snow, it was crisp and cold as Christmases used to be. I was invited to spend the holiday with my cousin Gladys Sawtell (née Fisher) and Geoff, her husband, at his family home in the country, near Bradford on Avon. He collected me at the main gate and I spent two very pleasant days with them. We had some excellent food and modest quantities of drinks but my main memory is of a very pretty young girl with the unusual name of ‘Saramae’. It must have been the uniform and cadet flash that produced a real case of hero worship; she must have been all of 11 years old but it still made me feel good.
28 December: We cadets were billeted in an ‘H’ complex of wooden huts on the south side of the main quarters, away from the central buildings. The two uprights formed the dormitory areas, ‘A’ flight on one side and ‘B’ the other. The connecting bar housed the toilets. We had to rise at 6 a.m. and go to a nearby building for ablutions; it paid to be early before all the hot water had been used up. In the huts the only source of heating was a pot-bellied coke-burning stove. 1940/41 proved to be a very cold winter and fuel was in very short supply. We used to sneak out in the night to raid the station fuel dumps and it paid to be extremely careful because if caught the punishment was severe.
Apart from an iron-frame bed, we each had an upright plywood cupboard in which to keep spare clothes and personal belongings. These often included food and sweets and attracted various scavenging rodents. It was not unusual to wake in the night and find a rat sitting on one’s chest, followed by a mad scramble of those nearby to catch and kill the offending creature; but they usually managed to escape.
We slept on ‘biscuits’, three square kapok (it used to be straw) filled mattresses. They were called palliasses. Each morning, before other duties, the sheets and blankets had to be folded in the exact manner laid down in regulations, placed on the three ‘biscuits’ laid at the head of the bed frame. Once a week there was an inspection by the duty officer and various service items, such as the ‘hussif’ (housewife) containing button and shoe cleaning items, etc. had to be placed exactly, ready to be checked. Woe betide any cadet who failed to meet the laid down standard or had anything missing.
Summary for:- December 1940 1 Miles Master
Unit:- No. 9 SFTS Hullavington
Date:- 1/1/41
Signature:- G. Paul F/Lt O/C ‘A’ Flight
We were given an occasional evening off, with an off-camp pass (we had to be back by 10 p.m., 22.00 hours). On one memorable evening, four of us went into Chippenham for a few drinks at one of the local pubs. Among our number was a very lively young Londoner, Benny Squires, a bit wild but great fun to be with. He was a talented mimic and leapt up on to one of the bar-room tables, with his hair brushed forward and a finger across his top lip. He gave a show of one of Adolf Hitler’s speeches, raving and throwing his arms about, to general, although not universal, amusement.
On one or two evenings, particularly after I had acquired my first car, we went into Malmesbury for a few beers at a pub called The Bell. Benny was one of our party and one of his ideas of fun was to collect lavatory chains and the plugs from washbasins. On one such visit, towards the end of our time at Hullavington, he excelled himself. The pub sign was not one of the usual hanging shields but a handsome, highly polished, brass bell, about nine inches in diameter and quite heavy. On the way back to camp we were horrified when Benny pulled out the bell from under his tunic. Naturally, the people at The Bell were most upset and reported to the pol
ice that four cadets from Hullavington had stolen the bell. Our quarters were searched, so to prevent the SPs (Service Police) from finding it, Benny hid it in the roof space where the pot-bellied stove chimney went through the ceiling. It was not found then or later before we moved on. I wonder whether it was still there when the huts were demolished many years later. Benny completed the course and in April was awarded his wings but sadly, after joining a squadron, he was shot down and killed towards the end of 1941.
YEAR 1940 AIRCRAFT Pilot or 1st Pilot 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) Flying Time Passenger
MONTH DATE Type No. Dual Solo
January 1st Miles Master T8387 Sgt Barrett Self 9 and 13 −35
2nd Miles Master T8390 Sgt Barrett Self 7, 8 and 16 −25
3rd Miles Master T8390 Sgt Barrett Self 10, 17 and 22 −55
5th Miles Master T8385 Self 9, 13 and 15 1–10
9th Miles Master T8400 Sgt Barrett Self 17, Forced landing −35
11th Miles Master T8389 Self 9, 13 and 17 −45
Miles Master T8390 Sgt Porter Self 19, Instrument flying −30
Miles Master T8390 Self 6, 7, 8, 15 and 16 −30
12th Miles Master T8393 Self 8, 15 and 16 10, Spinning −30
13th Miles Master T8389 Self 13, 15 and 16 −45
14th Miles Master T8483 Self 13, 15 and 16 1–10
16th Miles Master T8385 F/Sgt Roberts Self 20A, Night flying 6, Landings 1–00
16 January: Night flying was one of the course highlights. At approximately 11 p.m. (23.00 hours) on a moonless night, we were taken in the three-ton Bedford pick-up trucks to Babdown Farm (near to where Prince Charles now lives at Highgrove). There were no electric landing lights, just a line of paraffin (kerosene) burning ‘gooseneck’ flares (ordinary steel watering cans with a length of rope stuffed down the spouts). See more about this later on April 7/8th.
Summary for:- January 1941 1. Master
Unit:- No.9 SFTS Hullavington N/F 1.00
Date:- 1/2/41 Dual 3.00
Signature: - G. Paul F/Lt O/C ‘A’ Flight Solo 4.50
In an earlier note I remarked that the winter weather was very severe, with much snow. We often had to clear it off the aircraft and muck in with the ground staff to clear the take-off paths (Hullavington had no runways at that time). When we were able to continue the training flights, it was a real pleasure to fly over snow-covered countryside, especially as Hullavington was towards the southern end of the Cotswold Hills. One notable landmark was the Fosse Way, the Roman road running north to south across the area.
For a period of three weeks there was almost no flying training, we concentrated on ground training and lectures. We had been introduced to the Link trainer during October while at Desford and during this period of bad weather the ‘Link’ kept us in touch with flying. Although I was assessed as average on it, I never really took to the Link but it certainly served a very useful purpose. It is still used today as a simulator for modern aircraft but is greatly improved and much more realistic than those early machines.
One dark and dismal morning we received a sharp reminder that there was a war on. A Heinkel 111 bomber came from the west out of low cloud; he dropped a stick of bombs in a line parallel with the hangars, at the same time spraying the area with machine-gun fire. When the air-raid warning siren sounded, all of us brave young budding fighter pilots made a rush for the nearest air shelter. A number of Tiger Moths of the EFTS on the far side of the airfield were destroyed and two of our Masters were damaged. I cannot remember if there were any casualties but we cadets escaped with a severe fright. The Luftwaffe aircraft was brought down by ground fire and crashed near Bath between the villages of Box and Corsham.
YEAR 1940 AIRCRAFT Pilot or 1st Pilot 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) Flying Time Passenger
MONTH DATE Type No. Dual Solo
February 3rd Miles Master T8385 Sgt Nutter Self 6, 7, 8, 13 and 19 (IF.) −50
6th Miles Master T8387 Self 7, 8, 15, 16 and 17 −45
Miles Master T8387 Self 7 and 8 −10
12th Miles Master T8483 P/O Roberts Self Formation positions 1, 2 and 3 1–30
14th Miles Master T8383 Sgt Nutter Self 19, Instrument flying 1–00
Miles Master T8483 Self 13 and 17 1–05
15th Miles Master T8387 Self 8, 13, 15, 16 and 17 1–05
Miles Master T8387 P/O Roberts Self 23, Navigation 1–20
Grand total to date: 72 hours 15 minutes
6 February: The flight on February 6th was cut short by bad weather. Note that F/Sgt Roberts was commissioned at the end of January.
Summary for:- February 1. Master 4–40 dual
Unit:- No.9 SFTS Hullavington 3.05 solo
Date:- 28/2/41
Signature:- B.B. Hallowes pp O/C ‘A’ Flight
YEAR 1940 AIRCRAFT Pilot or 1st Pilot 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) Flying Time Passenger
MONTH DATE Type No. Dual Solo
March 6th Miles Master T86468 P/O Roberts Self 7 and 8 −30
Miles Master T8468 Self 7 and 8 −50
9th Miles Master T8385 P/O Roberts Self 19, Instrument flying −50
13th Miles Master T8385 Self Navigation test 1–15
Hurricane 3116 Self 7 and 8 FIRST SOLO −30
14th Miles Master T8401 Self LAC Cadet John Timmis 19, Instrument flying “under the hood” −45
Miles Master T8401 LAC Timmis Self 19, Safety pilot −45
15th Hurricane 3807 Self 7, 8, 13, 15 and 16 1–00
Miles Master T8390 P/O Roberts Self 22 and 19 1–10
16th Miles Master T8390 P/O Roberts Self Formations in positions 1, 2 and 3 −45
18th Miles Master T8400 F/Sgt Rowney Self 19, Instrument flying −25
Miles Master T8385 F/Lt Paul Self Formation −45
19th Hurricane 3320 Self 15 and 16 −45
Miles Master T8483 P/O Roberts Self 22, Aerobatics and 19 1–10
20th Miles Master T8375 P/O Roberts Self Instrument fly-ing Cross country (No. 2) −55
21st Miles Master T8404 LAC Stevens Self 10, Safety pilot 1–00
Miles Master T8404 Self LAC Stevens 10, Instrument flying 1–00
Miles Master T8404 LAC Drinkwater Self Safety pilot −50
Miles Master T8404 Self LAC Drinkwater Instrument flying −45
Miles Master T8404 Self Cross country 1–30
Miles Master T8404 Self LAC Drinkwater 19, Instrument flying −30
22nd Miles Master T8401 Self 13, Precautionary landing −55
Miles Master T8404 Self Formation −45
23rd Miles Master T8401 P/O Russell Self 6, 7 and 8 −45
Hurricane 3211 Self Formation −55
25th Hurricane 3211 Self Formation −45
26th Miles Master T8391 P/O Rowley Self Formation flying −40
Miles Master T8393 P/O Rowley Self Formation flying −4
Miles Master T8387 P/O Harding Self Formation flying −30
Hurricane 3211 Self Formation flying as leader −45
Hurricane 1742 Self Formation flying −45
27th Hurricane 2548 Self Cross country No. 2 1–30
30th Miles Master T8482 Self Cross country No. 3 1–50
Miles Master T8375 P/O Roberts Self 20a, Night flying, 5, Landings −50
Miles Master T8375 Self 20a, Night flying, 5, Landings −30
31st Hurricane 3807 Self Use of radio, air to ground −35
13 March: Up to this time in the RAF, advanced training after going solo on the Miles Master had been carried out on the obsolete Hawker Hart biplane. Due to the urgent need for newly trained fighter pilots as replacements for those lost the previous year and to man the many newly formed squadrons, our No.28 course was the subject of a drastic (or dramatic) experiment. After only a few hours, in my case 4 hours 5 minutes, I soloed in the Master. After a further 10 hours of solo training I, like the other cadets, transferred straight on to a front line fighter, the ren
owned Hawker Hurricane, for the remainder of my solo training.
This drastic step resulted in a crop of minor accidents and some more serious ones; three resulted in fatalities. One of these was an army captain who had transferred to the RAF and another was one of the group of Indian Air Force officers who were members of the course.
In an attempt to tighten up, and bring about an improvement, the CFI instituted a ‘black list’ displayed in the operations tent. It was my bad luck to be the first to qualify for my name to head the list after holding off a little too high when landing. The Hurricane stalled when still a few feet from the ground, dropped the starboard wing, which brushed the ground, and was slightly damaged. Other names followed but the idea backfired, causing a drop in morale and a loss of confidence. The list was dropped but it had in fact brought about an improvement.
14 March: For instrument flying practice the pupil in the rear cockpit was ‘under the hood’, a cowl which pulled forward totally enclosing the cockpit. Initially one of the instructors occupied the front cockpit but as the course advanced another cadet would act as safety pilot (see March 21st). On one of these flights I was ‘under the hood’ flying blind completely on instruments. My safety pilot must have taken a nap as, when my time was up, I emerged into daylight and to my horror found we were in the middle of the Wolverhampton balloon barrage. By the grace of God we escaped unscathed but my comments to the other cadet are unprintable.
21 March: When acting as ‘safety pilot’ our flying time was booked as passenger, when actually we had to remain alert and in control. I see, in my mind’s eye, those other young men as they were 66 or so years ago.
26 March: Our early lessons in formation flying were based on what was known as VEE or VIC formation:
The tight VEE formation left little chance of watching our tails, the direction from which the most lethal of enemy attacks came. A relic of World War 1, it was continued until 1940 by the RAF. As a result many of our aircraft were unnecessarily lost. By mid-1941, when I joined a squadron, the lesson had been learned the hard way and the outdated VEE gave way to the ‘finger four’ used so successfully by the Luftwaffe fighters: