A Very Unusual Air War (21 page)
Read A Very Unusual Air War Online
Authors: Gill Griffin
Among some of the houseguests were Lieutenant Giles Guthrie and his beautiful wife, Rhona. Giles was a member of a private banking family and my opposite
number in NAFDU. We met many years after the war, when he was the guest speaker at a Birmingham Chamber of Commerce luncheon. He recognised me across the room and immediately left his seat to come over for a chat; I felt very honoured.
Third flight. The Short Stirling was the third of the four-engine heavy bombers that came into service in 1941/2 and carried the war into the heart of Germany. It was not altogether a success and quite soon was almost entirely replaced by the Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax for the bombing role. It was used later in the war as a tug for troop-carrying gliders.
29 June
: This was my first flight in an American Douglas Boston, a light twin-engine bomber, powered by two Wright Cyclone double row radial engines. It was a very powerful machine and with a cruising speed similar to a Spitfire, it was a welcome replacement for the Bristol Blenheim and made escort duty very much easier.
| Summary for:- June 1942 | 1 Spitfire | 23–55 |
| Unit:- AFDU Duxford | 2 Skua | 7–40 |
| Date:- 2/7/42 | 3 Lancaster | −50 |
| Signature:- L. Thorne | 4 Oxford | 3–35 |
| | 5 Mustang | 1–05 |
| | 6 Boston | −25 |
| | 7 Defiant | −35 |
E. Smith
Sqdn Ldr
O/C Flying, AFDU Duxford
The Defiant, whilst something of a failure on operations, was easy to fly, handling rather like a Hurricane. Our ground staff chaps were always happy to come along for a flip; they could sit in the gun turret and play Biggles. Once again, this was only my second flight in a Defiant but the groundstaff boys seemed to have every confidence in my ability to take off and land safely.
| YEAR | 1942 | AIRCRAFT | Pilot or 1st Pilot | 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. | DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) | Flying Time | Passenger | ||
| MONTH | DATE | Type | No. | Dual | Solo | ||||
| July | 1st | Spitfire | T | Self | | To Lakenheath | | −15 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op Stirlings | | 1–00 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Return to Duxford | | −50 | |
| | 2nd | Defiant | V1121 | Self | LAC Hatherley | Local flying | | 1–05 | |
| | | Defiant | V1121 | Self | Sgt Reeve | Local flying. Sight test | | 1–10 | |
| 3rd | Defiant | V1121 | Self | Sgt Reeve | Local flying. Sight test | | −35 | | |
| | | Spitfire | AB169 | Self | | Air test | | −25 | |
| | 4th | Spitfire | O | Self | | Air test | | −25 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | To Scampton | | −35 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | −50 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | −50 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | 1–00 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | 1–05 | |
| | 7th | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | −45 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | −45 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | 1–05 | |
| | 8th | Spitfire | T | Self | | To Woodhall Spa | | −15 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | −55 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | To Scampton | | −15 | |
| | | Spitfire | V | Self | | To Woodhall Spa | | −10 | |
| | | Spitfire | V | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | −30 | |
| | | Spitfire | V | Self | | Co-op with Lancasters | | −40 | |
| | 11th | Spitfire | V | Self | | To Duxford | | −35 | |
| | | Oxford | BG549 | Self | | To Scampton | | −50 | |
| | | Oxford | BG549 | Self | Cpl Barnes, LACs Watson & Andrioli | To Duxford | | 1–00 | |
| | | Oxford | BG549 | Self | | To Scampton | | −45 | |
| | | Oxford | BG549 | Self | 3 passengers | To Duxford | | −50 | |
| | 12th | Spitfire | T | Self | | To Kenley and Redhill | | −45 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | To Duxford | | −45 | |
| | 18th | Spitfire | T | Self | | Aerobatics just for fun | | 1–20 | |
| | 20th | Spitfire | T | Self | | A local buzz around | | −30 | |
| 21st | Oxford | BG549 | Self | 3 passengers | Test camouflage of the airfield | | −45 | | |
| | | Oxford | BG549 | Self | S/Ldr Haywood | To Derby (instructing) | | −40 | |
| | | Oxford | BG549 | Self | S/Ldr Haywood | Return to Duxford (instructing) | | −40 | |
| | | Spitfire | W | Self | | Target aircraft and sight test MOD | | −50 | |
| | 23rd | Spitfire | T | Self | | To Feltwell | | −15 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Wellington | | 1–00 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Wellington | | 1–15 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Return to Duxford | | −15 | |
| | | Spitfire | O | Self | | Test hyrdomatic airscrew | | −30 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | To Oakington | | −10 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op Stirlings | | 1–05 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op Stirlings | | 1–00 | |
| | 25th | Spitfire | T | Self | | Return to Duxford | | −10 | |
| | 26th | Spitfire | T | Self | | To Wyton | | −15 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Co-op with Stirlings and return to Duxford | | −15 | |
| | | Spitfire | T | Self | | Test new type ‘Negative G’ carburettor | | 1–10 | |
| | 27th | Oxford | BG549 | Self | Sgt Kulczyk, F/Sgt Brazendale | To Heston | | −35 | |
| | | Oxford | BG549 | Self | F/Sgt Brazendale | To Duxford via Redhill | | 1–10 | |
| | 28th | Spitfire | T | Self | | Interception of Typhoons | | −50 | |
| | 29th | Oxford | BG549 | Self | LACs Cuthbert & Rawlings | To Heston | | −40 | |
| | Oxford | BG549 | Self | LACs Cuthbert & Rawlings and Sgt Kulczyk | To Farnborough | | −20 | | |
| | | Oxford | BG549 | Self | As above | To Duxford | | −45 | |
| | | Oxford | BG549 | Self | S/Ldr | Dual instruction to S/Ldr | | −40 | |
| | | | | | | GRAND TOTAL TO DATE 497hrs 45 mins | 3–30 | 8–25 | |
| | | | | | | | 58–30 | 427–20 | 7–15 |
4 July
: It may seem that on these fighter affiliation trips we had long spells just sitting around doing nothing. This was not the case; I do not remember ever being bored. We were allowed to attend the briefings for the bomber crews and would later watch them taking off, fully loaded with petrol, bombs and ammunition. Some mornings we would get up very early to watch the survivors coming home. Later we sometimes attended the de-briefings by the Intelligence Officers, and talked to the very tired crews. On days when there were no operations we could visit local places of interest; when at Waddington or Scampton, Lincoln was always a popular spot.
11 July
: On one of these visits I met a most interesting officer, the station commander at Scampton, Group Captain Augustus Walker, generally known as ‘Gus’ Walker. In the course of operations, a Lancaster crashed on take-off with a full load of bombs on board. Gus led an attempt to rescue the crew. As he reached the stricken machine one of its bombs exploded, and he suffered severe injuries including the loss of an arm. He recovered and resumed his duties, remaining in the RAF after the war, attaining high rank and many decorations.
12 July
: A visit to the old squadron (602), back at Kenley after a short rest up north, hardly any of the old lot left; the new boys appeared to be somewhat subdued. I did not repeat the visit.
21 July
: Squadron Leader Haywood (always for some reason known as Scruffy) was attached to AFDU as a rest from operations. He was a member of High Society, married to a titled lady who, I believe, was the pre-war ‘Health and Beauty Girl’. During his stay they lived in a caravan, parked in a pleasant meadow near a stream. One evening they invited Estelle and me for a meal, trout freshly caught from the stream. They were two lovely people and made us feel thoroughly at home, treating us, in every way, as equals.