8F ATC Squadron, Frederick Bird School

Hi Stevie, Could you say when your father was between 13-19 as this would help to narrow down when he was in the A.T.C. Also I only remember the H.Q being at Freddies although as the squadron became too large it split into two and the new half were based at Ullathorne School, from there it moved to Wyken where it is now. Also 84 Squadron were based at Baginton Airport, still is. Radford Kid is 3yrs older than me so he might have more info.

I loved the film. Seeing Freddie's playground & classrooms from the old days in a film was amazing. Also seeing some of Broadgate & I believe Gosford Green was good too. I only wish I had a Time Machine to go back.

Hello Doug, you are not alone with the time machine, I think most people looking at the old films feel the same way. Glad you enjoyed the collection. Best regards Colin.

Hello Stevie, I am sorry to say I can't help you with that one, the only time I went to Wyken Hq was after I had left the ATC as a guest on a couple of open nights and presentation evenings. I can only wish you good luck. All the best. Colin ps the only man that could have helped you would have been Dave Ball, no longer with us sorry to say. You could try tracking down Mr Bennett, former CO. good luck

Must admit details are sketchy! but I know my dad flew Mosquitos as navigator at end of war and did most National Service in, I think, Suez but not sure on all this, but I do know just after I was born (1957-1963) he flew the GEC Tiger Moth from Baginton and had friends in the air traffic control at the airport but again don't know whether he 'worked' in the tower.

Another image from Colin, anybody got any idea where it was taken?

Sorry John I should have said the location, I know for real where it was taken, I took the photo. The location is Little Park St, the building you see is the Coventry Telephone Exchange (my place of work for 27 years, I was Telephone Engineer) anyway I bet you recognise it now? Best regards. Colin

This is another 8F Squadron photo taken outside the Coventry Telephone Exchange Little Park St.

Remembrance Day Parade Marching past Spencer park towards the Memorial Park on 11th November 1962. And here's the 8F Squadron in 2012 near the same place, featuring Steven Orland...

I wonder John (scrutiny) if you ever remember the incident that happened in the NAAFI at RAF Leuchars in Scotland? While on camp with 8f Squadron I set fire to the NAAFI stage, a mate and I wanted to play darts but the use of the camp darts were forbidden to Cadets, and so while we were let out in the local town (St Andrews) I think, I bought a set of darts, the darts took my fancy because the were made to look like bottles of beer with a logo printed around the dart (Guinness) anyway when we arrived back at Camp we were allowed some free time so off to the NAAFI . We opened the box of Darts intending to have a game of 301, before we could play, the darts had to be fitted with the flights we stood at the corner of the stage (the area also doubled as a theatre) to assemble the darts, now the stage had a square hole on its corners to enable the stage to be extended. Now these holes had been unused for a long time and as a result the holes were used as a litter bin (full of sweet papers etc) I think you can guess what's coming up. I dropped a set of flights down the hole I looked into the hole but it was too dark to see a thing. Having procured a box of matches I began to try and illuminate the orifice using a lighted match (just how stupid can I get?) I dropped the match and soon flames started to roar from the corner of the stage being fuelled by the sweet papers and a draft from under the stage. I shouted FFFFire FFFFire I panicked, I did not know what to do, the NAAFI was evacuated and my mate and I were told stand outside until the incident had been investigated . The Station Fire Brigade soon arrived and dealt with the fire, then the station Police turned up and we thought we were for it big time. We could hear the staff behind us being questioned by the Police "yes the two Cadets who started the fire are over there" we heard them say. "We are for it now" I said to my mate, he replied "you are, you mean, your darts" "Well thanks for that, mate" I said. We were carted off to the Guard House for questioning but we did not get there. I have a feeling they thought it may have been a bit ott to interrogate two young innocent Cadets (the fire was not started with ill intent and it was soon dealt with). I wish our Commanding Officer had thought the same, we got a right doing, Jankers for weeks when we returned back home. Still the rest of the Squadron thought it was funny, we got the Micky took out of us for weeks (anyone for darts? Anyone got a match? Ever thought of becoming a stage hand). I hope this jogs your memory John. If you were not there you may have heard of the incident . Colin

Hi Colin, I can remember the stage which had a juke-box on it but cannot remember the "fire incident". I think with the age difference we tended to hang around with different cadets, meaning, I missed the fun. St Andrews was the nearest town, having a very limited bus service we always ended up walking a few miles back to camp. It is the only claim to fame for me, that I have walked on the "hallowed turf" of St Andrews golf course many times as a short cut back to Leuchars. Lol, you and me are so alike in our childhood it is unbelievable. The posts of yours is like taking chapters from my book. Because my book was intended for my grandchildren I left all of the dangerous things I did out of it. I will not say about my arsonist days, it was frightening, but hell, we are still here and enjoying it, lol. (not the fires, lol) well..........

I know you were with me on that camp as you were on same photo as myself. Do you remember the London Squadron being there and they thought they were better than any other Squadrons on camp . A right loud mouth Flight Sgt, I was seconded into their Squadron along with a few other Cadets (don't know why) all I know he made our life hell. A real nasty man. Also I seem to remember a man in an Army uniform? He seemed to follow us about. I have also walked on the St Andrews turf. How about the five Star General, parked his four engine plane, staffed by US Navy personnel. We were told he was visiting St Andrews for a game of golf? We got invited on board to have a look, wow, did they have it tough. Colin.

I think you were seconded into their squadron to make the numbers more even. We had the largest squadron. As far as being "stuck up", on the last night we "our billet", decided to take revenge on them. They were in the old nissan hut billets, so, at about one o'clock in the morning we charged through the front door shouting and screaming our heads off, every bed (with a cadet in it), every locker, table and chair were turned over. Clothes were on the floor, cadets with their beds on top of them, what a mess. We ransacked the place in about thirty seconds flat, then ran out the back door back to our own billet and locked ourselves in. Lol, we must have frightened them to death, it must have taken them hours to clean up and they did not try to repeat the same back to us. The next day the powers that be tried to find out who done it but because we had done it that fast nobody could recognise anyone. We went home that morning anyway. As far as the Army man? no idea. I have some recollection about the Five Star but nothing concrete. The couple of years difference in our age I think made a difference to which billet we were in, also who we hung around with.

Hi, don't if this will help, I typed into google history of ATC x flyers after WW2 UK came up military records, military war articles and forces history data-forces, which has post war where you can enter your dad name. Also try www.forces-war-records.co.uk same siite. I shall ask my sister about info for Baginton, as she use to teach the air cadets over there, she was in the RAF also married to an officer in the RAF

Memories are made of this. Flight Lieutenant John Ward at the front (or was he a Squadron Leader), Cadet Warrant Clive Cartwright then on the left of the squad Pilot Officer Dave Lewin. The head on Mr Lewins right shoulder is, I'm sure, CWO Derek Smith and behind him I think it's me, Steve Allen. I can spot Dave Ball, tall bloke at the back on the right with glasses and Ian Humphries in the first rank in the middle. When this parade was over most of us found ourselves in the Golden Cross having a lovely illegal pint. Then Leuchars, great camp that. The squadron was definitely the biggest there. It was made up of headquarters flight from Freddie birds, F flight from Caludon Castle School (later combined with HQ) and Ullathorne School flight. I believe they eventually became a squadron in there own right. In the picture at Cov Station the guy taking the register at the front was CWO Malcolm Gardiner who eventually joined the RAF and I believe became a Navigator. I did hear years ago that he had served on the Lancaster of the memorial flight in its early days. Perhaps someone can confirm that. Some of the other cadets there were Phil Tomlinson, Graham Roberts, Bill Duffin, Rick Osbourne (later became CO of 84 Sqd). I wish I could put more names to the faces.