8F ATC Squadron, Frederick Bird School

Very good one Kaga, could tell it was you so you haven't changed much.

I was not looking for this but could not resist it. Advertised as the Mess Room plaque

Well, well, well. I do believe I was the cadet who had to retrieve his trousers from the flag pole when Daphne Simms walked by. Talk about embarrassed. I was a bit sweet on her at the time, ruined my chances that did. It must have been '59 or thereabouts. I left to join the RAF. It's a funny thing, I ran into Mr. Buckle a couple of years after that, he had gotten a commission and we met at RAF Locking where he was with a group from Bristol. We had a good laugh about that incident. I've been looking at some of the old pics, but they are mostly after my time with 8F. I do see FL Ward and Spinks, and WO what's his name in the stores. Memory's not that good at 78 is it?

Probably WO Dennick or WO Hewins

Oh what a cocky kid I must have been in 1941 when I could boast I had more flying hours than all the rest of the cadets put together, swooping and diving over Walsgrave, Ansty and Shilton areas, and all round, and such, at just fifteen years of age. Mind you, there were only about thirty of us at the time, but nevertheless, few people had seen an English plane in those days, let alone fly in one. It was excitement above and beyond my age. In 1939 and before, people would ride out to Ansty just to watch those Tiger Moths performing, a lot of oohs and aahs. Can you believe, one landed in the field behind the Engine pub in Longford about 1935/6 and brought a large crowd from miles around. This was the time when Croydon was our top airport.

Scrutiny Do you know the date 8F were formed, or is there anyway I can find out. I would like to know if it formed before the blitz or after because of a church service.

Kaga, 21 October 1938

Thank you, Midland Red.

I mentioned in an earlier post that my longest flight was seven and a half hours but did not say where to. 8F were allocated 7 places on three navigator training flights from Gaydon but had to be there for 6 in the morning. I was the only one who could supply transport to hold seven, my dad's van. I had to leave home at four in the morning to pick everybody up to get there on time. Upon arriving at Gaydon we were told which flights we would be on, one of two and a half hrs, one of four hrs and one of five hrs. My luck, I was chosen for the short one, after getting up that early. We were given lunch boxes and then went out to the aircraft, three Ansons. We were three up on my flight, two up on the others. Being winter it was bitterly cold and pitch black so it was nice when the engines were started and warmed up the cabin as there was no insulation in them. Down the runway and we were off. Once in the air the powers that be radioed in say say the flight plan had been changed, Yahoo, we now had the longer flight. It was done to catch the trainee navigators out, now they had to start from scratch. Three of them on board this flight. Even they did not know until then where we were going to. Up to Liverpool, out over southern Ireland and on to the Atlantic until no land in sight. We had no idea of where we were until we came in over the Scilly Isles and then over Lands End. We were each given time in the cockpit to see the views, my time being when the pilot dropped down that low you could see the whites of the cows' eyes, that is low. We flew along southern England and we're then told that the flight had to make a detour around Heathrow, the long way, almost to Dover. It was now getting dark and by the time we landed it was pitch black again. What a brilliant day, from a 2.1/2hr flight to a 7.1/2 flight.

Scrutiny Ten days after the blitz, on the Sunday, I believe 8F marched along Swan Lane, up Ball Hill, went to service in some church, then back again, to tremendous applause from the watching crowd.