The

Logbook

Magazine of the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum

Autumn 2007

In this issue: No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, 1929-1930 Lettice Curtis on Flying Spitfires • An SOE Adventure Editorial Your participation and generosity, as our readers and benefactors, will continue to be vital to the magazine. Reginald Byron Our magazine remains truly unique in

this day and age of increasingly profes- sionalised publishing: it is a genuinely collaborative effort of readers and edi- tor, produced entirely on a voluntary basis. Every story and article in this issue of The Tangmere Logbook was writ- ten by, or provided to us by, our read- ers and friends; and all the design, lay- out work, copy- and photo-editing and electronic typesetting was done by me on my home computer. That’s me, in the picture. Since I am a new volunteer at the Museum, many of our regular readers will not have

met me or know what I look like, or Seasoned readers of the Museum’s how I came to be Editor. On hearing magazine will have noticed something my voice, you might think there is different about this one, even from just something of the mid-Atlantic in the its cover. A new title, The Tangmere Log- way I speak, and you will be right. I book, has been chosen because it is a arrived on these shores from the USA new magazine in almost every respect, as a postgraduate student in 1970 and although — we hope — in many of the have spent my working life as a uni- ways that really matter just as familiar versity teacher in this country, first at as the old one. It has been completely University College London and most redesigned to make it easier on the eye, recently at Swansea University, retiring reorganised to make it easier to find from the University of Wales Profes- your way round, there are longer (but sorship of Sociology and Anthropology not too long) feature articles for your in September 2006. reading pleasure, and you will find new Shortly after my wife and I moved sections — such as our Photo Quiz — to to West Sussex on our retirements from engage your curiosity. our jobs in South Wales, we saw an Despite its new look, the fundamen- advertisement for volunteers at the tal philosophy of our Museum’s maga- Museum in the local newspaper; we zine has not changed. The Tangmere joined up and I was set to work re- Logbook continues to be about the same searching and writing a booklet about things that the Museum itself is about: the Americans at Tangmere. When, military aviation in all its aspects, past shortly after that, Ron Robinson an- and present, in the air and on the nounced his intention to step down ground, of people and aeroplanes, of from the editorship of the magazine, I war and peace, of adventure and ro- was asked whether I would be inter- mance, of comedy and pathos, of cour- ested in taking over. My career as a age and sacrifice, and of the bonds be- wordsmith and my life-long amateur tween us; all are part of the fabric of our interest in the social history of technol- nation’s history that the Museum aims ogy probably had something to do with to embody and preserve. These things this. Well, here is the result. We hope are, and will remain, at the heart of this you enjoy it! magazine.

2 The Tangmere Logbook The Tangmere Logbook Magazine of the Tangmere Military AviationMuseum Autumn 2007

Editorial 2 Reginald Byron

Notes from My Logbook 4 Part 1 of an autobiographical memoir, Tangmere, 1929-1930 Air Marshal Sir Anthony Selway, KCB DFC

Brig. Gen. , USAF, 1922-2007 12 RAF No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron Commander, Tangmere, 1948-1949 Reginald Byron

Flying Spitfires 14 Lettice Curtis

The Water Meadow 17 An SOE flight that got stuck Sir Robin Hooper, KCMG DSO DFC

From the Director 21 Alan Bower

From the Curator 21 David Coxon

Letters, Notes, and Queries 22 anecdotes, Harry Irving’s supersonic conversion, further advice to American GIs, Sunderland miscellany, the Memorial Meteor, the mystery of the Pagham Harbour Typhoon, and Photo Quiz

Published by the Society of Friends of the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Tangmere, near , West Sussex PO20 2ES, Edited by Dr Reginald Byron, who may be contacted care of the Museum at the above postal address, or by e-mail at [email protected] Copyright © 2007 by the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum Trust All rights reserved. Charity Commission registration number 299327. ISSN 1756-0039

Notes from My Logbook

Part 1 of an autobiographical memoir, Royal Air Force Tangmere, 1929-1930

Air Marshal Sir Anthony Selway, KCB DFC

Arrival of a new boy which you started by pulling a cord. It was driven by a corporal and I sat in I arrived at Royal Air Force Tangmere the back, and off we went to Tangmere. sometime in September 1929. I step- This was the usual sort of van used by ped out of the train at Chichester as a the RAF in those days. It made the lone in civilian clothes car- most strange spluttering, buzzing noise rying two suitcases and was met at the as it went along and wouldn’t do more station by an RAF driver in a Trojan than about 40 miles an hour. van. Now this was at a time when the I arrived at the aerodrome to find a Royal Air Force was going through a lot of my friends from previous terms very stringent period. We had only 55 were already having a good time at squadrons in the whole of the RAF and Tangmere and it is interesting to reflect great economies were being exercised that when I was leaving Cranwell, I had all round owing to the general reces- applied (in fact a lot of us had applied) sion, both in America and in our own to go to Upavon. Upavon was a fighter country. station on top of a hill near Pewsey in This Trojan van was a curiosity in it- Wiltshire, miles from anywhere, but it self. It was a little 15 cwt. machine with did have aeroplanes called Woodcocks, solid tyres and a two-stroke engine shortly to give place to the Gamecock.

4 The Tangmere Logbook

The Gamecock was a wooden fighter penniless Pilot Officers would go off, if which we were all very keen to fly so you had the money, and do a little pub we had all asked if we could be posted crawling, and we got to know all the to Upavon. I was bitterly disappointed most delightful pubs along the South when my posting came through and it Downs. Well, I was posted to “A” was to be to Tangmere instead. Flight of No. 1 Squadron and with me came Freddie Wightman and Teddy Corbally. Forty-three Squadron was the “other squadron”, great rivals of ours. We had supercharged Siskins made by Armstrong Whitworth and equipped with Armstrong Siddeley 385 h.p. engines. Forty-three Squadron’s aircraft had the unsupercharged en- gines. When we met in friendly com- bat on our daily flying exercises, 43 Squadron always had the better of us lower down, but if we could catch them a little bit higher, at perhaps ten or fif- teen thousand feet, our superchargers gave us the edge and we I could, by a process of twirling and twisting, usu- ally get the better of them.

Myself, straight from Cranwell A Siskin of No.1 Squadron How wrong can you be? Tangmere turned out to be one of the finest sta- My Commanding Officer was tions a young man could ever wish to Eustace Grenfell, who go to. It was situated a little way from terrified the wits out of us. He was a Bognor, a little way from Chichester very plain, surly-looking officer with a and to its east it had Arundel. Then distinguished war record. He had a there was Littlehampton and Hove and DFC, MC, and an AFC, and he was a then Brighton, and to its west, having brilliant pilot. But he was most unat- passed through Havant, you came tractive, poor man, and well known to across and after that South- the whole of the Air Force as being so. ampton. All the way along this coast- We all went for an interview, the four line was our happy hunting ground in of us, and Tommy Hope also came the evenings. An ancient car full of with us. Tommy was a short service

Autumn 2007 5 officer. The interview didn’t last very gen wasn’t fitted, and so you were in- long. All that Grenfell said was, “I’ve clined to feel a little faint at 20,000 feet got quite enough pilots. I really don’t or higher and to behave, well, not quite want any more. I didn’t ask for you to in your normal manner. Later on, of come here and I don’t know why course, this became known as “anoxia” they’ve sent you. But while you are or lack of oxygen. So up we climbed, here you had better behave yourselves, dressed in long leather flying boots and”, he added, “if I catch any of you which you pulled on rather like salmon low flying I’ll have you flogged.” fishing boots and a romantic sort of We came out of the interview rather leather coat with sleeves and a collar dazed and asked each other on our way which you strapped round yourself, back to the Flight Office, ”Could it be and a helmet. There was no radio, of so?” In the advanced year of 1929, could course, nor any means of communicat- it be that a commanding officer had the ing with other aircraft, nor indeed to powers to flog his officers? We didn’t the ground. That was one of the opera- think so, but it was, to say the least of it, tional training tasks we had to do and rather a surprising introduction to our the only other one was the ordinary first squadron. task of learning how to fly and operate But all this was compensated for by our aircraft. There were aerobatics, the three Flight Commanders. My own formation flying, cross-country flying, was Stanley Vincent, an awfully nice navigation and that was all we had to chap. He was an “old man”, at least 35, do in order to qualify as a member of because he was wearing World War the squadron, and be able to meet en- ribbons, including an AFC. He was a emy aircraft in combat. brilliant pilot and we learned more from him about what the Royal Air Force was all about than we had during the many long months at Cranwell.

Learning the task

The reason why these two squadrons were situated at Tangmere, which was very near the south coast, was that we were designated as “interceptor” squadrons. Our task was to intercept Strapping on my parachute enemy aircraft coming over to attack England, and it is strange to reflect that And then there was “cloud flying”. the only enemy we could possibly en- Great fun of course; the only instru- visage, or think about doing such a ments we had were the air speed indi- thing, was France and so we were al- cator, the altimeter which had a needle ways thinking about intercepting air- which merely told you very roughly if craft coming from that country. We you were going up or coming down, used to carry out “battle flight climbs” and at what approximate height you to 20,000 feet. A duty battle flight climb were. Then there was a thing like a was done almost every week and it was carpenter’s spirit level, only slightly done either in formation, with others, or curved, fixed to the instrument panel in solo. We had to do this climb as rapidly front of you which told you whether as possible so as to get used to it. Now your wings were level. Very rudimen- we had no oxygen in those days; oxy- tary, and to become a good cloud flyer

6 The Tangmere Logbook

with just these three instruments you I began to get rather busier in Janu- needed concentration of a high order. ary with cross-country flights around Then there was “diving on ground tar- London over which I see in my logbook gets”. We had a target at the edge of the that the weather was often very thick. airfield and we used to dive on it and And again to Portsmouth with a forma- take photographs through the guns tion. And then a bit of “air fighting” with a camera gun. Instead of firing with Simonds and Reber-Percy, both of bullets you just pressed the same trigger the “other squadron”. Any time you and you took a picture. met any of them — and you knew them Pin-pointing was of course flying by the black and white chequerboard with a map on your knee and identify- design on the sides of the fuselage — ing a particular point to which you flew you offered battle and the offer was and on return you reported what you always promptly taken up. This was had seen. Also there was “intercep- an exercise which kept you alert and tion”. This was a most hit-and-miss watchful and it also strengthened the affair and consisted of flying off and arm muscles with all the pulling into looking to see whether you could spot ever tighter and tighter turns in order and intercept another Siskin which had to get into the vital position behind arranged to fly in towards the airfield at your opponent. the same time. On one occasion, I saw the great air- There was the convenience of what ship the R100, sister ship to the ill-fated was called “the Arundel Gap”. Tang- R101 which crashed near Beauvais in mere was situated just south of the this year, killing nearly all on board. A South Downs and its proximity to the very large airship is an unreal sight sea gave it a great deal more good when you are in the air. Its very size — weather than they got to the north of in a place where you normally only the Downs. Very often there was low saw small things — impressed you. I cloud and rain to the north and when flew towards it for what seemed a long you were returning from that direction time but as I seemed to be getting no and getting lower and lower with the nearer to it and was actually getting too clouds just above you and the tree tops far from base I had to give it up. just underneath there came a point I see an entry in my logbook which when the Downs rose into the clouds tells an all-too-frequent story: “Test of and you had to do something about it. starboard plane”. It should be remem- Either go back to where you had come bered that the Siskin was a “ses- from, or turn to the left or right and quiplane”; that is to say its lower wings sneak along until you reached the rail- were smaller than its upper wings. way that went to Arundel. You then And it had a most irritating habit of followed this railway line at rooftop dropping a wing on landing if you height and you would go through the were the slightest bit out of wind. “Arundel Gap”. You would appear on Down would go the wing onto the the other side and even if the weather ground — impossible to correct — and wasn’t any better you knew at least that the metal stringers and the wing tip the ground was flat and you could set a would be bent upwards and you taxied course which would bring you right to in very feeling very foolish to a chorus Tangmere. We used the Arundel Gap of ribaldry the effect of which was constantly and as far as I know it is still much more salutary than any criticism found very useful to those who haven’t from one’s flight commander. any radio, or who prefer to keep the We used to do what we called ground in sight! “flight landings” and, on special occa-

Autumn 2007 7 sions, “squadron landings”. Since the do more than anything else. Some of airfields were all grass it was possible to us were lucky in being able to borrow land a whole squadron in the formation aeroplanes at that time. I was able to of three Vs in a V and of course land- do this later on but was too new at the ings by one flight of three Siskins were game to have the right contacts. One of done constantly. Sergeant Lovelock, I the arch borrowers at Tangmere was see, swung on landing and knocked my Halliburton Leech, who tail nearly off as well as turning up a was universally known as Girlie Leech. wing. I was very put out by this until There was nothing girlie about him the next day I myself swung and except that when he got tight he used rammed my flight commander. It all to giggle in a very high-pitched voice sounds very careless but of course we which made us all laugh. He was a had no brakes and there was a tail skid very brilliant pilot and a great bor- instead of a wheel. The coming of the rower of aeroplanes of any and every runways some ten years later changed type. He took me over to Shoreham all that. many times to see a friend of his called In March 1930 I see in my logbook Miles. that I went to Gosport. We used to do a F. G. Miles was an aeroplane maker lot of liaison with the Navy in those in a very small, one-shed sort of way days and in the evenings we used to but later on he became an aircraft meet them in the pubs in Portsmouth, manufacturer in a big way and was the Keppel’s Head, Barley Mow, responsible for many training aircraft Queen’s, and so on. which were used by the services in the An entry here says “To Alton, other War. He was at that time busy modify- side of Downs. Lost in thick fog. Exit ing and rebuilding a very small biplane over Hamble”. I remember that very called an Avro Baby. Only one or two well. I got into a sort of saucer-shaped of them had been made by A. V. Roe & depression in the Downs and I just Co. and then abandoned as a project. couldn’t get out of it. I went round and Miles had taken this machine and round inside it but couldn’t find a way made it into a single-seater and put a out. The railways disappeared into Genet engine into it and called it a tunnels and I went circling round and Miles Martlet. round over the tree tops wondering when I should run out of fuel, until I found at last a small hole to get through. One may ask “Why didn’t I climb up and go over the clouds and then come down?” Well, I wanted to be an Old Aviator and not a Bold Aviator at that time (I got my wish!) and a num- ber of my colleagues had tried this method and — if they survived — did not recommend it.

The Martlet What I did to the Martlet Girlie Leech used to go over to In those days a number of us were very Shoreham and test-fly this machine for keen on getting in as much flying as Miles and he was allowed to take it possible in any aeroplane, at any time, away at times. On 9th March he anywhere. It was a thing we wanted to brought it to Tangmere and he let me

8 The Tangmere Logbook

have a go in it. It was a delightful aero- little red in the face. Having got to the plane to fly and wonderful for aerobat- upside down position you roll out of it ics and I greatly enjoyed flying it. Later to your right side up position and away on we all went off to Hamble Aero Club you go. You had to do the bunt with and there Girlie Leech made a spectacu- the engine throttled back as no engine lar arrival in the Martlet; we of course of that type would run in the inverted having gone by car. We repaired to the position. And so I followed this rou- clubhouse and met all the local mem- tine right over the centre of the airfield. bers and after this Leech went up in the All went well and I was congratulating Martlet and gave a very good display of myself on having successfully per- aerobatics as low as possible and per- formed a bunt before the public, when I fectly executed. The local club members discovered that on opening the throttle were very impressed, as usual, for their to fly neatly away, nothing happened. club was only equipped with De Havil- The propeller became a motionless land Moths and the scope for aerobatics stick before my eyes and I had to do a was limited. So that when an RAF pilot little quick thinking. I had never had a came and volunteered to put up a show real forced landing before, only prac- of aerobatics for them they were always tice ones, and I seemed to have selected pleased. When Girlie Leech had landed the very worst possible conditions in he said to me “Would you like to have a which to make my first one. Low go?” and I replied “Certainly, I’ll have a down over a wood, down wind and no go!” And — this is the snag about com- engine. But needs must and I came petitive flying — I made a resolve to do down in a slithering sliding turn trying even better. I did not care to recall at to get into the wind before encounter- that moment that my total flying hours ing Mother Earth. In front of me lay a amounted to exactly 152 hours in the air very unattractive ploughed field (it on all types. Leech of course must have would of course be ploughed!) into done at that time at least five times that which I put the poor little Martlet. Up amount. But pilots who have done any- we went onto the nose, breaking the thing up to 500 hours always believe propeller, bang went the undercarriage they know everything there is to know and wheels came into my horrified and I was no exception to the rule. It is gaze through the lower wings. And I after 500 hours and a fright or two that sat there waiting for an irate Leech to you begin to take a little more care in appear, which he did, and as soon as what you do. the look of anxiety left his face when he Well, up I went and I put up much found my unworthy self was undam- the same sort of show as Girlie had: aged, he asked me in words that I do loops, slow rolls, half-rolls-off-the-top not like to recall how I thought he was and so on and at the end of the show I going to explain to the manufacturer thought of something that Girlie hadn’t how his borrowed aeroplane came to done and that was a “bunt”. A bunt — be in its present unflyable condition. for the uninitiated — is a reverse loop, All very awkward but I did meekly that is, you fly level, slowing down a enquire why the Genet engine had bit, and you then push the control col- failed when it had gone perfectly well umn forward firmly and hold it there for him. This remained a mystery until until you have dived over onto your it was found that when inverted the oil back with your head on the outside of in the crankcase smothered the plugs the loop rather than on the inside. This and bridged the points, thus failing to of course throws your whole weight produce a spark. I could not but help into your shoulder straps and you get a wish it had been Girlie who had made

Autumn 2007 9 this vital discovery. But I had learned to land just as you passed the first flare something which I never forgot, which around which were gathered your crit- was never to trust an aeroplane not to ics and anxious friends, in addition to let you down, especially at the most the man with the red-and-green Aldis critical moments. lamp. I also learned something about hu- The Squadron Method of Instruc- man forbearance, for when we reached tion was to tell you all about it and then Shoreham by car late that night to ex- on a selected night with good weather plain to Miles that his one and only you taxied out to the first flare when aeroplane, his personal invention and your turn came and off you went. The brainchild, had been wrecked by an in- flares raced past faster and faster and experienced pilot officer who had no then very suddenly dear old friendly right to be flying it, we found him to be ground disappeared and gave place to geniality itself and all he apparently just black darkness and a mixture of wanted to know was “whether the un- lights on the ground below the horizon dercarriage radius rods had given way and a few stars above it. On a very in the crash”. In point of fact it did not dark night there was just nothing. All take long for him to make the necessary this we found extremely disconcerting repairs. and hanging about before your time came was inclined to reduce you to a Night flying state of nervous gloom. As this state of nervous gloom was to become part and On the eleventh of March, 1930, I was parcel of an aviator’s life — especially introduced to the gentle — or not so during the war years to come ten years gentle — art of night flying. Now this later — it was just as well to get used to was a very strange affair. For the whole it as soon as possible. This was our of my cadetship at Cranwell lasting for first contact with what appeared to be two years we had done no night flying. the perils of flying. No friendly and I think it would have been too difficult knowledgeable instructor murmuring to lay it on and the official policy was into your ear what to do next and then that night flying would be taught on the giving you a brilliant demonstration. squadrons. We were told nothing about Just step in and off you go and find out night flying and thus knew nothing for yourself and good luck to you. I about it. So we reached our squadrons was reminded of how I was taught to and then we were told about night fly- swim by being chucked into the deep ing, how it was different from day fly- end and finding out how to do it by ing, how you took off, how you landed trial and error. etc., how there were no bumps in the air Before we were required to fly our- at night and it was nice and smooth, selves we were required to watch more and how you couldn’t see anything and experienced pilots doing it so as to give only had lights to go by and so on. We us an idea how easy it really was. And were told about the flare path. Now the so on a suitable night in March we as- flare path in those days was a number sembled at the first flare with the Aldis of portable paraffin bonfires about the lamp operator and prepared to absorb size of beehives which were pulled into knowledge and gain confidence. It a “Tee” shape or rather an “L” shape on didn’t turn out quite like that. The first the aerodrome in the right wind direc- landing I ever saw at night was done tion. You were told that when you by Flying Officer Luxton. Luxton was came in to land you headed up towards a good chap. A wild boy who had a lot the Tee piece and pulled the stick back of friends and enjoyed a good time.

10 The Tangmere Logbook

We saw his port and starboard wingtip form into line ahead, or “snake” as we lights come swerving towards the flares. called it then. We would then have to He hit the ground some yards before follow him wherever he went and the first flare in his all-metal Siskin whatever he did. In and out of the big which made a noise and a clatter like a woolly clouds, skimming the tops, div- lot of dustbins and we all ran for our ing through the holes and racing round lives. He continued on his way on the the edges, getting glimpses of the green aircraft’s belly and ran straight into the fields as we went. Rolling and looping first flare and up went the whole thing all the time. A half-roll followed by a in flames. The flames were paraffin dive and then up into a stalled turn and flames for a start; the petrol flames, so on. It was exhilarating and marvel- which were of course much fiercer, ously enjoyable and then finally we came later. But the flames, however would form up again and land on the caused, were frightening enough. All grass in formation. pilots know that fire is a thing you do not wish to tangle with if you can avoid More excursions it. We all scrambled out of the way and Luxton’s flight sergeant, thinking more And now in my logbook comes a large quickly than the rest of us, rushed to the patch of “private flying” which was of aircraft where the flames were getting a course flying in private aircraft which hold on it in order to get Luxton, who were invariably borrowed for the pur- was by then shouting for help, out of pose. I stuck to Girlie Leech who was a the cockpit. It was an open cockpit of great borrower and I managed to get in course, which was a blessing. In fact at on the act, so to speak. Air Force flying that time all cockpits were open; the stopped on Friday evenings and the closed-in cockpit had not then been in- prospect of spending Saturday and vented. He got Luxton out and rushed Sunday without any flying was very him off to Sick Quarters and he was boring and the great objective was to burnt about the face. He had fortu- get in any flying you could in whatever nately been wearing goggles and the aircraft could be got hold of during the marks remained on his face for only a weekend. I see from my logbook that year or two. He had white rimmed eyes at the end of my active flying life I had looking out of a rather bronzed face. flown as pilot some 96 different types Rather strange-looking. We went to bed of aircraft and another 18 as co-pilot. A that night not having flown at all and to very great number of these were civil- say the least of it, feeling a little de- ian aircraft either belonging to private spondent of our chances of getting these owners or to aircraft firms. Siskins down on the ground again at night. I am happy to relate, however, — Part 2 follows in the next issue of that I see from my logbook that it The Tangmere Logbook wasn’t long before we were properly off at night and had got used to it.

We are grateful to Mr David Selway, Sir “Snake” Anthony Selway’s son, for making a gift to the Museum of this previously unpublish- Here in my logbook I see the word ed autobiographical memoir and the ac- “Snake”. Now this was the most de- companying photographs from his father’s lightful exercise of all. Vincent would albums. take us up in a formation of three or four and at the right height we would

Autumn 2007 11 Brig. Gen. Robin Olds, other young Americans did, but was prevented from doing so by his father, USAF who insisted that he take up his place 1922-2007 at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. Robin graduated in 1943 and RAF No. 1 (F) Squadron Commander, was soon flying Lightnings and Mus- Tangmere, 1948-1949 tangs, initially from RAF Wattisham covering bombing missions over Ger- many, and attacking targets in France in support of the Allied invasion. By the end of the war, Olds was not only officially credited with 12 German air- craft shot down and 11.5 others de- stroyed on the ground for which he had been awarded the Silver Star for valour, both the British and American DFCs and the French Croix de Guerre, he had also risen to the rank of Major and had been given the command of his squadron, aged just 22. A truly out- standing leader and pilot, he seemed destined for a brilliant career. Yet Robin Olds had strong and un- conventional views about air warfare, which eventually were to get him into

trouble. At the end of the war, the Army Air Force, by virtue of its capac- Robin Olds, who died in June, is ity to deploy the hydrogen bomb and thought to have been the only non- its generous funding by Washington, Commonwealth citizen ever to have had become the world’s most powerful commanded an RAF squadron. Under strategic military arm. In 1947, the the post-war RAF-USAF Officer Ex- USAF was separated from the Army change Programme, Robin Olds re- and became an autonomous organisa- turned to Britain in 1948 and was as- tion. From its outset, the USAF was signed to No. 1 Squadron, RAF Fighter dominated by former Bomber Com- Command, then flying Meteors and sta- mand officers, notably General Curtis tioned at Tangmere. His abilities must LeMay, head of the Strategic Air Com- have been very impressive indeed to mand from 1949 to 1957 and later the have resulted in the unprecedented de- USAF’s overall commander and Chief cision to make him Squadron Com- of Staff of the American armed forces. mander. LeMay regarded the “fighter boys” as Flying was in his blood. The son of merely supporting the nuclear bombers Army Air Corps Major General Robert and did not see any more specialised or Olds, a First World War combat pilot independent role for the Tactical Air and aide to the American air power Command. As a result, argued Robin pioneer Billy Mitchell, Robin Olds had Olds, the fighter arm of the air force grown up surrounded by airmen and was neglected, underfunded, and un- aeroplanes. When the war in Europe prepared for non-nuclear combat. broke out in 1939, Robin wanted to go These views, expressed forcefully to Canada to join the RAF as many and none-too-diplomatically to whom-

12 The Tangmere Logbook

ever would listen, did not endear Olds there wasn’t any warfare. We just pos- to his senior officers — virtually all of tured and threatened with our nukes.” whom, apparently, endorsed the Le After many long years in the wil- May Doctrine, at least officially: it was derness, Robin’s moment came again more than their jobs and promotion when “Bombs Away LeMay” was prospects were worth to be seen to sup- forced to retire by President Johnson in port Olds’s radical views. Olds soon 1965. The Vietnam War was a turning came to be regarded as a dangerous point for American air power, and it maverick, and was kept out of the lime- was belatedly recognised that Olds’s light. Despite repeated requests skills and ideas were now just what through official and unofficial channels, was needed. Olds said, “It proved the he was denied the chance to distinguish need to teach tactical warfare and have himself — as he surely would have fighter pilots. It caught us unprepared done — in the Korean conflict. General because we weren’t allowed to learn it LeMay clearly did not want to risk or practice it in training.” newspaper headlines about a fighter- While commander of the 8th Tacti- pilot war-hero who was damningly cal Fighter Wing, Olds flew 152 combat critical of USAF policy and the defi- missions, 105 of them over North Viet- ciency, through neglect, of the Tactical nam, from October 1966 to September Air Command. Olds spent the Korean 1967. He shot down two MiG-17s and War years and most of the 1950s and two MiG-21s, two on one mission. 1960s on routine assignments beneath “Young pilots showed up who saw for his abilities, and was kept well out of the first time an F-4 loaded with live the way as long as General LeMay was ordnance. They had never been taught in charge of things. how to deliver a cluster bomb unit, After the Korean cease-fire, Olds is didn’t know about SAM [surface-to-air quoted as having said that American missile] evasion tactics or electronic tactical air power entered the Dark countermeasures formation flying. Ages. “We weren’t allowed to dog- They knew how to fly the airplane, but fight,” he said. “Very little attention didn’t know how to roll over into a 60- was paid to strafing, dive-bombing, degree dive bomb attack from 16,000 to rocketry, stuff like that. It was thought 17,000 feet. They hadn’t been taught to be unnecessary. Yet every confronta- anything like that. What the hell was I tion America faced in the Cold War supposed to do with them? So, we had years was a ‘bombs and bullets’ situa- to train them ourselves.” tion, raging under an uneasy nuclear After Vietnam, his views on aerial standoff.” Olds recounted how — warfare were vindicated, more or less, while writing a paper on conventional, and Olds was given a plum assignment tactical air power — he was ordered to as Commandant of Cadets at the U. S. stop by his commander. “He said I had Air Force Academy and a promotion to to get it through my head that we Brigadier General, but never fully at- would never again fight a conventional tained the rank and influence for which war. That was in 1962. We already had he seemed destined in 1945. He retired advisers in South Vietnam. My boss in 1973. was a bomber guy with a missile badge. — Reginald Byron He was a really nice man who knew absolutely nothing about fighter war- Quotations from Chief Master Sgt. Tom fare or tactical warfare. As a matter of Kuhn, USAF: ”Robin Olds: An Unconven- fact, I thought he didn’t know much tional Man's Fight for Conventional War- about bomber warfare either. To him, fare”, Airman Magazine (December 1996).

Autumn 2007 13 Flying Spitfires fly. True to form, because there were no Spit factories in the vicinity of Hat- field, the first we flew were again cas- Lettice Curtis ual ones picked up for the most part at

other ferry pools. I had ferried eight

Hurricanes and was just about begin- ning to feel at home in the aircraft when I was given my first Spit. It was from Cowley, a small grass airfield alongside the Morris Motors Works near Oxford, where, in addition to building Tiger Moths, limited modifica- tion and repair work was carried out on Hurricanes and Spitfires. The air- craft, R6720, was one of the few re- maining Mk Is in which the undercar- riage was retracted by manual opera- tion of a hand-pump, a fact normally all too obvious to the casual onlooker as the pilot’s left hand, holding the stick, invariably pumped in sympathy with the right with the result that the aircraft could be seen climbing away in undulating motion. The author was an Air Transport Auxiliary On both Hurricane and Spit the un- pilot from 1940 to 1945, and flew nearly dercarriage lever was on the right-hand every kind of military aircraft used by the side of the cockpit, and the throttle was RAF during the Second World War, includ- on the left. This necessitated a hand ing four-engined heavy bombers which she was the first woman to be permitted to fly change on the stick before selecting unaccompanied. We are grateful to Miss undercarriage “up”. Every now and Curtis for allowing us to print extracts from again accidents would happen through her book, The Forgotten Pilots: A Story of the pilots attempting to make a spectacu- Air Transport Auxiliary, 1939-45 (1971), and lar, speedy undercarriage retraction to her publisher for permitting us to print and touching down with a half-raised excerpts from Lettice Curtis: Her Autobiogra- phy (2004) in this and future issues of The undercarriage or nicking the propeller Tangmere Logbook. during this manoeuvre. The biggest problem, if problems they could be called, came with the Spit Those of us whose days were filled with on the ground. By modern standards flying heard little of the politics going visibility during taxi, take-off and land- on in high places, and were therefore ing were atrocious, as at all these entirely unaware that a major point of stages, the long Merlin cowling com- principle had been resolved. All we pletely blocked the forward view. The knew was that shortly afterwards, and narrow-track undercarriage made it without further ado, we found our- unduly susceptible to cross-winds and selves with ferry chits for Spitfires. being somewhat nose-heavy, it was all Although the Hurricane had been too easy to tip on its nose through the the breakthrough for the women ATA coarse use of brakes or by taxiing into pilots, the Spit was, above all, the air- patches of rough or muddy ground on craft that we dreamt of being allowed to grass airfields, or airfields where run-

14 The Tangmere Logbook

ways were in the process of being built. and extra fuel had been provided in The Spit had many memorable charac- slipper tanks under the fuselage, in teristics which those of us that were drop tanks under the wings, and in lucky enough to fly them will never addition tanks had been built into the forget. The way the glycol temperature leading edge of the wing and into the rose when one was committed to a long rear fuselage. taxi run or to wait one’s turn to take off, In the air the Spitfire was forgiving especially in summer. How sometimes and without vice, and I never heard of one would have to switch off the engine anyone who did not enjoy flying it. It miles from anywhere, and wait until the had a personality uniquely its own. temperature had fallen below the 120 The Hurricane was dogged, masculine degrees which was the maximum per- and its undercarriage folded inwards in mitted for starting the take-off run. a tidy businesslike manner. The Spit, There must be many erstwhile ground calling for more sensitive handling, crew who remember even more vividly was altogether more feminine, had than their pilots how, because there more glamour and threw its wheels were never enough tying-down points, outward in an abandoned, extrovert they had to double themselves over the way. From the ground there was a spe- tailplane, hat grasped in hand, in the cial beauty about it from the time when howling slipstream for the pre-take-off after take-off it disappeared into the engine checks. Sometimes if the ground distance with one undercarriage leg up, was more than usually rough they the other trailing, to when silhouetted would sit on the tailplane whilst the against the sky, it vaunted the curves of pilot taxied out — hence the famous its ellipse-shaped wings. incidents where RAF pilots actually The cockpit of any single-seater air- took off with ground crew on the tail. It craft is a very snug and private world, says an enormous amount for the Spit but to sit in the cockpit of a Spit, barely that it remained controllable in this wider than one’s shoulders, with the condition. power of the Merlin at one’s fingertips, But if the Spitfire called for more had poetry of its own. The long flat- than its fair share of care on the ground, topped cowling and the pop-popping part at least of its phenomenal success stub exhausts gave an almost breath- must have been due to its sheer simplic- taking feeling of power and the exhila- ity of operation in the sky. The basic ration of throwing it around, chasing fuel system consisted of two fuselage clouds or low flying — strictly unau- tanks with gravity feed from the top thorized in our case — was something into the lower one. The flaps, operated never to be forgotten by those who ex- by a silver flip switch, were either “up” perienced it. I remember thinking how or “down”, a mechanical indicator on easy it would be when flying low to hit each wing showing position. Radiator a tree or some such obstacle, if it came shutters were either “shut” or “open” up dead ahead obscured by the long and on later marks, even these were nose, without ever knowing what had operated thermostatically. This basic hit you. Only for bad weather did I simplicity was maintained in all suc- sometimes prefer the Hurricane, where ceeding marks even when the all-up the shorter, more downward sloping weight grew from around 6,000 to over nose and slightly larger canopy con- 11,000 lb, the horsepower had more tributed to just that much better than doubled, propellers had grown ground visibility. from two blades in the first very early A jet-age pilot flying a Spitfire of the version to six blades in the Mk XXII, RAF Historic Aircraft Flight writes:

Autumn 2007 15 From 3,000 ft the blind spot extends to more of left aileron and rudder was required, than two miles either side of track, which not only to stop the aircraft turning to makes groping about in the usual English starboard, but to counteract the ten- summer haze a tricky operation. Members dency to roll. Even whilst taxiing, the of the Flight have proved to themselves that starboard undercarriage would com- it is possible to arrive over the top of a desti- press more than the port so that one nation airfield, even in clear weather, and taxied in a permanently one-wing-low not know it. This limitation is emphasized by the short range of the radios which make attitude, and there were times when map-reading a must on every transit flight. one almost felt that the aircraft, with Landing presents a special problem. Ex- you in it, might start rotating round the tended down-wind legs and GCA-type ap- prop rather than the prop round the proaches are out as the whole airfield disap- aircraft! Similarly, on the approach, pears at about 300 ft. A curving continuous each variation in engine power pro- approach is used to keep things in view as duced a marked reaction on the rudder. long as possible. Having straightened out, Only limited numbers of Mk XII the runway can be seen once below about 10 Spits were produced, the first Griffon ft but only to the sides. Spit to go into large-scale production Over time, the Spitfire grew in being the Mk XIV. This had a five- weight and engine power — its remark- bladed propeller, a new throttle-block able capacity for both engine and air- which gave double the travel plus frame development keeping it in opera- “gates” at +9 and +12 boost, +18 or full tional service throughout the war. It throttle being only permitted for com- had in fact been planned to replace both bat purposes — and at an all-up weight the Hurricane and the Spit in early 1941 of some 9,000 lb weighed around 2,000 with the Typhoon, but this had run into lb more than its predecessors. The Mk both structural and engine difficulties XIV had less tendency to swing on and even when it eventually appeared take-off but even so we were instructed late in 1942, was suitable only for low- whenever possible to restrict take-off level operation. The Spit, going from power to +6 boost because the side strength to strength, now appeared in thrust produced during take-off at the form of the Mk XII with a Rolls- higher powers caused damage to the Royce Griffon engine. tyres! The Spitfire Mk XII was a “clipped After the war, I flew a Spit Mk XI in wing” fighter with a four-bladed pro- two or three air races and was shat- peller which rotated in the opposite di- tered to find that I was handicapped rection from the Merlin-engined varie- for “+12” all the way. This meant ties. (What, I have often wondered, are maintaining maximum power for per- the design criteria which lead to an aero haps ten minutes. Rolls-Royce, how- engine being built to turn in one direc- ever, had no qualms and this magnifi- tion or another?) This of course made a cent engine took it all in its stride. difference to the way the aircraft pulled on take-off — now to the right. The power developed by the Griffon was, at some 2,000 horsepower, double that of Following her first Spitfire delivery in July the original Mark I and was such that 1941, as described in this story, Lettice on this version it was impossible to hold Curtis went on to make another 314 Spit- the propeller torque reaction by means fire ferry flights before the ATA was dis- of the aircraft controls during take-off at banded at the end of December 1945. full throttle. Even at reduced power, —Ed. full left trim plus a considerable amount

16 The Tangmere Logbook

The Water Meadow one descended into it. However, I had had what I looked upon as rather a suc- An SOE flight that got stuck cession of unsuccessful ops: the photo- graph had shown at least 1,000 metres

run in the direction in which the flare Sir Robin Hooper, path was laid; and the agents had as- KCMG DSO DFC sured us that the ground was “very

hard”. Anyway, I decided to go in.

After two unsuccessful attempts I got down off a very tight low circuit (even for a Lizzie!) dropping in rather fast and rather late through the mist. I soon realised that the ground was very soft indeed — softer than it had been on “Oriel” a few nights before when I had landed and, to their great disgust, ordered the others not to do so. At first, when I braked, the wheels just locked and slid; but very soon it was a question of using quite a lot of throttle to keep moving and it seemed best to keep moving at all costs. Turning was all but impossible since the wheels dug into deep grooves. Finally we man- aged to turn 90° to port and there

stuck. The aircraft was immovable even with +6 boost, so I told the pas- On the night of 16th-17th November sengers to get out and got down myself 1943, I took off from Tangmere on Op- to inspect. We were bogged to spat- eration Scenery. The weather was very level; the ground appeared to be a wet, much better than it had been the night soggy water meadow. The reception before, when we had attempted the op- committee came running up: I organ- eration in low cloud and had been ized them to push and we attempted forced to turn back by icing conditions some more +6 boost without the slight- down to the deck. The outward trip est effect except perhaps to settle the was completely uneventful. We were wheels a little more firmly in their ruts. on track the entire way from Cabourg “Georges”, the operator (a Belgian down to Montsoreau on the Loire, every agent, Jean Depraetere), was in a great landmark on that fairly familiar milk- state of nerves and it was Albert, his run visible at the expected time. The second-in-command (who had been sky cleared and the moon came right failed on the Lizzie course for over- out, south of the Loire, and Châ- impetuosity), who really took charge. tellerault and Parthenay showed up At this point someone suggested beautifully. I turned east just south of getting some bullocks from the nearest Parthenay and saw the reception signal- farm; after a certain amount of fuss this ling at me from at least two miles away. was agreed and a small well-armed There were drifts of ground-mist lying party set off to collect bullocks, spades over the field. Although the lights were and some planks or brushwood (my intermittently visible, the mist was sur- idea, as far as I remember). The rest of prisingly thick, white and milky when us continued to dig trenches in front of

Autumn 2007 17 the wheels with the idea of making a concern of theirs. Finally, we realised kind of inclined plane up which they that it was getting late and that we had could be pulled. About 20 minutes later not a hope of digging the aircraft out. an odd procession loomed up out of the We decided to abandon the struggle. mist: two very large bullocks, trailing “Georges” burst into tears on my clanking chains, the farmer, his wife, his shoulder. I patted him on the back, two daughters and the three chaps from and said “There, there. Allons, voyons the reception committee. The farmer mon vieux” and generally tried to con- shook me warmly by the hand, asked vey the impression that mucking me when the British were going to land around in several inches of mud, some in France, and got to work. He hitched hundreds of miles inside enemy terri- the bullocks (Fridolin and Julot by tory, with a bogged Lysander, four bul- name) to the legs of the undercarriage, locks and thirteen excited Belgians and and we all heaved. Nothing whatever Frenchmen was an experience that any happened. Two more (anonymous) officer of the Royal Air Force would bullocks were fetched; we continued to take in his stride. I got out my para- dig, but the best result we ever got was chute, pulled it, piled all my secret pa- to pivot one wheel round the other. pers on top, and then, with the greatest This of course had no effect beyond reluctance, started hacking holes in the making a large hole round the station- petrol and oil tanks of poor “D for ary wheel which stuck even more Dog”, in which I had done all my trips firmly. This must have gone on for and which no one else had ever flown about two hours. Why we weren’t ar- on ops. The petrol spurted out of the rested ten times over I have no idea, bottom tank and soaked my trousers, except that the nearest Boche was at so I thought it prudent to get Victor to least ten miles away and the local gen- apply the match. The aircraft burnt darmerie had more sense than to poke well, but as the fog was really thick by their nose into things which were no now the fire can only have been

“Operation Scenery” by Douglas Littlejohn, courtesy of the artist

18 The Tangmere Logbook

visible from any distance as a diffused pigeon, which we despatched in the glow. We ran (in my case at a very course of the morning, never made it — steady beagling pace indeed) to the car a pity, as I had rather enjoyed compos- and piled in: nine people encumbered ing the message. with suitcases, sten guns, pigeons, pis- tols and what-not in a small Citroën designed to hold at the most five. This car, the property of the Ponts et Chaus- sées, played a great part in our lives. It was explained to me on the way that the party had meant to “borrow” the Préfet’s car, but that it had run into a level-crossing barrier on another illegal expedition. We drove rather slowly home — at one point past a German aerodrome, which shook me a little. Gradually we shed most of the party at their various homes or hide-outs, and at last it was our turn. As we relieved nature in a ditch beside the road, Albert explained that he was taking me and the agent “Georges” (Jean Depraetere) who should have left with me to stay in the farmhouse where he himself lived. The Germans took the whole affair We picked up our various burdens, most seriously. They clamped down walking as quietly as we could to avoid pretty thoroughly over a radius of waking the village watch-dogs. about 100 miles, putting extra Gestapo The family were surprised to see and uniformed police in all the major Jean Weber (the would-be passenger to stations, and patrolling all main roads. England) again, and amazed to see me; They searched the landing-ground for but they took it very well, made up an me or my remains, prodding with extra bed in the spare room, and gave Prussian thoroughness behind every us an enormous, oddly assorted meal bush. They brought a lorry to fetch which included red wine, pig’s liver away the burnt wreckage of “D for paté, cheese, and cake. In spite of this I Dog”. To the delight of the village, the went to bed and slept almost continu- lorry got bogged as well. They grilled ously for 36 hours, waking only to eat the farmer who had helped us, but he and drink. stuck stubbornly to the story we had Meanwhile (I have been told since), told him to tell: that “those terrorists” the flap on both sides of the Channel had forced him at the pistol point to was considerable, as well it might be, bring out his bullocks. In the end, they seeing that the flight had not had a let him go. After four or five days the casualty for eighteen months. Tang- excitement died down and Jean Weber mere even laid on a dawn fighter patrol, was able to go back to the north where in case I had been delayed and was his work was. coming out in daylight. “Georges” sent Wonderful stories ran round the off a very penitent signal, saying that countryside. The baker told us that an we were safe, and ending “Ne me con- English aeroplane had landed and sidère plus de votre confiance.” This bogged, and that the crew had got out, relieved the strain at home a bit. My mounted motor-bicycles which they

Autumn 2007 19 had brought with them, and ridden of meat and often two, fruit, cheese, red away. The butcher’s version was that wine, and more ersatz coffee (black this we had wirelessed for another aircraft. time). Practically everything we ate This had arrived within a quarter of an was produced on the farm, including hour — at, one can only presume, a the “coffee”, which was grilled wheat cruising speed of about 800 mph — and barley mixed with a little “melange landed, and taken us home. But the national”. “Melange national”, which best story of all was that of the two was heavily rationed, was alleged on gendarmes. They came to the house, to the label to contain 10% of genuine cof- everyone’s dismay, the day after I ar- fee — the rest being chicory, cereals, rived. After a glass of eau-de-vie, the and various anonymous substitutes, larger gendarme began to ask questions. perhaps acorns, so the pound tin of the Any trouble round here lately? No, real stuff I had brought with me went Monsieur Bellot hastened to assure down very well. Meals were some- them; it had never been so quiet. Mon- times a bit of an effort, as Madame Bel- sieur Bellot was quite sure? But of lot insisted on giving me huge quanti- course. Funny, everyone else had been ties of the best of everything, and made complaining about their rabbits being no allowances for the fact that I practi- stolen. The smaller gendarme looked at cally never moved from the house. If I his watch. A quarter past twelve. left anything, “Ah, c’est que vous ne le Someone in the town had been saying trouvez pas bon”, she would say. If, on that Marshal Pétain had resigned: what the other hand, I ate a lot, I got twice as about listening to the BBC and finding much the next time. A tricky situation, our whether it was true? The BBC was calling for much diplomacy! turned on: another round went its way, and the gendarmes departed in an at- — Part 2 follows in the next issue of mosphere of amity and alcohol. The Tangmere Logbook I now settled down to a curious, suspended-animation existence. The intention was originally to lay on an- We are indebted to Mr Gavin Hooper, other operation on the organisation’s Robin Hooper’s son, for arranging permis- sion to reproduce this previously published other ground in Normandy. This fell account, presented here in edited form, through, as the ground was found to be from the late ’s book, We unusable through rain, cold feet on the Landed by Moonlight: Secret RAF Landings in part of the farmer, ploughing, and a France 1940-1944 (Ian Allan, Ltd., 1978 and new line of telegraph poles. London Crécy Publishers, 1995, 1998). Also, we are most grateful to Douglas Littlejohn for sup- signalled us the pinpoints of two other plying a photographic print of his painting grounds some distance away, but both “Operation Scenery” to illustrate this story. proved to be too wet. All this was The photographs are from an album of moderately depressing. Time crept on, Hugh Verity’s photographs given to the and we still hadn’t got a ground: but Museum by Mrs Verity. materially speaking, life could hardly have been better, apart from the lack of fresh air and exercise. I was generally Copies of Hugh Verity’s book, We called at about 10 am with a large bowl Landed by Moonlight and Douglas of (ersatz) café-au-lait, several slices of Littlejohn’s painting “Operation Scen- excellent brioche and lashings of honey. ery” can be obtained though the Lunch was at about 1.30, after the fam- Museum Shop. ily had finished. It generally consisted of some form of paté, always one kind

20 The Tangmere Logbook

From the Director to the changing needs of running a sub- stantial charity. Alan Bower There are many things that need

special action. An immediate one is to

get more volunteers with specialist On August 31st we closed the successful skills such as woodworking, electrical, art exhibition held in the new Neville and building to join us. We also need Duke Hall. The exhibition, opened by more volunteers to work in the shop David Shepherd, had some tremendous and act as guides and security staff es- pictures of aircraft we all know and love pecially at weekends. Can you help us, but also action scenes from many fa- or do you know people who might? mous conflicts particularly WWII. Led We need more volunteers because our by volunteer Clive Newman, this was visitor numbers are increasing with our first attempt at such an event. The better marketing and publicity. The Museum benefited from a percentage of museum continues to flourish but will each picture sold plus an original hang- only continue to do so as long as will- ing fee. ing volunteers offer their services. Will the Museum have to move geo- graphically? The news is that the gov- ernment inspector has rejected the re- cently proposed Local Development From the Curator Framework (LDF) for the area. We are now seeking to work closely with vari- David Coxon ous authorities to ensure that the future of this Museum forms part of planning proposals for a revised LDF. Until some Since the beginning of April when I decisions are taken we will not know took over as Curator from Alan Bower, whether we will have to move or not, my curatorial team has been hard at but clearly there is a considerable time work on a number of projects in addi- span before anything happens and we tion to carrying out our normal collec- are seeking to ensure the Museum is not tion management responsibilities. forgotten in any proposed change of use One of my aims as Curator is to im- to parts of the old Tangmere Airfield. prove the clarity and consistency of our Many of us are sad that such a historic information display boards within the site is likely to be even partly built Museum. To this end we have pro- upon. duced new display boards for the Su- As from this year’s AGM I stood permarine Swift aircraft exhibit and down as Curator after some nine years, installed 12 new boards in the Meryl but I was very pleased to have David Hansed Memorial Hall to provide in- Coxon follow me into the hot seat. The formation on the Hunter F5 and Light- trust council asked me to take on a new ning FR53 and our outside aircraft ex- role as Director of day to day operations hibits. of the Museum. This I have done. We To mark this year’s 25th anniversary are settling into a new management of the Falklands Campaign we refur- structure and I have instituted a weekly bished the Falklands exhibit with addi- meeting of the senior management tional information boards and new task team: Curator, Head of Maintenance, force ship and aircraft models. Work Marketing Manager and Treasurer, with was completed in splitting off the Air me as Director chairing it. This has Transport Auxiliary (ATA) from the come about because we are successful WAAF exhibit. The new ATA exhibit as a museum and have had to respond focuses on the women involved in the

Autumn 2007 21 ATA and particularly on the three all- Letters, Notes, women ferry pools that were set up during the Second World War. Early in and Queries the summer, Charles Weston and his team completed and opened the excel- lent exhibit and a The Editor welcomes your artwork, photo- graphs, letters, and contributions (long or new volunteer to the Museum, John short) on any subject of interest to our read- Elvins, designed and built an interactive ers. Beginning with this issue, we are in- Lancaster bomber wireless operator’s cluding a new Queries section. If you have position which has been placed in the a question about a military aviation topic Middle Hall. A decision was taken to that you think another reader or one of our volunteers might be able to answer, please display in the Merston Hall an addi- send it to the Editor. Your queries will be tional Link trainer that we have recently published at our discretion. The answer, or acquired. This trainer is at the moment answers, will appear in the following issue, being rebuilt to “flying” condition. The giving all our readers a chance to respond. original one will remain in the Middle Test-your-knowledge questions and photo Hall and will be made available for quizzes are also welcome! The Editor’s addresses (postal and e-mail) are given on children to “fly” under the supervision Page 3. of our guide staff. Earlier this year the Museum’s Edu- cation Department produced six book- Neville Duke anecdotes lets covering our aircraft exhibits and topics connected with the history of RAF Tangmere, e.g. “Tangmere and the It was September 2003, on the day cele- SOE”. These have proved popular with brating the 50th anniversary of our visitors, selling at £2 each in the Neville’s setting of the air speed record shop, and we are now in the process of in the . I happened to completing a further four booklets to be go into the Curator’s Office to do some- published at the end of the year. thing and found Neville sitting there. So what’s in the curatorial pro- We chatted about this and that, includ- gramme for next year? Firstly, with the ing the fact that, in 1948, as a Hawker help of a former student of Chichester test pilot, he had flown from Langley. University, Rachael Hilton, the refur- Then I said, “You know, Neville, I flew bishment of our WAAF exhibit will be from Langley in 1948, too.” completed. Another Chichester Univer- sity student, Judy Carbone, has recently He looked amazed, knowing my age completed a review for us on the SOE and that Langley airfield, adjacent to exhibit and it is our intention to follow the Hawker factory, was the company’s her recommendations to improve this private flight testing facility. “How on exhibit during the winter closed period. earth could you have flown from Lang- Next year it is also intended to intro- ley in 1948?”, he said. duce interactive touchscreens to the I replied, “I was an ATC cadet on a Museum to provide information for our gliding course in Kirby Cadet gliders!” visitors on WAAFs, the and the World Speed Record Attempts. The ATC had a small corner of the air- Lastly, it is planned to screen Pete Pit- field that the Hawker test pilots proba- man’s “Tribute to Neville Duke”, so bly never noticed, you see. well received on our 25th anniversary Neville and I had a good laugh. weekend, near the record-breaking — John Edwards Hunter F3.

22 The Tangmere Logbook

One day at the Museum I encountered cial life. Not long after I arrived, I was Neville as he prepared to be inter- off on the Day Fighter Leaders’ Course viewed and filmed for a BBC pro- at West Raynham in Norfolk. By this gramme, later to be screened as the se- time our oldish Meteor aircraft were ries The Aviators: The 600 mph Men. becoming very sluggish and the arrival of the Hunter Mk V was just over the “Performing again, Neville?” horizon. Soon I was despatched to “Yes,” he replied, “but I’m twitched.” RAF Chivenor in North Devon for a short conversion course on the Hunter “What do you mean you’re twitched? You’ll bring joy to thousands of view- Mk I which turned out to be a truly ers.” supersonic conversion in more ways than one! “Yes,” he said, “but they don’t know Arriving at Chivenor at lunchtime how I feel in front of a camera.” on June 6th, 1955, I was bombarded — Ian Bell with technical lectures and procedures about the Hunter aircraft all afternoon and on into the evening. The following I got to know Neville Duke quite well morning, after a formal briefing about when we worked together at Brook- the short course, I was strapped into lands Aerospace at Old Sarum in the the Hunter and carried out six “sorties” 1980s. Neville was our Chief Test Pilot without leaving the cockpit; briefing and I was the Works Manager. Neville and debriefing being carried out by my took me on my first flight in the Optica instructor on the cockpit ladder while and we often met and had a chat on the the aircraft was being refuelled. Such airfield. At one of the last Farnborough urgency! The following morning was Air Shows where we were showing the the same procedure: four further “sor- Optica, Neville was going to fly and ties” were similarly carried out. I re- demonstrate the aircraft to the crowd. turned to Tangmere that afternoon, As we were standing next to the air- shattered but supersonic. craft, the announcer on the Tannoy The Hunter Mk V aircraft soon made a gaff and said, started arriving and I carried out accep- “Geoff Duke is now going to fly the Op- tance check after check and started the tica.” conversion of the squadron pilots as- sisted by the B Flight commander. Neville looked at me with a grin and First, naturally, was the Officer Com- said, “I have not ridden a motorbike for manding, P. J. years.” Simpson, followed by the No. 1 Squad- — John L. Thompson ron commander, Squadron Leader F. W. Lister. All the squadron pilots con- verted safely and a new era of jet noise A supersonic conversion now disturbed the Sussex countryside. I arrived at Tangmere on 17 July 1953, The locals put up with it until the Suez following a tour on Meteor Mk VIII air- problem loomed even closer, and on craft at RAF Waterbeach, Cambridge- May 4th, 1956, a proving flight to Cy- shire. At Tangmere, No. 1 Squadron prus was rushed through. Wg Cdr was also equipped with the Meteor Mk Simpson led and I flew as his No. 2; VIII. For the next three years, life at Sqn Ldr Lister was No. 3 and Flt Lt Tangmere can only be described as en- Derek Bryant was No. 4. I was respon- joyable in the extreme. Lots and lots of sible for the navigation, I think mainly flying together with a tremendous so- because my Lancaster days had pro-

Autumn 2007 23 vided me with the knowledge of how to have dinky freight cars (which they call work out the “point of no return”, a re- “goods wagons”). This is not because quirement of the flight plan for each leg they don’t know any better — small of the flight. Our first refuelling stop cars allow quicker handling of freight was Istres in southern France, then on to at thousands and thousands of small Malta, Luqa and night stop. The follow- stations. British automobiles are little ing day we went on to EI Adem in and low-powered. The British don’t Libya and finally to Nicosia in . know how to make a good cup of cof- On 7th May, in the cool of the evening, I fee. You don’t know how to make a gave one of my many low-level aero- good cup of tea. It’s an even swap. batic displays to the Governor General The British do not treat the national and other senior members of the mili- flag as such an important symbol as we tary. The viewing point was around the do. But they pay more frequent respect swimming pool of the Dome Hotel in to their national anthem. In peace or Kyrenia!! Next morning we set course war “God Save the King” (to the same for Tangmere following the same route tune as our “America”) is played at the in reverse, only to repeat the affair on conclusion of all public gatherings such August 7th, 1956, when together with as theater performances. The British No. 34 Squadron, also based at Tang- consider it bad form not to stand to mere, we flew out to Akrotiri in Cyprus attention, even if it means missing the for the Suez campaign; however that’s last bus. If you are puzzled about di- another tale. After Suez I was destined rections, money or customs, the best for Flying Training Command and be- authority is the nearest “bobby” (po- came Squadron Commander at RAF liceman) in his steel helmet. British Oakington near Cambridge (now some police are proud of being able to an- sort of holding centre for detainees)! swer almost any question under the This last appointment completed my sun. life-long ambition to fly operationally in The British will welcome you as all five RAF Commands: Bomber, friends and allies. But remember that Fighter, Transport, Maritime, and Train- crossing the ocean doesn’t automati- ing. I must however, conclude that cally make you a hero. There are Tangmere was the very best and what a housewives in aprons and youngsters thrill it is to see Hunter Mk V WP190 so in knee pants in Britain who have lived beautifully restored by Raymond through more high explosives in air Hansed and on display in the Museum. raids than many soldiers saw in first In omnibus princeps — in all things first, class barrages in the last war. or first in all things. BRITAIN AT WAR — Harry Irving At home in America you were in a country at war. Since your ship left Advice to the GI port, however, you have been in a war Episode 4: Relationships (Part 2) zone. You will find that all Britain is a Look, listen and learn before you start war zone. Every light in England is telling the British how much better we blacked out every night and all night. do things. They will be interested to Every highway signpost has come hear about life in America and you have down and barrage balloons have gone a great chance to change the picture up. Old time distinctions are being many of them have gotten from the forgotten as the sons of factory workers movies of an America made up of wild rise to be officers in the forces and the Indians and gangsters. British railways daughters of noblemen get jobs in mu-

24 The Tangmere Logbook

nitions factories. The British have been painted hull which puts it possibly in bombed night after night and month the East, maybe even at RAF Seletar, after month. Thousands of them have Singapore. Home-based marine craft lost their houses, their possessions and were usually painted dark blue. their families. For many months, the The Sunderland was designed by people of Britain have been doing with- Arthur Gouge for Short Brothers of out things that Americans take for Rochester. Some of the Sunderlands granted. But you will find the short- were constructed at a wartime factory ages, discomforts, blackouts and bomb- at Lake Windermere. I flew in one of ings have not made the British de- these as a sergeant flight engineer in pressed, only more determined to win. the 1950s; it was EJ155 of 88 Squadron It is doubly important for you to re- of the Far East Flying Boat Wing. The member that the British have been liv- last Sunderland that I acted as flight ing under a tremendous strain. It is al- engineer on was ML814 (G-BJHS) ways impolite to criticize your hosts. It owned by Edward Hulton, captained is militarily stupid to insult your allies. by Ron Gillies. We flew from the Pool So stop and think before you sound off of London to Calshot, and on another about lukewarm beer, or cold boiled occasion to Chatham Dockyard. That potatoes, or the way English cigarettes was on October 1982. The aircraft is taste. If British civilians look dowdy now in Florida. Happy flying days! As and badly dressed, it is because all they say, “a cloud no bigger than a clothing is rationed and the British man’s hand took them all away.” know that they can help war production — John Land by wearing a suit until it cannot be patched any longer. Old clothes are “good form”. One thing to be careful A note on the Memorial Meteor about — if you are invited into a British Keith Arnold writes: During the past home and the host exhorts you to “eat few months we have discovered that up, there’s plenty on the table”, go easy. the Museum’s Meteor has been con- It might be that the family’s rations for a structed from four different airframes. whole week are spread out to show The cockpit is a Mk IV from 1949, the their hospitality. port side engine nacelle and wing are from WF711, and the starboard side is From Instructions for American Servicemen in from VZ530 (used as spares for WE925 Britain, War Department, Washington, D.C., 1942. at the Rhodes Museum). The centre section is Mk VIII but no positive iden- To be concluded . . . tity has been established to support the theory that it was a test rig for the — David Baron Derwent 5 engine. The tail and canopy

are also Mk VIII. Sunderland miscellany It is intended to spray the aeroplane In your last issue of Talking Tangmere in silver with the markings of No. 1 there was a photograph of a Short Sun- Squadron on the port side and No. 43 derland on Page 6. It appears to me to Squadron (the Fighting Cocks) on the be a Royal New Zealand Air Force Mark starboard side. These two squadrons V. This mark had two pitot heads and were long-serving units at Tangmere two ADF loop aerials on top of the fuse- and are two of the most active squad- lage; the standard Mark V of the RAF rons in the RAF today. had only one pitot head and aerial. The The aircraft will no longer carry the marine pinnace towing it has a white- serial number WA984 on the tail, as

Autumn 2007 25 this not the correct number, but will I have found two different versions carry two aircraft numbers from the of events and I am unsure which is cor- squadrons’ service histories. There is a rect. The first version of events says possibility that it may carry Squadron that the pilot died, but had used a dif- Leader Speller’s No. 1 Squadron aircraft ferent name to his own, so they had a serial, since he was killed here at Tang- funeral for him but the person they mere in 1950 in a collision with another buried wasn't the person they thought. Meteor. The Meteor’s main purpose The name given with this account is will be as a memorial, but the history of Ken Clift, although I do not know if all the components from other airframes that is the name of the man buried or will also form part of the display litera- the assumed name of someone else. ture. The second — admittedly I found his on the Internet so I am unsure of its Query—can anyone help? reliability — stated that the pilot sur- vived and walked away from the air- I am doing some research into the craft. The name given in this account that came down into was Roy Payne of No. 609 Squadron. Pagham Harbour in 1943. I am trying to find out the exact date and the name of — Claire Drew the pilot and if possible what happened If you can help, please contact the Editor. to him.

Photo Quiz (1) When and where was this picture taken? and (2) What is the story behind it? Clue: During the war, this USAAF B-17G made a wheels-up landing in back gardens in a built-up area within 10 miles of RAF Tangmere. Fortunately, no one was injured. Its visible markings are a K in a triangle on the vertical stabiliser with the serial 232000 — which should be read as [4]2-32000 — beneath it, and the squadron mark WA-P on the fuselage waist.

— Museum Collection

26 The Tangmere Logbook

Hard at work, RAF Tangmere, early 1930s. — Museum Collection

Volunteers Urgently Needed Are you able to help support the Museum by volunteering your time and skills? Or, do you know of anyone who might be interested in volunteering? Please pass the word!

Cover illustrations Front cover: Our cover photograph dates from 1930 and depicts three Siskins of No. 43 Squadron, then stationed at Tangmere, performing an aerobatic display (note the bunting linking the aircraft). Reproduced with the permission of Flight International. Back cover: Original pencil sketch “Armstrong Whitworth Siskin Mk IIIA” by Museum artist Harry Bennett.

Autumn 2007 27