CONTACT ! The Newsletter of the former RAF Defford Reunion Association, now merged with the

DEFFORD AIRFIELD HERITAGE GROUP in partnership with THE NATIONAL TRUST, CROOME http://deffordairfieldheritagegroup.wordpress.com Editor: Bob Shaw Distribution: Ann Sterry Number 124, February 2019 THE NAVY IS HERE!

Photo: Geoff Shaw

Royal Navy Corsair comes in fast and low. There were at least four Corsairs at Defford from 1944, for trials with the Royal Naval section at Defford. In this edition of ‘Contact!’ we tell the story of Lt Cdr ‘Loopy’ Dunworth DSC, who was Officer Commanding the Naval Section at Defford 1951-1953. A popular and eccentric figure, he stayed on at Defford as a test pilot with Boulton Paul (see ‘Contact!’ no. 123, January 2019), at Defford after leaving the Navy.

.2. Lt Cdr Geoffrey “Loopy” Dunworth DSC

OC Naval Section, RAF Defford 1951-53. BPA Pilot 1953-1961 By Les Whitehouse, with additional material from Dennis Williams and overall editing by the editor

Born in Manchester 5/8/1921 Geoff Dunworth qualified as a Research Chemist for ICI but in Sept 1940 he volunteered to be aircrew with the of the , as an Observer. From RNAS Arbroath, he was posted to 817 Squadron aboard HMS Victorious, August 1941, which was part of the replacements for aircraft losses over Petsamo and Kirkenes, Norway in July. Escort of the Arctic convoys to Archangel (Operation Dervish) and then the escort of HMS Argus returning from Murmansk followed. Victorious launched air attacks, on targets in Norway, through to October 1941. L/A Geoff Dunworth along with gunner L/A Davies were teamed up with S/L Raymond. C. Jones as pilot, normally flying an Albacore bomber coded 5G. February 12th 1942 during flying off Iceland to cover Rodney and Renown, with an air temperature of 36 degrees of frost, the fixed aerial collapsed with the cold. Held by his legs by the air gunner, he tried to crawl back along the fuselage to fix it. After one and a half minutes outside he had to be dragged back in and took over 20 minutes to recover from the cold. On February 22nd in the evening, after much indecision, the entire squadrons 832 and 817 were tasked with flying off torpedo armed, to look for Scheer and Prinz Eugen. Conditions on deck were miserable, light sleet and snow in pitch black. 23rd 0140 hrs take-off in 5G with S/L Jones and L/A Lockyer with icing from sea level up, squalls and deteriorating weather. One aircraft badly out of formation crossed in the darkness in a very near miss on 5G at 100 miles from the Norwegian coast. In heavy cloud at 30 miles there was a tremendous explosion as two aircraft collided. 5H (S/L Matthias, S/L Mann, L/A Clark) and 5F (Lt Burke, Lt Gordon PO Hibbs) lost. 817 split up to search after that and 5G turned south for 75 miles as far as Kraakenes Light, having to frequently fly below 300 feet because of cloud. So dark that only the flash of the lighthouses could be seen in blackness.

Left: Rear cockpit pf Albacore 5G of 817 Squadron in 1942 with Dunworth (left) and L/A Davies.

3. Geoff set course for Lerwick but aircraft compasses differed by as much as 10 degrees in the bad weather. At ETA plus 5 mins still no land and W/T failed completely so jettisoned torpedo and set course for itself. Shetland sighted and landed Sumburgh after 4.5 hours flying. March 9th 1942, the torpedo attack force aircraft Geoff would normally have flown, was changed, because Tirpitz WAS OUT! The search aircraft of 832 Squadron coded 4F had ASV Mk II which Geoff probably was qualified to operate, so as a skilled navigator he was seconded to fly in that with a mixed crew to form part of the searching fan of aircraft. Taking off at 0630 hrs as “Duty F” with S/L Birch and L/A Davies, an hour later the pilot spotted an “island” 22-30 miles ahead, which turned out to be Tirpitz and a single . Geoff remained shadowing and reporting to the attack force of 12 more Albacore torpedo bombers “At 0840 hrs tracer flashed past the cockpit followed by a long burst in the back cockpit. I saw water bottles and fire extinguisher disintegrate followed by a lot of blood all over the place. A fighter had got right under our tail unobserved and closed right in before firing. Warned pilot and conned him into cloud and safety before we could take a second burst. Luckily retained consciousness and was able to navigate back despite blood all over the instruments.” One bullet which hit his sheath knife on the shin was deflected off. A group went through his chart board and should have hit his chest, but were deflected. Geoff was wounded several times from at least 5 bullets in the legs/lower torso. Stretchered out from the aircraft to the emergency dressing station, Geoff was operated on to remove clothing and worst metal from wounds. “As I came around heard explosions and bombs as Ju88’s attacked.” LEFT: Severely wounded and being extracted from Albacore after the Tirpitz episode 9th March 1942. His personal photo album caption reads: “The end of a perfect day…”

The attack force got no hits on Tirpitz. 832 Squadron lost S/L’s Shepherd and Brown (in 4P - author). Aircraft went straight in from a dive so the pilot must have been killed. 817 had S/L Jones and L/A Sivewright killed in 5G. “Plane was on fire when it pulled out of dive, but Ray kept it under control and dropped his fish before crashing. He was my normal driver, a good pal and a first class pilot.”

Geoff’s aircraft had probably been attacked by the Arado 196 floatplane launched by Tirpitz as a “helping fighter” (Hilfsjäger). With both 20 mm cannon and 7.62 mm machine guns the two seat Arado 196 could be a formidable machine for a floatplane. The torpedo attack did result in the Tirpitz turning tail for the Fjords and the Arado 196 was left to fly back to Norway. Hence Tirpitz ship’s daily log does not actually record the aerial combat, which would have been reported back in Norway when the Arado 196 landed, probably as “inconclusive”.

4. 11th March 1942 in Scapa, Geoff was lowered by crane in a stretcher and taken to Hospital Ship Amanapoora. Dressings which had been untouched for 2.5 days were removed – “most unpleasant business” he records. X-rayed then operated on. Transfer to army hospital carrier Dinard. March 24th arrived Aberdeen and by ambulance to RNA Hospital Kingseat. No nurses only SBA’s with a sister in charge. Geoff was definitely peeved – “After two years fancy getting into hospital and not having any odd nurse to hold your hand occasionally!!” 11th June 1942 he received two letters from ship congratulating him on the award of the DSC, about which he had known nothing whatsoever! LEFT: Fairey Albacore aircraft After recuperation by August 1942 Geoff was with 781 Squadron NAS as wireless operator/observer. One of his jobs was to carry out aerial photographic mosaic mapping of the Lee-on-Solent area from a Supermarine Walrus amphibian. He also did his first sea landing in a 703 Squadron Vought Kingfisher and had some dual control training on the type, showing good aptitude. He was posted to 703 Squadron “Corfu Flight” operating the Vought Kingfisher floatplane. The aim of Corfu flight was to train and prepare crews to operate from HMAMC Corfu, a former planned civilian ship converted as an armed merchant cruiser and operating in the South Atlantic.

LEFT: Displaying DSC awarded by H.M. King George “for courage in action against the enemy”. Piratical Loopy, looking stern in full regalia, but then he was always good at acting the part… April 1943 Geoff was posted again, to 784 Squadron NAS formed at RNAS Drem. With 746 Squadron, formed at Lee-on-Solent, they were the nucleus of the FAA radar equipped night fighter squadrons with the Fairey Fulmar II and NF Mk II. It appears to have been here or on the MAC Carrier Niarana that Geoff first got the nickname “Loopy” as it appears during this time (Loopy = absolutely barmy!). Geoff was aboard HMS Niarana as one of the three aircraft flight. Niarana embarked its aircraft on 24th February and they left the carrier on 15th March 1944. They escorted convoys OS69/KMS43 to Gibraltar and on the way back MKF29. They had no chance to fly at night or to intercept the enemy but they managed to provide an all-weather capability to the convoy defence which could not be carried out by the other aircraft on board. Two Fulmars of the three were wrecked. Geoff’s aircraft lost its entire rear fuselage and tail by breaking in two on landing, fortunately both crew were OK. LEFT: Creditable one-wheel landing after hydraulic failure. Hal Far Malta 13th November 1948 in Firefly Night Fighter 274P. “Sorry about the belly radar chaps, but compared with the ‘plane and me, it was expendable!”

5. Posted back to RNAS Drem in December 1944 he was allocated to 1790 Squadron operating aircraft. Shipped out from Belfast on 24th June 1945 aboard HMS Vindex to HMS Nabthorpe in Australia. The squadron was intended to be based on HMS Implacable. 1790 Squadron was destined not to arrive until VJ minus 2, only two days before the end of hostilities. It formally became part of 8th CAG and while on Implacable Geoff hit upon a sideline to make some money, he collected, washed and delivered back other officers socks at 4d per pair! He always volunteered for the ship’s pantomime sketches.

Accepted for pilot training back in the UK Geoff trained on Tiger Moth aircraft and worked up via Harvard to Firefly. May-June 1948 during deck landing training with 767 Squadron he carried out his first true deck landing as a pilot on to HMS Implacable. After completing his course he boarded HMS Triumph, sailing for the Mediterranean. At RNAS Hal Far, Malta Geoff was piloting Fireflies for 827 Squadron. In 1951 as an active FAA pilot with Fireflies in Cornwall, Geoff, now Lt Cdr, his last posting was to TRE Defford as Commanding Officer of the Naval section. The Naval Section at Defford was a detachment of HMS Daedalus, the Naval air station at RNAS Lee on Solent, responsible to Daedalus for ‘admin’ but reporting to TRE for operation purposes, working closely with the Telecommunications Flying Unit (later Radar Research Flying Unit.). LEFT: Naval Section at Defford, with Dunworth (right centre), jacket off, working in the garden. At Defford for the next two years, Dunworth in his spare time again indulged his passion for dramatics and pantomime, and also gardening, where he was happy to roll his sleeves up to help maintain the garden around the Naval Section building .

Left: In panto, captioned as ‘Children’s Entertainment’. Right: He was also a keen fisherman!.

6.

Above: Event captioned ‘Defford Officers entertain’ In 1953, Dunmore’s time in the Royal Navy came to an end, when on the 15th June, he joined Boulton Paul in order to assist with the flying of Canberra aircraft from the allocated to BPA facilities at Defford, as described in ‘Contact!’ No. 123. His BPA Call Sign was “Husky Three”. One of his early jobs was to help fly the Meteor 7 on trials with dropping of ‘Window’. Geoff purchased a local residence, Dunstall House, Dunstall Common, Earls Croome. This had for some time been a dilapidated and condemned wreck of a building. Geoff and his wife Joyce completely rebuilt it and produced an amazing garden. On 11th August 1953 Geoff was second pilot to Dickie Mancus on Tay Viscount VX217 testing an autopilot addition to its BPA designed power control system, gaining experience on the type. He flew it again as second pilot into 1954. Geoff and Dickie Mancus were destined to carry out some of the early flight trials on the fly-by-wire system for the Tay Viscount. Simulated landings were made to a theoretical runway at 5,000 ft as the aircraft had not been cleared for take-off or landing with the system energised. Boulton Paul Aircraft’s Flight Test Department at Defford was managed by Ivan Utting (ex-Boscombe Down) and included two pilots, Ben Gunn and Geoff Dunworth, two Flight Test Observers, John Hoare and Johnny Edwards (both ex-RAF men), and photographer Fred Foster. After leaving Tewkesbury Grammar School, John Hoare had been an RAF apprentice, but it was later, whilst working in the Drawing Office of the Gloster Aircraft Company, that he was approached by Boulton Paul to join their Flight Test Department at Defford. John Hoare started work with Boulton Paul on 18 October 1955 and made his first test flight with Ben Gunn in Canberra VN828, and his last with Geoff Dunworth on 14 February 1957, before going on to join Smiths Industries at Cheltenham in their Flight trials and Installation Department on autopilot work. Boulton Paul were mainly occupied with Canberra installation and flight trials work at Defford, but a Gloster Javelin, XA567, was flown on one occasion by Ben Gunn, with John Hoare as observer. This aircraft was damaged when it landed heavily at Defford and did not fly again for some time. There was also an incident involving Canberra XH567. This was equipped to carry naval mines, either 4 x 1,000lb or 2 x 2,000lb in weight and had been detailed for a series of flights by Geoff Dunworth and John Hoare, to explore handling characteristics with these munitions at various Centre of Gravity positions. On 6 December 1956 the test comprised a maximum speed dive from 45,000 feet, with two mines on board. At the end of the dive Dunworth climbed to 15,000 feet to repeat stall tests in clean, approach and landing flap configurations. Several stalls were performed uneventfully, but the last one, with flaps set for landing, resulted in a severe wing drop and the aircraft entered a spin. Dunworth applied standard recovery action.

7. The spin stopped briefly, but then resumed in the opposite direction. Dunworth gave his observer the option of ejecting, but Hoare remained with the aircraft, which recovered at 2,500 feet. The aircraft was landed safely at Defford, well above the normal stall speed as a precaution, but an inspection showed that wing spar damage had occurred during the pull out after the spin. One of Geoff’s main claims to fame at this time was in Canberra WK121 on 9th November 1954. The airframe was allocated to carry out a number of tests with bomb-bay fitment of window launchers. There were a number of strange actions of Canberra’s in service due to unexplained circumstances. Other reports of malfunctioning tail trim were being dismissed by the RAF and the Air Ministry were for a long time in denial that the problem was simply pilot error or sabotage in each case. On this flight they were doing some tests at altitude when the aircraft suddenly went into an un-commanded ever steepening nose dive. The dive continued into a “bunt” (an outside loop), until the pilot could regain control. The Canberra had an all-flying tailplane and the tailplane trim was overlaid on this by an electrical power control (28 volts) with the trim switch on the pilots control column spectacle handle (right side), but the trim control had more travel than the normal control travel. If tailplane runaway was possible then it could be difficult to counteract with opposite control movement. Geoff was seriously hurt in that the negative “G” of the bunt caused severe “red-out” (bleeding or overpressure of the blood in the head and eyes). Rushed to the medical block he spent some time in hospital. It was recorded as the worst case of red-out the medical authorities had ever seen where the victim had actually survived. Rather than eject Geoff decided to stay with the aircraft and bring it back, as the flight test passenger was unconscious in the rear and would have been unable to escape. Suspended from flying while the authorities investigated, BPA dismissed any sort of error on Geoff’s part and supported his version of events. While grounded, they seconded him to work for a while as liaison with , since another Canberra was being outfitted with new radar systems in its nose for trials. It was eventually discovered that it was possible for the tailplane trim switch to be caught accidentally in some circumstances or that the trim switch would not self-return to neutral after actuation; that swarf in the cable connectors or faulty connections could all add to the potential appearance of the problem. A cut-in switch was later added to energise the circuit before trim change and other modifications. When Defford ATC (Air Traffic Control) was closed and BPA moved its main operations to Seighford, Geoff did not want to move house from Earls Croome, so flew both locally from Pershore and from Seighford. All development flying for Canberra and work on Lightning was proceeding well. However 13th January 1961 the BPA board discussed the possibility of a bid by Dowty to acquire BPA shares. Geoff’s last logged flight was 18th May 1961. Geoff, always a keen gardener for relaxation, retired from flying in 1961 to concentrate on the growing and development of specific flowering garden plants. He moved to Cornwall in 1966 to further that aim. He showed at the RHS show at Westminster Hall. At least a couple of the new species he developed were accepted by the Royal Horticultural Society as unique variations and taken in at Wisley, where he regularly supplied plants. Geoff passed away in 1988 after a long illness. He was survived by wife Joyce.

8.

Magnificent flying photo of a Canberra, thought to be employed by BPA at Defford, possibly being flown by Geoff Dunworth

RRE Defford Valetta in flight, from BPA source at Defford

9. MORE ON THE RRE VALIANT CRASH AT PERSHORE

Following up on the story of the crash of Valiant WP200 in an aborted take-off at Pershore, featured in ‘Contact!’ number 123, Dennis Williams has passed on the following account from Marc Tucker, son of the late Flt Lt Eric Tucker who was listed as ‘radio operator’, and was located in the back seat cabin on the fateful day. The photo above is the only one we have of WP200 on the Pershore flight line – can readers offer more?

Valiant WP200 – an account by Marc Tucker in 2016

The write up of the accident is a mystery as it does not seem to match my father’s story! This is what I remember him telling me:

The No.2 pilot was at the controls, when they reached ‘Rotate’ the No.2 said ‘The controls are too heavy, I cannot pull it up’; the No.1 pilot took the controls ‘Let me try, yes they are too heavy, I can’t either. Let’s both try together’.

As the plane went down the runway and crossed the grass he noticed that his instrument panel was shaking badly and about to come loose. After the bounce over the runway lights, where the tracks stop then start again (see the aerial photograph), as the nose wheel collapsed my father decided that it was not safe in his seat and took off his helmet and dived down the hatchway area just as the panel in front of my father finally gave way. Unfortunately as he went down the earth came up and trapped him. I don’t know how long he was trapped but he told me it was hours and that it started raining so the fire crew put a canvas sheet over the removed pilots’ roof hatch area. He was appalled to find out that the pooled water in the sheet above him cascaded down and soaked him worse than the rain would have done! This possibly puts him still in the aircraft at the time of the photo with the stretcher and nurse in attendance. The sheet can be seen folded on the top of the cockpit which matches his view that he was the last man out!

LEFT: WP200’s fuselage being removed from Pershore after the accident.

As an aside my father’s helmet was crushed flat in the accident - but it was paraded in front of new aircrew as testimony to the evidence that had my father NOT been wearing it he would not have survived?? My father was listed as having a fractured back or in some notices as not injured at all.

10.

But after being recovered from the site he was sent to hospital and at some point sent home to see what happened for two weeks. Eventually it was decided to operate on his back and fuse three vertebrae together and put him in a body cast for some months. I was amazed to see from his log that he returned to flying although his days on jets were over. So as you can see this is a little at odds with the press cutting and all of the accident reports, a conundrum unless there is a witness who knows the facts. Marc Tucker.

Valiant WP200 – reader’s letter

E-mail message from DAHG member Les Eales

Hello Bob

Thank you for the latest issue of `Contact’ which brought back some memories re the Valiant WP200 crash at Pershore. I was 15 at the time, and Mick Freer and myself would regularly cycle from Church Street, Evesham to RRE Pershore for `plane spotting’. Although we were not there the day the Valiant crashed we soon heard and saw it many times in its crashed position and being dismantled. The security people on the gates where the runway crossed the road were very used to us sitting there watching the aircraft and revising for our school exams.

Do you remember the `tail dragger Hermes’ that was based there for many years, I think the only one ever in RAF markings?

Happy days. Best wishes, Les Eales

Les’s school friend, the late Mick Freer, was a founder member of DAHG, a respected local aviation enthusiast and historian. Mick passed away aged 70 after a long illness, on August 11th 2013, and is sadly missed. His Obituary appeared in ‘Contact!’ no. 89, October 2013. We hope to feature Hermes II VX234 (formerly G-AGUB) which served RRE at Pershore from 1958 to 1969, in a future edition of ‘Contact!’. Ed.

Another incident involving Valiant WP200 (during an RRE trial from RAF Gaydon) On 13 February 1956 Valiant WP200 took off from Gaydon at 1136hrs for an ‘offset bombing’ trial of the Navigation and Bombing System over the Luce Bay range, with Roy Hodges as Flight Test Observer. The captain, Sqn Ldr Mountford, climbed the aircraft to an altitude of 45,000 feet. The experimental log kept by Roy Hodges then notes: 1212 Bumps. Equipment switched off. Making emergency descent to Prestwick. Damage to tailplane. 1220 Believe that dinghy hatch has carried away and hit tail. 1230 Now at 14,000ft. Getting smooth descent, no apparent spread of the damage. 1237 6,500ft (1013). Downwind on approach. 1240 Turning finals. 1245 Landed at Prestwick. Something fell adrift on landing. (Hatch?) The damage to the aircraft seems to have been repaired quickly as Nic Shelley’s log book records that a crew was flown from Defford to Prestwick in Valetta VX561 on 17 February, and Valiant WP200 was flown back to Gaydon the same day with Flt Lt Young as captain.

Dennis Williams

11. FLYING OFFICER REGINALD HARRY LEYLAND

Reginald Leyland flew in the Battle of Britain period so qualified as one of the immortal ‘Few’. Later in his RAF flying career, he was commissioned and served with the Telecommunications Flying Unit. He was at Defford from March 1943 until demob in 1946. We have received the following on Reginald Leyland from Andy Simpson of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, who kindly agreed to allow publication. Ed. Reginald Harry LEYLAND Sgt Radar Operator, British FIU Leyland joined the RAF in October 1936, as an Aircrafthand (535242). One of the original members of the Fighter Interception Unit, when it was formed at Tangmere in April 1940, he made his first flight with it on April 21, a radar calibration test. By July 1 1940 Leyland had made 86 flights, calibration tests, Chain Home Low Stations exercises and some night patrols. During the Battle of Britain period, he flew many sorties in Blenheims, with Flying Officer G. Ashfield as pilot and Pilot Officer G E Morris an observer. In the late evening of July 22 1940, in an AI-equipped Blenheim, they shot down a Do17 of 2/KG3 off the Sussex coast. The crew of four were rescued from the sea. It was the FIU’s first successful interception, leading to the destruction of an enemy aircraft by night. Ashfield was so close to the Dornier that oil from the stricken aircraft covered the Blenheim’s Perspex screen, robbing him of all forward vision. He managed to make a blind landing at Tangmere just after midnight. On September 9 1940 the canopy of Ashfield and Leyland’s Beaufighter, R2059, flew off during flight. They made a forced-landing at Tangmere, hitting an unlighted truck and a Chance Light in the process. Both men were unhurt. This was Leyland’s last flight with the FIU. For his sterling efforts, operating the new AI equipment, he received a Mention in Despatches (29.9.40). On February 9 1941 Leyland was posted to No 3 Radio School at Prestwick, for duty as an AI instructor. He moved to 62 OTU, Usworth on June 19 1942, on similar duties. Leyland went to 54 OTU, Charter Hall on October 31 1942 for navigator training at the School of Radio there. He completed the course and joined 151 Squadron at Wittering on January 4 1943, with Sgt Kneath as his pilot. In February 1943 151 began flying night intruder sorties over France. Leyland was commissioned in March 1943 and posted away on October 17 to the Defensive Squadron of the Telecommunications Flying Un it at Defford, joining ‘A’ Flight, as a Navigator. This unit carried out testing and experimental work on new developments in radar and communications. Leyland did not make many flights with the Unit, the last one being as a Navigator in a Mosquito on May 31 1945. For his work with the Unit Leyland received another Mention in Dispatches (1.1.46). He was released from the RAF in 1946, as a Flying Officer.

12. Flying Officer Reginald Harry Leyland (cont.)

Above: Sgt Leyland and Flt Lt Glyn ‘Jumbo’ Ashfield of the Fighter Interception Unit at Ford, who crewed with Pilot Officer G.E. Morris in a Blenheim in achieving the first successful interception at night using airborne AI radar, on the night of July 22nd 1940, shooting down a Luftwaffe Dornier Do 17

Above; Left, Blenheim Mk I L670* at SDF (TFU)Christchurch in autumn 1940.

Right, Blenheim Mk IVF P4832 also of TFU