My time with the ATC Once a year some of my school friends, including Johnny Cook and Gordon Broomfield, meet for a reunion, generally to refresh old memories of the war and the decline in standards. On this occasion we tried to remember our time in the Ait Training Corps, which we joined shortly after it was formed in February 1941, while l was attending the South East London Technical Institute in Lewisham. Now in our 80’s while we could still remember the aircraft we flew in and the places visited we couldn’t agree where or when. Alan Mann & Gordon Broomfield in Johnny Cook circa 1950 2009, photo taken by Johnny Cook As I was the one with a computer I offered to see what a little research would show and this is the result. I left the SELTI in 1941 and commenced work at the RAF’s No.1 Maintenance Unit at Kidbrooke on the 17th June 1941 aged 14, as a trade apprentice starting a seven year mechanical engineering apprenticeship. While at Kidbrooke I enjoyed my first flight with Squadron Leader Furlong in a Slingsby Falcon glider. On special days I recall having to wear uniform and joining other cadets with the RAF and WAAF on parade. I believe royalty may have been present on one such occasion, but my memory may have been at fault. I remember volunteering to join the RAF as aircrew in something called the “Y” scheme, but was deferred because of my apprenticeship. Gordon subsequently joined the Army and Johnny the Navy. I had to leave when my apprenticeship was transferred to de Havilland at Stag Lane Edgware in June 1943; I was living in Lewisham at the time and a 50 hour working week, together with travelling time, meant continuing with the ATC impractical. So my time with the ATC was between early 1941 until June 1943. We remember visiting three RAF operational airfields, Odiham in Hampshire, Wing in Buckinghamshire and Holmsley South in Hampshire. I remember having flights in seven aircraft, a General Aircraft Cygnet, de Havilland Tiger Moth, Westland Lysander, Vickers Wellington, Lockheed Ventura, Avro Anson and a Douglas Dakota. Unfortunately I have no records where or when these flights occurred, but with the aid of a computer all might be revealed. I am convinced that my first flight was in a General Aircraft Cygnet. I particularly remember that the Cygnet was blue, not camouflaged, with civil markings and from the internet I have discovered the following information: “General Aircraft modified the original design to incorporate a nose wheel undercarriage and designated it the Cygnet II. Production of a large batch of aircraft began in 1939 but only 10 were built and delivered during 1939-1941 due to the start of the Second World War. Five of these aircraft were impressed into service with the Royal Page 2 Air Force, as tricycle-undercarriage trainers for aircrews selected to fly the American made Douglas Boston. Another two were used by the Government for various liaison duties, but retained their original colour and civilian markings." It must have been in one of these two machines that I had flown, but where and when? 271 Squadron of Transport Command had a number of impressed civilian aircraft including a variety of de Havilland Moths and Rapides, even some Imperial Airways aircraft including Handley Page HP 42's, a de Havilland Albatross and DH Flamingos, but no mention of any Cygnets. However I found it interesting to learn that 271 Squadron was operating from Odiham during 1941/1942. In 1940 the resident Army co-operation Wing No 614 Squadron moved to France, and No 225 Squadron flying Lysanders, took possession of the Station together with No 271 Transport Squadron flying a variety of impressed civil aircraft. In the summer of 1942 they were followed by the Free French, Belgian and Canadian training units. In June 1943, Fighter Command took control of Odiham, flying Mustangs and later Typhoons. On 'D' Day the 6th June 1944, the unit assumed a transit role for follow-up elements, and shortly afterwards, the same year, became a Prisoner of War Reception Centre. The RAF did not return until after the war where it still remains operational today, flying helicopters. I can find no reference to the Cygnet or Lysander being based at any of the other airfields that I visited and so it is reasonable for me to assume that I flew in the Cygnet and Lysander from Odiham between 1941 and the summer of 1942 My last flight was definitely in a Dakota based at Holmsley South in Hampshire. The station was opened in 1942 and was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force. During the war it was used primarily as a bomber and later as a transport airfield. After the war it was closed in October 1946. In October 1942 No. 547 Squadron became the first squadron to operate from Holmsley South flying Vickers Wellingtons in their anti-shipping role, followed by Nos. 58 and 502 Squadrons with Handley Page Halifaxes, remaining until December 1943, when Holmsley was required for units involved in the Cross-Channel invasion planned for the following spring. Canadian Supermarine Spitfire squadrons and Hawker Typhoon squadrons were the occupants before D-Day and, when they moved to the Continent, they were replaced by North American P-51 Mustangs. Although there was some American presence in Holmsley they didn’t take over the airfield until the 24th July 1944. After the war Holmsley South was returned to the RAF and taken over by Transport Command and by October 1946 all flying had ceased and the airfield was reduced to caretaker status. My friend Gordon Broomfield and I clearly remember the Dakota flight and were convinced it was flown by an American crew, however we also remember seeing Spitfires and rocket firing Typhoons being the main aircraft present. As I had joined de Havilland in June 1943 the flight had to be before then.and as the Americans did not take over until later; it had to be flown by a Canadian crew sounding like Americans! We both remembered that it had RAF roundels. The Dakota flight was memorable in that we had a very exciting flight! The aircraft was equipped with side fitting bench seats as used for dropping airborne troops. I was accompanied by my friend and about ten other ATC members. We beat up some lorries at a really low level, followed by some manoeuvres that I did not think possible in a Dakota. I remembered that some of the ATC cadets suffered from nose bleeds. Fortunately Gordon and I just found it very exciting. This must have been early 1943 and before June when I joined de Havilland. Gordon was certain that it was here that we both had a flight in a Tiger Moth. This accounts for two of the airfields and flights in the Cygnet, Lysander, Tiger Moth Page 3 and Dakota, but what about the others? The remaining airfield on my list was Wing. We remember that it was here that we were billeted in tents together with another friend Johnny Cook Johnny remembers flying with me in a Wellington, taking it in turns to sit at the controls. Gordon remembered flying with me in an Anson, while Johnny flew in an Oxford, very exciting times! It is interesting for me to recall that much later in 1979 my Chief Engineer Gilbert Parr had a friend who was a WAAF administrative officer stationed at RAF Wing in 1941. She confirmed that it was then an Officers Pilot Training Unit and remembered that it had a variety of aircraft including Wellingtons, Ansons and Oxfords. It also had some small training and communication aircraft, including Magisters and Moths. She left with the Squadron early in 1943 to go to another station, as Wing was going to be closed. She was unaware of any further RAF involvement with this airfield. I remember that she was surprised that I could name the station commander, Lionel Van Praag! This was easy as pre war I had regularly visited New Cross speedway and Lionel was a world champion speedway rider. Gilbert Parr & his WAAF officer girl friend This photograph was taken on Gilbert’s 80th birthday, unfortunately I cannot remember the name of his friend. Gilbert was a remarkable engineer being a university lecturer and a qualified electrical, mechanical and civil engineer. He could speak several languages and fluent in both German and French. Before the war he had worked for a German company on the design of the first electro-submersible pump, now a standard design for the water and industrial industries world wide. He was very active during the war and had an association with Barnes Wallace. Later he became a member of the Horsham Air Training Corps. I was very fortunate to have him as chief engineer as part of my team from 1965 until he retired in 1999 aged 90! He died suddenly in July 2007 after returning from a holiday in America, aged 98. An extract from his obituary reads; “Gilbert’s engineering advice was sought right up to the end of his career and on one occasion a North Sea oil platform was forced to shut down with a serious pumping problem. They already had the pump supplier’s engineer on site, but he was evidently unable to affect a cure. The platform’s shutdown was costing the company thousands of pounds an hour and it was vital to get it back on stream as quickly as possible.