Publicity Report heart-rending loss. Many stories are (Brian Lloyd) new material. Forty photographs, many previously unpublished, 344 pages. Costs are kept to a minimum. We rely Copies available from the Maidenhead upon word of mouth and the web site. Heritage Centre by collection at £17.99 Members continue to create interest or by post £19.99 to UK addresses. 3, amongst their own contacts and we ap- Kingsway, King Street, Maidenhead, preciate their efforts and encourage- Berks. SL6 1EE. ment. On BBC on Sunday morning 14th Octo- Engineering Report ber, Andrew Marr’s Programme, he in- (Geoff Etridge) terviewed the author and one of the ATA ladies, Freydis Sharland. She ex- Volume 2 Number 13 Progress continues with the restoration plained the weather was their worst en- of the Miles Martinet, with the manu- emy, much more than the Germans, es- Editorial. facture of the flaps and skinning of the pecially if they had to return to base. (Brian Lloyd) centre section. The cockpit has been 154 ladies flew with ATA and 15 lost completed and the canopy removed to their lives. During the war they were We are very pleased with the response facilitate working inside the cockpit awarded a pay rise and received £6.00 from members who have completed per week. Gift Aid forms. If you are a Tax Payer The wing root ends were now re- (BWL) and have not completed one please covered and the lower section almost send it in or obtain a form from Treas- finished. The bulkhead engine control Handley Page and Miles urer Alan Foskett, or from Membership linkages were being re-manufactured Annual Reunion. Secretary Keith Freeman. An “English Wheel” (a device for the This happy occasion was held at the Chairman’s Report production of double curved ally pan- Museum on the 3rd July with fifty at- (Ken Fostekew) els) was built by the volunteers which tendees, some of whom travelled a fair enabled the complete skinning of the distance to be there. Jean Fostekew did Fourteenth Annual General Meeting nose section of the Miles Student. The her usual superlative job of organising rd held on 3 October 2007. Museum is pleased with the progress the refreshments. The picture shows on this project during the past year and some of the members with the Tail- The Chairman, Ken Fostekew thanked work has now started on the rear end. Plane of the Gyrodyne in the back- members for their attendance and re- ground. It has taken place for the past corded a vote of thanks to Rob Wood The Shop Report twenty years and it was unanimously who had held the position of Treasurer (Margaret Etridge) agreed that it will now be an annually and Company Secretary for a number at the Museum. of years. Also thanks to all of the vo- Progress with sales has been satisfacto- lunteers who kindly give up their valu- ry and when the new shop is completed able time. a review will take place of stock and plan new purchases. Visitor numbers had remained stable during the past twelve months. Manning The Treasurer, Mr. A. Foskett, presen- There are, need I remind you, always ted the accounts which are in good vacancies on the Museum manning ros- health and his report was adopted. ter. The Museum is now operating on its Winter timetable for opening – but The Chairman presented a report about the visitors who come in still have to be the Museum extension construction sold tickets and generally looked after. programme and explained the re-siting Letter of some of the exhibits, so that work New Book. “Spitfire Women could commence. I wonder how many of your of World War II members/visitors remember the Read- Election of Officers took place. Ken ing Sky Observers Club (RSOC) Fostekew, Chairman, Alan Foskett, This is about the ATA and the women which used to meet in the late 1940s Treasurer. The Committee were re- pilots. The author, Giles Whittell has in a shed opposite the Miles Aircraft elected en bloc. Likewise the Trustees. tracked down more than a dozen sur- main gate. vivors of this most exclusive wartime The Chairman concluded the meeting sisterhood and woven their stories into The theme of the time was aircraft re- by thanking everyone for their contin- a riveting account of white knuckle fly- cognition. The clubroom housed rel- ued support. ing, late nights, soaring hopes and ics of Miles aircraft including the fins

Museum of Berkshire Aviation Newsletter – Winter 2007 from the M39b-Libellulah. When aircraft ideas, which was published in been wedded to any existing fighter. Miles was on-the -rocks we took over the AIRFIX annual for 1982. In this the Junkers 52-3M for our clubhouse. fascinating article, Michael described The cockpit would be sited well aft. various assorted and novel schemes, The pilot's controls would have been Around the Junkers we assembled which were submitted to the British strangely placed to one side of the various aircraft bits, some of which Government during the second World cockpit. His seat was to be built on a were taken from a hanger next to War by well-meaning citizens. strong frame held on runners located Miles farm. We had the mock-up of on bars extended to the front of the air- the M52, the high lift M18, fuselage However, prior to this article being craft, probably the engine firewall. In from one of the M20s and the Hoopla brought to my attention by Joe Cherrie the fuselage side was an easily remov- flying bomb which we tried to tow in- of the National Museums of Scotland, I able panel which could be opened by a to the air! had no idea of the existence of such cable release, or which flew open as the schemes. I must, therefore, thank Joe pilot's seat shot forward. A seat lock They were great days and I would for bringing this to my attention and would be released by the pilot prior to love to hear from any of the old mem- also give due acknowledgement to Mi- action. Forward normal momentum bers, who knows, even a reunion in chael for his research into the back- would retain the seat in place, but colli- the Museum ground of this particular 'least known sion with another aircraft would imme- of the exotic ideas' which were submit- diately hurl it forward, ejecting the pi- Best wishes - Alan Peacock ted. lot to safety through, it was envisaged, [email protected] the open hatch. A small spring fitted in- Extracts from the article, reproduced to the upright portion of the seat would by kind permission of Michael Bowyer, give the pilot additional momentum, al- follow: though it could cause him serious in- jury. The pilot's parachute would open Rammers automatically or by hand, and he would One of the least known of the exotic fall to safety whilst his specialised air- ideas concerned the 'rammer'. As with craft rammed the enemy. many way-out ideas employing an Ahead of the propeller hub, and on the aeroplane to bring down another by wing tips, steel rammers would be sited ramming, it had its roots in the aerial to ensure maximum destruction. Attack collisions of World War 1. would ideally be from astern. In a 1997 Land Rover Wolf 110, ex milit- frontal attack the pilot would escape by ary - heavily strengthened. Served in During the bad days of 1940 tales abounded of how pilots - particularly forcible ejection prior to impact, al- 30 Signals Squadron in the 250 though debris might engulf him. Gurkha Signals Regiment as a commu- Czechs and Poles - sacrificed their lives by hurling themselves and their nications vehicle. Owned by Carleton The proposal was that rammers were aircraft into the foe. There is little sub- Brown. ideal for the protection of valuable tar- stance in these tales, although some pi- gets. They would have a serious psy- lots on both sides did occasionally ram Royal Berkshire Aviation chological effect upon an enemy know- their enemy. The custom-built rammer, ing that certain death was his even after Society though, remained an untried concept. eluding conventional defences. Loss of A full programme of meetings is prom- Official interest in the idea increased a one rammer for the destruction of a rel- ised over the coming months. few months before the war began. Pre- atively complex enemy aircraft seemed viously, there had been discussion of worthwhile. Rammers might be normal Jan 8: The Museum Honours Board aircraft in disguise. (Jean Fistekew) the ramming concept at the Air Min- istry. A British inventor, Mr. I. Feb 5. AGM + Surprise Specially designed rammers would be Shamah, proposed such a craft to Phil- Mar 4. Arlines and airliners (Brian cheap and easy to build, needing lips & Powis Aircraft Ltd of Reading at Lamb) neither armament nor radio, especially the start of May 1939. Where design Apr 1 Moscow and more (Brian if a rammer flight was led by a fully theory was concerned he had done his Madge) equipped fighter. Pilots could be easily homework, and devised a form of pilot trained and needed no gunnery experi- ejection seat, an item untested in Bri- All Museum Members are very wel- ence. Civilians would know they were tain until 1944. come to come to any of these (and fu- safeguarded by aircraft almost certain ture) meetings. He claimed Patent No.8566 for his to make a kill. idea, proposing a light high-speed Miles 'Rammer' Fighter Phillips & Powis, ever open to revolu- monoplane which could ram an enemy tionary concepts, forwarded the sug- Project of 1939 machine after the pilot had ejected. gestions to the Air Ministry Director of Shamah envisaged a specially built air- Michael J.F. Bowyer wrote an article Technical Development, Mr. W.S. Far- craft, although his notions could have on R.A.F. wartime ramming fighter ren (later Sir William Farren and war-

Museum of Berkshire Aviation Newsletter – Winter 2007 time Director of the Royal Aircraft Es- fully intercepted on even half its was universally known as Girlie Leech. tablishment). Group Captain R. Saun- weekly sorties a squadron would lose There was nothing girlie about him ex- dby examined them and recognised getting on for 50 aircraft, apart from cept that when he got tight he used to ideas which had already been discussed normal wastage. Thus, rammer losses giggle in a very high-pitched voice officially when the projects which be- would be over 20 times greater than which made us all laugh. He was a very came the Hurricane and Spitfire were those of normal fighters, which meant brilliant pilot and a great borrower of under review. that 20 times as many rammers would aeroplanes of any and every type. He be needed. To produce as much suc- took me over to Shoreham many times Technically the ideas were acceptable, cess as one conventional fighter about to see a friend of his called Miles. but tactical implications needed consid- 11 rammers would be needed, thus the eration. The Air Staff saw the problem cost of 11 rammers needed to equal F. G. Miles was an aeroplane maker in of fighter defence as one of being able that of one conventional fighter. a very small, one-shed sort of way but to destroy as many enemy aircraft as later on he became an aircraft manufac- possible with available resources In early June 1939 rammers had been turer in a big way and was responsible without over-complication. The ques- dismissed for the present but on June for many training aircraft which were tion was - would rammers or Miles 14 1939 the Air Council informed Phil- used by the services in the War. He 'Rammer' Fighter Project of 1939 lips & Powis that the idea was still un- was at that time busy modifying and re- der consideration. However, by early building a very small biplane called an The rammer seemed certain to achieve August they had decided against it. Avro Baby. Only one or two of them a high success rate. Standard .303-inch had been made by A. V. Roe & Co. rounds needed to hit vital parts to be On being told of this project, Bert and then abandoned as a project. Miles effective. Cannon with lower fire rates Clarke checked his name index file and had taken this machine and made it into would need very accurate aiming. Use found that one of the first people from a single-seater and put a Genet engine of rammers simplified maintenance and overseas to join the Phillips and Powis into it and called it a Miles Martlet. removed repair problems following Aircraft (Reading) Ltd, School of Fly- combat. ing in January 1933 was one I. Girlie Leech used to go over to Shore- Shamah. Bert had also discovered that ham and test-fly this machine for Miles Against this, every rammer used effect- he was an engineer who was then em- and he was allowed to take it away at ively would inevitably be lost, whereas ployed by Phillips and Powis in that times. On 9th March he brought it to it was estimated in 1939 that intercept- capacity. He had obtained his aviator's Tangmere and he let me have a go in it. or fighter losses would be about one in Certificate in October 1933 and was It was a delightful aeroplane to fly and 20 of those operated. It would be diffi- still, presumably, employed by the firm wonderful for aerobatics and I greatly cult for the pilot to estimate the impact when he suggested the rammer con- enjoyed flying it. Later on we all went speed needed, and there could be no ception in the late 1930's. off to Hamble Aero Club and there ramming practice, only highly risky tri- Girlie Leech made a spectacular arrival als. Rammers might be lost after inflict- Extracted from “Notes from in the Martlet; we of course having ing insufficient damage on the enemy. my logbook” by Air Marshal gone by car. We repaired to the club- As the rammer closed it would repres- Sir Anthony Selway, KCB house and met all the local members ent an easy target to a gunner. Re-gath- and after this Leech went up in the ering rammer pilots after combat was DFC Martlet and gave a very good display complicated, especially for rapid re- (©Tangmere Logbook) of aerobatics as low as possible and deployment. perfectly executed. The local club Anthony Selway, as a Pilot Officer, members were very impressed, as usu- On balance, though, the rammer was an was newly posted to RAF Tang- al, for their club was only equipped attractive device, yet if sufficient fight- with De Havilland Moths and the scope ers could be produced rammers might mere after training at RAF College for aerobatics was limited. So that be a costly venture, and the aircraft had Cranwell. This was among his when an RAF pilot came and volun- only one role. Unarmed, they would be reminisces of that time: teered to put up a show of aerobatics vulnerable in air-to-air combat, al- for them they were always pleased. though a rammer might achieve success What I did to the Martlet When Girlie Leech had landed he said after damage even if the pilot was to me "Would you like to have a go?" wounded. Whereas the efficiency of a In those days a number of us were very and I replied "Certainly, I'll have a go!" standard fighter in combat was set at keen on getting in as much flying as And — this is the snag about com- about 50% the rammer looked likely to possible in any aeroplane, at any time, petitive flying — I made a resolve to have a 90% chance of making a kill. anywhere. It was a thing we wanted to do more than anything else. Some of us do even better. I did not care to recall Of most concern was the high wastage were lucky in being able to borrow at that moment that my total flying rate, assessed for a normal fighter as aeroplanes at that time. I was able to do hours amounted to exactly 152 hours in one per 45 sorties. A fighter squadron this later on but was too new at the the air on all types. Leech of course was expected to mount a hundred game to have the right contacts. One of must have done at that time at least five sorties weekly and thus lose about two the arch borrowers at Tangmere was times that amount. But pilots who have aircraft. If a rammer squadron success- Flying Officer Halliburton Leech, who done anything up to 500 hours always

Museum of Berkshire Aviation Newsletter – Winter 2007 believe they know everything there is All very awkward but I did meekly en- Involvement of the furniture industry to know and I was no exception to the quire why the Genet engine had failed in aircraft production during both rule. It is after 500 hours and a fright or when it had gone perfectly well for World Wars, helping to build two of two that you begin to take a little more him. This remained a mystery until it the fastest aircraft in the world at the care in what you do. was found that when inverted the oil in time, the DH4/9 and Mosquito the crankcase smothered the plugs and The flying circuses of the 1930s Well, up I went and I put up much the bridged the points, thus failing to pro- same sort of show as Girlie had: loops, duce a spark. I could not but help wish USAAF and RAF Headquarters. Top slow rolls, half-rolls-off-the-top and so it had been Girlie who had made this secret Hughenden Manor. on and at the end of the show I thought vital discovery. But I had learned of something that Girlie hadn't done something which I never forgot, which The book is available from Ian Sim- and that was a "bunt". A bunt — for the was never to trust an aeroplane not to mons, 154 New Road, Booker, High uninitiated — is a reverse loop, that is, let you down, especially at the most Wycombe, Bucks. HP12 4LA. you fly level, slowing down a bit, and critical moments. you then push the control column for- Price is £10 plus P&P (£2.50 UK, £4 ward firmly and hold it there until you I also learned something about human elsewhere. have dived over onto your back with forbearance, for when we reached All profits made by the authors of this your head on the outside of the loop Shoreham by car late that night to ex- book will be donated to the Thames rather than on the inside. This of course plain to Miles that his one and only Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance. throws your whole weight into your aeroplane, his personal invention and shoulder straps and you get a little red brainchild, had been wrecked by an in- in the face. Having got to the upside experienced pilot officer who had no down position you roll out of it to your right to be flying it, we found him to be right side up position and away you go. geniality itself and all he apparently You had to do the bunt with the engine wanted to know was "whether the un- Committee Members throttled back as no engine of that type dercarriage radius rods had given way Information would run in the inverted position. And in the crash". In point of fact it did not so I followed this routine right over the take long for him to make the necessary Chairman & Curator Ken Fostekew: centre of the airfield. All went well and repairs. [email protected] I was congratulating myself on having successfully performed a bunt before The above was part of what appeared Treasurer Alan Foskett the public, when I discovered that on in the Tangmere Logbook Autumn 2007 and is reprinted here with their Engineering Geoff Etridge: opening the throttle to fly neatly away, [email protected] nothing happened. The propeller be- kind permission. came a motionless stick before my eyes Publicity & Press Brian Lloyd: and I had to do a little quick thinking. I High Wycombe’s Contribution [email protected] had never had a real forced landing be- to Aviation 01628 661 005 fore, only practice ones, and I seemed to have selected the very worst possible by Dave Scott & Ian Simmons Museum Manning: Jean & Ken conditions in which to make my first Fostekew: one. Low down over a wood, down A carefully researched work about avi- [email protected] wind and no engine. But needs must ation activity in and around High and I came down in a slithering sliding Wycombe and those involved, dating Membership Keith Freeman: turn trying to get into the wind before back to 1911. [email protected] encountering Mother Earth. In front of The birth of Geoffrey de Havilland at me lay a very unattractive ploughed Terriers Green. field (it would of course be ploughed!) into which I put the poor little Martlet. The earliest aviators including Cody, Up we went onto the nose, breaking the flying around High Wycombe Published by The Museum of propeller, bang went the undercarriage Airfields at Saunderton, Burne End, Berkshire Aviation, Mohawk and wheels came into my horrified Lacey Green and Booker gaze through the lower wings. And I Way, Woodley, Reading, sat there waiting for an irate Leech to Famous aviators residing in the area, Berkshire RG5 4UE appear, which he did, and as soon as including Amy Johnson and Louis the look of anxiety left his face when Bleriot Web Site he found my unworthy self was undam- George Holt Thomas whose company, aged, he asked me in words that I do Airco, produced one third of all allied http://www.museumofberkshire- not like to recall how I thought he was aircraft in WW1 aviation.co.uk/ going to explain to the manufacturer how his borrowed aeroplane came to The start of the Wycombe Aircraft be in its present unflyable condition. Constructors Ltd.

Museum of Berkshire Aviation Newsletter – Winter 2007