A LIFE FOR MEN by E. J. Williams Memoir of a non-flying, non-commissioned Regular Airman. 1940 to 1953 0 CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction & Prelude Page 3 Chapter 2 The First Steps Page 9 Chapter 3 Into The Melting Pot Page 14 Chapter 4 Into The Mould Page 21 Chapter 5 Education & Nourishment Page 27 Chapter 6 Recreation & Leave Page 38 Chapter 7 Loosing The Rough Edges Page 49 Chapter 8 First Posting – RAF Bottesford Page 56 Chapter 9 Cat & Mouse Page 63 Chapter 10 Down To Business Page 72 Chapter 11 Squadron Will Move Page 80 Chapter 12 Little Staughton Page 91 Chapter 13 Never a Dull Moment Page 100 Chapter 14 Towards The Close Page 111 Chapter 15 In a New Direction Page 120 Chapter 16 Caring For The Grey Boxes Page 129 Chapter 17 On The Road To Singapore Page 142 Chapter 18 East of Suez Page 153 Chapter 19 RAF Changi Page 163 Chapter 20 Roll on Demob! Page 173 Chapter 21 Married Quarters Page 178 Chapter 22 RAF Henlow – Final Posting Page 185 Chapter 23 The Last Lap Page 191 Chapter 24 In Retrospect Page 195 Trivia Page 197 1 INTRODUCTION During the 1930's the RAF was expanding. To attract new recruits, the Air Ministry, by advertising in the daily newspapers, invited men to apply for Short Service Commissions, to join the Auxiliary Air Force or even to embark on a career in the ranks as non-flying personnel. One such advertisement in the latter category urged the reader to join the RAF and pursue "A Life For Men". Being too young to follow this particular course of action, I was attracted by another advertisement which proclaimed the benefits that would ensue from joining the RAF as an Aircraft Apprentice. I paid heed to all that was said and, in 1939, set the process of enlistment in motion. What follows here is an account of my experiences in pursuing a career as an RAF tradesman. The narrative offers no great moments of excitement or adventure. There are no firsthand accounts of heroism or dicing with death. Hopefully, in spite of these possible deficiencies, the narrative will have its interesting moments. During World War 2 , for every man engaged on flying duties there were at least ten men and women on the ground in support; either directly or indirectly. Little seems to have been written and published about these non-flying Airmen. This may help to fill this gap. 2 CHAPTER 1 PRELUDE . What made me think of pursuing a career in the RAF when I left school in 1939? There is not a single straight forward answer to that. My choice was influenced by several factors which, taken collectively, presented reasons for breaking with the traditional trend of ending up in an office, shop or factory. In the years between the wars, the general view of men who joined the ranks of HM Forces was that they did so in desperation, not being able to earn a living in any other way. This might be something that I would have to live down. For a lad who was growing up m the late 1920's, and in the decade which followed, there were quite a few things going on which could foster an interest in flying. Following on World War I, aviation was developing rapidly and there was plenty to whet and sustain an avid interest in the topic. The exploits of the Royal Flying Corps provided a rich source of material for writers of fiction and film scripts. Films such as the classical "Hell's Angels" and "Dawn Patrol" were unforgettable and the weekly publication of "The Modern Boy," which contained stories of Biggles and Algie by W.E.Johns., was always something to savour. I can remember being taken by my parents to see the Hendon Air Display on a couple of occasions and enjoyed the flying displays immensely. Apart from such feasts of aerial activity as these displays, the sound of an aero engine would, at any time cause my eyes to look to the sky. There was always something interesting to see and on two such occasions the source of the noise was something special: first the R100 and then the R101 which were airships based at RAF Cardington. The Newsreels shown in the cinemas at that time and the Radio news bulletins carried details of aviators making record breaking flights. (I suppose that in these days they would be said to be "pushing back the frontiers"). Names such as Amy Johnson, Jim Mollison, Charles Lindburgh, Bert Hinkler, Charles Kingsford~Smith and Jean 3 Batten were familiar to almost everyone. They were as well, if not better known than most sportsmen and politicians of the day. I also had an older cousin, who I liked and respected. He was a member of an Auxiliary Air Force Squadron based at Detling in Kent. He always gave a favourable impression of his experiences and used to send us a Christmas card tastefully embossed with the Squadron crest. The card was also decorated at the fold with a ribbon in the RAF colours. I recaIl how these cards impressed me. Any organisation which could be associated with such luxurious items as these must be something special! I had another interest. For as far back as I could remember, my Father had been addicted to building and then tinkering with wireless receivers; crystal sets in the beginning and then sets which operated with thermionic valves. There were plenty of bits and pieces going spare so that I was able to foIlow a similar although less expensive course. This pastime was very enjoyable and I began to think in terms of making a living in this field when the time came to leave school. From the age of 11 years I attended a Grammar School. By the time that 1 had reached 14 , I thought it was time to begin to consider seriously what to do when the time came to work for a living. The ambitions of most of my contemporaries centred mainly on following in their father's footsteps and commuting to and from London to work in an office. This did not appeal to me in the least. It would not accommodate my new interest and besides, London had no attraction for me. There was another development which, with hindsight, could be seen as having a bearing on my choice of career. Home life was not too good. Suffice it to say that there was an increasing amount of domestic turmoil which centred on me (the only child) and any job which involved leaving home could have a large "plus" attached to it. At school, I became aware that one or two older boys had left before taking their School Certificate exams. Apparently they had joined the RAF under some kind of apprentice scheme. The RAF was expanding in the 1930's and it was not unusual to find recruiting advertisements in the daily newspapers. In one such advert they were 4 inviting enquiries from youths who might be interested in enlisting as Aircraft Apprentices. I replied and received, through the post, a copy of Air Ministry Pamphlet 15 which gave details of the scheme. Boys could enlist as Aircraft Apprentices between the ages of 15 and 17½. The apprenticeship lasted for 3 years during which they would be paid 1 shilling per day. They would be allowed 6 weeks leave per year; 1 week at Easter, three weeks in the summer and a fortnight at Christmas. Implicit with enlistment as an apprentice was an undertaking to serve in the RAF for 12 years from the age of 18. Aircraft Apprentices were trained to be the elite of the RAF's ground tradesmen i.e. in Group 1 Trades. There was a choice of trades; Fitter 1, Armourer, Instrument Maker or Wireless & Electrical Mechanic. This latter category was clearly the one for me. There were other attractions - opportunities for overseas travel; the possibility of flying training and encouragement to take part in a wide range of sporting activities. "Apprentices work hard and play hard" is a phrase that I clearly recall. I have mentioned that the apprentice's pay was 1/- per day. After completion of training, one might end up as an AC1 (Aircraftsman 1st Class), in which case the pay would be 4/6 a day. An LAC (Leading Aircraftman) earned 5/6 a day whilst promotion to the rank of Corporal would bring a reward of 7/6 per day. After absorbing all this, I was warming to the idea of joining up under this arrangement. There were two avenues of entry. Firstly, one could take an entrance examination, or, if one had a School Certificate this requirement could be waived. The latter course would be for me. A.M. Pamphlet 15 gave a summary of the medical examination. Amongst other things candidates had to be able to hear a forced whisper from 24ft. and must not have hammer toes. Was my hearing up to this standard? What were hammer toes, and had I got any? Off came the shoes and socks! I was certainly taking this business very seriously. 5 Candidates for these apprenticeships made their intentions known to their school who then instructed the county Education authority to submit names to the Air Ministry. There were two entries of apprentices every year, One in January and another in September. In the summer of 1939, with my parents blessing, I asked to be nominated for the September entry, and stated my preference for training as a Wireless and Electrical Mechanic.