My arrival in 100 Group was as unexpected as it was a great experience! It all started when in 1942 I was selected to join the RAF-sponsored Short University Course entry system. This gave six months at a University where you studied science-based subjects as a student and did one and a half days a week on ITW subjects. At the end, you joined the RAF full-time as an LAC having passed ITW. I was lucky enough to go to King’s College, Cambridge in October 1942.

 

 

After induction into the RAF at St John’s Wood in 1943, I went to Grading School, again in Cambridge, Marshall’s, then via the Queen Elizabeth to Halifax NS, and Muncton NB to the US Navy at Grosse Ile near Detroit and then to Pensacola where I graduated as a pilot on Catalinas in May 1944. This course was meant to provide pilots for Coastal Command, but by this time it turned out they had enough already! So it was back to the UK and Oxfords. Then in January 1945 to Desborough for an Operational Training Unit on Wellingtons. This is where I ‘acquired’ my crew! This course finished in April 1945.

 

I was then sent on leave prior to a Heavy Conversion Unit on Lancasters, but a telegram diverted me to Oulton in Norfolk and the B17 Flying Fortress conversion course prior to joining 223 BS Squadron. I think the Powers That Be felt my earlier US training would be an advantage! It was here that I got my Commission (which should have been awarded on graduation at Pensacola because of my Short University Course, but they were unaware of the rules!)

 

By this time the war was rapidly coming to a close and I only went on one operation as an Observer. After the end of the war, we used to do what were called ‘Cooks Tours’ to show the Ground Staff what had happened to Germany in the bombing. A certain amount of low flying was permitted and I was able to take some photographs:

 

 

Monne dam

 

 

Cologne, May 1945

 

 

Horenzollen Bridge that was!

 

We also did some dummy raids to see how effective the Carpet, Jostle and the rest had been in confusing the enemy.

 

Also, while not flying we watched some filming of a film called ‘The Wicked Lady’ with Margaret Lockwood and Patricia Roc. We were living in the grounds of Blickling Hall where it was filmed on location. Other than a bit of sailing on Oulton Broad not far away there were few diversions available to us!

 

Air crew at that time could get extra petrol coupons, so I got my father’s Prefect out of the garage and was able to use it locally. The Flight Sergeant who looked after my a/c would always ensure the Prefect was suitably topped up while I was away flying! I was engaged to marry at that time, so I used to travel down to London where Betty worked for the BBC. All in all a very happy time really.

 

My crew consisted of myself, plus:

 

Plt/O J B (Mac) McGarty - Manchester (I think) - Air Bomber

Flt/Sgt Cliff Cousins - Brixton? - Navigator

Flt/Sgt Dave Elbrow - Norfolk? - Radio Op 1

Sgt Butch? - Flt Engineer

Sgt Roy Leigh - Leeds? - M U Gunner

Sgt Stan Brough - Leeds?  -Rear Gunner

Sgt Charlie? - Mid Gunner

Sgt Jack? - ? - Mid Gunner

Sgt?  - ? - Radio Op 2

 

 

Roy Leigh

 

 

Mac, April 1945

 

 

Dave Elbrow

 

 

Stan Brough & his guns

 

 

Cliff Cousins

 

 

Dave Monica, Wing/Op

 

 

223 Squadron pilots

 

You can see that I do not have a very good record of these chaps and regrettably I have lost contact with all of them. They were a great bunch and we all got on pretty well and worked well together as a crew.

 

After the B17s had been disposed of, I was posted in September ’45 to 512 Squadron on Dakotas and after the conversion course at Holme on Spalding Moor in Yorkshire we were sent to Qastina in Palestine in October, where we operated freight and post services in the Middle East, covering Naples to Aden and Jask. The airfield became too ‘hot’ due to the uprising in the area and in November we were moved to Gianaclis in Egypt halfway between Alexandria and Cairo on the edge of the delta. In mid-December we moved again to Bari in Italy.

 

We returned to the UK in March ’46 and I got married in April, just before joining 511 Squadron on Yorks where we operated as far as Calcutta. On 1st January 1947, I went to the Central Flying School at Little Rissington on an Instructors’ Course, but due to the snow the 12 week course was extended until June! I qualified as a qfi ‘C’ on Harvard a/c and was posted to 7SFTS at Kirton-in- Lindsey, Lincs, on 1st July 1947. In June 1948, I was posted back to Central Flying School as a Staff Instructor where I stayed until May 1951, qualifying on all the types there – Tiger Moth, Mosquito T III, Spitfire 16, Lancaster VII, Auster 5, Balliol, Meteor 7, and became a qfi A1 with a Green Instrument Rating card.

 

I left the RAF in May 1951 and joined No 22 Reserve Flying School at Filton, Bristol, where reserve pilots came to keep their ‘hands in’ so to speak. Tiger Moths and Chipmunks were the aircraft, though one day I got the opportunity to fly in – and actually handle (for 20 minutes!) – the Brabazon!

 

I left Filton in February 1953 to join BOAC as a Flight Simulator Pilot Instructor on the Comet 1 Flight Simulator – the first jet simulator in the world, I believe. I later moved to Stratocruiser simulators and then the Britannia 102 and 312 and then introduced the Comet 4 simulator into service for BOAC.

 

After nearly ten years of this work, I was appointed as Flight Safety Officer under Sir Charles Guest who was the Air Safety Advisor to the Chairman. I was also Secretary to the Chairman’s Air Safety Committee and edited the monthly Air Safety Review, which detailed all the incident and accident reports investigated by the BOAC Accidents Branch run by John Boulding. When the merger of BOAC and BEA took place, I became the Assistant Air Safety Advisor which was purely a change of title under a new Air Safety Advisor.

 

I carried on with this aspect of Air Safety representing British Airways in various ways, both on the IATA Safety Advisory Committee (Chairman 1976-77), Flight Safety Foundation (USA) and the UK Flight Safety Committee (Chairman in 1974).

 

I finally left British Airways in 1982 hoping to take up a post with IAM at Farnborough, but it seemed my face did not fit! So I took retirement and have enjoyed the period until now very much. I have much to be thankful for – the OC of the training flight at Oulton joined BOAC and I met him there – also an OC flight on 223 Squadron turned up on Comets! These were all good contacts and I have to say that my whole career in aviation has been enjoyable. Nor can I complain about the time spent since then. My wife and I have been married for almost 64 years and my two children are well settled (and pensioners too!) and a joy. Betty however has developed Lewy Bodies Dementia and is now full time in a Nursing Home. This pleases neither of us, but time does take its toll!

 

by Robert Belton, Flt/Lt RAF (retired)

 

 

This article is from the Summer 2010 issue of Confound and Destroy