Flight Lieutenant L D Gregory DFC 1332765 172248 (ACA 12986)
'Doug' Gregory was born on 13th January 1923, in Southampton. He left elementary school at the age of fourteen and worked in a local solicitor's office.
He volunteered for the RAF as soon as he was eighteen and joined at Uxbridge on the 3rd February 1941. After completing his initial training at No 8 LT.W at Newquay, Cornwall, he sailed as an LAC in August 1941, for pilot training in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.
He trained at No 25 E.F.T.S at Belvedere, Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, flying Tiger Moths, then on to No 20 S.F.T.S., flying Harvards, followed by advanced S.F.T.S at Cranborne, Salisbury, where he won his wings on the 23rd March 1942. Twin engine training on Oxfords followed at No 23 S.F.T.S. at Heany, Bulawayo from May 1942. Because of the forthcoming great expansion of Bomber Command, he returned to the UK.
Now a Sergeant Pilot, he flew at No 6 Pilot Advanced Flying Unit at Little Rissington, Gloucestershire where overseas-trained pilots were brought up to the standards required in a theatre of war. A posting to No 54 O.T.U. at Charterhall, Scotland and its satellite at Winfield followed, where he trained as a night fighter pilot, flying Blenheims Mk 1, 4 and 5s and also Beaufighters Mk II. Here he crewed up with his Navigator/Radar Operator Sergeant D.H. Stephens (Steve) seen on right. They were to remain together until the end of WW2.
In February they were both posted to No 141 Squadron at Ford in Sussex.
The Commanding Officer was W/Cdr J.R.D. Braham D.S.O**, D.F.C**, A.F.C., Croix de Guerre. The Squadron moved to Predannack in Cornwall where they started operations in Beaufighters Mk Is. While there, Doug and Steve carried out 'Instep' operations over the Bay of Biscay and 'Ranger' operations over Brittany. They also carried out several air/sea rescue searches, providing cover in case of E boat attacks.
In April 1943 the Squadron (141) moved to Wittering, Northants and after being trained on 'Serrate' radar operations at Drem, in Scotland, the two of them started on their long, consecutive, double tour of operations with 141 Squadron on ‘Serrate Bomber Support’ over Germany and occupied Europe.
They started on Beaufighters Mk 1 and Mk 6. However, 141 Squadron went on to change to Mosquitoes and moved to West Raynham, Norfolk in December 1943. The Squadron became the first in 100 Group, Bomber Command. Doug was commissioned with Steve as Pilot Officers in January 1944. During this time they did photographic research into radar jamming while on raids over Germany.
Later that year, Doug and Steve, shot down in Northern France a JU 88 and another near Metz. On 4th of August both were awarded the D.F.C. and promoted to Flying Officers in September. They completed their consecutive double tour of operations with 141 Squadron in October 1944, having operated continuously since March 1943, chalking up 69 operational sorties.
On 13th October, 1944 they were both posted as Instructors to 51 O.T.U, a night fighter training unit at Cranfield and Twinwood Farm, Bedfordshire. Five months later, in February 1945, they were posted overseas to the Royal Naval Air Station at Gibraltar, where, with their Mosquito, they carried out various forms of attack, high level bombing, dive bombing, torpedo and low level strafing, all simulated attacks on the new Battle Class destroyer H.M.S. Barfleur. This was to test the destroyer's radar defences for its forthcoming part in the war against Japan. It was in Gibraltar that Doug had the opportunity to fly the Swordfish and the Seafire.
In July 1945 he and Steve finally parted. Doug was posted to No 306 M.U. Allahabad in India to help sort out the trouble that Mosquitoes were having with the unkind tropical atmosphere. It was there he tested a wide range of aircraft, including Beaufighters and Mosquitoes of different Mks, also Spitfires and Hurricanes.
In February 1946 he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and posted to No 307 M.U. at Lahore to be in charge of the Test Flight. Here he tested Mosquitoes, Beaufighters, Dakotas, Spitfires, Austers, Vengeances, Dominies, Expeditors and Arguses. It was at Lahore that he flew Professor P.S. Gill, who was researching into the behaviour of cosmic rays. This required flying to almost the maximum height of the Mosquito.
Doug returned to the U.K in September 1946 in an unusual manner. He delivered, from Jodhpur, an Expeditor, to the American Air Force in Germany in Munich. He was released from the Royal Air Force in September 1946.
After Teacher Training College, he joined the teaching profession and for many years was Head of Faculty of Creative Arts in a comprehensive school. Doug returned to flying, for pleasure only this time, in light aircraft and when he retired in 1983, at the age of 60, he started to build a replica of an S.E.5a, World War I fighter biplane. This took four years to complete. He now flies with a group of World War I enthusiasts with their aircraft, and performs at most Air Shows around the South of England. Doug lives near the coast in Hampshire with his wife Liz, who is his helpmate and very enthusiastic partner. In spite of his heavy flying commitments he still manages 12 months of the year, to turn up at all the Southampton Air Crew Association meetings.
This article is from the Autumn 2012 issue of Confound and Destroy
