At age 85 years old and on a good recovery from a recent collarbone accident, I am able to write on articles appearing in the Autumn edition of the RAF 100 Group Association Newsletter. And Filey, I know it well from the four weeks on attachment from the Pilot Navigator Bomber Pool RAF Brighton, February 1943 – only 19 years old at the time.
In June 1942, my friend Geoffrey Danby and I had a conversation with a clerk from Aircrew Records Office RAF Reading. I enquired of the Clerk if I could join the RAF with Geoffrey in August 1942. ‘Yes’, he replied, ‘but I can only mis-file your July 1942 Entry Card in Geoffrey’s August 1942 box’. So Geoffrey and I went our separate ways into the RAF in 1942.
Herewith is my ‘What If’ and ‘How One Thing Leads to Another’, by George, article:
‘BOMBER COMMAND NEWSLETTER EXTRACT
What If?
On the night of 22 June 1944, Halifax LW656 MP-B of 76 Squadron RAF Holme, crashed in France as a result of enemy action. All seven of the crew were killed and all are buried in France. A friend of mine, Geoffrey Danby, was the Navigator.
Two years earlier in June 1942, Geoffrey and I were two trainee observers waiting to report to Aircrew Receiving Centre, Lord’s Cricket Ground. I was due to report there in July and Geoffrey in August. Since joining the RAF, we had been sent to Ludlow, Aberwystwyth and Brighton and the observer trade had been reclassified as navigator, navigator bomber, navigator wireless, etc. At ITW Geoffrey opted for navigator wireless and I for navigator bomber. Needless to say that when our time to leave Brighton arrived Geoffrey was posted a navigator bomber and I a navigator wireless. Somewhere along the line he became a navigator.
On D-Day, I was on leave in Reading, walking along the street when I looked up I could see the armada of planes and gliders make their way to France. I said to myself ‘George, you have missed the war’. Little did I know then that within fourteen days both my cousin and my good friend would be dead, killed on bomber operations. After months of waiting in aircrew dispersal units and operational training in Bomber Command, on 6th June 1945 I was posted to 214 (RCM) Squadron, RAF Oulton as a navigator on Flying Fortress aircraft. It was not until I left the RAF in 1946 that I learned of my friend’s fate. What if I had gone to be a navigator bomber? What if I had joined up together with Geoffrey? Yes, what if?’
Approximately 3 years ago, the Secretary of the Rugby RAF Association was on holiday in Weston Super Mare, staying at the Association’s hotel. There he met an old colleague of mine from the time I lived in Reading with whom I used to meet at Aircrew Association meetings. As a result of their conversation RAFA contacted me. He and his wife now call upon me approximately once a month for a cuppa and a chat, also magazines are exchanged. Resulting from a conversation between RAFA and Howard Deacon, articles pages 15, 16, 17, 18 appeared in the ‘Confound & Destroy’ magazine Summer 2008.
Some years ago, when residing in Kenilworth, a Special Duty Operator Lloyd Davis contacted me having read my name in an article of mine. We maintained contact with one another until he dropped off the heavenly path a few years ago.
On the night of May 24/25 1944, No 214 Squadron suffered its first Fortress casualty when P/O Hockley RAAF was shot down on a patrol to Antwerp. It was on this flight that Special Duty Operator Lloyd Davis was a stand-in operator. P/O Hockley stayed at the controls of the burning aircraft to give his crew the chance of baling out, and in so doing forfeited his own life. All the crew with the exception of the pilot and Sgt Simpson managed to parachute out and landed on one of the small Dutch islands in the North Sea. As the area was well guarded by Germans, they had no opportunity to evade capture and were quickly rounded up by the enemy. The aircraft was Fortress II SR384 BU-A (Page 9, Autumn ‘Confound & Destroy’ 2009).
Between November 1943 and April 1944 LAC Fisher GT and LAC Mercer A were two Navigators, Wireless Operator Air Trainees Course No 88A, No 8 Air Observer School. Ansienne Lorette Quebec, Canada. Both graduated Sergeant Navigator W/OP Air, April 1944.
Posted back to UK 10th May 1944, we were together at No 7 Receiving Centre RAF Harrogate until July 1944 when we were posted to other units.
Between 10th August and 19th September 1944 I was stationed at No 22 Aircrew Holding Unit RAF Kirkham.
Situated near Kirkham is the village of Freckleton. Not keen on drinking NAAFI tea a few of us at morning tea break would race down to the ‘Sad Sack’ Café in the village for our morning cuppa.
Freckletonians will never forget what happened on the morning of 23 August 1944. It was a Wednesday, the bright morning sunshine suddenly vanished as the sky darkened and a ferocious thunderstorm struck the village. A four engined Liberator bomber aircraft of the USA undergoing an air test flight from nearby Warton airfield was immediately recalled. On its descent to the airfield it was struck by lightning and crashed onto the ‘Sad Sack’ café, some adjoining cottages and part of the wing and undercarriage continued across the road into the village school where morning classes were in session. In the school, 38 school children and two teachers died. Two civilians and seven USA personnel were killed in the café, also two RAF sergeants (Pilot & Navigator) were killed. Among my colleagues who were having morning tea, two RAF sergeants (Navigators) died of wounds sustained and two other sergeants (Navigators) survived having suffered serious wounds, in addition in the village seven civilians died. The pilot and engineer of the Liberator died. That night two beds in my hurt were empty. Because I hate getting wet, that fateful morning I stayed on camp and had tea in the NAAFI.
On a Sunday afternoon years later I had a telephone call from the Secretary of the then Thames Valley Branch of Aircrew Association. He had a request from a Bournmouth member who wanted my address. The person in question was none other than Alan Mercer. He had seen my name to my article ‘I Hate Getting Wet!’ which had been published in the Aircrew Association’s magazine ‘Intercom’.
In conversation, he informed me that he had been posted to RAF Kirkham. On the day of the crash he was away on a course. Also I learnt that about 6/7 weeks he was posted to No 214 (RCM) Squadron where he undertook three operations RCM. Probably because of the bicycle accident our paths did not cross. However, we did meet some years later when I called upon him at his Dorset home. At this meeting we decided upon a search for the other trainees of Course 88A No 8 Air Observer School Ansienne Lorette. As a result of this search, of the 37 successful graduates, we traced 12 alive, 6 had died, despite our efforts 19 gone away, not known, and no trace. Alan arranged a Reunion at his home, at which 7 of us turned up 50 years on. I was saddened to learn of Alan’s death in USA. To my knowledge of the Magnificent 7, only 3 survive.
During the brief period of time that I had at No 1699 BSTU and No 214 (RCM) Squadron, RAF Oulton, 3 May 1945-27 July 1945, I undertook several Ruhr Tour trips and two and a half post mortem operations. I shall never forget seeing the terrible destruction wrought upon Germany by Bomber Command. Clogne, towns and cities n the Ruhr Valley, Essen/Krupps and two trips to Hamburg. War no matter how GOOD the reason, has terrible terrible consequences. Will they never learn ... will they never learn.
On take off, my position would be to stand behind the pilot. However there was the occasion when on a circuit and landing trip, I sat in the navigator’s compartment. At point of take off, the port engine of the Fortress cut, instead of up, up and away it was walk about across the airfield, blood wagon to left of and crash truck to right of us. As I watched with interest our predicament I said to myself ‘I wonder what is going to happen next?’ Fortunately the aircraft stopped just over the perimeter fence with nose overlooking the Norwich/Aylsham railway. If the aircraft had travelled further it would not have been a case of ‘Atlas carries the world on his shoulders’ but ‘George carries a Fortress on his shoulders’. As the old wag told me at OTU, you don’t have to go on operations George to get killed!’
How true!
No 214 RCM Squadron disbanded 27 July 1945. I spent 3 months in Aircrew Holding Units then to Heavy Conversion Unit, Transport Command, where I had a choice of aircraft Liberator or Avro York. Because of my Fortress experience I opted for Liberator.
Posted to No 206 Squadron, RAF Oakington, where from I flew on the Curry Run UK India UK carrying goods and service personnel.
On 6 March after a flight lasting nine and a half hours from Karachi to Aden, the pilot had he landed according to the book, who knows there could have been on the runway 5 crew and 32 passengers, 37 ‘Walkers Crispy Potato Crisps’?
My memory of seeing the Engineer’s dip stick after dipping the four tanks means we flew on empty.
by George Fisher
This article is from the Spring 2010 issue of Confound and Destroy
