Century of Air Warfare With Nine (IX) Squadron, RAF by Thorburn Gordon;

Author:Thorburn, Gordon;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bisac Code 1: HIS027140; HISTORY / Military / Aviation
ISBN: 1822712
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2014-07-02T00:00:00+00:00

Both of Harris’s gunners received the DFC for the Bergen trip. Harris had been awarded his DFC a few weeks before and was recommended for a DSO for Bergen, but never got it. There were 1,200 holes in Lancaster WS/W, Willing Winnie.

CHAPTER 10

Observers/Navigators

H R ‘Sam’ Hall, Wellingtons, 1940

I was the first officer observer on the squadron, which I didn’t know of course, and from New Zealand. When I arrived, I found a much older chap in the Mess hallway, waiting for me. This was Squadron Leader Pretty, pilot from the Great War, who was President of the Mess Committee. ‘You’re rather late,’ he said. ‘Sorry, sir, the train was . . .’. ‘Never mind that,’ he replied. ‘I mean you’re late for lunch and there isn’t much left. Will a little cold pheasant do you?’

I was crewed with Pilot Officer Bertie Barnard. We went to Calais for the barges and I got down into the bomb aimer’s spot, issuing instructions to the pilot who took no notice at all and veered away to starboard. I said ‘There’s the target, away to the left, can’t you see it?’ Bertie, who usually stuttered, said very firmly ‘Are you flying this aircraft or am I?’ He waited until another Wimpy was coned by the searchlights then turned in and followed my directions while the enemy was otherwise engaged.

I had my own room in the Mess and, for the first few weeks anyway, exclusive use of a batman. He was a rare example of the right man for the job, having left service as a butler to the managing director of Henly’s Motors. He was only an AC2 but he was efficiency personified, and a brilliant therapist. He’d prompt me into telling him about last night’s raid and I’d get all the stress and emotion off my chest while he said ‘No, goodness me, sir, really, oh, too bad, sir,’ and then he would come up with tea and toast at the moment he judged to be the right one.

The C-in-C of Bomber Command came to inspect us, Air Marshal Sir Richard Pierse. Our CO then was Tim Healy.

Wingco Healy: ‘This is Pilot Officer Hall, sir.’

C-in-C: ‘Ah, Hall, and when did you last operate?’

Hall: ‘Last night, sir.’

C-in-C: ‘Ah, good, good. And where did you go?’

Hall (thinks, doesn’t he know? He sent me): ‘Berlin, sir.’

C-in-C: ‘Good, good. What did you think of it?’

Hall (thinks, not the right time to say I was scared out of my wits): ‘Very interesting, sir.’

C-in-C: ‘Good, good, and how may trips have you done?’

Hall (with pride): ‘Four, sir.’

C-in-C (turns on heel, speaks to Wingco): ‘And now I’d like to talk to someone with experience.’

We had quite a few intruder attacks and on one such the enemy was shot down right in front of a hangar. Apparently, as the aircraft started the bombing run, an airman manning a Lewis gun had jerked the barrel to vertical and, without waiting for orders, opened fire. The German flew right through the stream of bullets and went straight in.

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