7

Twins.

Having learned some very basic flying skills these had to be developed and progressed. We were therefore posted to RAF Wellesbourne Mountford in Warwickshire where I arrived on the 9th of September, 1952 for the start of a six month course. On successful completion of this course we would be awarded our flying badges, better known as our 'Wings'. We had heard before arrival that the chop rate was high, particularly for National Service trainees. Flying would be done in twin-engined Oxford Mk II aircraft.
Wellesbourne is roughly equidistant from both Leamington Spa and Stratford upon- Avon. It was a full blown RAF camp without any civilian mollycoddling. WRAFs were stationed there as part of the permanent staff. In addition to the 2 Squadrons (two courses) of u/t pilots and their instructors and support staffs of No.9 Advanced Flying Training School, there was also the school of Airfield Construction for those Officers with appropriate civilian qualifications who were to be in charge of building and maintaining Air Ministry sites throughout the world. It was a big hutted camp.
This was the first time any of us had lived in a 'proper' RAF Officers Mess albeit a wooden one although, in this case, we students had our own anteroom so that our instructors and permanent staff had after-hours privacy. By this time we all had appropriate calling cards and had to 'Warn In' and 'Warn Out' of the Mess, and Mess bills had to be paid by the 10th of each month.1 We had bar books in which all drinks were recorded by the duty barman. We could not 'treat' a friend to a drink; the drink you would expect to pay for which was consumed by one's friend was automatically charged to his account. There were questions to be answered if drinks bills went above a certain amount in a month. Whenever the CO, Group Captain N. de W. Boult, walked in we all stood to attention. In response he would always (as was customary) say "Sit down gentlemen". Whilst this all sounds very formal it was not as strict as some Messes in which I later had occasion to stay.
We had individual rooms in prefabricated 'Seco' huts. There were about 8 of us to a hut, each room having a wash-basin, adequate furniture, and big enough for two beds if such were necessary. Floors were of polished 'compo' tiles. There were no mats other than an outside door mat. Ablutions were at the end of the hut and cleaned (as were our rooms) by the hut batman. We looked after our own uniforms but washing was sent out weekly to a commercial laundry.
Our course was split into two Flights so that when one was flying the other was at ground school. Surprisingly, in view of our experience at Kirton-in-Lindsey, there was no inter-course rivalry. The attitude of u/t pilots was, thankfully, now much more mature than hitherto. My flying instructor was Flt.Sgt. Ken Knott, a very experienced pilot and an excellent tutor.
Ground school covered the use of a Link Trainer for instrument flying practice, having to go to the Met Office to collect weather data and actually giving (in turn) the daily Met briefing to one's Flight, the study of engine systems, initially that of the Cheetah 10 which powered our Oxfords, and later of other engines both radial and
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1 Officers' cards were always to a standard layout, wording (according to rank) and lettering style. Most stationers produced cards which were too fancy. Strange as it might seem, many Officers bought their cards from a printer's stall at the back of the old St John's market in Liverpool.
Warning In and Out were standard procedures in all Officers Messes.
On arrival one card was addressed to the Commanding Officer (stating his rank, name and decorations), the other was addressed to the PMC (President of the Mess Committee - often the senior living-in Officer) and Officers. 24