similar designations were used. They would have been clearly visible to convoy
commanders and others in black-out conditions.
4

The mobility aspect was also brought home to me when the
Squadron Boss,
Sqn.Ldr. Allen, appointed me as
Squadron MTO in addition to my normal duties.
5 I
could fly an aircraft but I couldn't drive - legally at any rate - as I had no driving
licence. I almost panicked, not knowing what was involved, or what my
responsibilities were. A quick word with
Johnny MacKnish, now
Squadron Adjutant,
revealed that there were files in his office which dealt with
MT matters. I borrowed
them (they were Unclassified) and took them to my room in the Mess where I
burned midnight oil trying to educate myself. After the initial shock I chatted around
and found that F
light Sergeant 'Chiefy' Blair was able to fill me in a great deal. A trip
to the Station
MT Section and a meeting with
Flt.Lt. Wright, Station
MTO, revealed
that there were two Land Rovers and a dozen or so Thorneycroft 3-ton trucks on
Squadron charge but in store in his garages. He rapidly apprised me of my
responsibilities and in no time at all I had signed for a whole convoy of vehicles and
their tool kits. Joy of joys - I was responsible for my first Inventory and had a lot
more to learn about how to look after it, as well as my own
Squadron MT Section
and its drivers.

We did eventually get to Sennelager and witness nearly all that was planned for us. If it did nothing else the events of the day demonstrated to us the firepower we
could muster, and its effectiveness, should we be called into action.

Thus ended the foggy, and increasingly cloudy and cold month of October, but there was more: there was sport, a vital part of aircrew fitness routines. I shall tell of that next.

93 Squadron Crest.
The central part represents an escarbuncle or boss of a shield.
Unusually this depiction shows the Crown of HM Queen Elizabeth II. During my day the
Crown was that of the late King, as seen in the illustration on page 89.
_____________________________________
4 Such signs were used during the war at home. These in Germany had a similar familiar significance.
5
MTO = Mechanical Transport Officer.
63