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579054 A/A Oliver N. Johnson
ROYAL AIR FORCE AIRCRAFT APPRENTICE, CRANWELL

1942 - 1944

It was very exciting to be travelling to the capital in the August of 1942. We passed many airfields on the way south and gulped

down the sights of the aircraft operating from them. For a sixteen year old, they were exciting times. The great City of London

itself was awe inspiring, big, busy and full of uniformed men and women bustling about. We caught the train to our final

destination, Wendover, northwest of London. From here, RAF transport took us to Halton, a typical pre-war RAF station.

Redbrick barrack blocks, clean, tidy and very regimented.

One of the first things issued to us were our eating irons, a knife, fork and spoon, along with a enamelled tin mug. These

were carried to and from the dining hall and kept sparkling clean, for they were always on display as part of the inevitable

kit inspection.

For Apprentices, there were five mechanics trades available. These were the top trades in the RAF, namely:- Engines,

Airframes, Armaments, Instruments and Wireless. I originally was applying for Airframe Mechanic because aircraft were

my great interest. However, this trade was looked down on as the bottom of the heap! Further to this, my friends from Barrow

both wanted to be Wireless Operator Mechanics, so I changed my mind and joined them. Fortunately I had scored high

enough in the examination (145th) to have the choice. Of course the more sort-after trades went first, Engines, Wireless and

Instruments, in that order.

At this time the RAF wireless trades were only three in number...the Wireless Operator, the Wireless Mechanic and at the

top of the tree, the Wireless Operator Mechanic, us!

It was at Cranwell that the first Radio Location school was founded. This later became known as RADAR, an American

synonym for RAdio Direction And Ranging. It was inevitable when the word Wireless became old fashioned, No 1 W.E.S.

became No 1 Radio School and the RADAR establishment became No 8 Radio School. As a result of these additions to the

electronics trades the number eventually shot up from 3 to 22, which included such dubious occupations as Teleprinter

Operator.

There were 75 of us arrived at Cranwell in late September 1942. We were the 45th Entry of Apprentices at Halton, but at

Cranwell we were collectively known as 4M9's. The 4 indicated that 1944 was the year we would complete our training course

and the M9 indicated it would be the ninth month of that year when we would do so, that is, September 1944. There were

restricted numbers of Apprentices during the war and when we arrived, the Apprentice School was occupied by the

2M9's, who were about to Pass Out, and the 3M9's and 4M3's. The Apprentice Scheme, as I knew it, was discontinued

sometime in the 1950's having run continuously from 1922.

There were two aerodromes, the north 'drome and the south 'drome, later to be called airfields, an Americanism. On the south

'drome there was a long runway, whilst the north 'drome was completely grass. On the south 'drome was an

Operational Training Unit, (OTU), for Bomber Command, using twin-engined Armstrong Whitworth Whitley aircraft. It was

here, on the 15th May, 1941, using the runway on the south airfield, that the Gloster E28/Whittle jet aircraft first flew, the

very first jet in the RAF.

The north 'drome was frequented by lots of Airspeed Oxfords and some Avro Ansons, used for multi-engine training. These

were the aircraft in which I used to hitch rides, very unofficially, because I was not supposed to fly. But the

under-training pilots never bothered about such trivialities, so off I went, many times, on such dangerous journeys, without

a care in the world. One day it would be bombing practice over the Wash, usually low-level skip bombing, very exciting.

At other times it would be a cross country or circuits and bumps (take offs and landings).

Cranwell was situated just to the south of the big airfields of Bomber Command, such as Scampton and Waddington.

During the bombing offensives against Germany in 1942 and 1943, I saw the bomber aircraft, dozens at a time, slowly

climbing away, weighed down by their loads of high explosive bombs. They were mainly Lancasters and Halifaxes. The

Halifax was always lowest when passing over us, it could not climb as quickly as a Lancaster. We would see the bombers

returning in the early morning, some of them shot up and limping home. I remember seeing a Vickers Wellington at very low

altitude with very little rudder left, one engine stopped, propeller feathered, and full of holes, one could see the canvas

covering flapping all along the fuselage.

Other memorable sights of aircraft I saw from my vantage point at Cranwell, were formations of American Flying Fortresses

committed to the daylight bombing of Germany. In one such formation I counted 125 aircraft, not including the many

Republican Thunderbolts and the twin boom, P38, Lockheed Lightening fighters weaving in and out of the main formation.

The sound of over six hundred Wright Cyclone aero engines was something to hear! I also witnessed the Douglas Dakotas

towing out the many Horsa gliders for the attack on the bridge at Arnhem, It was a sight to behold.

Also on the north 'drome were the aircraft used for our wireless operator training. On our course it was called simply Air

Operating. I did this Wireless Operator flying training course in the summer of 1944. The aircraft used were the De

Havilland Dominie (the civilian name was Dragon Rapide) and the Percival Proctor (the civilian name was Mew Gull). The

Dominie was a flying classroom, in that it had a couple of sets of radio equipment and could carry half a dozen U/T (Under

Training) operators who time-shared the equipment. The Proctor was a two seater. The wireless operator sat side-by-side with

the pilot, but facing the rear.

Our working day at Cranwell was organized into shifts, early and late. Early shift meant getting up, at the latest, 6.30am, in

order to wash, shave, dress and get to breakfast before 7am. They shut the dining hall doors promptly and if one was

locked out, no food. I see in my diary for 12th September, 1943, I got up at 8am and went to breakfast, it must have been

a Sunday. It was fried eggs, a rare treat usually reserved for aircrew going on operations, so I went round twice without getting

caught, very satisfying. After breakfast, except for Sundays, it was back to the billet to make up the bed, as previously

described. Then on parade and off to the first lesson. The working day ended at 5pm when on early shift. Late shift ran

one hour later, so one did not have to get up until 7.15am, but had to work until 6pm.

The barrack blocks at Cranwell were typical pre-war RAF design, red brick, two-storey H-blocks, with large sash windows.

Each dormitory had about 40 occupants. In each dormitory were a couple of wooden tables and wooden forms and forty

ironed-framed wire-mesh based beds (with tensioning springs at top and bottom), with the aforementioned metal cupboard

mounted above each bed. The floors were covered in brown linoleum of a very sturdy quality. At extremely regular

intervals, at least once a day, except Sundays, we had what was called Flight Cleaning. The tables and forms would be

scrubbed, the wash basins, mirrors and toilets, polished to a shine. The beds would be moved to the centre, one side at

a time, and the floor beneath each row of beds polished, followed by the centre. This floor polishing was done in a very

efficient way. One or two people would apply the polish with a very heavy bumper, a heavily weighted felt-bottomed plate

with a swivelling long handle. Behind this would come a team of people with floor pads, made from rectangles of felt

placed under their feet. They would waltz from side to side, bringing the feet together, hence the floor pads, which would put a

shine on the floor you could see your face in. In such places as Transmitter Halls, in Signal Sections, the floors were

similarly kept at a high state of shine. In fact, it was absolutely forbidden to step onto these floors without floor pads. One had

to skate about doing one's job in these places. I know, because when I was in charge of the Transmitter Station at Pembroke

Dock, just before I was demobilized in 1956, I still insisted on this procedure.

Much time was spent eating at the NAAFI canteen. As I mentioned earlier, the food was to our liking...chips and baked

beans with everything. They always had very good doughnuts, a delicacy introduced by the Americans. The NAAFI shop,

originally intended for the married quarters airmen and families, sold Swiss Rolls of a very delectable quality. I know it

was wrong, but when hunger threatened, I would buy one of these and scoff the lot at one go! no wonder I suffered with my

stomach in later life! All these items of food were very cheap, costing only pence.

Money could be a problem. Apprentices were paid one shilling and sixpence a day. That is seven and a half pence in

today's coinage, but was of considerably more value in those days. Of this money we were paid two shillings and sixpence

one fortnight and five shillings the next. The remainder was kept for us until we went on leave at the end of each term. Of

course the odd ten shilling note was forthcoming from home, to keep one solvent. I had, however, another source of

income, playing the piano at dances with a small band I had formed in the Autumn of 1943. We played at the YMCA dance

each Sunday. For this we would be paid five or six shillings each, a very handy sum to add to the coffers.

I had a bicycle at Cranwell and I and Alan Statham would go for long cycle rides. The largest town in the area was the city

of Lincoln, some 18 miles north of Cranwell. This was a favourite ride because he had a aunt living there, so we could visit

her and sample something of home life for a short while. Lincoln was always swarming with operational aircrew from all the

bomber stations around the city. They had a devil-may-care attitude, which led to the city being a very lively place, day

and night. There were plenty of cheap places to eat and some good cinemas.

The course work at now No 1 Radio School, covered quite a number of subjects. Basic Electricity and Radio Theory,

General Studies, Technical Studies, (about the different types of radios used on the ground and in the air), also

Mathematics, Workshops, and Communications, which included the practising of Morse Code. In the well-equipped

workshops, we made such things as the now old fashioned plug-in coil formers for receivers and transmitters, solid brass

Morse keys and so on. We finally constructed a radio receiver making as many of the parts as was possible ourselves.

The Communications part of the course dealt with Signals Office procedures and how to document for, and run, a Signals

Office. In this part of the course we also spent many hours practising the Morse code. There were several classes, from

beginners to experts. Because of my ATC training I started at 12 WPM (Words Per Minute). The top class was at 25

WPM, which I soon reached. The instructors were always changing and if the instructor for a particular class was a

disciplinarian, I would pass or fail three consecutive tests, as was necessary, to be put up or sent down to the class of a

possibly more lenient instructor. I used to write a lot of my letters in Morse classes, after all I was an expert after a couple

of months, never mind two years! We had examinations and tests regularly. We usually did just enough work to pass

these at the minimum level. I knew that I could have done better!

Smoking cigarettes by Apprentices under the age of eighteen was forbidden, but that is not to say it didn't go on, it certainly

did! However, on reaching the age of 18 years, one could apply for a Smoking Pass. This allowed one to smoke out of

barrack bounds, in other words, not in the dormitory, but in the NAAFI, YMCA and the cinema, without fear of trouble, if

seen by those in authority.

Two events on my 18th birthday were not so pleasant. Firstly I was taken for an enforced haircut by a non-technical,

general-duties sergeant, called Scott, (they always liked it cut very short and I didn't!). Secondly, I was on Fire Guard that

evening, starting at 6.20pm, so passed my 18th birthday, life went on with its ups and downs.

Now I am 18 years old and have over 2 years Apprentice service, my fortnightly pay has risen to 15 shillings. I first received

this new level of pay on the 8th September, 1944.

The Passing Out Inspection of the 4M9 Entry of Apprentices at RAF Station Cranwell was carried out by Air Marshal Sir

Arthur S. Barratt, K.C.B., C.M.G., M.C., who was the Air Officer Commanding Technical Training Command. the programme

was printed by the Aircraft Apprentices Printers Guild. On the front is embossed the badge of No 1 Radio School, with its

motto, Thorough. On this badge is depicted a hand gripping a bunch of lightening, this is the sparks motif worn by all

Signals personnel. On the back the names of the prize winners are printed. At the top of the list is A/A K. Anthony, known as

Joe, appeared at Morecambe, on the same overseas draft as myself, later on in the year.

And so my last day as an Apprentice came to an end on the 20th September, 1944. We had now to wait for our postings

into the active RAF. We could initially ask to be posted to specific stations, so I chose Cark-in-Cartmel, the station from

which I made my first ever flight when in the ATC. George Dandy was also hoping for the same posting. Peter Maxwell had

volunteered for training as a Wireless Operator Air Gunner, so was going to No 4 Air Gunnery School on Walney Island,

Barrow-in-Furness of all places! I saw him again, on the 20th November, along with three other ex-4M9's, Talboys, Simpson

and Dinnage, at my parents' house in Barrow. They were showing off their new status as aircrew...all Sergeants! and I was still

a lowly Aircraftsman 2nd class (AC2)

On the 21st September my posting came through and it was, to my delight, to RAF Station Cark-in-Cartmel, along with

George Dandy. We left Cranwell for the last time at 6pm that Thursday and travelled home via Grantham, the quick way, or so

we thought, but over-night travel was not so quick, for I didn't get home until 8am the next morning.

Cark is not far from Barrow and I had high hopes of obtaining a sleeping-out pass so that I could live at home and commute

by rail each day. I signed into RAF Cark on the Saturday and to my delight obtained the hoped- for SOP. Off I went home

for the weekend, for Sunday was to be my day off. On the Monday I caught the 6.25am train to Cark and the 6.04pm back

again at night.

I was beginning to enjoy the work and the relaxation, but it wasn't to last. It came as a great shock when I was posted

overseas just four weeks after arriving at Cark. George Dandy was also on this draft but, because he was pending aircrew

training, he was removed from the draft and stayed at Cark a little while longer. He eventually became a Navigator. All this

happened on Friday, the 20th October, 1944. I was given only three days leave and sent to No 2 P.D.C. (Personnel

Dispatch Centre...sounds very final!) at Morecambe, one of our old stamping grounds. From here, for some inexplicable

reason, I was given 14 days leave before reporting to No 4 PDC at Blackpool.

I was posted to Staging Post 129, it was a mystery as to where and what that was. However, I found that I had been

shanghaied into the Air Sea Rescue Service. This was an operational organization, similar to aircrew, they were all volunteers,

except for the Wireless Operators and Wireless Operator Mechanics, ah well! At least I had another badge to sew on my right

sleeve, the ASR Launch motif.

At Blackpool, there were five other ex-4M9's drafted overseas, apart from Joe and myself. We sailed on the 16th December,

1944, for destinations unknown, destined to spend most of the next two months, in a slow moving convoy, on an overcrowded

troopship, the Queen of Bermuda, sailing from Liverpool Bay.

So ended my wartime RAF career in the UK.

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