8F ATC Squadron, Frederick Bird School

Very good one Kaga, could tell it was you so you haven't changed much.

I was not looking for this but could not resist it. Advertised as the Mess Room plaque

Well, well, well. I do believe I was the cadet who had to retrieve his trousers from the flag pole when Daphne Simms walked by. Talk about embarrassed. I was a bit sweet on her at the time, ruined my chances that did. It must have been '59 or thereabouts. I left to join the RAF. It's a funny thing, I ran into Mr. Buckle a couple of years after that, he had gotten a commission and we met at RAF Locking where he was with a group from Bristol. We had a good laugh about that incident. I've been looking at some of the old pics, but they are mostly after my time with 8F. I do see FL Ward and Spinks, and WO what’s his name in the stores. Memory's not that good at 78 is it?

Probably WO Dennick or WO Hewins

Oh what a cocky kid I must have been in 1941 when I could boast I had more flying hours than all the rest of the cadets put together, swooping and diving over Walsgrave, Ansty and Shilton areas, and all round, and such, at just fifteen years of age. Mind you, there were only about thirty of us at the time, but nevertheless, few people had seen an English plane in those days, let alone fly in one. It was excitement above and beyond my age. In 1939 and before, people would ride out to Ansty just to watch those Tiger Moths performing, a lot of oohs and aahs. Can you believe, one landed in the field behind the Engine pub in Longford about 1935/6 and brought a large crowd from miles around. This was the time when Croydon was our top airport.