617 Squadron crewman Q+A

[LCADolby]

As some of you may know or have seen; Where I work I sometimes organise events for the Grade I listed historical building I work for.

One of our upcoming events is a Q and A session with a ground crewman of 617 Squadron.
He came from Jamaica in 1944 to work for the RAF as ground crew at RAF Coningsby and RAF Woodhall Spa.
After his demob in 1948 and a brief return to his native Jamaica, he decided to come 'home' and settle in Boston Lincolnshire.
He has written several small books that are essentially an autobiography of his life.

The chap isn't a very comfortable public speaker, so we were only able to secure a Q+A, but some visitors may not know what to ask.

What I am asking is, if you were at the event, what questions would you ask him?

[xbrit]

Not a question for you Dolby but more for interest.
Funny you should bring up 617Sqn, I was reading an article on them last night about them just returning from Afghanistan and then being disbanded in March. Here is the article if you want a view.
http://web202.ssvc.com/news/articles/raf/2135

[LCADolby]

Seriously no one wants to table any questions or has thought of any?! 

That's really disappointing, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

[Tilt]

From what altitude did 617 drop tallboys on the Tirpitz.

Had 9 squadron already struck the fatal blow on the previous mission.

Was it not indeed a 9 squadron Tallboy that struck the final blow?

[Karnak]

Of the aircraft h worked on, which was his favorite and what made it his favorite?  Which was his least favorite and why? As ground crew how was his working relationship with the flight crews?

[icepac]

What maneuvering could you do (or were told to not do) with ord on board?

[Bong40]

Awesome opportunity! I guess one of the things I'd be curious about would be the level of anticipation after the squadron had taken off for the "big mission", what would the ground crew do to keep themselves busy during that time? And then upon the return of the aircraft, receiving and waiting for damaged and late aircraft... How did they deal with those aircraft and crews? How long did it take to turn a Lancaster around for a new mission? And ofcourse Thank Him for His service and Shake that mans hand. 

[danny76]

Not a question for you Dolby but more for interest.
Funny you should bring up 617Sqn, I was reading an article on them last night about them just returning from Afghanistan and then being disbanded in March. Here is the article if you want a view.
http://web202.ssvc.com/news/articles/raf/2135

They are being disbanded temporarily, then replaced with F22's in 2-3 years time.
I'd like to ask him what he thinks about the disbandment, and the fact we have almost 0% requirement for air superiority aircraft, already have the Eurofighter, and now getting tge F22 in place of proper ground attack capable aircraft, like the ones we just scrapped.

[wpeters]

As some of you may know or have seen; Where I work I sometimes organise events for the Grade I listed historical building I work for.

One of our upcoming events is a Q and A session with a ground crewman of 617 Squadron.
He came from Jamaica in 1944 to work for the RAF as ground crew at RAF Coningsby and RAF Woodhall Spa.
After his demob in 1948 and a brief return to his native Jamaica, he decided to come 'home' and settle in Boston Lincolnshire.
He has written several small books that are essentially an autobiography of his life.

The chap isn't a very comfortable public speaker, so we were only able to secure a Q+A, but some visitors may not know what to ask.

What I am asking is, if you were at the event, what questions would you ask him?

I know this is off subject but were do you work

[mthrockmor]

When I talk with Vets I ask odd questions about what life was like. This tends to shift their brain into a different gear, which stirs random memories that mean something to them. They get rambling and then the real stories start pouring out.

I'd ask what the food was like? Did he get stuck with KP? Did they ever get attacked by German air, or buzz bombs, etc? Did he get to date any of the local ladies? Did he run across any German POWs at camps, and if so did he know any of their backgrounds? I would then ask his thoughts about military events he was not involved in such as D-Day, U-boat war, etc, You could also ask how he got to the UK from Jamaica, which likely meant by sea. What was that like? Describe being in a convoy under escort and threat of U-boat attack. Did he have any family members who served and if so what, where, or when? Did he ever see any notable leaders such as Churchill, Eisenhower, etc.

Just my two cents.

[Slate]

    What complaints did the Aircrew have of the Lancaster? Did any have .50 caliber guns in the rear position?
  I don't know your Chap's name but here is one ground crew member....
 The following from Dambusters website: http://www.dambusters.org.uk/war-personalities/ground-crew/pearson/



Basil A. Pearson 870794 A.Flt R&I SECTION 617 SQDN. He worked on Guy Gibson s Aircraft as engine fitter.He told many stories about Guy asking for him to prepare engines for him, as his were very highly tuned and reliable.He also sometimes worked on AJ-D Which was a plane they used to practice for the raid for two months before,it was a standard mk1.
 When Gibson left Basil extensively worked on KC-H Leonard Cheshire s plane for his entire time in 617. Cheshire would talk with the ground crew after a raid standing or sitting under the wings telling them how it went and what needed working on on the plane to improve it etc. He also worked on the planes that hit the Tirpitz. He told me they had to put modifed engines in the planes.The latest merlin variant,which was in short supply, so the took them out of new Lancs from other squadrons.This involved lots of engine changes!!

The photo shows KC-M approx 9/1/44 after being ferried to Woodhall from Conningsby. Basil is 5 from left, head only!! behind Dudley Heal who is squatting.

[LCADolby]

Pretty much set up, come on chaps, I promise to table your questions!

[mthrockmor]

I'm actually more intrigued by Fydell House.

Have you thought of bringing in a camera and attempting to video stream the session, or YouTube it? No chance I can make Lincolnshire but I could watch a YouTube. Best of luck with it!

[Scherf]

I'd like to know how 617 coped with the sudden and relatively brief use of Mosquitos and a Mustang, from a servicing point of view. Did they simply "borrow" 627 Sqn ground crew for the Mossies? How did they deal with the Mustang (used by Cheshire)?

Did they need to get factory mechanics for the modified Dambusters machines, or were they dealt with by the squadron ground crew?

How much contact did the ground crew have with the flying commanders? Did they feel like mushrooms (kept in the dark and fed ____), or were they kept "in the loop"?

How much contact with flying personnel beyond handing over the aircraft and accepting it back? Pub crawls together? Hit the town together?

Were some aircrews harder to work with than others? What made the difference? What did flying crews need to do to get the best from the ground crews? (Did they even work more with some crews than with others, or was it just "Today do A-Apple, tomorrow Q-Queenie"?)

Was morale an issue for groundcrews? What kept it high or brought it down?

High points in his / the squadrons career? Low points?

Return to civilian life: something to be dreaded or something looked forward to? Easy-peasy or hard?

Any decent books by ground crew (beyond his own)? I sure as heck can only find rare glimpses into groundcrew experiences on Mossie squads.

Were there civilian contractors from Avro etc on the field for heavily-damaged aircraft? If so, did the RAF guys have any contact or was it separate worlds?

I occasionally read about "rogue" aircraft, very difficult to handle in the air. The 23 Squadron blog even states fairly plainly that one of their Mossies was so intensely disliked that it was deliberately belly-landed so crews didn't have to fly it any more. Did he encounter such aircraft? Views on why they were so?

Were there any issues regarding the aircraft and their handling which made the ground crew guys feel they were just  ? Could they make their views heard up the chain, or would that have been pushing ____ uphill?

Did he go on a "Cook's tour" at the end of the war? If so, impressions?

Were ground crew given regular leave in the same way as aircrew, or were they more or less permanent fixtures?

Were experienced guys sent off to new squadrons as the bomber force grew, or did they stay with their original unit?

What was their "unit" affiliation anyway? Flight? Squadron? Airfield? Station? Group?

Spares/stores situation? Did they have what they needed or did they have to pilfer from one aircraft to the next, squirrel stuff away?

I've read, in the appendices to one squadron's ORB, of ground crew being put on a charge for misplacing "bits", one poor fellow even had his pay docked for quite a substantial amount. Was this common practice, or only for repeat offenders, or did it depend on the local chain of command?

If the ground crew organisation had been his to set up and run, how would he have done it differently?


All I can think of right now. 

[Fish42]

I'd like to know how 617 coped with the sudden and relatively brief use of Mosquitos and a Mustang, from a servicing point of view. Did they simply "borrow" 627 Sqn ground crew for the Mossies? How did they deal with the Mustang (used by Cheshire)?

I would love to hear about this, as I also read that it took 1/2 hour to find out how to refuel the mustang when they first got it. And that the smoke markers did not fit the shackles correctly.

I occasionally read about "rogue" aircraft, very difficult to handle in the air. The 23 Squadron blog even states fairly plainly that one of their Mossies was so intensely disliked that it was deliberately belly-landed so crews didn't have to fly it any more. Did he encounter such aircraft? Views on why they were so?

I think it was R-Roger that caused a pilot a lot of problems. He and the lancaster were both new at the squadron and suddenly the American pilot (mind blank on his name atm) found he was flying poorly and could not land like he did before. His crew said he should take it as a sign and pack it in.

When they installed the autopilot for the DD operation, they found that R-Roger Required longer control cables then the other lancs. Turns out the elevators had been installed upside down in the factory.

Cheshire or Martin (again memory is shocking) said only he and God knew how he ever flown that plane. His reply was along the lines of "No Sir, only God knows that".


Also I would like to know how the other squadrons reacted when the 617 Ground crews were sent around to strip the more powerful merlins from other lancs to fit to their own. (This was done to enable the Lancs to lift the Tallboys.)


Oh and also how hard was it to install those long range tanks from the Wellington into the lancasters?