I am trying to work this out. I had assumed that the ferrying of RAF aircraft on such routes as the Takoradi Route through Africa and out to the Burma front would have come under the organisation of RAF Ferry Command. But in looking up RAF Ferry Command on the net I can only seem to find reference to this organisation being responsible for the ferrying of aircraft from North America across the Atlantic to Britain.
So where did the other dedicated ferry routes like Takoradi come into it? Were these or were they not under RAF Ferry Command?
Were they instead part of the Air Transport Auxiliary? I thought they were civilian pilots and UK-based only?
Help please?
By: hillbilly - 23rd February 2014 at 17:32
RAF Melton Mowbray was part of ferry command I think looking at this web site it mentions RAF ferry command
By: Deryck - 21st February 2014 at 14:11
A Friend of mine, who has since died, was in the RCAF and was a navigator employed in ferrying twin-engined aircraft over to Africa via the Florida/Caribbean/South American/South Atlantic route. As far as I can recollect he was not involved in the delivery through Africa only the trans Atlantic route.
By: Dave Homewood - 21st February 2014 at 08:13
Thanks for that info. Welcome to the forum.
By: B Thompson - 21st February 2014 at 07:48
Dave , years ago I talked to an old guy called Innes Jones ( Christian name might have been Malcom ), he had been Black Rod in the NZ Parliament . If I remember correctly he had been injured in Blenhiems early in the war
I also believe he had something to do aquiring Dip Flat as a training area in the top of the South Island .
I just found this post. It’s been a while since it was written, but I know who you are referring to. I knew Mel Innes-Jones in the 1990s, when I lived in Port Ohope and he retired there. I first met him in early 1964 at the Dip Flat camp, which was the venue for the inaugural Air Training Corps annual camp. Five cadets from each ATC squadron in NZ were selected and I was one of the five from 5 ATC Squadron, Dunedin. Our squad leader, by the way, was Keith Skilling.
When I next encountered Mel, in Port Ohope, I told him where we first met and over the years that followed, he told me some interesting stories about his time in the war.
When World War 2 started, he was flying Blenheims and said the attrition rate was so awful, within 15 months only he and one other of the original pilots were still alive.
He said one of his more interesting experiences occurred the day he was being chased across the North Sea in a Blenheim at wave-top height by two Me-110s, which were firing at him at maximum range – he could see their cannon shells hitting the water around and ahead of him. He had his foot hard down and managed to stay ahead of them because he had told his gunner to retract the turret into the fuselage. That gave them another 30 mph, which was all he needed and the 110s eventually gave up.
By: Gus Harris - 10th June 2011 at 02:12
Hi Dave Homewood..Perhaps I can fill in some info for you about the RAF Ferry command..I am an ex-patriate kiwi who served several years as a navigator on the RAF ferry command which was known as 45 Group RAFTC, also..My first HQ was in Dorval Quebec, then with the south atlantic wing HQ in Nassau, and finally I served as OIC RAF FC staging post in Nandi Fiji the last few months of WW2…there are several books written about the RAFTC which give a very good account of the birth and operations of the command..I can give you more info if you wish..What would you like to know about the African units? Let me know..I also have an e-mail address,,gush75@sympatico.ca if you want to go that way..best regards..Kia Ora Gus Harris
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May 30, 2011 at 6:05 am