Bit of an odd question this one. If you were an aircrew trainee during the war and destined for bombers, where could your training have taken place in Scotland? By this I mean the ‘trade’ training for navigators, gunners etc before the OTU phase, but to be honest it would be interesting to know about the OTU’s as well. I’m aware of RAF Dumfries, but wondered how many places had a similar training role for multi-engine crews.
Bob
By: FarlamAirframes - 8th April 2014 at 17:10
Strange how my grandfather from Ayrshire got sent to Edinburgh and then to Lancashire for his training.
His gunnery school was at Walney Island. Seems to have bypassed the closer South Scottish resorts.
By: Johnny Kavanagh - 8th April 2014 at 14:55
That pretty much reinforces what I thought Alan – south west Scotland seemed to be the place for bomber training (apart from the OTUs). Fighter (or at least single engine/single crew) training appears to have been more common up here. I dare say there would have been short term detachments for training further north such as Halcyon Days uncle experienced but the main training establishments were in the south.
By: Alan Clark - 8th April 2014 at 00:29
Bob
The organisation of pre OTU training was spread right across the British Isles, the primary Scottish based units concerned with the training of navigators and bomb aimers (previously Observers) were:
No.1 AOS / (O)AFU – Wigtown
No.4 AOS / (O)AFU – West Freugh
No.10 B&GS / AOS / (O)AFU – Dumfries
There were also some early war units else where, No.1 AONS at Prestwick is an example, they were mostly run by civilian contractors but using RAF aircraft. Airwork were a major player in this and operated a number of schools at the outbreak of war.
Air Gunnery training was under taken by various units such as No.2 AGS at Dalcross and No.3 AGS at Castle Kennedy.
Also some under training wireless operators and air gunners were taken onto strength at other units to complete their training. For instance there are examples of WO/AGs u/t at Dumfries even though No.10 (O)AFU was a Navigation/Bombing school.
There were not many multi-engine units training pilots in Scotland, a couple of Flying Training Schools (later (P)AFUs) used airfields on the Moray coast.
They only Bomber Command OTUs in Scotland were No.19 & No.20 at Kinloss and Lossiemouth respectively.
I guess in theory it might have been possible to go from one end of the training syllabus to the other entirely at Scottish units but it might have been difficult. I can certainly think of more units with Fighter and Coastal Command ties than I can Bomber Command.
By: Halcyon days - 7th April 2014 at 23:11
Ive only really researched my Uncles history (Air gunner) but he trained pre OTU at Lossiemouth in 1942-mainly on Whitleys and Ansons. Some of his training was using Forres which was I believe a satellite field for Lossy.
(He was lost at the end of 1942 with 83 squadron).
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April 7, 2014 at 9:41 pm