Wartime Servicemen Serving Into The 1970/80s?

My old pilot served in three air forces. He was under training in the Polish Air Force when Germany invaded in 1939 and escaped via Hungary to France, where they joined the French Air Force. He was sent to continue his training to North Africa and when France adopted the Vichy regime these left for England to join the RAF. He eventually signed on to age 55 and would have left the RAF in the mid 1970’s, although he continued in a civilian role for some time after wards.

The Command Master Chief on my second ship, USS Nassau (LHA-4), enlisted in 1942 and was still serving on active duty when I left in late 1982. Up to that time his career included five tours as Command Master Chief, beginning in 1967.

When I first arrived at RAF Valley in the late ’70’s (not part of my personal Grand Plan), there resided a Master Pilot who I believe, was involved in ‘fresh meat’ training in the Gnat simulators. Like most of his brethren, he was always immaculately dressed (even putting the SWO to shame) and had a chest full of medals. Although I never met the gentleman, I was advised by the older and longer-serving types that he would chat freely with the troops and scowl heavily at the young officers hoping to gain their wings.

Seem to remember another Master Pilot at Halton in the late ’70’s as well. Like the aforementioned, immaculate and bedecked with gongs.

Thinking about it, in those days, most of the Senior Officers carried gongs that reflected action, not admin accomplishments, and generally had the respect of those around them because they really had ‘been there and done that’.

Boy, have times changed.

Camlobe

A real gent.

Sadly I wished I had written down our conversations, the sands of time and all that.

I remember he wasn’t keen on Germans and even less keen on Russians.

It was a shock to me at the time, how we treated the Poles at the end of the war and your father was the main reason my Spitfire is painted in Polish markings.

Welcome to the forum

Baz

What a marvelous garden display-would love something like that in my yard-one up on the neighbours’ garden gnomes!

Cheers Baz. You’re right about the Germans. He would have got on famously with Basil Fawlty! I remember him being introduced to a German couple at a dinner-dance in Coningsby. The guy asked him “Have you ever visited Hamburg?” He replied, “No but I flew over in a Halifax once or twice”!
I agree that the Poles were sold down the river after the war-political correctness to appease the Russians I supoose.

I suspect there were a lot of ex-WW2 airmen still serving into the late 1970s and early 1980s.
I joined the Civil Service in 1975, working in a little office next to RAF Kinloss ATC, and RAF and NATO aircrew visited us for briefings on a daily basis.
One of my bosses at the time (still alive) was a Lancaster tail gunner during WW2, and on this particular day he was briefing a gaggle of orange flight-suited German Navy F-104G pilots.
An old RAF Devon pilot of Polish origin, with compulsory Jimmy Edwards moustache, came in at the same time for a brief, and paced back and forth behind the Germans, muttering oaths under his breath.
When the Germans left, my boss quipped that Devon pilot didn’t seem too impressed with our NATO allies, to which the Flt Lt replied “Personally, I used to try to kill as many of those b******s as I could!”, to which my boss retorted “Me too!”…

Flight Lieutenant W.K. Wightman AFC. Ken joined the RAF on 5th October 1942 and had his first flight on 14th July 1943 in a Tiger Moth. His final flight was on 8th December 1975 in a Varsity at Aldergrove. In between, Ken flew 20 ops on Lancasters with 101 Squadron and post-war flew an incredible range of piston and jet types including some very vague log book entries relating to RB-45s. He retired in June 1977. He never sought promotion because he loved flying so much and didn’t want to become deskbound.
I don’t think anybody will ever again have a flying career that could begin to compare with the likes of Ken’s in terms of the development of aircraft in a 35 year period.
His log book lists 37 types including Lancaster, Lincoln, Canberra, York, Tudor, Valetta, Shackleton, Meteor, Vampire, Hunter, Swift, Javelin, Valiant. He had a total of just under 5000 hours as Captain.

Flight Lieutenant Bert Webster, I think ex Wellington Sgt Pilot, if I remember correctly, later CFI 1970-71, University of Wales Air Squadron St Athan. After a heavy session in the mess one night with the sprogs, he was seen the following morning undertaking a met flight along the line of the main runway about 10 feet of the ground, aircraft inverted.

My Dad may well qualify for this thread. Called up in 1942, and volunteered for aircrew. Served as groundcrew on several Bomber Command airfields, servicng Lancasters and Halifaxes.
Eventually sent to Terrel, Texas, in late 1944, and completed flight training around about V.E.Day
Returning to the U.K. was kept waiting for a while before joining 51 and then 511 Squadrons, flying Yorks (Including Mountbatten’s) to and from the Far East, as a Sergeant Pilot.

Demobbed just before the Berlin Airlift, became a Church of Scotland Minister, married, and then me and my brother arrived.

Rejoined R.A.F. in 1961, as an Officer (CSFC Padre), he served at MELKSHAM. LAARBRUCH, COSFORD, ADEN, SCAMPTON, CYPRUS, HEREFORD, and finally SWINDERBY, before retiring in 1977 on the same day as I completed recruit training. He retired with the rank of Wing Commander.

Regards, Cabbage

A potted history of my father….joined the Fleet Air Arm and went through RAF Halton in the August 1939 FAA intake, passed out May 1941, as an Aircraft Artificer, joined the CAM ship Sea Hurricane unit, then pictured on HMS Dasher with 804 Sqdn Sea Hurricane IIc during Operation Torch…he recalls the roundels being quickly overpainted with US markings to avoid upsetting the French….luckily he disembarked from Dasher before she blew up with huge loss of life in the Clyde. Went on through Barracuda and Swordfish squadrons, joined 1831 Sqdn operating Corsairs on HMS Glory in the Far East, came back post war up the coast of Australia on HMAS Ping Wo….went on to serve with the Attacker trials unit, then Sea Hawks, Sea Venoms, Gannets and Avengers on 831 at Culdrose, Meteor TT20s with 728 as AEO at HalFar, and is pictured hauling down the White Ensign at HalFar for the very last time in May 1967.He retired as a Two and a Half in the mid 70’s and joined the BAC management side on the RSAF Lightning contract for a few years.

Last weekend at Old Warden (huge thanks to Toby and Steven) we recreated the snap taken of him (R) on Dasher during Operation Torch…73 years on…and still going strong!

“Tiny” Mentz was NCO aircrew on Met Sqns in WW2. He was Commissioned (from Flt Sgt) on 8 Feb 45. He was then, variously, RAFVR, RAFRO, RAFR, and CC – as well as being an Air Min/MoD civilian meteorologist. He eventually Relinquished his CC Commission as OC MMU on 27 Aug 83. He was, thus, (I think) the last person to wear the “M” Brevet in uniform, and on duty – at RAF Stanley (doing 24-hr shifts!!!!!).
HTH
Resmoroh

Sorry for the belated reply-just joined this site. I believe the SWO at Cottesmore in ’74 was my father, Master Pilot B. J. (Bob) Adamek. Recognised by the mo and the Afghan hound. He joined the mob in ’44, flying Wimpies. Finished his last flying tour in Sharjah on Twin Pioneersaround ’71. De-mobbed in 82. Sadly passed away in “93.

A real gent.

Sadly I wished I had written down our conversations, the sands of time and all that.

I remember he wasn’t keen on Germans and even less keen on Russians.

It was a shock to me at the time, how we treated the Poles at the end of the war and your father was the main reason my Spitfire is painted in Polish markings.

Welcome to the forum

Baz

I was proud to be aquainted with “Joe” Kmiecek in the early ’70s when I worked as a civilian radar tech at RAF Northolt. He did a spell on GCA -and was completely unflappable. If the PAR died in the **** at an embarrassing time (the old MPN11 was prone to that) he would just look out the door and carry on with the talkdown! I believe Joe was tragically electrocuted in the mid ’80s.

Sorry for the belated reply-just joined this site. I believe the SWO at Cottesmore in ’74 was my father, Master Pilot B. J. (Bob) Adamek. Recognised by the mo and the Afghan hound. He joined the mob in ’44, flying Wimpies. Finished his last flying tour in Sharjah on Twin Pioneersaround ’71. De-mobbed in 82. Sadly passed away in “93.