If anybody is still reading this thread….

I can recommend the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) as another place to obtain research data. They have a search engine on their website based around what it says on the tin.

They have won a number of awards, for their charity work, since opening in 2018 and are based on Canwick Hill overlooking the very fine Roman city of Lincoln.

H

Sabrejet,

I don’t know what your quoted document Air 29/587 is. I can’t find it anywhere. It seems to have led you in a certain direction ie ORTU being at RAF Thruxton. Have you used any other document(s) to back its evidence up?

I have used a number of sources (books and websites) to look for your document and evidence that the unit was at RAF Thruxton ALL TO NO AVAIL.

What you see in my previous posts is my thought processes being presented in script. That is how I work. You can see my answer and how I got there. In other words my workings out.

In Dec 1943, the early D-Day plans would have been a very closely guarded secret. Only for very senior people to know about. Juniors wouldn’t have been afforded that knowledge. Hence my use of the term “that is a fact”.  You could also say why would you / they move a unit to another location in the middle of tight program of events – if they did move of course. Such an action could be seen as bad management. 

As a side issue but never the less, an example, I have spent the last weekend going throu’ 1500x F540s relevant to the Battle Of Britain. The amount of obvious errors is frightening. I have had to use the grey matter to sift through the clutter or chaff to obtain the true picture. However, I accept these documents were created in the “thick of war”. Just as your document Air 29/587 presented data or report possibly was. 

At the end of the day my narrative is based on what I find when I go looking. Everything needs to be X-checked to ensure the true picture is emerging. Rather than just relying on one single source.

H

The Albermarles are from the Operational Refresher Training Unit (ORTU). Involved in pre-D-Day training. About 20 of the aircraft type were on strength at the time. As somebody has already said the unit was formed 1 Apr 1944 – which makes the task a bit of a rush job. It was never given a “unit number plate”. The correct title for the station, back in the day, was RAF Hampstead Norris.

The ORTU is still around today – its called 27 Sqn (Chinooks) – small World!! It “arrived” there via 240 OCU. 

Pre 1944, the stations role was operating Wellington’s in the European theatre and preparing same for ferry to the Mid-East.

H

It is an inside job..

An IT geek working in the back office at HQ. I put Vahe.D into Microsoft Search Engine the top reply was “Historic Aviation Key Pubs”. I’m no IT expert but that does for me!

I started my first posting, in the RAF, in 1975. As seen elsewhere in this Forum.

In my experience Battery Bays would close for the night at about mid-night.

I never in my time 1975 – 1999 ever saw any type of charging outside of working hours. I think OC Eng Wg would have something to say if it did. In most cases the Duty Electrician was a day shift duty and on call through out the evening and night. Not to be confused with the Battery Bay team manning which I believe had their own shift pattern(s).

Different stations, in my experience, had different policies re the storage of fully charged Trolley Accs. But generally speaking each hanger would be entitled to one with two or three spares to cover re-charging and routine maintenance. Hence RAF Scampton which had four hangers had an entitlement to seven.

Very impressive.

I’m certain “The Bloody One-Hundredth” also flew in the Mach Loop earlier in the Summer or Spring this year. However, didn’t see any pics of it.

Edit – it happened 9 May 24. Details on Key Aero website Military News Archive.