COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Chairman
Sqn Ldr G W Moffatt
Chairman
Designate
Wg Cdr A J Mawby
Treasurer
John
Gulliver
Secretary
Peter
M Walker
Historian
Jock
Whitehouse
Committee
David
J Parsons
Roy
Monk KM
Sqn
Ldr B D Davies
Wg
Cdr W A Wilkinson
Shaun
P Broaders MBE, MSM
Should you
have any queries on Association matters please feel free to contact, by
telephone or letter, any member of the Committee.
THE 2006 REUNION DINNER
The Reunion Dinner was held over the
weekend of September 22/23rd. 2006 at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, attended
by 54 members and guests. Attending for the first time were new members Gerry
and Joy Crombie and father and son John and Nicholas Jewsbury.
From the USA was S/Ldr. John Brown and
Mrs.Paula Brown. Another recent new member was Mrs. ShirIey WhitIock.
One of our oldest members is Ted Walker, at
96 had managed to come all the way from Darlington. (With his son, James).
Sqn.Ldr. Jim Newman, 88, travelled from
near Bristol in a Mercedes taxi and returned by the same mode of transport on
the Monday morning. Jim had brought a family friend with him, Mrs. Mary Tucker
who is 92.
I think that Mary came along to keep an eye
on him as well as to keep him out of mischief.
The Dinner was followed by our guest
speaker, Group Capt.David Seward AFC. David had been C/O of 56 Sqn. at Wattisham (Lightnings) in 1961 to 1963
followed by becoming GCI with 226 OCU, the Lightning conversion unit at Coltish
all from 1963 to 1965.
During his Lightning period he often used
to refuel from 214 Sqn's Valiants.
The BBMF was at Coltishall during this time
and David was fortunate in having the opportunity of flying Spitfires, the
Hurricane and occasionally the Lancaster. His talk was mainly of the Lightning,
both from a maintenance and flying aspect. David illustrated his talk with
slides. Thank you David, it was most interesting.
It was a most relaxing and enjoyable
evening, old friends meeting and chatting
of old times. Despite the Maids Head not
the best of hotels most people agreed that it was one of the best Reunions for
many a year.
The AGM
The 18th. AGM was held at 14.00 hrs. when
we were welcomed by our Chairman, Sqn. Ldr. "Moff" Moffatt. Twenty
members were present.
Apologies for absence were read out having
been received from:
MRAF Sir Michael Beetham, S/L Maurice
Webster, Bert Mowlem OBE, Gerhard Heilig, Graham Spaxman, A V M Jack Furner
(but at the AGM), Mrs. Joyce Hughes, Bill Doy, Hazel South gate, George Cox,
Keith and Norma Evans (New Zealand), Sylvia and Maurice Harding (Australia),
Howie Wing, Neil Scott, Bill Howard and Mrs. Peggy Dain, Steve and Joan Nessner
(Canada), John and Gwen Morton, Charles Lilley, Brian Burgess, Alastair
McDermid, Peter Jowett, W/C John Brown, Geoff Hicks.
In Memorium
BERT FINCH (Sept. 2005) JOHN FENN (Dec.
2005)
HERBERT HARKER (Dec. 25th. 2005) Sql1.Ldr.
JACK DIXON (Jan. 16th. 2006) GEOFF LILES ( March 2006)
Mrs. BILLIE MURRA Y (March 2006) JACK
CREECH (April 2006)
DON AUSTIN (July 2006)
S/L RAY GLASS (August 2006)
The AGM continued:
The minutes of the last meeting were read
out and agreed. Proposed by Paul Henry and seconded by Bob Moorby.
The Chairman then reported that the
Association was in a healthy state, both financially and membership, in fact
the membership has increased slightly to, currently, 215.
He also announced that he would, with
affect from the 2007 Reunion, be standing down as Chairman. His replacement
would be W/C Alan Mawby who is already a Committee member.
Treasurer's Report
As at 31/12/05 our total members funds
stood at £2,820.02 . Since this date the No.2 account has been closed and the
small amount held in the a/c has been transferred to the No.l a/c.
If any member would like a copy of the
accounts please contact the Treasurer whose name and address is inside the
front cover of this newsletter.
The HISTORIAN'S REPORT is included on a
separate page further on in this newsletter.
SECRETARY'S REPORT
Two editions of the Nightjar have been
produced in 2006. The February edition had 10 pages and two covers. 220 copies
were produced at a total cost, including postage, of £303 00.
The June edition had 13 pages, two covers
and three loose sheets (two booking forms). 220 copies were produced and cost,
including postage, a total of £426 00
The normal UK postage rate had increased
from 35p to 37p per copy during the Spring. Due to a booboo by the printers the
weight of the June edition meant that, despite a previous weight test, it was
marginally over the limit which pushed the postage up to 50p per copy. Very
annoying, your Secretary had to spend quite a few hours licking and sticking
600 extra stamps over and above the 37p ones already on the envelopes.
Despite these problems the Nightjar seems
to have been well received by the members It is the Nightjar that keeps us all
in touch, especially for those, who for various reasons, cannot get to the
Reunions.
New members since the 2005 Reunion:
WAYNE TAGGART , Nova Scotia, Canada.
Wayne's father was Flt. Sgt. Bruce Taggart RCAF , mid-upper gunner in Bob
Macketts crew with Bill Wilkinson and Alan Deadman. (Stirlings)
Mrs. SHIRLEY WHITLOCK. Her uncle, Sgt. Eric
Smith, was the navigator in Stirling BF516 which came down in the sea off
Pevensey Bay, Sussex on August 10th. 1943. Sadly he lost his life. One crew
member who survived was Bob Moorby who has become very good friends with
Shirley and her family.
Mr. RON ROBERTS. Brother of Shirley
Whitlock (above)
BOB MACKETT Jnr. Vancouver, Canada. Son of
Bob Mackett RCAF. (Stirling pilot 1942/43 and a member)
The AGM continued:
LES BOSTOCK , Bomb Aimer in Don Austin's Fortress
crew 1944/45 and John Wynne's Fortress crew on 214 Sqn. 1945 and RWE 1945/46.
BILL PHILLIPS. Rear gunner on crew of S/L
Sturdy, Wellingtons at Stradishall 1940/41.
CYRIL SWINDELLS. Airfield defence gunner,
RAF Regiment, Stradishall 1940/41. Attached to 214 Sqn. for airfield defence.
Had a couple of flights in Wellingtons.
GERRY CROMBIE ; Salhouse, Norwich. Pilot on
Victors 1968/71.
BEN WYNNE. Son of Wng. Cdr. John Wynne.
CAROL and JOHN EDWARDS, Harrow, Middlx. Now
running the 214 Sqn. website. http://214squadron.atspace.com/default.htm
e-mail: raf214squadron@yahoo.com
Mrs. BARBARA ROBINSON , London SWI5. Long
time friend of Jack Dixon
JOHN JEWSBURY . Headcorn, Kent. John's
father was Bob Jewsbury, Jack Dixon's Bomb Aimer at Chedburgh.
NICHOLAS JEWSBURY, son of John and grandson
of Bob. Nicholas is currently a pilot flying Tornadoes with 111 Sqn. at
Leuchars,Fife.
Three of the above new members came to the
last Reunion. They were John and Nicholas Jewsbury , and Shirley Whitlock.
During and after the Dinner the young 21st.
century fighter pilot, Nick Jewsbury apparently had a very interesting
conversation with the mid 20th. century fighter pilot, Grp. Capt. David Seward.
Nick also sat at the same table as Ted
Walker, 96 , who was a navigator in WWll. I believe that they thoroughly
enjoyed comparing notes.
It was decided that the 2007 Reunion would
again be held at the Maids Head Hotel in Norwich over the weekend of Friday
21st. and Saturday 22nd. of Sept. We understand that the Maids Head is to be
upgraded in 2007 when over £2 million is to be spent on refurbishment.
Details and booking forms for the Reunion
will be in the June edition of the Nightjar.
Treasurer's Notes
My thanks to all those members who have
paid their subscriptions by cheque, or standing order during the past year. I
wrote to 76 members who we had not heard from for a while. I regret that some
members have passed away, others have moved with no forwarding address, whilst
a few have resigned their membership.
Many of you replied promptly - many thanks
- especially if you paid for missed years. To clear any confusion voiced by
some of you, the current subscription is £10 per annum payable to 214 (FMS)
Squadron Association. I do not anticipate any foreseeable change to this
figure. I do not issue receipts for subscriptions as a matter of routine, but
should you require one, please make the request with your cheque.
The financial year 2006 ended with the
Association funds in a healthy and stable state. I shall give the details at
the AGM in September but should any member unable to attend require a copy of
the report, please let me know.
This year marks two anniversaries, the 90th
since the formation of the Squadron, and sadly, the 30th since the disbandment.
Let us make this year's Reunion one to remember.
I wish you all the best of health and
fortune for 2007.
John Gulliver.
News since tbe Reunion
It is with great sadness that we report the
passing of MARTIN STAUNTON, age 76, on December 2nd. 2006. Martin was a founder
member of the Association and a leading light in the 100 Group Assn.
For some years he was Secretary of 214 Sqn.
Assn. until ill health forced his resignation in 1999.
Martin's connection with the Squadron was
that his brother-in-law was Stafford Sinclair, W/Op. in the crew of Flt.Lt.
Allies lost on March 12st. 1945.
Bob Moorby was able to represent the
Association at Martin's funeral in Hastings.
It is with equal sadness that we report the
death of AVM JACK FURNER, age 85, on January 1st. 2007.
He was a great supporter of the Association
and his wise counsel was much valued. Jack was very involved in the RAF
Historical Society, the Bomber Command Assn., the Stirling Aircraft Assn. and
was often invited as a speaker at various seminars both here and in the USA.
He was also considered to have been one of
the ablest and knowledgable navigators to have served in the RAF.
The funeral service was held in Norwich on
January 16th. 2007 and representing 214 Sqn. Assn. were MRAF Sir Michael
Beetham, Sqn.Ldr. "Moff” Moffatt and Peter M.Walker.
An outline of Jack Furner's RAF career is
further on in this newsletter.
HISTORIAN'S REPORT
COINCIDENCE(S)? --PERHAPS NOT -- WHO KNOWS?
(1) On a November afternoon, whilst leaving after a visit
to Stirling House, a member of staff asked me if the red car in the restricted
area opposite was mine. 'No' I said but as I knew it could only have just
arrived and was close by the Stradishall Memorial I offered to check. With my
dark clothing probably suggesting otherwise, I assured the driver that I was
not a prison officer but might be able to help if they were visiting the
memorial for any particular reason. This was indeed the case as the couple from
Lincolnshire, had called in to Stradishall as the lady's brother-had apparently
lost his life from there flying with No.214 Squadron! We chatted for a while
about Stradishall's history, the memorial (nice that our squadron wreath should
be in place), Stirling House and the Association, but I sensed an error when
told that the airman in question, Sgt Felce, had been lost on a raid to Hamburg
in March 1943 (Not Stradishall time). Rather than query this at the time I
chose to double check first and as expected found that Sgt. H M Felce, the 19
year-old flight-engineer in the crew of P/O. C W V. Pepper had indeed lost his life on 3/4 March 1943 operating with No.2l4 Squadron - but from Chedburgh!
Six of the crew lost their lives, Sgt Manglasen RNZAF becoming a PoW. and
now, five of the men including Sgt Felce, lie in the Sage War Cemetery which
the family has visited.
However, there exists a strong Stradishall
connection, as P/O Pepper's crew completed their Stirling
training there on No.1657 HCU before being posted to No.214 Squadron at nearby
Chedburgh on 31st January 1943. After settling in, they only flew two
operations during February, both successful: a 'Gardening trip to 'Nectarines'
on the 5th and a full 'op' to Cologne on the 26th.this one in EF329 (BU-C) the aircraft
in which they were tragically lost on their third operation, that to Hamburg on
the 3/4 March, yet another crew to fall victim to 'flak'. I forwarded this
information to Mr & Mrs Dickerson with details of the Personnel Management
Agency in the hope of them obtaining further service details for Sgt. Felce.
I was making a brief unplanned visit
to Stirling House, so is it not a little strange that literally at the moment I
was leaving, the sister of an airman, killed whilst flying with '214', arrived at
Stirling House just to see the memorial sited on the old airfield, and
certainly not expecting to be 'met' by someone with information so relevant for
her. That may be regarded as 'real service'---but who, if anyone arranged it?
I, for one cannot claim to have the answer.
(2) In October I was asked by Wickhambrook
Local History Group if I would give them talk on RAF Chedburgh (at the request
of the members!)and after failing to convince them that I had packed away my
slides and projector, and due to the fact that they were old friends (if not
gluttons for punishment, for they had already suffered previous talks on
aspects of Stradishall's history), I agreed to a date in January.
As the time approached I knew my knowledge
on Chedburgh was decidedly 'rusty' so I resorted to a very humble way out and
that was to read the book written by Spencer and myself so long ago!(Amazing
what you forget). I am sure Spencer had a quiet chuckle at my struggles but as
always, his retained notes proved invaluable.
I decided on a modified format and rather
than re-presenting a mass of wartime data, a look over post-research days
might prove interesting so the efforts expended on the main
The evening went well and it is was good to
be amongst old friends including one or two Chedburgh veterans including Alan
Gamble and Stan Brice both of the Stirling Aircraft Association (Alan is
Chairman and Stan the organiser of the East
Anglian Branch) who both served on No.620 Squadron which as you should
know formed at Chedburgh by combining 'C 'Flights of Nos. 149 and 214
Squadrons.(truly our offspring). Unfortunately Bob Moorby could not make it, similarly Margery Griffiths the
ex-W AAF of No.218 Squadron and organiser of the Annual Chedburgh Reunion. Present, however, was Graeme Bushell
interested in aviation history and the last Station Commander of Stradishall
(he who switched the lights off in 1970) but who as a participant in the Berlin
Airlift knows Bob Davies well! Ron Penhaligan a local man and groundcrew at
Stradishall and Chedburgh gave his support as usual. I also had a few exhibits
on show and the carved 'Ercol' squadron badge and the brass tray both with
strong Chedburgh connections, were greatly admired. I also displayed Ian Hunt's
excellent publication of all Chedburgh Stirling operations for 1943 in which
was the sheet detailing all Jack Furner's trips as navigator. (A last minute
thought)
But not quite the evening as planned. My
decision to include aspects of latter years meant mention of some of the
splendid people who made our work so easy-- after all it was their story, but I
was quite comfortable to talk about or show pictures of Ray Glass, Jack Dixon,
Ray Hartwell and his crew, and those from other Chedburgh units whom we had
either met or contacted. One of the earliest and most fruitful responses was
from John Verrall a New Zealand pilot who vividly described his experiences at
Chedburgh. Unknown to me at the time was that we were nearly next door neighbours in Shrewsbury and that John's navigator
was Jack Furner who spoke so highly of John in his Foreword to our Chedburgh
book.
I opted to open my talk by reading the
sections from the book entitled: 'Chedburgh pre-War', 'The Price Paid' and Jack
Furner's 'Foreword' hopeful that these would set the scene in the desired
manner. Which they did.
What I could not have forseen, however, was
that I would be reading these on Tuesday 16th January: not only the day chosen
for the 'Chedburgh Evening' but also that of Jack Furner's funeral. The
response from those present was noticable and it offered all a quiet moment to
reflect on what had been given and sacrificed and I trust that Jack would have
approved of his unexpected 'part' in the evening's programme which I thought
only right to include.
Our thoughts were therefore certainly in
the right place. But why was Chedburgh selected, why did I choose to dwell a
little more on the Remembrance side for my talk, why did mention and inclusion
of a totally unexpected and sad happening seem so appropriate, and WHY 16th
January?
Random happenings or arranged? As above 1
would not even attempt to hazard a guess.
Jock M Whitehouse.
FLYING DOWN TO RIO - WELL NEARLY!
The call came through from Marham Ops - mid
afternoon on Friday 2nd May 1975;
as this type of call always did. 214 were to put four crews on standby over the
weekend for an urgent overseas task. 'Why 214, can't 55 or 57 (the Victor
Mkl/1A sister tanker squadrons at Marham) provide a crew or two?' 'They are
meeting other tasks and have no crews available' came the reply. Uhha, we
thought, typical 55/57. But we scrabbled around and found fours crews,
including my own crew: Tony Banfield - captain, Dick Druit - co-pilot, Keith
Richards - nav rad, Pete Martin-Smith - nav plotter, and myself, Vic Pheasant-
AEO. I was also to be the nominated Detachment Commander.
Thankfully, the weekend passed uneventfully
with no call out, but we did learn of the task. A Royal Navy Phanton F4 from
the Ark Royal had gone unserviceable at the US Naval Air Station Roosevelt
Roads in Puerto Rico. It was now serviceable, but the Ark Royal, on a good-will
tour to the Caribbean and South America, was now in Rio De Janeiro and the F4
did not have the legs to fly that far. The task was to send three Victors to
'Rosie Roads' via Goose Bay; two for the task and one standby. If the primary
and secondary aircraft got away OK with the F4 from 'Rosie Roads', then the
standby aircraft would return to the UK via 'The Goose'. At Rosie Roads, the
primary and secondary aircraft would get airborne, followed by the F4 to fly
south as a loose formation. To maximise fuel
availability (and this was the good bit), both the primary and secondary
aircraft would land back at Seawell, Barbados. At an appropriate stage en
route, the secondary aircraft would refuel the F4 and then give its remaining
available fuel to the primary aircraft. The primary aircraft would then fly on
with the F4 giving it a further top up, and cast off the F4 somewhere south of
the equator from where it would fly on to Rio - provided its navigation and
comms gear was OK. If it was not, then the primary aircraft was to accompany
the F4 to Rio. As it turned out - a rather nice task.
Of course, when Monday morning came and
55/57 heard about the task - especially the Barbados and possibly Rio bit, they
immediately had crews available to muscle in. It was decided that 55 would
provide the secondary aircraft, 57 the standby aircraft and 214 would provide
the primary aircraft (my crew) plus a UK standby aircraft. Also, because of
seniorities in personnel, 55 would now provide the Detachment Commander. So,
later that morning on the 5th May, the three aircraft got airborne
independently for Goose Bay. We were initially in XA 938 with Dave Parsons as
our crew chief in the sixth seat. But we did not get off to a good start.
Sometime in the climb it became apparent that something was wrong with the pressurisation; that turned out to be the 'flood flow'
stuck permanently on. We had no choice but to return to base. We radioed ahead,
were able to quickly swap to good old XA936, and flew on to The Goose with no
further problems. After a night stop on The Goose, the following day the three
aircraft flew on independently to Rosie Roads.
As a US Naval Air Station, there was little
suitable ground equipment for the Victors, so we had to make do as best as
we could. (Our means of climbing in and out of the cockpit was via a large
wheeled, dual bottle fire, extinguisher apparatus.) We met up with the F4
crew in the rather spartan BOQs (Bachelor Officers Quarters), and the following
morning completed the planning and briefing for the task. Later that morning,
both the primary and secondary aircraft, and the F4, got airborne and established
in loose formation en route OK, so the standby aircraft returned to The Goose
and then back to the UK. The secondary aircraft gave the F4 its first refuelling, and it was now our turn to plug in to take
its remaining available fuel. Tony did his usual jokey 'I'm not sure if I
can do this tricky thing', to be told 'just get it
Having refuelled him a couple of times, it
was coming to the point where we had to cast off the F4 and, as briefed, this
could only be so if its nav and comms gear was OK. We enquired how things were,
to be told that everything was fine. At which point we declared that we were
receiving his comms broken and distorted and we were having difficulty hearing
him. (You don't often get opportunities to fly down
to Rio!) However, we were soon told, in direct Anglo Saxon, that all was fine
and that we could depart pronto. So reluctantly we turned away and headed back
up to Barbados. Taxiing into the dispersal, we were discussing what we should
do in the evening we had on the island, when I looked up to see that one of the
hydraulic pump ammeters had fallen to zero. I switched it off and on a couple
of times, but it was clear that we had had a hydraulic pump failure. When I
announced this to the crew, there were cries of 'well done sir' and 'great
stuff. I protested that I thought that this was genuine, which was later
confirmed by Dave Parsons, the crew chief, after we had shut down. So this
meant that a new pump had to be flown out to us in Barbados, and that we had at
least one clear day to explore the island. We told the 55 Sqn detachment commander
the situation, and he said that they would also be staying as their nav radar
had a severe stomach upset. Seemed a bit flaky to us, but we were in the clear.
The hotel in which we were accommodated was
one of the more established places on the island, just a little worn at the
edges, but on the beach. I found that I had been allocated a room which opened
right out on to the beach. Soon we were in the bar, then out on the town to
explore the night life, which we found to be very lively and cosmopolitan.
Everybody mixed without question. The following morning, having awoken to the
gentle sound of lapping waves, we decided to hire two open topped 'mini mokes'
to explore the island, which proved to be an excellent idea. It certainly was
very delightful and picturesque, quaintly British in some ways, but with much
local charm, especially the small but colourful wooden houses that were built so that they could be moved. The palm
fringed beaches were just as shown in any travel brochure, the weather warm and
dry. The Barbadians were a very friendly and helpful people, and very
hospitable as we were to find out. Sometime in the late afternoon we were
passing a beachside hotel, when a cool beer seemed to be the order of the day.
While sitting in the bar supping our beers and looking out on to the clear blue
ocean, we were accosted by a very large, and formidable looking, Barbadian.
'Where are you guys from?' he enquired, 'you're not the crew from the Victor
down at the airport?' When we confirmed that we were indeed so, his face broke
out into a very broad grin. He said that he had been in the RAF for five years
in the UK serving as a fireman. He was now the hotel manager, and would we like
another beer on him ..... and another. .... and another. It was a great ending
to the afternoon.
The next day, which was a Friday, we were
told that the new hydraulic pump would arrive that afternoon. The 55 crew
decided that they had run out of excuses and would be returning to the UK
via The Goose. We said that we would leave the day after provided we got the
hydraulic pump installed OK. That afternoon, Dave Parsons and I set of to
find the pump at the airport. The two hydraulic pumps in the Victor are situated
laterally side by side on the rear floor of the nose wheel bay. They are not
easy to get to, and the space is rather cramped
The new part arrived on the Sunday night,
so it was decided that Dave and I would fit it on the Monday morning. If it all
went OK, we would get airborne as soon as possible for The Goose. (It was well
appreciated that there might be some cynics at Group, and probably at base,
that might have other views on our sojourn on this delightful island.) However,
if things did not go well and we still had problems getting the hydraulic
connections made, then the go/no go cut off would be midday.
Early on the Monday, Dave and I packed and
checked out of the hotel to be driven by one of the crew in the mini-moke to
collect the part and then out to the aircraft. The rest of the crew took it
more leisurely. For the better part of the morning, in the blistering and humid
heat, Dave and I struggled in the nose wheel bay until at last we managed to
get the new pump and new piece of pipe connected into the system. Dave checked
and wire locked all of the connections, and it was time for power on to the
aircraft to check that it all functioned. Just before midday, we were able to
say that the aircraft was now fully serviceable and, despite the fact that Dave
and I were pretty knackered, it was agreed that we would leave as planned. By
this time, the mini mokes had been returned, all of the kit was on board, a
flight plan had been filed and we were ready to leave. Within an hour we were
airborne, and it was a delight to get out of the humid heat and cool down while
getting our liquid levels back to some normality.
Just as we were starting to relax in the climb,
when passing something like fifteen thousand feet, we heard that familiar,
but most unwelcome, hissing sound - of a door seal failure. This was the last
thing that Dave and I needed. The door seal was essentially a rubber tube
in the space between the cabin door and the fuselage opening. It's inflation,
when airborne, made an airtight seal so that cabin pressure could be maintained,
usually at around an eight thousand feet cabin altitude. If it failed, as
in this case, then cabin pressure would be lost. The usual two alternatives
in this situation were either oxygen masks permanently on, or descend to an
altitude where an acceptable cabin pressure could be maintained (depending
on the size of the leak) or, if not, at an altitude below ten thousand feet.
Tony levelled out while we
discussed the options. Problem one was that our oxygen level was already down
a bit as we were unable to top it up at Barbados, so returning there (as attractive
as that might be) was not really an option. A quick calculation of low altitude
fuel usage made it clear that we did not have enough fuel to make The Goose
at an altitude where we would not need oxygen, and we were
On landing at Bermuda they clearly did not
know what to do with us as we seemed to be taxiing for an interminable period
Eventually we were given a parking area and closed down. While waiting for
someone to turn up with transport, Tony, Dave and I discussed what we should do
next. Dave was understandably reluctant to undertake a door seal change in
Bermuda, and we were unsure whether we would be able to top up the oxygen at
Bermuda. What to do? As the discussion went to and fro, Keith Richards wandered
up to the group '1 don't know what all this discussion is about. Why don't we
just top the fuel up to the gunwales and go up to Goose Bay at low level?!' The
three of us just looked at each other out of the mouths of babes and nav
radars! We spent the night at a rather delightful hotel next to a golf course,
and the following morning did just as Keith had suggested. The subsequent
flight up to The Goose went smoothly, and the aircraft went into the hanger for
the door seal change.
There was a sizeable detachment of mainly
engineering personnel at Goose Bay, so there were plenty of hands to assist
Dave. But our troubles weren't over yet! The Wing Commander Goose Bay
Detachment Commander advised us that he had decided to relieve us of our crew
chief, who was also Vulcan qualified, and send him on to the USAF SAC base at
Offutt where a Vulcan was stuck unserviceable, with the crew chief sick and
unable to take the rectification action. We were, understandably, not very
pleased at this turn of events, not least Tony, in his capacity of aircraft
captain, who had to be restrained a bit from his protestations. The Goose Bay
Det. Com. was not the most endearing of characters, but we knew that he was
within his rights. It was pointed out to the Det. Com. that we knew that our
aircraft was required back at Marham for a major trail that was to take place
within a few days, so we could not wait for Dave to return. But more important
to the trail was Dave's return to Marham due to the current Squadron shortage
of qualified crew chiefs. With the Det. Com.' s refusal to consider this, we
requested permission to signal the Squadron about the action that he was about
to undertake. He grumbled a bit about this as he had to approve the signal
before it went out. Eventually, he sent a message to the effect that he had
changed his mind and that our crew chief would now not be required. We did not
enquire what it was that had changed his mind!
After a couple of nights on The Goose, our
aircraft was pronounced serviceable, and we returned to Marham, arriving back
some six days later than planned. Tony had a bit of explaining to do, especially
about the Bermuda bit. But there was much envy on the Squadron over our delightful
sojourn on Barbados - but it would have been nice to have made it to Rio!
Sqn. Ldr. Vic Pheasant
MBE
Order of Service
Conducted by The Reverend Robert C. Wright
Miserere (Allegri)
Sentences
Introduction
Symphony No. 5 (Sibelius)
Eulogies: Marshal of the RAF Sir Michael Beetham, GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC
Peter Furner
Richard Furner
Jonathan Furner
Reading
Satyagraha (Glass)
Prayers
Commendation and Committal
A Trumpeter of the Band of the Royal Air Force Regiment
(The Trumpeter plays by permission of the Air Force
Board of the Defence Council)
Double Piano Concerto for 3 Hands (Arnold)
Air Vice-Marshal
JACK FURNER
CBE,DFC,AFC
14 November 1921 - 1 January 2007
St Faith's Crematorium
Horsham St Faith
on
16 January 2007
AIR VICE
MARSHAL D.J.FURNER CBE. AFC. DFC
AVM Jack Furner who lived in Cromer,
Norfolk, died on January 1st., aged 85. He joined the RAF at the Lords cricket
ground recruiting centre in 1941 and from the outset he wanted to be a
navigator and not a pilot.
During a 35 year career he flew in 42
different types of aircraft with 243 different pilots.
After basic training and navigation school
he moved on to an Operational Training Unit (OTU) where he later joined his
crew.
In March 1943 he was posted, with his crew,
to an operational bomber squadron, No.214, at Chedburgh, Suffolk to fly the
Short Stirling four engined heavy bomber. His first operation was to Kiel on
April 4th. and his last to Berlin on Aug.31st.
A total of 25 operational flights were
flown, completing his "tour".
He was 21 years old and was posted to No. 3
Group HQ at Exning near Newmarket to carry out analysis of operational
navigation logs and charts.
In November he learnt that a new Group was
being formed in Bomber Command. This was 100 Group with it's HQ at Bylaugh
Hall, near Dereham, Norfolk.
The Group's task was to bring together
various squadrons and other specialist units that were to fight a very secret
war of electronic and radio countermeasures to attempt to reduce the losses of
the mainstream heavy bombers and crews.
In December he heard that his old
squadron,No. 214, was to be reformed in 100 Group to fly the B17 Flying
Fortress on radio countermeasures duties.
He also heard that they would require a
navigation leader in the rank of Flight Lieutenant and wanting to get back to
operational flying he applied to return to his old squadron.
His request was accepted and in the early
months of 1944 he moved to Sculthorpe, Norfolk where the squadron was to
receive Fortresses for familiarisation
training. By April they began to fly a few ops and in May a move was made to
Oulton near Blickling.
Here operations commenced on May 16th. From
this period to September Jack flew as navigation leader on many important raids
in support of the main RAF bomber raids against targets over Germany and
occupied Europe. Having now completed his second operational "tour"
he was sent, in late 1944, to fly as navigator in Transport Command aircraft,
operating from India on supply dropping over Burma. Although the war against
Japan came to an end in August 1945 there was still much work to do and Jack
did not return home until 1947.
In the postwar period he instructed at a
Navigation School then went to the Central Navigation and Control School (CNCS)
at Shawbury from July 1950 to April 1951.
This was followed by a period at Boscombe
Down where he was involved in trials and development work on new navigation and
bombing equipment.
In November 1953 he was seconded to the
USAF for development work at the Wright Air Development Center at Dayton, Ohio.
Here he flew in a variety of aircraft, B25,
B26, B29, B36, B47 and B52 as well as the T33 and T29.
In June 1956 he returned to England with his
wife, sons and a Chevrolet.
Following his return he attended a five
month course at the RAF Flying College at Manby, Lincs.
His next job meant promotion to Wing
Commander as O/C of the Vulcan Operations Wing at RAF Waddington.
Next was a desk job as an operational
planner at Bomber Command HQ, then to SHAPE in the Nuclear Activities Branch.
In 1965 he was a Deputy Director of Manning
at the Air Ministry.
Promotion to Group Captain brought command
of RAF Scampton with three Vulcan Blue Steel Squadrons.
In 1969 Jack became AOC of the Central
Reconnaissance Establishment at Brampton, Hunts. (now Cambs.) with it's
airfield at Wyton.
1970 saw him appointed as Secretary to the
Military Committee at NATO HQ in Brussels.
His final appointment before retirement in
1976 was as Assistant Air Secretary.
MORE NEWS
In Memorium
Dec. 2006, SQN.LDR. F.C. (CHARLES) HAINES,
Royston, Herts. Navigator B on 214 Sqn. 1956/58.
November 9th. 2006
Bob Davies and two friends tidied the
grave,in Putney Vale Cemetery of a 214 Sqn. pilot killed in a 214 Sqn. Wellington
at Methwold on Nov. 6th. 1939.
The pilot's brother's name is also on the
stone, he went missing on ops in December 1940. A caption at the bottom reads;
Two English
boys died
My sons
But England
lives - DAD
The grave is of P/Off. J. Lingwood , age 20
.
Thank you Bob for your care.
Our guest speaker at this year's Reunion
Dinner (Saturday Sept.
22nd.)
Group Captain PHIL OSBORN
OBE, ADC, RAF , O/C RAF Marham
January 12th. A telephone enquiry from Mrs. Sheila Engelse of New
Maldon, Surrey. As Sheila Foley she served as a WAAF M.T. driver at Stradishall
and Chedburgh from 1941 to late 1943. She often took the aircrews to and from
their aircraft.
She particularly remembers the Squadron
Adjutant, FIt. Lt. George Wright who was a real gentleman and the essence of
kindness to everybody.
A pilot she also remembers was Flt.Lt. Ted
Youseman , later to lose his life with 617 Sqn.
If anyone can remember Sheila she can be
contacted on 0208 - 9472259 or write to her at 15, MaIden Court, West Bames
Road, New MaIden, Surrey KTJ 4PW
COME AND
JOIN US IN THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY
A LETTER HOME:
Dear Mum &Dad,
I am well. Hope youse are too. Tell me big
brothers Doug and Phil that the Army is better than workin' on the farm - tell
them to get in bloody quick smart before the jobs are all gone!
I wuz a bit slow in settling down at first,
because ya don't hafta get outta bed until 6am. But I like sleeping in now, cuz
all ya gotta do before breaky is make ya bed and shine ya boots and clean ya
uniform. No bloody cows to milk, no calves to feed, no feed to stack - no thin
!!. Ya haz gotta shave though, but its not so bad, coz theres' lotsa hot water
and even a light to see what ya doing!
At brekky ya get cereal, fruit and eggs,
but theres' no 'roo steaks or possum stew like what Mum makes. Ya don't get fed
again until noon, and by that time all the city boys are buggered because
they've been on a route march, geez its' only like walking to the waterpump in
the back paddock.
This one will kill me brothers with
laughter. I keep getting medals for shooting . dunno why. The bullseye is as
big as a bloody possum's bum and it don't move and its' not firing back at ya
like the Johnson's did when our big scrubber bull got into their prize cows
before the Ekka last year!
All ya gotta do is make yaself comfortable
and hit the target - it's a piece of pi55!! Ya don't even load ya own
cartridges- they come in little boxes and ya don't have to steady yaself
against the rollbar of the 'roo shooting truck when ya reload.
Sometimes ya gotta wrestle with the city
boys and I gotta be real careful coz they break easy - it's not like fighting
with Doug and PhiI and Jack and Boori and Steve and Muzza, all at once like we
do after the muster.
Turns out I'm not a bad boxer either and it
looks like I'm the best the platoon's got, and I've only been beaten by this
one bloke from the Engineers - he's 6 foot 5 and 15 stone and 3 pick handles
wide across the shoulders and as ya know I'm only 5foot 7 and eight stone
wringin' wet, but I fought him 'til the other blokes carried me off to the
boozer.
P.T.O
Note relating to the previous page:
I wonder how many Germans listened, or
indeed dared to have listened to this broadcast by Sir Arthur Harris. I bet
that Hitler and Goebbels were advised of it's content and Himmler received
something similar ???
I can't complain about the Army - tell the
boys to get in quick before word gets around how good it is.
Ya loving daughter, Sheila.
SECRETARY'S
THOUGHTS
At the time of writing we have 198 members
(in recent weeks we have lost 15 members, three of whom have died and the rest
not renewed membership.) Of the 198 members about 82 selved in WWll, mostly
aircrew with a sprinkling of groundcrew and four WAAFs.
All of these people are, at the youngest,
now in their early eighties with the majority in their mid to late eighties and
a few over ninety. It is believed that our two oldest members are ninety six or
dose to it.
Having now served as Secretary since early
2001 it has been my privilege and pleasure to have met and/or corresponded with
most of these people and all are wonderful characters each with fascinating
stories to tell.
Having served on the Squadron from 1956 to
1958 I left the RAF knowing almost nothing about the history of 214 or indeed
of Bomber Command until some years later when I started to research my book on
Norfolk Airfields, eventually published in 1997 after about 30 years of
gathering the facts and figures.
After becoming more knowledgeable on Bomber
Command operations during WW11 I then realised that the difference between war
and postwar ops was that when the boys took off in wartime they knew there was
a very good chance that they would not return or at best be taken as a pow.
Equally those serving on the ground ran the
risk of being bombed or attacked by a low flying intruder. ( or indeed breaking
their necks falling off a Stirling)
Of course I have not forgotten that some of
our wartime members went on to serve postwar, a few reaching high rank.
Whatever period that you served it has been
a pleasure to have got to know many of you. Long may it continue.
This is an extract from the January 2007
edition of Aeroplane magazine.
It proves the point that information
contained in squadron operational record books do contain errors which can
cause confusion to historians and researchers.
Note: Rowland White is the author of the
book, Vulcan 607, the epic story of the "Black Buck" bombing
operations against Port Stanley airfield in the Falklands war.
The story involves the huge part
played by the Marham Victor tanker force and the trials and tribulations of
operating so far from home.
Of course, our President, Sir Michael
Beetham was very much involved, he was Chief of the Air Staff at that period.
It is an amazing story and a book
hard to put down.
Published in 2006 by Bantam Press it is
still available from most good bookshops or your local library.
