Air Force Index

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55 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force 5th Sep 1942 Postings 6th Sep 1942 Postings 16th Sep 1942 Postings If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Logbooks Do you have a WW2 Flying Log Book in your possession? If so it would be a huge help if you could add logbook entries to our new database. Thank you. View Logbook entries Those known to have served with 55 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945. Graham. J. . Sergeant (d.10th Feb. 1942) Hurley. J. B.. Sgt McNair DFC & Bar. Robin John. Metherall William Jeffrey . Sgt Preucil. Augustin . Rogers. Lancelot Wolfram. Sgt. Smith Pearson Watson. LAC. Smith. Pearson Watson . LAC. Villinger George Kooker. Sgt.Pilot. (d.2nd March 1944) The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of 55 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. Announcements 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time. The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 25 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web. 12th Dec 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 265075 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQs The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. Want to know more about 55 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force? There are:2 items tagged 55 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. LAC. Pearson Watson Smith No. 56 Operational Training Unit My father, Pearson Smith (born 1920), was from Sunniside, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and enlisted in the RAF on 21st of November 1940 at Padgate. He initially mustered as an ACH/W.Op., then became an ACH/GD, and finally a Maint/Asst. He was demobbed on 15th of July 46 at RAF Cardington, Bedfordshire, having reached the rank of LAC. He went to 10 Signal Recruit Centre, Blackpool, in Feb 41, then moved to No. 3 Signals School (RAF Compton Bassett, Jun 41), 51 OTU (RAF Cranfield, Aug 41), 55 OTU (Oct 41 and Mar 42, RAF Usworth and RAF Great Orton), 16 RC(A) (May 42), hospital at RAF Kirkham (Jul - Aug 43), 56 OTU (RAF Brunton, Jan 45) and No. 95 Maintenance Unit (RAF Lords Bridge, Cambridge, Sep 45) before demobbing at RAF Cardington (102 PDC 'A') on 25/5/46. He also did several 'Alt Backers Up' courses, though it's not clear from his service record what these were. However, an article on the BBC website WW2 People's War may shed some light on this as the correspondent says ‘The Backers Up’ course consisted mostly of football, arms drill, firing on the rifle range, route marches and physical training. The only other possibility is that, as the term 'Backers Up' was used by the Pathfinder Force to describe crews whose job was to add coloured markers to target flares to maintain the aiming point during a raid, is that he may have started as a maintenance assistant on radios but later changed to explosive ordnance, hence how he came to be at 95 MU. I think this unlikely as he joined 95 MU after the war ended and prior to that had been at OTUs, none of which had aircraft used by the Pathfinder Force. I never met my father, as my parents separated when I was a child and he died in 1992. I would be interested in any stories or information about the places he served, especially at the time he was there, and also about the 'Alt Backers Up' courses mentioned on his Service record, as well as information about 16 RC. Notes: RAF Compton Bassett was a training establishment for ground trade radio operators and radio mechanics. 51 OTU at RAF Cranfield (Bedfordshire) in 1941 operated the Beaufort, Mosquito, Wellington, and Hurricane. 55 OTU at RAF Usworth (Co. Durham) in 1941 operated the Hurricane X. 16 RC (A) - no information, but possibly 16 Radio Course, location unknown; the 'A' denotes attachment to 55 OTU as parent unit. 55 OTU at RAF Great Orton (Cumberland) in 1942 operated the Hurricane, Typhoon and Master. RAF Kirkham (Lancashire) was the main armament training centre for the RAF from Nov 1941 and had a military hospital, probably the closest one to RAF Great Orton where Pearson was based at the time. 56 OTU at RAF Brunton (Northumberland) in 1945 operated the Typhoon 1b and Tempest. RAF Lords Bridge in 1945 was an Air Ammunition Park and Forward Filling Station for mustard gas munitions. RAF Cardington (Bedfordshire) in 1946 was a Personnel Despatch Centre (for demobilisation). The 'A' denotes 'A Class' demobilisation category. Stephen Smith Add to this record. Sgt.Pilot. George Kooker Villinger 175 Squadron (d.2nd March 1944) George Villinger, age 23, from Palmyra, New Jersey, voluntarily enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at Montreal, Quebec on 20th of October 1941. After basic training/guard duty and Initial Training School at Toronto, Trenton, London and Belleville (all in the Province of Ontario), George began flight training on de Havilland Tiger Moth biplanes at RCAF No. 20 Elementary Flying Training School at Oshawa, Ontario. From there, he was posted to RCAF No. 16 Service Flying Training School at Hagersville, Ontario where he flew twin-engined Avro Ansons. He graduated as a Sergeant Pilot earning his wings on 25th of September 1942. George shipped out to England from Halifax, Nova Scotia in early October that year. On 24th of November 1942 he commenced fighter pilot training on Hawker Hurricanes at Royal Air Force (RAF) No. 55 Operational Training Unit and was then posted to 175 , RFAon 26th of January 1943 where he flew Hurricanes until 24th of March 1943 when he transferred from the RCAF to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). George died 2nd of March 1944. Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

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