No. 75 O.T.U. R.A.F. North Africa. |
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A collection of World War 2 photographs. Research that led to the National Archives and the search for the R.A.F. Operations Record Book. |
| Click here to read the story so far >>>> | |
| Click here to view the photographs >>>> | |
| Click here to view the R.A.F. Operations Record Book for No. 75 O.T.U. >>>> | |
| News and Updates. |
| Since launching the website and after having left messages on various websites and forums for people to get in touch, the response has been amazing. I am collating all the information at the moment, but rest assured that once it is ready, it will be published here for all to see. Please note that I will not publish anyone’s e-mail address without their consent. If you wish to get in touch with anyone mentioned here then please send me an e-mail and I will forward your message onto them for you. Please also note that all the photographs on this website come from private collections, so please do not copy them without permission from the owner. I would like to thank everyone over at the Flypast Aviation Forum [http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/] for all their help in identifying all the various aircraft and military vehicles. You can read the post by clicking here [http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=50358] |
| Flight Mechanic Donald Adds. |
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| Click here to see Graham's Father and his amazing collection of Photographs >>>> |
| Flight Sergeant Fred Naylor (W/Op Air ASVG.) |
| 28 October 2005. Hi Pat, Hope that you don't mind me contacting you like this, but Tony Harper forwarded your photos to me, the reason being that through the internet we discovered that I was a personal friend of his father when we were stationed at Gianaclis. We were both aircrew and actually had breakfast together an hour before his plane crashed. The photos mean something to me because most of my photo collection was lost whilst coming to Canada plus I was stationed at the Heliopolis Palace Hotel when I first arrived in Egypt. Also I played piano with the REMI army orchestra at the Services Club on Soliman Pacha, which is the main street in Cairo, so you can see that they mean something. Just thought that I had to let you know that your efforts have not gone unrewarded. All the best Fred Naylor ex W/OP. |
| 30 October 2005. Hi Pat, First and foremost I will explain the way the members of aircrew arrived at their designation in those days. First of all, all aircrew were volounteers. Upon volounteering you had to state your choice i.e. Pilot, Navigator/Observer, Wireless Operator, or Air Gunner. From then on you would receive notice to attend an RAF centre where you went through various tests to ascertain whether or not you would be accepted for your choice. The following were where the separations were made, Pilots, Navigators, Observers and Bomb Aimers were grouped together. Seemingly, if a trainee Pilot seemed to lack the desired qualities in the initial training period he would be asked to re-muster as either a Navigator, Observer, Bomb Aimer, and another category which was Flight Engineer. Wireless Operators were in a separate category as also were the Air Gunners. I think that the duration of the PNB course was about 12 months, the wireless school course 10 months and the Air Gunnery course 8 weeks. Upon completing your specific course the individuals were promoted to Senior NCOs Sgts, with a select few being promoted to the lowest commissioned rank (Pilot Officer). If a wireless operator (WOP) failed his course he would be asked to re-muster to Air Gunner. If he refused he would be assigned to ground duties. Upon graduating, each person would be issued with a brevet to sew on to his tunic denoting which category he had qualified for, i.e. Pilot, a pair of wings, Navigator, a half-wing with an N. An Observer, a Half-wing with an O, a Bomb Aimer, a half-wing with a B. A Flight Engineer, a half-wing with an FE, and a wireless Operator a half-wing with a W (just at the time that I completed my course a new one was issued with W/AIR on the half-wing). Also some Wireless Operators were required to also take the gunnery course and became, WOP/AGs. The Air Gunners brevet was a half-wing with AG on it, there was also another innovation that came later on - the Wireless Operators brevet which was WASVG which denoted that you had taken the radar course and gunnery course to enable you to do duties on Coastal Command, this is the one which I had. Maybe all this info will help you in the future. Cheers Fred. Now, My service history - Reported to the Air Crew Receiving Centre at St. John's Wood, London in June 1943 then on to Bridlington Initial Training Wing (ITW) for 8 weeks. Incidentally Whilst there I played piano every night at the local ballroom with the Army orchestra. From there we were posted to Radio School at Yatesbury in Wiltshire, where we completed our Radio course. From here we were shipped literally to Egypt, first to Heliopolis which is the elite part of Cairo. Here we had more training then on to gunnery school at El Ballah, way out in the desert. Upon completion of this course, 8 weeks, we spent a few days in Cairo then out to Gianaclis which is a little south of Alexandria. This was the Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.) where the final training was given and where you were formed into your respective crews who you were destined to fly with. I was crewed with two South Africans and two RAF guys. Whilst there I completed my radar course too. On completion we were posted to the South African Base Depot in Cairo, from where we were supposedly to go to a Coastal Command Operational Unit. Instead of this we were split up and I ended up doing a radio conversion course at Heliopolis and then 104 Squadron at Foggia, Italy. Once there I was assigned to a Liberator bomber crew and our job was to attack the retreating Germans in Northern Italy and Germany. We were there until the war finished. That's it. Hope I haven't bored you. |
| 30 October 2005. Hi Pat, Wow! you are on the ball. You are right, you know, those times are very precious and sometimes it is good to talk to someone about them. I do a lot of lawn bowling, and one of the members at the club has just gone into the Veteran's Retirement home. He was a Navigator on Lancasters and they were shot down over Germany whilst on their first raid. He survived the crash and escaped capture for a time before being confined to a prison camp. He actually wrote a book on his exploits, as he was involved in one of the attempted escapes. When they were shot down his rank was Pilot Officer. The procedure in those days for promotion was (I think, every 6 months) that there was an automatic step-up in rank to the next level. Consequently whilst in the prison camp he received his promotions and when the war finished his rank was Wing Commander. When the war finished, all automatic promotions finished. In my case I was promoted to Flight Sergeant (F/SGT) whilst in Italy, then the war finished, so promotions stopped. My full title was Wop Air ASVG, the ASV meaning air to surface vessels. Six months after the war finished I was transferred back to Egypt to FANARA to set up the welfare section at 205 Group Headquarters. Shortly after this I was transferred to Air Staff Headquarters at Fayid, also in Egypt, and ultimately back home for 'demob'. I have not been able to contact any of my former associates in the Services, but it is not for want of trying, but one never knows, does one? Thought I would try this form of script writing for a change. Cheers. F/Sgt Fred Naylor (W/Op Air ASVG.) Ex. |
| 01 November 2005. Hi Pat, Thanks for replying to my dreary e-mail, there must be a lot more interesting exploits than mine if you could only find the right people. For instance, one of the guys who worked with me back home, went into the RAF in '41 and became a pilot. He fought in the Battle of Britain as a Spitfire pilot and was decorated with the DFC. After the war he played scrum-half for Leeds when they became the rugby league champions. He left the Graphic Arts and became an insurance salesman. With reference to the chap who wrote the book - I think that it was published here in Canada. He loaned it to me a few years ago, but I can't remember the title. I found it very interesting reading. I came to Canada in '67 after having an interview in London and have been here ever since. Went back for two weeks in '71, but couldn't wait to come back here. Took early retirement at age 60 and started concentrating on my piano-playing. Also started doing some oil-painting, and also took the F.A. soccer coaching and referees course, so all these things kept me busy. Now I find that just the piano and lawn-bowling keep me busy enough. I Did take on the ownership of a gift store in one of the Holiday Inns but after 3 years I found that it took up too much of my time - couldn't devote enough time to music. I Played with a group on the cruise ships touring the South Pacific and the Mediterranean and found that very interesting and met a lot of interesting people, although this can be dangerous funnily enough. Whilst in port in Valparaiso I went for a quiet stroll on a Sunday morning and was held up at gunpoint by a youth, but this is where my service training came in useful. I just knocked the gun to one side and planted a right cross on his chin. That was game shot. By the way, the book was written by Wing Commander Bruce Campbell. Now, he is not in too good a shape, he is probably ninety years old now - has a bad leg, and apparently is having memory lapses - old age! If I come across his wife at all I will try to get more info on the book. Cheers, Fred. |
| Flight Lieutenant H D Farley RAF VR - 206 Squadron and 221 Squadron Coastal Command. |
| "At the outbreak of World War Two on Sunday 3 September 1939 I was working as a clerical officer at a hospital in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, where I lived with my family. Like any normal person at that time I wanted to fight for my country and as soon as I turned 18-years-old in July 1940 I volunteered for the Royal Air Force. My time as a wireless operator air gunner with the RAF was a great experience and I was proud to have reached the position of flight lieutenant by the time I left in 1946. When I was with the force I saw countries I never would have otherwise seen and I met people of cultures I never would have normally encountered. I also made many friends whom I will never forget". |
| The Life and Times of an RAF Wireless Operator Air Gunner - Part I |
| http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/A2244782 |
| The Life and Times of an RAF Wireless Operator Air Gunner - Part II (this section covers Jack's time at 75 O.T.U.) |
| http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ww2/A2244926 |
| Warrant officer, Wireless Operator and Air Gunner Tom Baxter (Twinkle). |
| Warrant officer, Wireless Operator and Air Gunner Tom Baxter (Twinkle) would like to hear from old comrades. He served in 38 squadron flying Wellingtons (Wimpys) in North Africa (Berca 3 ). He was shot down twice. 11/03/43 Wellington HX485 piloted by Sgt Jackson who crashed into the sea losing 3 crew and spent 28hrs in the sea and was eventually rescued by ASR Benghazi. Other survivors were Wade (Bluey) and Elliot. On the 12/06/43 Wellington LB146 crashed in the desert near Derna after attacking and sinking 2 E-boats north of Crete. The pilot was Sgt Taylor who was awarded the DFM for action and later awarded the DFC. Tom was also in 75 O.T.U. at Gianaclis 1944 Ogaden flight Aden 1944 267 squadron transport 1944/45 and 216 squadron transport 1945/46. |
| 10 November 2005. Hi Pat, My father Tom Baxter was in 75 OTU between January and May 1944 as an instructor having completed a tour with 38 Squadron then based at Berca in Libya. I have his log book and it shows him based at Gianaclis Egypt and flying Ansons. Do you have any info or photos from this period? Regards, Andy Baxter. |
| Sergeant (A.gnr) Richard Hayden Owen (Taffy) - RAF Number 1415771. |
 RAF Number 1415771 SGT. A/G. Richard Hayden Owen, Joined service at Blackpool 8/8/41, went to 12 ITW 11/6/42, joined 144 M.U. 23/3/43, 116 M.U. 25/10/43, then to Southern Rhodesia, H.Q. R.A.T.G. Richard was killed in a Baltimore Mark V bomber (FW715) when based at Gianaclis, Egypt and serving with 75 O.T.U. on the 19th January 1945. His son Tony Harper would love to hear from anyone who knew his father, especially if anyone has a photo of his father. |
| Sergeant (A.gnr) Reginald Hancock - RAF Number 1279365. |
| Denis Hancock is seeking anyone who may remember is Uncle 1279365 Sergeant (A.gnr) Reginald Hancock who was reported killed in action Baltimore 5 Serial No. FW796 with 75 OTU based at Gianaclis was killed when his aircraft crashed into the sea approximately 5 miles east of Mersa Matruh at 1905 hours on the 28th December 1944.
His body was recovered from the sea and buried at El Alamein Cemetery.
The other members of the crew were not found and are recorded as lost at sea. Their names are remembered on the memorial to the missing, at El Alamein: 181579 Pilot Officer (Pilot) J W Bridgewood. 185187 Pilot Officer (Wireless op) K E Watson. 184424 Pilot Officer (Nav.) R Crompton. Denis would be interested to hear from any one who met or new Reginald Hancock. |
| 29 October 2005. Hi Patrick, I have received a copy of your e-mail to Tony Harper. I am researching my uncle Sgt R Hancock who served at 75 OTU Gianaclis where he was killed on a training flight 28th December 1944. I would be pleased if you can help. I do not have a photograph of him, any information would be appreciated. Regards, Denis Hancock. |
![Click here to view the photo]](fullimages/02_Don%20Adds%20left%20-%20South%20Beach%20Durban_f.jpg){kind=link}
![[Click here to view the Service Record]](fullimages/D_Adds_Service%20Record_f.jpg){kind=link}
