m. 1937 Simone E B [Hogben] [divorced 1958], 1958 Beryl Sylvia [Brown] prev. Pilot Officer, RAF (74 Sqn, Hornchurch Jan 1937-Feb 1940) prev. exp. 960 hrs Address in 1940: The Drive, Ray Mill Rd, Maidenhead Postings: 1FPP, 7FPP Off sick 3 times: - 30 Jan to 30 Mar 1942, with influenza - 28 Jun to 16 Jul 1943, and then 3 Nov 1943 to 26 Jan 1944, with Dental Sepsis. Suspended for 7 days in October 1942 for 'Disobedience of Standing Orders D.8 and D.21', and reprimanded in May 1944 for Loss of Ferry Pilot's Notes. 6 accidents, one and a half of them his fault: - 26 October 1940, his Oxford nosed over in soft ground; - 19 Mar 1941, a mechanical fault meant that the undercarriage would not come down; - 20 Jan 1943, he landed his Spitfire when he smelt something burning (later found to be an electrical short-circuit); - 28 Feb 1943, he braked too heavily and his Proctor nosed over; - 5 Apr 1943, he hit a picketing block while taxying in an Oxford. He and Ground Control each got half the blame; - 18 Sep 1943, the port undercarriage on his Walrus failed to lock down and collapsed on landing. Not his fault. "A good pilot, but nervous. Keenness leaves something to be desired." "A capable pilot who has made good progress. He still does not show an excess of keenness but this may be due to his somewhat retiring nature." His perceived lack of zeal meant that he was actually given three months' notice in August 1943, but this was rescinded when he showed that "he has ability and can, if he wishes, be a ferry pilot of above average ability." d. 31 Dec 1994 - Honiton, Devon Download ATA Pilot Personal Record (.zip file): |
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