for aircrew training as a Pilot cadet,

Reg was awarded his Pilots brevet on 10 December 1943 with the rank of Sgt at 37 SFTS Calgary, Alberta,Canada.

At this time there were no Pilot positions available within Bomber Command as replacement crews were coming

forwards faster than operational losses.The Air ministry had at the start of the war calculated that crew losses would be

10%, and therefore planned training accordingly.

Losses were in the region of 5%, so by late 1943, there was a backlog of trained crew awaiting postings and they

found themselves in Holding units undergoing refresher training until positions for their crew trade became available.

Reg was given three choices, fly seafires from aircraft carriers with the Air Fleet Arm, become a Glider pilot with the

Army or retrain as a Flight Engineer on Lancasters.

Reg decided he would opt for re-training  as a Flight Engineer and was posted to Flight Engineer's school at St Athan,

Wales on December 1944, completing his course on 9 February 1945.

Promoted to Flight Sgt in December 1944. On 30th February 1945 Reg was posted to 1656 Heavy Conversion

Unit at RAF Lindholme, South Yorkshire. Lindholme was Base station (71 Base) for No 1 Groups HCU,s with sub-stations

at RAF Sandtoft, between Doncaster and Scunthorpe (1667 HCU) and RAF Blyton south of Scunthorpe (1662 HCU.)

Known to crews as No 1 Lancaster Finishing School (1LFS) 

Reg held the position of 2nd Pilot with Flight Enginners duties. On 25 March 1945 Reg was appointed Flight enginner

with the Avro lancaster crew of Pilot officer Sharp who,s Flt enginner.

Flight Enginners would undergo seperate training from the rest of the aircrew, missing the training crews took at

Operational Training Units on the Medium Vickers Wellington Bomber.Flight Enginners were type trained and

would join Lancaster crews at HCU.

On 25th April 1945, the crew were posted to 576 Sqn at Fiskerton to commence operations. The crew did not take

part in mainforce operations over Europe, their first post war operation being on 7th May 1945 flying in "A" flight lancaster ME492

L-Love to Rotterdam dropping food supplies to the starving Dutch people (Operation Manna).

Further operations were undertaken on Operation Manna, Operation Exedus and Dodge (liberating Allied Prisoners

of War from Germany and far East POW,s flown in to Italy by the USSAF).

Operation Post Morton (The testing of captured German radars on Command aircraft approaching the Continent}.

Further operations dropping surplus Bombs into Cardigan Bay (Operation Wastage) and the Final Operation taking

the War weary lancasters to maintenance units for disposal (Operation Junk).

The Squadron being Disbanded on 13th September 1945 found Reg being posted to RAF Sturgate near Gainsbourgh with 61 Squadron.

Promoted Warrent Officer in December 1945, Reg continued in the RAF until 22nd October 1946 when he left the service to

fly commercially. Rejoining the RAF on 26th Sept 1950 at  RAF Cardington, Bedford, Reg flew the B29 Super fortress as the second Pilot

(known in the RAF as the Washington), and as Pilot on Avro Lincolns.   

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