On the 3rd June 1943 I and my crew of F/O RC Rice (BA), WO Selman (Nav), Sgt Gregory (Ag), Sgt Brown (Ag), 
Sgt Martin (Flt eng) and Sgt Ben Davies (W Op) arrived at Lindholme posted to No 1656 HCU No1 group Bomber Command.  
My memories of the course are vague except our haste to qualify on the Halifax and get onto ‘Lancs’ as soon as 
possible. After flying the Lancaster for the first time I remember thinking I had never flown such a magnificent 
aeroplane and I still think that to this day.

Having completed our conversion the question of a posting for a Squadron Leader and crew loomed up. I found out the 
squadrons which had vacancies and saw that there was one in 100 Squadron at Waltham. 100 was commanded by 
Wg Cdr R.V. McIntyre DFC, I knew him by reputation on the rugby field from Durham School as I had cheered on the 
1st XV as a junior. He then went off to Cranwell and I had never seen him since. Thus I applied for posting to 
100 squadron and was accepted and took command of ‘B’ flight 100 squadron RAF Station Waltham.  At 100 I was also 
able to catch up with ‘Pedro’ Clayton a S/Ldr I had met at OTU and Nipper Davies, John Canham soon followed as a 
flight commander he had been in Australia with me on loan to the Empire Air Training Scheme. 

Our operations began with the first op of the Battle of Hamburg of which there is ample documentation. One interesting 
trip was Milan 14 August approx. We were part of a small force on a factory outside the city (Breda or Pirelli works?) 
whilst the main force was on the city. On the way out our oxygen supply suddenly showed nil, only the Flt Eng and 
myself knew so we said nothing to the rest. Since pre-war flying training included flying up to 20,000ft without 
oxygen I reckoned that if we flew over the Alps below planned flight we would be OK. We were planned to descend after 
the Alps to 7-10,000ft to target and climb again after bombing.  The thought of going straight on to N Africa as some 
Halifax’s had previously done, returning with bomb bays full of citrus fruits had crossed my mind but then the thought 
of ‘Mac’ asking me just how I had got through my wings without a height test to 20,000 quickly dispelled that thought. 
I told the rest of the crew about the situation as we crossed the Alps on the return journey, some said they were 
feeling the effects of oxygen starvation but with reduced height we made an uneventful safe return home. 

My memories of 100 squadron operations are limited as once an operation was over it was behind me and not thought of 
again. Leisure time was spent either at ‘The Ship Hotel’ Grimsby with ‘mine hosts’ Sam and Mrs Muscat where it seemed 
Chicken and Dover sole was always available to her boys or more locally poaching partridges at roost on the airfield 
or nearby fields with .22 rifles, also pheasants in local woods again at roost before last light. Dickie Rice was one 
of the best shots I have ever met. .22 or 12 bore and I remember the local policeman had to ask ‘Mac’ to stop him 
cycling through the village of Waltham with a .22 slung over his shoulder. Another memory of the village is that there 
was a suspicion that if the sails on the Waltham Windmill were turning then there were ops on that night, I have no 
idea if this was ever proved or disproved. 

At the beginning of November 1943 word went around that Mac was to be posted to North Killingholme when it opened as 
Station Commander as 100 squadron was to throw off a flight to form a new squadron 550. I applied to join 550 as 
Commanding Officer but was piped to the post by JJ Bennett from 1 Group HQ who arrived with ‘Bluey’ Graham DFC. AFC (R.A.A.F.) 
an old pal of mine and also one of my pupils from Australia. 550 squadron formed and as flight commander ‘A’ flight 
I did one trip with them Dec 16th Berlin Crash Night. What a night, low stratus for return and smoke from the try 
out of Fido at Fiskerton nearly blotted out the whole of 1 group with stratus and fog in other areas. David Halford 
who had taken over 100 squadron crashed near Waltham as did many others. I must say I thought we’d had it that night.

At the end of 1943 I was posted to Lindholme as Wing Commander Training Air I at No II base under Air Commodore 
George Banting, Wing Commander John Dilworth had taken over 100 squadron and 550 had moved to North Killingholme. 
Poor John, an Aussie in the RAF from pre war who had been in Australia with me on loan to the RAAF bought it not 
long after that.