Biography of Harold Norman Swinnerton

Biography of

Harold Norman SWINNERTON

[Ref. R.18]

Service with the RAF in World War 2

Norman's trade of Carpenter and Joiner was a reserved occupation but nonetheless he wished to enter the services. After trying other services, Norman was accepted into the RAF with very few questions asked by the recruiting team and signed up on Christmas Eve in 1940. He had been selected to be trained as a Wireless Operator and, prior to enlistment, was given a paper detailing items in which he should make himself proficient. He reported to No.3 RAF Depot at Padgate Camp in Warrington as a trainee pilot on 1 January 1941. Padgate Camp was National Training Centre for RAF recruits, providing basic training for raw recruits to the Royal Air Force. Four days later he was sent to West Kirby for initial training which probably comprised drill and fitness. Whilst stationed there he went to a dance, most likely the Haigh Dance Hall in Hoylake, where met a friend who remarked that he felt sorry for the poor Polish people he had seen marching earlier that day. In fact, they were Norman and his comrades who looked pretty ramshackle due to their ill fitting uniforms.

On 7 February Norman was posted to North Luffenham in Rutland. His first medical check had not revealed his perforated eardrums and Norman had not mentioned it as he was not asked. A further medical for air crew just before he was due to fly revealed the problem and he was prohibited from flying so the RAF had to find an alternative use for him.

He volunteered to work on the proposed extension of the Maginot Line across Belgium but this was never undertaked due to lack of volunteers. That was just as well because the German army went straight through it and Norman would have been captured. He was made an Airframe Carpenter/Rigger in the rank of Carpenter II on 1 April 1941. He remained at North Luffenham and repaired the struts on Tiger Moths where they had been damaged by trainee pilots. By the start of the Second World War, the RAF had 500 Tiger Moth aircraft in service that were made of composite wood and metal with a fabric covering. Norman also worked repairing bodywork of the twin engined Oxford aircraft.

Norman's next posting was on 19 July 1941 to the Central Gunnery School at Castle Kennedy in Stranrar, Scotland. The school was located there because air gunners needed space for firing weapons, and the quiet coastal water of West Galloway were ideal for creating range areas for this activity. His rank as of 1 October 1941 was W.A.C.. Norman came back from leave in December 1941 to be told that he was to be transferred to Northampton. That posting was on 15 December that year to the newly opened RAF station at Chelverston airfield where he worked on gliders. The station had first been used by the Central Gunnery School. In 1942 the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment testing gliders arrived there.

On 3 March 1942, his next posting was to Dumfries which was where 215 Maintenance Unit packaging station was located. He worked long hours packing dismamtled aircraft into crates for shipping. One of the destinations was Persia where a friend he met after the war would unpack them. It was a very active airfield and had a large contingent of servicemen and women. Three days later Norman was posted to RAF Sealand in Flintshire where No.17 Elementary Flying Training School was located and No.30 Maintenance Unit were stationed to work on Mosquito's, Wellington's and Lancaster's. However, he was back in Dumfries on 3 April 1942. Whilst there he participated in a cricket match when the RAF played Nunholm who won the game scoring 97 for six wick3ets against the RAF's 58 runs. Norman was an opening batsman scoring 15 runs being the third highest in the match and was the bowler for one of the wickets taken by a catch. The match was reported in a local newspaper.

Norman was posted to RAF Weston on 9 December 1942. He rose to the rank of Carpenter I on 25 February 1943 then sent back to Dumfries again on 10 March and remained there for another two years. At some stage he was designated to train as a toolmaker for building planes but did not like it. His rank became L.A/C (Carp) on 1 August 1943 and T/Cpl on 1 November the same year. In 1944, he was allocated to build wooden Horsa gliders. He remembered packing these gliders to be despatched to India for the proposed invasion of Japan. However, the damp heat encouraged mould growth which loosened the glue and the planes fell apart. Norman also went up on some test flights in the gliders which he said were towed by Stirling bombers. Although the towrope was 100 yards long, sometimes the glider would overtake the towing plane. The big gliders had two planes to tow them. Norman was then posted to RAF Hawarden in Flintshire on 5 March 1945 to join No.48 Maintenance Unit which stored, maintained and scrapped military aircraft, including the Handley Page Halifax, Wellingtons, Horsa gliders and de Havilland Mosquitoes. On 27 July the same year he was posted to RAF Rivenhall in Essex which was principally a combat airfield. On 7 November 1945 Norman was stationed at RAF Weeton near Blackpool but returned to Rivenhall on 21st of the same month. From Rivenhall, He was posted to RAF Shepherd's Grove in Norfolk on 9 January 1946 and his rank became A/Sqr.P.D. as an Ex.T.Inst. the following day.

Next, on 1 May 1946, he went to RAF Mark's Hall in which had been requisitioned for use as a Headquarters and Utility for Earls Colne Airfield. The airfield had been taken over in September 1944 by RAF 38 Group Transport Command. The 296 and 297 Squadrons had taken part in ‘Operation Market Garden’ towing Horsas and CG-4 (Waco’s) to Arnhem.

Norman went to 279 Maintenance Unit at RAF Cardington to be demobilised from the RAF after he had decided to emigrate. During his service with the RAF he had played both bagpipes and drums in the pipe and drum bands but when he played with the remnants of the band at 38 squadron he had lost his touch and he said it "didn't turn out too good". He had the rank of sargeant when he was discharge became effective on 23 September 1947.

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