Taking Off into Wind

Well I suppose I'd better get back to my Grandfather's Pilot's Flying Log Book and also back to the War.

Training to fly in a D. H. 82 with P/O R.T.Dew instructing, March 1941

What was it like to learn to fly in a De Havilland 82 Tiger Moth? Well I'm afraid that I shall have to refer to other sources for this information because by the time I was born, my Grandfather had completely turned his back on his days in the RAF. Luckily for me though, another pilot who flew in the same squadron at the same time as my Grandfather has written a self-published book about his recollections.

Doug Gregory DFC was a pilot in 141 Squadron and his book Aeroaddict is well worth a read. He displays some of the same "have-a-go", yet self effacing attitude that my Grandfather had. This an excerpt from his book about his training in Tiger Moths;

 "Up until now my instructions from the front seat were "Keep your feet on the floor and keep your hands to yourself until I tell you differently." Into wind we turned, off down the field we ran, into the air we climbed. My idea of bliss. Not for long. The voice from the front said, "Now, place your feet on the rudder pedals and now hold the stick with your right hand. Let the aeroplane fly straight and level." The aeroplane flew itself. Even after this first air experience exercise, the Tiger made a better job of flying itself than with my interference. This was going to be easy."

I'm sure it was harder than he describes. Doug Gregory went on to become a test pilot so he was obviously a man of natural flying gifts.

My Grandfather was also having to spend afternoons at 6EFTS in the classroom, learning the theory of his 'trade'. So much to learn and do, and yet the war still raged on all fronts. 

From the RAF Timeline 1941

31 Mar 1941 - The German Afrika Korps start an offensive to recapture Tobruk. Because of the need for aircraft on other campaigns (particularly in Greece), only three squadrons of Hurricanes and one of Blenheims remained in defence of the port. Within two weeks, the port was surrounded and Axis forces had crossed the Egyptian border.

No Longer Solo

In the midst of all this turmoil, my Grandparents decided to get married. There was one snag though, being under twenty-one, they needed permission from their parents to marry. Unfortunately, this was not forthcoming, so they "ran away" to St Albans and did the deed anyway! To his dying day, my Grandfather teased us that he was not legally married due to not getting the go-ahead from his father!

Howard Kelsey married Audrey Victoria Humphries in December 1940 at St. Albans register office. Their marriage was witnessed by two cleaners who happened to be working at the register office. They spent their wedding night visiting Howard's brother, Richard Kelsey, who was also in the RAF. They remained married for the next seventy-one years, until my Grandmother's death in 2011.

Straight & Level Flight

1st page of H.C. Kelsey's RAF Log Book

The first page of my Grandfather's RAF Pilot's Flying Log Book shows him going up in a D.H.82 (De Havilland Tiger Moth) N642 with F/L Brunton as the trainer in August 1940. It's incredible to think that pilots were still training in bi-planes, but it must have also been very exhilarating, yet frightening to be flying in an open cockpit.

D.H.82 Type used by 6EFTS Sywell in 1940

Here's an early film giving an instruction on how to fly a Tiger Moth

August 1940 was a pivotal month for the RAF as outlined on the RAF website history timeline

24/25 Aug 1940 - German bombs fall on central London for the first time. The following night, 43 aircraft from Bomber Command retaliate by bombing Berlin.

So Leading Aircraftsman H.C.Kelsey knew that the war was hotting up and he had better get trained and operational as soon as possible.

Taxying

So here is my Grandfather's RAF Pilot's Flying Log Book. This is the first of three and has details of all the flights he took in the first part of his RAF career, starting in Aug.1940 and ending in Feb.1944.

He had volunteered to fight for a cause he saw as just, namely the end of Fascism, and he was excited to be part of the fight. However, learning how to fly was not going to be easy and he would have to learn a lot of other information on engines, airframes, bombing, gunnery, armament, signals, navigation, airmanship and much more besides. And learn it quickly! But just for the moment his life was all mapped out and the exciting days were ahead.

Leading Aircraftman Kelsey 2nd from left.

Early days

Europe in the 1930s, when my Grandfather was growing up, was a turbulent place. The economic crises of 'the Crash' and 'the Depression' had caused liberal democracies to become undermined and allowed the rise of extremist groups. With the resurgence of Fascism in Germany, Spain and Italy, there came a counter ideology, Socialism, to combat these Dictatorships.

My grandfather, therefore grew up in a hotbed of political struggles and he and many of his school chums at Rutlish Grammar School, were convinced by the arguments of Marxism and Socialism. So much so that a couple of his friends went to fight against Franco in the Spanish Civil War. 

One summer, whilst cycling across Germany with some friends, my Grandfather was thrown out of a cafe and had stones thrown at him for "looking too Jewish". This convinced him that Fascism and intolerance was to be combated and it could only be stopped by War.

By the time War was declared, Richard (Dick), my Grandfather's older brother, was already in the R.A.F. (R. J. Kelsey R.A.F. Officer). I think this spurred him to join up himself, and so his journey began when he volunteered to join the RAF at Bristol in 1940. After Initial Training Wing in Newquay, he was given the service number 1191586 and posted for pilot training on Tiger Moths to No. 6EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School) at Sywell, Northants run by Brooklands Aviation

"What did you do in the War Grandad?"

Fighting Fascism, not for the King.

Wing Commander Howard Charles Kelsey DSO DFC & Bar

 

My Grandfather was an Officer in the R.A.F. during World War 2 and remained in the service until the mid 1960's. He volunteered at the age of nineteen and commanded his first squadron at the age of twenty-three. This may not seem all that remarkable, until I point out how politically motivated he was. He was a very proud Socialist and regarded politics as the most important aspect of his life.

I did not know much about his wartime heroics until I started to do some research after his death. He didn't want to talk about those memories and was always very anti the military and a member of C.N.D! If you asked him about the War, he'd say "Oh, I've got my Log Books somewhere", exchange a sheepish glance with my Grandmother, and very quickly change the subject. So not the usual picture of an Officer in the RAF. I intend to post some extracts from his Log Books and hope to find out more about what he got up to all those years ago.