By Land and By Air

drink. We used to sit at the back of the room watching the drunken antics.

After the swimming test, we were ready to get down to brass tacks and go on OPS (bombing operations).

I, no doubt, had many hair-raising experiences during my trips but it is difficult to remember after 50 years, and perhaps just as well. We used to get a week off, following every five weeks of flying. We were given a train ticket, and a pound for any place in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I travelled around and tried to visit historical sites.

One day, not knowing the English teacher was behind me, I said, ”I don’t know why one cannot get a fix on the sun.” Up to that date one was never performed. The teacher told me off before the class, saying I should not be wearing a wing. I was so mad that I went back to base that week and finally came up with a plan. I went back to him and said, ”Give me a line on the sun anywhere in the world, and I will tell you where you are.” He, being a good scholar, had no trouble and he gave me three lines - I worked it out and told him one town was in Siberia, one town in Africa and one in Alaska. That was that, and the next day I was called before the C/O., who was a Navigator. I told him it was a joke, but he said, ”I have three sun lines, tell me where I took them.” I went into a room and came out - all were right. So he said that he was sending the information to the London School of Navigation. When I was coming home, in a parade of about 10,000 men, my name as called out, as I was in the back row — it was a long walk to the front of the line. I was handed a rolled up paper, and I did not know what it was, but when I opened it there was a Navigation Certificate from the bomber school. This certificate is framed in our library and I consider it as one of my greater achievements.

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