Free They Spread Their Wings by Alastair Goodrum

events – not least that it was highly unlikely that an enemy aircraft so illuminated would stay mesmerised in the beam long enough for the satellite fighter to catch it! Or that either of the two RAF pilots would not have their night vision ruined by the sudden intense light. So far, successful interceptions had been a quite rare event.
    It was in July 1941 that No 151 Squadron began co-operating with the Turbinlite Havoc unit at Wittering. As a first step, several of its aircraft and pilots were sent to RAF Hunsdon to learn the ropes from one of the first Havoc units formed. When they returned to Wittering, almost all flying in August, September and much of October was devoted to training with No 1453 Flight.
    As the flight was more or less up to personnel strength, training started in earnest with the Hurricane and Defiant boys from No 151 Squadron. It was recorded in No 151 Squadron’s Operational Record Book that: ‘on October 22, Pilot Officers Stevens in Hurricane Z3261 and McRitchie in Defiant AA431 carried out a pukka Turbinlite patrol for the first time.’ It also records that: ‘Plt Off Stevens broke away and independently destroyed an enemy aircraft.’
    Jack Cheney continues:

    The weather deteriorated into December but practice interceptions continued whenever there was a break. Despite the cold, our dispersal was very comfortable during the bad spells and we sat around line-shooting whenever there was little else to do. However, the calm was quickly shattered when, on 18 December, Sgt James Sudders, who had been with us at Church Fenton and posted in during October, spun in and crashed his Havoc at Stowgate railway crossing, between Crowland and Market Deeping (Lincs). At this time radio observers outnumbered pilots so it was quite usual for a pilot to have two observers attached to him. On this occasion, Sudders had both Sgt Eric Welch, his regular RO, and Sgt William Fradley, a spare RO, in the back of BD120 and they were all killed in the accident.
    Later on in December there were a few sorties in company with Hurricanes of 151 Squadron to try out a new wheeze. The Havocs were to fly around at 5,000 feet dropping flares on possible targets as an alternative method of illuminating the enemy. Bit of a shambles all round! Since the flares were loaded in the bomb bay, the Havocs used for these sorties were the battery-less non-Turbinlite aircraft that the squadron had on charge for crew training purposes. As we were not yet declared fully operational, the whole flight was allowed Christmas leave, which suited me down to the ground being so near to home. There was precious little flying for us in January 1942 and we were still ‘non-op’. The bad weather made our other activities scarce but we played several ice hockey matches on the frozen Whitewater lake at the edge of the airfield. There was also bags of snow clearing to be done and it was both back-breaking and heart-breaking as, every time an area was cleared, it snowed up very soon after. The CO was dead keen on playing soldiers so, when flying was scrubbed, we used up many Very cartridges and thunder-flashes on these ground exercises.
    In February the snow abated a little and although it was still cold enough to keep skating, we were able to put some flying in too. My pride took a bit of a blow when I taxied a Havoc into one of the dispersal bay walls. The brakes failed and the starboard engine cowling was a trifle bent but there was no serious damage and I got away with it. The station dance, held on 17 February in Stamford Grammar School, was a good opportunity to give Flt Lt George Turner, one of 1453’s original pilots, a good send-off. He was being posted to RAF West Malling and a replacement crew arrived from 51 OTU Cranfield even before he had left.
    A milestone was also reached before the end of that month when the flight was, at long last, declared operational. Night readiness routine was started, with bags of panic, Mae Wests and things.