Jan Faul
I know what the “special duties’ squadron did and to be honest, almost every squadron tried to get a piece of that action. Somehow flying B-17’s B-24’s, B-26’s, Lancaster, Wellington, Beaufort, Mosquito and other bombers into the skies with people shooting high explosive shells at you wasn’t exciting enough. FLying single engine Lysanders into the darkness of France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Holland with high value spies on board is apparently what all pilots believed they should be doing daily.
I understood he was a bomber pilot and they both delivered and received various cargoes - one stuck in my mind after reading the declassified flight logs (I have them all), "delivered geraniums to destination" .. notes: lost escort on departure
- lost as they were flying outbond. As their flight plans were not revealed to anyone, it seems they took losses from not just from enemy fire, but also from their own troops both departing and returning to England. "Geranium" was a rather famous spy. Reading of the losses his squadron took (in the typically matter of fact tone) over those years, it's amazing any of them made it out alive.
My father never knew his father as my grandmother took it into her head he was having an affair during the war since he was unable to tell her where he was or what he was doing and was often away for long periods. Subsequently my father never discovered he had siblings until after his father died .. which was when he and the rest of the family discovered what he actually did .. as milliary tributes poured in and his awarded but retained medals were finally given to the family and they were told of his deeds. It seems many families of the Kings Flight never knew of the pilots wartime efforts and apparently as well as the pilots, many locals near the airstrips still to this day take their sworn oath to secrecy as seriously today as they did back then.
I’m sure that if you contacted RAF Duxford, they could fill you in. The best bet however, is to save your shekels, and go over for a couple of weeks and nose around. Stay in B&B's near Cambridge to save money and get local advice, and check it out. The latter is suggested in case you are like me and simply have to have boots on the ground to get your answers.
Thats what my father did. I never knew the man .. but my fathers memories as a 6 year old leaving 'daddy' behind as he was taken by his mother to the far off Australia were certainly jogged by his visit. One day I may visit and meet the family I never knew. England is a long way from the place I call home.
You will have to learn to drive on the left if you don’t already know how.
I'm pretty good at that
