Officers of No 19 (Fighter) Squadron at Duxford, 1928.

RAF Duxford’s Operations Record Book entry for 26 March 1928:

26.3.28 Flight Lieut Montgomery Moore to R.A.F. Station, North Weald at 1000 hrs. Returning to Duxford 1600 hrs same date. Duty: Handing over Secret & Confidential Books of No. 29 (F) Squadron.

Officers of No 19 (Fighter) Squadron at Duxford, 1928.

RAF Duxford’s Operations Record Book entries for 20 March 1928:

20.3.1928 R.A.F. Duxford box R.A.F. Shrewsbury in the R.A.F. Boxing Junior Team Championships Semi-final. Result Duxford 12 points. Shrewsbury 6 points. Boxing took place at Duxford.

RAF Duxford’s Operations Record Book entries for 19 March 1928:

19.3.1928 Flight Lieutenant O.L. Griffin, Accountant Officer, ceases to be attached to H.Q. A.D.G.B, Uxbridge, on posting to H.Q. Wessex Bombing Area, Andover.

19.3.1928 RAF Rugby Cup final played at Uxbridge – Duxford v Worthydown (Holders). Result:- Duxford 13 points, Worthydown 8 points. Cup presented by Air Vice Marshal C.L. Lambe. C.B., C.M.G, D.S.O to Flight Lieut C.Y.Tyrell. M.C of the Duxford team.
Duxford Team:-
Flight Lieut C.Y. Tyrell. M.C. 29 (F) Squadron
Flying Officer J.A Hale-Munro. 29 (F) Squadron
Flying Officer J.E. Clayton. 19 (F) Squadron
Flying Officer P. O’Callaghan. Station Headquarters
Pilot Officer. R.R Nash. Station Headquarters
Pilot Officer J.R.H Potts. 111 (F) Squadron
Pilot Officer M.G. Philpot. 29 (F) Squadron
Pilot Officer J. Clarke 29 (F) Squadron
365106 Lac. Munslow.M. 29 (F) Squadron
355183 Lac.Clark.C.E. Station Headquarters
356877 Ac1. Blennerhassett.W.J. 29 (F) Squadron
364915 Ac1. Maxwell.V.E 19 (F) Squadron
344896 Ac1. Yule. J Station Headquarters
365314 Ac1. Sturgeon. M. 111 (F) Squadron
348926 Ac1. Swannick J.G. 19 (F) Squadron
Reserve:-364102 Ac.1. Menet. L.C. 19 (F) Squadron
Wing Commander R.J.F. Barton O.B.E.  O.C.  R.A.F. Station Duxford attended the match.

19.3.1928 Flight Lieut J.R. Williams (Dental Officer) posted to Home Aircraft Depot, Henlow.

Wreckage of Gloster Grebe Mark II, J7293, which crashed in March 1928 killing the pilot, Sergeant Trillick

As we get closer to opening Historic Duxford to our visitors on Thursday 28 March, we look back to life at RAF Duxford as it was in March 1928, 80 years ago. This snapshot of life is taken from RAF Duxford’s Operations Record Book (ORB), a daily diary which was completed by every squadron and station in the RAF and which lists all of the main events that happened on each day.

In just one month, we can see what life was like at a typical RAF station.

March commenced in sombre mood, as RAF Duxford dealt with the aftermath of a flying accident:

2.3.28 Court of Inquiry assembles to enquire into the circumstances of accident to Grebe J7293, which resulted in the death of Sgt H. Trickett of No 29. (F) Squadron. President: Wing Commander. R.P.Willock, o.c. R.A.F. Station Kenley. Members:- Flt Lt F.R. Wynne M.B.E. 32 (F) Squadron, Kenley, and F/O G.W. Tuttle, 19 (F) Squadron, Duxford.

3.3.28 Body of the late Sgt H Trickett conveyed to Duxford Station for burial in his home town. Full parade of 29 (F) Squadron to escort the body to station.

Note: This was a mistake by the compiler, not corrected by the Station Adjutant or Commanding Officer, because it was actually Whittlesford Station. That was the nearest railway station to RAF Duxford, because Duxford village did not have a railway station.

This solemn occasion proved that although over a decade had passed since aerial combat had become an integral part of military warfare, flight training was still a dangerous and often deadly undertaking.

After this tragic accident, life seemed to return to normality:

9.3.28 Flying Officer P O’Callaghan returns to duty from sick at home.

11.3.28 Flying Officer J.P. Cave proceeds to RAF Station, Upavon, on Court of Inquiry duty.

13.3.28 Flying Officer J.P.Cave returns from Upavon on completion of Court of Inquiry duty.

Sports activities were a good way of bringing people together, creating teamwork and allowing RAF personnel to let off a little steam. Popular sports included boxing, rugby, cricket, football, hockey, and athletics. RAF Duxford had a tennis court, squash courts and sports fields. Competitions were organised between stations, and between squadrons and other teams on the station.

14.3.28 Semi-Final RAF Inter-Unit Rugby Club played at Cambridge – Duxford v Leuchars – Result:- Duxford 27 points Leuchars NIL points.

During this time, RAF Duxford played an important role in showing the RAF’s capabilities to royalty, the press and the public:

17.3.28 Machines from No 19 (F) Squadron and No 111 (F) Squadron proceed to Hendon to take part in R.A.F. Display in honour of King Amanullah of Afghanistan.

Machines return P.M. on completion of R.A.F Display. (A.O.C. Fighting Area sends telegram congratulating all units of Fighting Area on the very fine show put up for King Amanullah, and states His Majesty was most gratified and impressed).

We’ll be tweeting the remainder of this month’s Operations Record Book diary entries and posting them here on the blog, so do look for daily updates.

Jack ‘Farmer’ Lawson (centre)

On this most romantic of days, we look at the occasions when cupid’s arrow has struck amongst the men and women working and living at RAF Duxford and the bitter-sweet consequences of love during times of peace and conflict.

Peggy and Jack

Peggy Balfour was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). She met Jack ‘Farmer’ Lawson, a Battle of Britain fighter pilot based at RAF Duxford, at a local dance at RAF Digby in 1940.

Peggy later wrote in her diary, ‘What joy! He was tall, and I found he danced beautifully.’

They got to know each other well. Peggy remembered the time they spent together:

‘We used to visit the local pubs, or buy fish and chips and eat them out of newspaper. The weather always seemed to be fine and sunny. We laughed a lot, and were always talking, we talked about everything and we argued – we certainly did not agree all the time. I remember, he was always teasing me about my ideas and I think, thought me a little mad. But we enjoyed our jaunts into the countryside. We had lots of fun, and best of all, Jack never fussed.’

Jack was posted to RAF Duxford before the Battle of Britain began. They regularly exchanged letters and occasionally, Jack would fly to RAF Digby to visit Peggy. On 21 January 1941, Peggy was posted to RAF Duxford to work in the Operations Room. The day before her posting was announced, she wrote:

‘If I should go anywhere – could it be Duxford, just could I be so lucky. What shall I do without my friends…of course if I went to Duxford, I should have Jack somewhere around – would that be a good thing, would I know too much.  Whatever happens, I must not seem too gloomy. There is enough of that around at the moment.’

Peggy soon got used to life at RAF Duxford. She found she could not always see Jack, as he was often scrambled to fly combat missions. But they spent many happy days together in Cambridge. One of her fondest memories was of the day Jack came into the Operations Room and acted as controller, with Peggy as his assistant.

Peggy also recollected that Jack had flown her to a dance in his Spitfire. In a very cramped cockpit of a one-seat fighter aircraft, the only way she could have travelled with him was by sitting on his lap – surely something that the authorities would have frowned upon, had they ever found out.

On 30 August 1941, Peggy wrote in her diary:

‘I mustn’t give in, I must write something down in my diary, but what can I say – just that Jack has been shot down. He is missing, there is no hope for him. 19 Squadron…are searching for remnants this morning.’

Peggy clung onto the hope that Jack had survived, but sadly her hope was in vain. Jack had been shot down and killed over Rotterdam. The only memento that Peggy had of Jack Lawson was a sketch that she had drawn years later from memories of her beloved Jack.

57 years later, collections staff at IWM Duxford were able to give Peggy a video of RAF Duxford during the Second World War. It included moving footage of Jack Lawson.

Peggy revisited IWM Duxford in 1999 with a group of WAAF veterans who had served in the Operations Room at nearby Sawston Hall,  which controlled the fighters going into combat from RAF Duxford.

Muriel Vera Derby

Muriel was a member of the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) at Duxford during the First World War. Born in London, she lived in Cambridgeshire and was an ‘Immobile’ member of the WRAF, which meant that while she was working at Duxford, she lived at home and could not be sent to another RAF station to work.

During her time at Duxford, Muriel was a typist clerk. Duxford’s Commanding Officer described her work as ‘excellent’.

In true Valentine’s Day tradition, Muriel clearly had an admirer at Duxford, who gave her a lovingly created handmade wooden propeller, of the type that formed part of a generator mounted on an aircraft wing. While Muriel didn’t go on to marry her romantic suitor, she kept the propeller for the rest of her life. It will be on display in the Duxford’s People section of Historic Duxford.

We were saddened to hear that John Milne, one of 19 Squadron’s ground crew fitters, died recently.

John arrived at RAF Duxford on 11 March 1940 and served here during the build-up to the Battle of Britain. He was allocated to ‘A’ Flight, which was commanded by Flight Lieutenant Brian Lane, who was later promoted to Squadron Leader and Officer Commanding 19 Squadron. John was serving with ‘A’ Flight when Douglas Bader joined its ranks.

As John said, ‘…there could not have been a better introduction to the active RAF than 19 Squadron.’

John’s vivid memories of life at RAF Duxford have been captured on DVD in Duxford: The Second World War Years and also on paper, giving a rare insight into the life of ground crew here at Duxford.

John’s first experience of RAF Duxford was far from auspicious:

‘I travelled to Duxford via Whittlesford Station: the main road at that time passed over the railway on a level crossing, next to the Red Lion. I slept at first on a “let-down” metal bed in a crew-room off the hangar. Then I transferred to a ground-floor room in a barrack-block (not occupied by 19 Squadron) where I awoke one morning to find my trousers gone. Most of us had only one uniform. I waited until all those awake had left the room, and then stole another man’s trousers. I wonder how the episode finished! Soon I transferred to a 19 Squadron room on the first floor of another block, and things were much better.’

In the early days of 1940:

‘The war seemed at first to be remote and we routinely carried out the daily and periodic inspections of the aircraft, and performed all incidental duties involved in servicing the aircraft and attending their take-offs and landings. An exhilarating duty was lying across the tail-plane, breathless, while the pilot ran the engine at high revs.’

In the summer of 1940:

‘Duxford life became busier, with two Spitfire squadrons and 264 Defiant Squadron. 19 Squadron moved to Fowlmere , back to Duxford, and eventually settled at Fowlmere. When we first moved to Fowlmere, there was no permanent accommodation. We slept in bell tents, feet to the central pole. A mobile cookhouse accompanied us – one day it caught fire!’

John’s diary from 1940 records numerous incidents in RAF Duxford’s wartime history: ‘A’ and ‘B’ flights moving to nearby Fowlmere; Flight Lieutenant Brian Lane crashing on landing during a rare night flight; cannon-armed Spitfires in operation; Pilot Officer Howard-Williams crashing into the aircraft of Flight Sergeant George Unwin while taxying; and 19 Squadron in action.

John was posted to Gloucester on 24 August 1940, prior to the culmination of the Battle of Britain. He made three return journeys to RAF Duxford during the Second World War and has been a regular visitor in later life. He was at IWM Duxford for Remembrance Sunday 2011. It was a privilege to meet him.

He will be much missed but his vivid stories of life at RAF Duxford will live on.

The last word goes to John:

‘Odd memories remain: “digging for victory” – our vegetable patch near the dispersal hut; WAAFs playing hockey on the airfield; hot suppers from a huge Thermos flask in the dispersal hut, and frequent visits to the Chequers and Black Horse in Fowlmere. Altogether, those few months were one of the best times of my life, and so very different from anything that had gone before.’

On this day we remember all of the men and women who lost their lives while serving at RAF Duxford.

From the Historic Duxford team.

I had been in touch with Nancy and her family for a while and we had arranged for her to come back to IWM Duxford, selecting September in the hope that the weather would not be too bad. As it was we were treated to glorious sunshine.

It was a great to be able to host Nancy on a return visit to Duxford. The place looked very different, particularly due to all the air show hustle and bustle, but there were some areas, such as the Operations Room that were still very familiar to Nancy.

Over a well-deserved cup of tea, Nancy told me some of her memories of RAF Duxford, the place she says she remembers best out of all the places she served as a WAAF. Nancy was one of the very first WAAFs to arrive at RAF Duxford and she remembers the station not being quite ready for them. So much so that she and the other women, who had arrived with her, were given airmen’s greatcoats to wear as they didn’t have any made for women!

Nancy also said she vividly remembers going to dances in the hangar, dancing to tunes like In the Mood.

Having had a lovely chat with Nancy and really getting to know what RAF Duxford was like for her during the early years of the Second World War, I asked her if she was happy to be interviewed in the commentary box at the air show. Although slightly nervous, Nancy rose to the challenge and gave a wonderful interview. It was so good in fact, it was replayed on Sunday making Nancy’s audience over 33,000 people.

Having worked her very hard, I finally let her and her family relax and watch the air show. It was a great pleasure to meet Nancy and to hear her tales of RAF Duxford. Every time I interview a veteran, the historic site where I work every day takes on a new little detail. I doubt I shall walk through the Operations Room now without thinking about Nancy and the number of times she would have walked down that very same corridor.

A great day spent with one of Duxford’s people.