Before the Journey Begins
A well researched blog, I know you all will be interested!
This is a most precious page in Flight Sergeant W.S. Hall’s log book. There is everything I need on it to find out when and where some photos were taken.
Rongotai N.Z. 24-8-1940 to 2-9-1942 (2 years and 9 days)
ITW Rotorua N.Z. 3-9-1942 to 15-10-1942 (I.T.W. is Initial Training Wing) (42 days)
EFTS Harewood N.Z 16-10-1942 to 1-1-1943 (E.F.T.S. is Elementary Flying Training School) (77 days)
SFTS Woodbourne N.Z 2-1-1943 to 7-5-1943 (S.F.T.S. is Special Flying Training School) (125 days)
No. 12 P.R.C. Brighton, England 8-7-1943 to 14-9-1943 (P.R.C. is Personnel Reception Centre) (69 days)
No. 6 PAFU Little Rissington, Glos 15-9-1943 to 7-2-1944 (P.A.F.U. is Pilots Advanced Flying Unit) (145 days)
No. 5 PDC Blackpool, Lancs 8-2-1944 to 19-2-1944 (No. 5 Personnel Despatch Centre) (11 days)
No. 1 ME. A.P. C. Jerusalem 8-3-1944 to 14-4-1944 (A.P.C. – Armament Practice Camp) (37 days)
76 O.T.U. Aqir 15-4-1944 to 16-7-1944…
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Posted on February 18, 2021, in Uncategorized and tagged Air Corps, Air Force, aviation, family history, History, Military, Military History, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 99 Comments.
Pacific Paratrooper 
Love seeing the log. I lived many years in NZ and it was also good to see the Kiwis – sadly so many did not survive. There were a lot of single women and widows for many years after the war.
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As it was in every country that was involved. It goes to prove that old song, “War! What is it good for?”
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Now, I don’t know if you can answer this question but…what did pilots and airmen do regards going to the toilet on the small planes they flew? Did they take flasks and food with them?
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haha, you did get me there, Kaiti. I refer this question to Pierre.
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My dad carried a flask even after the war! In WWII he flew across the Atlantic, but mostly the infamous “Hump” in the Himalayas. (He was shot down twice and managed to walk out – or I wouldn’t be here.)
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It is truly a wonder that you are here!
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So true! He was declared MIA at least once as he evaded Japanese troops. He was injured, delirious with malaria and emaciated when he was finally found on a road. He spent over month in hospital recovering and then was sent back to flying the Hump. (He never fully recovered from the back injury and malaria.)
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I believe that. Those are two serious-recurring problems!
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I love it!!! Great article.
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Thank you. Pierre is a great researcher. I’m lucky to have him as a friend.
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Yes. I understand what you are saying.
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Thanks for sharing, GP. I loved seeing the photo of the hand written log book. And the photos, of course. Stay safe and well. Hugs on the wing!
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How young they all looked! You are right, it does feel like a time machine to see these old photo collections!
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Our windows to the past (is the way I look at it). Thank you, my friend.
Stay safe.
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These old photos are awesome. I’m so glad people held on to photos for future generations. Hope you and yours are staying safe and warm. 🤗
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Don’t you love it. I’ve told people it feels like a time machine to me to see these collections.
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What a wonderful collection of photos. Some of those young men are positively jaunty. The one who most intrigued me is the man who seems to be a civilian in the first photo. I wondered if he might have been an instructor of some sort.
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I’ll have to ask Pierre. I so appreciate your interest, Linda!!
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I heard back from Pierre –
No idea GP.
However…
What I think is that at the start of the war training would have been done at some local flying school. Could that man be the owner of that private flying school?
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That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for checking!
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No problem. Happy to do it.
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Amazing ! I love old pictures. So many stories behind them.
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So true. Collections of eye witness experience are precious.
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Such a gift to have that record. I wonder if when it was created it was known how valuable tit would be years alter.
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Oh, I doubt it. When I asked my father why he didn’t try to get his letters and stuff published, the answer was always “Who the heck would want to read a letter of mine from so long ago?”
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Great research and photos. Thanks for posting this!
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My pleasure. Pierre always does a great job!
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It seems he does! Best to you, GP.
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Have a nice weekend, Jennie.
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You too, GP.
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Nothing like primary documents to get my attention…
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You could sure do a lot with these, eh?
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Oh, maybe. Pictures and log books tell a lot. Just have to see between the lines. 😉
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Very true indeed.
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For your following book in the series, if it is military in any way, you might be interested in this blog…
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Hey, thanks, GP!
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What a great tribute to your Dad, GP, writing this blog post. I find history fascinating and when it involves the personal experience of someone who was there, so much the better. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
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I appreciate you reading this, Mark, but it is not my father. I reblogged a post from Pierre Lagace’s blog.
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Oh, sorry. Still interesting, though. 🙂
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No problem here. I just didn’t want to credit from Pierre’s work.
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Enjoyed the photos. I remember how interesting it was to go through Peggy’s father’s flight logs from WWII. –Curt
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I started reading journals online after being so interested in the scrapbook my grandmother kept for Dad.
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When Peg’s father passed away, I went through all of his old photos and put together printed photo journals for his kids and grandkids. Repairing the old photos took a lot of effort but it was woth it, G.
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I’m sure it was. Collections of memorabilia are time machines to me.
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What amazing pictures.
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Thanks, Jacqui!!
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What a fantastic old log and then pictures that went along with it. I always enjoy seeing old records that people have kept either for the military or even businesses long ago. Great finds!
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It’s like having a time machine!
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Indeed it is a time machine.
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Just look how long the RAF hung on to him after the end of the war!
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They knew a good thing when they saw it!
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Thank you for sharing this, GP. How incredible.
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Pierre’s research is always interesting, Gwen.
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15 Sep 1978 – 14 Mar 1985
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It’s amazing found historic record.
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I agree! Leave it to Pierre to find them.
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Great to see the service record and original photos. He certainly saw a lot of the world during WW2.
Best wishes, Pete.
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They could have used him as a poster, eh?! “Join and see the world!”
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🙂 🙂
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Fascinating and beautiful. Thank you GP and Pierre.
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I so appreciate your visit, Jet. You are always so interested!!
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So long ago. So well preserved. Relevant today.
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With DNA, people have become more interested in WWII.
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For sure. Our hope should be that we prioritize to provide some peace to as many living oldsters as possible.
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Thank you.
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A piece of history and a lot of work finding all this places on the photo’s
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Pierre doet geweldig werk in zijn onderzoek!
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Primary source documents like this are priceless. They give a first-hand account of how things were at that point in time. They are why we need archives, libraries, and historical societies. Thanks for sharing this with us GP. Fascinating read.
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I knew you would like it, Pat.
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You were correct, GP. 🙂
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This is amazing part of history.
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I so agree!
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Thanks for pointing this one out to us.
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Pierre was my mentor when I first started blogging, he built a model plane for me and has remained a close friend during all these years – I can’t say enough. I know you’ll enjoy his many blogs!
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So evocative of the time.
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Yes, it is.
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Such a helpful record
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Thank you, Derrick!
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A wonderful documentary, GP! Lets be happy such things had been saved for information and honouring. By the way: Incidentally, I have some lists of prisoners of war who were here in the region during the Second World War. Their existence and alleged assassination are still concealed by official authorities in the Free State of Bavaria. ;-( Looking of paper this style makes me griefing. Michael
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I wouldn’t be surprised if Pierre could help you, Michael!!
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Thank you, GP! Lets have a look, but honestly they are were POW from the former Eastern Europe States (UdSSR, Yugoslavia) and very young of age (between 18 and 24). I know some places here were the got buried, but Germans only digging for the own soldiers, not for others. ;-(
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With the advancements of DNA, the interest in the history of WWII and family history has improved greatly. Put it on-line and you never know who will see it.
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Thank you for the tipp, GP! Will do! Had sent it to the embassies of the named states, but only Poland has shown interest on it. They were very young and now after 80 years there is very less possibility getting more information. Horrible, indeed!
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I don’t think I could GP.
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It all started with a simple comment from his son…
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That is fantastic! You always do such a terrific job, Pierre.
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This blog is the spin-off of another one.
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You have so many wonderful sites, people should enjoy going on your Gravatar profile!!
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I will have to update my gravatar since I have added more blogs since…
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I suggest you do. That’s where I go. Too many people don’t even have their current blog on their Gravatar – seems senseless to me.
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On my to-do list if I can find the time…
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Whoa, I know what you mean. With this pandemic I seem to have less and less available time every day!
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His son found my blog on RAF 238 Squadron which had evolved from my blog on RCAF 403 Squadron which had evolved from my blog on RAF 23 Squadron which had evolved from my blog on RCAF 425 Alouettes which had evolved from Souvenirs de guerre…
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You always have a great history to go along with the data.
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Need I say more GP…?
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Your blogs speak for themselves!
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Well…this is historic taking us through process before the journey begins
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Pierre can teach us all how to get the most from our research.
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