Page 5 - Harry Brittain

Here, Harry would undertake a Flight Mechanics course as a
Flight Mechanic (Engines), (FM E). Harry’s initial rank was of Aircraftsman 2 (AC2), known
affectionally in the RAF as an Erk. He would have undertaken training on the Rolls Royce Merlin
and Bristol Hercules Radial engines.
Having completed his training by the 22 January 1942, Harry was promoted to Aircraftsman 1
nd
(AC1). Harry by May 1944 rising to the rank of Leading Aircraftsman (LAC)

nd
Training completed Harry was initially, on the 22 January 1942 posted to
No.9 (Bomber Squadron), this squadron then based at RAF Honington near
Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire.
No.9 Squadron later became famous operating alongside No.617 Squadron dropping the Barnes
Wallis 12,000Lb (Tallboy) earthquake bomb and at wars end it is a Lancaster from No.9 Squadron
(named by its crew, (ʻJohnny Walkerʼ) gave the coup-de-grace to the German pocket battle ship
Tirpitz off the Norwegian island of Håkøy near Tromsø.

IX Squadron

The RAF however had other plans for Harry and he found himself posted to No.59 OTU
th
(Operational Training Unit) at RAF Crosby-on-Eden, Cumbria on the 10 February 1942. This
airfield, located 6 miles North East of Carlisle trained pilots on the Hawker Hurricane. The unit
commander was Group Captain C.R. Keary.
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On the 8 May 1942, Harry was posted back to No.9 S. of TT and one must assume underwent
further training on a different engine type in preparation for him to be posted to the Far East. As he
would later be servicing the Douglas Dakota, further training on the Pratt and Whitney R-1830
Twin wasp radial engine was undertaken.
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On the 5 May 1943 Harry was posted to No. 2 Personnel Dispatch Centre (2PDC) at Wilmslow,
Lancashire for travel processing and transporting, probably via Liverpool on a troop ship to India.
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Harry arrived in Bombay on the 8 August 1943. He travelled out to India from England on a small
ship and discovered about 40 years later that the father of his future daughter-in-law, Brian’s wife,
was also on the very same ship and was travelling out to India with the Army. While travelling
through India and Burma he charted his journey on a large-scale map. It was in the RAF that he
befriended a young Scotsman, Tommy Baird; one day he showed Harry photographs of his family
back home in Falkirk and when Harry saw a photo of his younger sister, Alice, he said that he
really liked the look of her! Tommy said that she was only 16…

Arriving in Bombay, Harry was then posted to No. 35 Personnel and Training Command (35 PTC),
this unit also possibly located in Bombay and awaiting further movement orders.
No.194 Squadron operating the Douglas Dakota Mk I, III and IV was Harry’s next destination, the
airfield based at RAF Palam, Delhi (Now, New Delhi International airport) Harry arriving at the
squadron on the 14 August 1943. This squadron was then moved to a new airfield on the 18
th
th
September 1943 at RAF Basal in the Punjab. This airfield had detachments at RAF Chakala,
Rawalpindi, Punjab.

The history of No.194 Squadron in WWII.

194 Squadron