Page 4 - Horace Drew

Flight Lieutenant Horace Drew DFC

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Born in the Newbold district of Chesterfield on 24 November 1912, the son of a coal miner, he
was the eldest of four children; one brother and two sisters.

From an early age he displayed an academic bent and achieved a scholarship to attend
Chesterfield Grammar School from 1924 to 1930.

In 1930 after leaving school with the School Certificate he started work in the Cost Accountancy
Department with Steel Peech & Tozer, part the United Steel Companies Ltd at
Templeborough, Rotherham.

During the years prior to the war he played badminton in a works team, made many trips to the
Derbyshire Dales with the hiking club and went on several works outings.

He married his childhood sweetheart, Connie Sharp, in August 1937 in Chesterfield. They enjoyed
summer holidays with friends on the Isle of Wight and continued to take part in
works social activities.

As war was declared he chose to volunteer for service with the RAF and enlisted in
September 1940.
His employers were happy to hold open his position as a cost accountant for the duration.

Horace, therefore enlisted with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve on 16 September 1940
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with the rank of Aircraftsman class 2, Service No 195769. He was posted to No. 9 Recruiting
Centre at Blackpool, possibly RAF Kirkham, where he started his basic RAF training doing drill
(square bashing) and learning the Kings regulations. During the War years some 769,673 recruits
passed through Blackpool’s RAF training centres.
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By the 27 of September 1940 he was posted to RAF Bridgnorth in Shropshire where he
continued his basic training.

As he had volunteered for aircrew duties Horace was once more on the move, this time to No. 1
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Aircrew Receiving Centre at Lords cricket ground, London on 17 November 1940. Here after
undergoing a thorough medical examination and having to complete a written exam he was
selected for pilot training.

No. 8 Initial Training Wing at Newquay was the next posting on 16 November 1940 where further
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training was undertaken, once completed Horace was retained at 51 Group (Group Pool) centre
until a pilots training position was found for him. This was an Aircrew Holding Centre within
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Training Command, its exact location is not known. He was held in this Holding Unit from the 22
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March 1941 until finally starting his pilots training on 24 May 1941 with No. 3 Service Flying
Training School at RAF Scopwith (Now RAF Digby) In Lincolnshire.

Here he would have undergone flying lessons in the RAF’s standard trainer the Tiger Moth,
moving onto the twin engine Airspeed Oxford as he by now had been selected for
multi-engine aircraft.

Completing his Pilots training course with an 'A' proficiency rating and receiving his coveted Pilots
wings and was posted on the 10 August 1941 to 15 Operational Training Unit at RAF Mount
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Farm in Oxfordshire (a satellite airfield of RAF Harwell), meeting his new Crew for the first time
here.