Page 4 - John George Blair

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John George ‘Jack’ Blair accepted the King’s shilling on the 19 January 1943 and
enrolled into the Royal Air Force Auxiliary Reserve.

Jack was sent travel documents and instructed having volunteered for Aircrew duties
to attend the Aviation Selection Board at RAF Doncaster in South Yorkshire, part of
54 Group Flying Training Command. Here he would have undergone a full medical
and intelligence examination to establish his suitability to commence aircrew training
as a candidate for Flight Engineer duties.

Having past the examinations he was sent home to await his next posting to
commence training with the Royal Air Force. On the 11 February 1943 Jack was
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sent travel documents and instructed to attend No.3 Recruit Centre at RAF Padgate
on the outskirts of Warrington in Lancashire.

It was here Jack commenced his basic training in the Royal Air Force designed to
convert the civilian to be an RAF Serviceman. Jack would have spent many hours
not just marching around Padgate's drill square but also taking lessons on the King's
regulations, learning how to fire the Lee Enfield rifle on the Stations firing range and
subjects relevant to the Royal Air Force. Training completed Jack was posted on the
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21 April 1943 to No. 4 Technical Training School at St Athan in the Vale of
Glamorgan, South Wales to commence his Flight Engineer’s training.

Jack would be at St Athan some seven months undertaking instruction on aircraft
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engines used by the Royal Air Force. This included a visit to AVRO on the 26
September 1943. The AVRO assembly plants location is not mentioned in Jack’s
service record but here he would have been shown how the Rolls Royce Merlin
engines were paired to the Avro Lancaster airframe and its control systems.

Completing his Flight Engineer training Jack on the 26 October 1943 was promoted
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Temporary Sergeant and posted to 1660 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Swinderby
in Lincolnshire. Here he would await his new crew, the crew having formed up at an
Operational Training Unit and trained up on the Vickers Wellington, a twin engine
medium bomber. The focus at Swinderby was to convert the new crews to the Short
Stirling, a four engine heavy bomber.

The Short Stirling bomber, mainstay of Bomber Command Main Force operations
was being replaced by the Avro Lancaster, the Sterling being transferred to Transport
Command in the Glider towing role. Lancasters being in short supply therefore
required conversion being undertaken on the Stirling. Jack continued his training
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with his new crew up to the 29 March 1944. The crews Pilot was Flight Sergeant
Lindsay (Royal Australian Air Force).

The crew then went to RAF Syerston near Newark in Nottinghamshire to No. 5
Lancaster Finishing School and converted to the Avro Lancaster in preparation for
their next posting to 630 Squadron, a No.5 Group Main force squadron at RAF East
Kirkby near Spilsby in Lincolnshire.