Page 5 - Leslie Brown

Leslie with four other wireless operators were selected to attend a wireless/navigators course, but
this never came to fruition as the trade was discontinued and he continued his wireless training.

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On the 18 July 1944 Leslie having passed all his examinations was pronounced fit for operational
duties and posted to No. 28 Operational Training Unit at RAF Wymeswold in Leicestershire. Here
he, along with the rest of the new intake taken to an empty hangar and told by the Station staff to
form themselves into crew’s.

The crew’s having sorted themselves out then went through an intense period of training designed
to weld them into an operational crew using the twin engine Vickers Wellington medium bomber.

The crew were now ready for their final training period, this time to No.1667 Heavy Conversion
Unit at RAF Sandtoft just to the east of Doncaster. It was here the crew converted to the four
engine Handley Page Halifax.

The crew at this point would receive their flight engineer, he having undertaken his training on the
Merlin engine at a separate RAF training facility in preparation for their posting to an operational
squadron within No.1 Group.

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On the 11 December 1944 the two and a half years training came to an end when Leslie and the
rest of the 7 man crew reported for air duties with 576 Squadron at RAF Fiskerton some 4 miles
east of Lincoln.

This squadron operated the Avro Lancaster and for the next two weeks the crew not having yet
flown in this type underwent conversion under the guidance of the squadron’s staff.
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Leslie’s first operational sortie was on the evening of the 29/30 December 1944 to the synthetic
petro chemical plant at Scholven Buer, a suburb in the German town of Gelsenkirchen in
the Ruhr valley.

Leslie was in the late spring of 1945 nominated for a commission by his Flight Commander,
Squadron Leader Dutton. After attending an Officer Selection course at RAF Scampton Leslie was
promoted Pilot Officer on 27 March 1945.
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Completing 32 operations including three Operation ʻMannaʼ sorties dropping food to the starving
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Dutch populations, Leslie and his crew were screened from further operational duties on 2 May
1945 after dropping food supplies at Rotterdam.

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Leslie Married his sweetheart Joan at Hemsworth Parish Church on 21 May 1945 and after the
honeymoon reported back to Fiskerton.

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The honeymoon must have been a short one for on the 25 May 1945 Leslie was posted back to
No.1667 Heavy Conversion Unit at Sandtoft as a wireless/fishpond instructor.
(Fishpond was a ground scanning radar with the monitor screen installed in the navigator and
wireless operator’s position. The unit taking its signal from the H2s radar unit attached to the
underside of the Lancaster).

By the 4 July he was again posted, this time to A.C.O.S Hereford on an Officers course. Leslie
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having been removed from aircrew duties to ground staff. Leslie was promoted to Flying Officer on
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the 27 September.