Page 4 - Reginald Croot

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Reginald Croot enlisted with the Royal Air force on 31 August 1942. After
completing basic training Reginald was selected for aircrew training
as a pilot cadet.

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Reginald was awarded his Pilots Brevet on 10 December 1943 with the rank
of Sergeant at 37 SFTS (Service Flying training School) Calgary, Alberta,
Canada. At this time there were no pilot positions available within Bomber
Command as replacement crews were coming forwards faster than
operational losses. The Air ministry had at the start of the war calculated that
crew losses would be 10%, and therefore planned training accordingly.

Losses were in the region of 5%, so by late 1943, there was a backlog of
trained crew awaiting postings and they found themselves in holding units
undergoing refresher training until positions for their crew trade became
available.

Reginald was given three choices, fly Seafires from aircraft carriers with the
Air Fleet Arm, become a glider pilot with the Army or retrain as a flight
engineer on Lancasters.

Reginald decided he would opt for re-training as a flight engineer and was
posted to Flight Engineer's school at St Athan, Wales in December 1944,
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completing his course on 9 February 1945.
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Promoted to Flight Sergeant in December 1944. On 30 February 1945
Reginald was posted to 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit at RAF Lindholme,
South Yorkshire. Lindholme was Base station (71 Base) for No.1 Groups
Heavy Conversion Units with sub-stations at RAF Sandtoft, between
Doncaster and Scunthorpe (1667 HCU) and RAF Blyton south of Scunthorpe
(1662 HCU.) Known to crews as No. 1 Lancaster Finishing School (1LFS).

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Reginald held the position of 2 pilot with flight engineers duties. On 25
March 1945 Reginald was appointed flight engineer with the Avro Lancaster
crew of Pilot Officer Sharp.

Flight engineers would undergo separate training from the rest of the aircrew,
missing the training crew’s took at Operational Training Units on the Medium
Vickers Wellington Bomber. Flight engineers were type trained and would join
Lancaster crews at HCU.