Page 5 - Terence J Arbuthnot

In October the squadron was posted to Abbeville. 26 Squadron carried out
surveillance and photographic duties during the so-called phoney war. Moving to
Dieppe for a while and then, presumably in conjunction with the army's unsuccessful
advance and retreat back to Dunkirk the squadron found itself in a field near the
Belgian border. The squadron took off to try to harass the enemy with anti-personnel
bombs leaving the ground crew to destroy as much of the squadron equipment as
possible before the advancing German tanks overran the landing ground. The
ground crew’s retreated to the coast and eventual withdrawal back to the UK, it was
here that Terence lost all his personnel equipment including all of
his three log books.

The Lysander excelled in the role for which it was designed but it stood no chance
against overwhelming numbers of German fighter aircraft. Lysanders were also not
at all suited for ground attack. They were too slow and carried a pitiful load of
bombs. The Lysanders that eventually returned to the UK were full of bullet holes,
the ground crew not having a quite return journey either, they being strafed by
German fighters all the way back to the channel coast.

26 Squadron re-located to Lympne in Kent where it flew reconnaissance, bombing
and supply missions over northern France.

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On June 1 1940 Terence was promoted to Wing Commander and was posted away
from the squadron to other duties having transferred from Fighter to Bomber
Command. These included a period at RAF Bicester, the Headquarters of No. 7
(Operational Training) Group in Oxfordshire where he was evaluating the
Armstrong Whitworth A.W.41 Albemarle.
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Promoted acting Group Captain (rank confirmed as permanent on October 1 1946),
Terence in October 1944 was appointed Station Commander RAF Fiskerton when
No. 1 Group took over operational responsibility for the airfield from No.5 Group.

The first squadron to operate from Fiskerton was 150 but after nine operations the
squadron moved to RAF Hemswell and 576 Squadron moved in from RAF Elsham
th
Wolds staying at the airfield until its disbandment on September 13 1945.
Terence saw the disbanding of 576 Squadron and the closure of RAF Fiskerton to
operational flying on September 13 1945, the Station reverting to a care and
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maintenance state until it being sold off and its runways and
dispersals put to the plough.