Wilfred (Pip) Hill's Diary 1940/1941 - Extract 2 Instrument Repair Course at Melksham

Wilfred Hill was known to his family and friends as Pip (from the children’s cartoon ‘Pip, Squeak and Wilfred’). He was born in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1922 but moved south with his parents and elder brother, Harry, at the age of 10. A few days after his 18th birthday he volunteered for the RAF. His diary begins on the day he enlisted (4th Sept 1940) and covers the training period in England, the long and hazardous sea voyage to the Middle East and his first few weeks in Iraq.

These diary extracts were transcribed and submitted by Anne Hill, Wilfred’s widow, and Margaret Hill, his daughter. Editing has been kept to a minimum. Notes enclosed in square brackets are their added comments or queries.

Friday 6 Dec 1940
Left Padgate for Melksham, Wilts.

Saturday 7 Dec
FFI [free from infection] first thing, nothing all day. Went out to Melksham with Mike and Eric on a pub crawl, home 22.15.

Sunday Dec 8
Went to Trowbridge in the afternoon with Titch, had tea and went to pics, back 17.15.

Monday Dec 9
Had pay particulars taken first thing in the morning.

Tuesday 10 Dec
Went to Melksham in the evening and got the eagles for my overcoat. Decided to go to the pics, saw ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’ and 'The Men of the Lightship’. Arrived back at the camp at 22.00.

Wednesday Dec 11
Cleaned out a couple of huts and got some coal for Flt Sgt Collins in Z lines before dinner. In the afternoon we had a clothing parade. Issued a gas cape and anti-dimming compound for gas mask eyepiece, Mk V. Sewed on eagles on the coat in the evening.

Thursday 12 Dec
Again cleaned out two huts in the morning. Pay parade in the afternoon, received 16/-. Went back to No 3 NAAFI but did nothing.

Friday 13 Dec
Cleaned out two huts for Flt Sgt Collins in the morning. NAAFI in afternoon, played games instead of polishing floor. Stayed in the hut and wrote letters in the evening.

Saturday 14 Dec
Cleaned two huts which had been vacated last night, they were in awful state. Left about 15.00 and had bath. Went to the cinema in Melksham with Bill Ratcliffe saw ‘Eternally Yours’, David Niven and Loretta Young. Got back at 23.00. Found that the bed had had all the springs detached for a joke and one slipper missing.

Sunday 15 Dec
Found slipper 40 yards down path but towel missing. Went to Trowbridge with Ted (L), Geo, Art, Boller, Gin and Bill (B), saw ‘Dr Rhythm’ (Bing).

Monday 16 Dec
Started school, not bad, Class 2U, break at 10.15 and free cocoa (if you get it). Had a lecture by CO on Bullshit and pulling your weight. Had PO offices in morning and afternoon.

Tuesday 17 Dec
School as usual.

Wednesday 18 Dec
Square bashing for an hour in afternoon then had organised games. Had my glasses broken.

Thursday 19 Dec
Can’t remember much about this day.

Friday 20 Dec
Had a test on weeks work (75%). This week we have done pressure gauges, thermometers and barometers.

Saturday 21 Dec
Did nothing all day in school. Went to pics with Ted and Gin, saw ‘Alias the Deacon’ and ‘Golden Gloves’.

Sunday 22 Dec
Went a walk with Boller, Art and Ted and took some photos. Saw some cows being milked. Nobody but me had ever seen this before.

Monday 23 Dec
First day on Phase II. 41E rooms. Did engine speed indicator, electrical type.

Tuesday 24 Dec
Did cylinder thermometer and fuel contents gauge.

Wednesday Christmas Day, 1940
Went another walk after dinner with Boller, Ted and Art again. For Christmas dinner had beer, turkey, roast potatoes, stuffing and greens and Christmas pud. Went to the Wing 1 Xmas Dance, nearly got tight, went about kissing WAAFs. Corp got drunk. Three times.

Thursday 26 Dec
Corp felt like bed so we didn’t do much.

Friday 27 Dec
Finished syllabus so we had a test on Phase I. Got 90 out of 100. Just done my bullshit and am about to do some binding [revision].

Phase III Blen [Bristol Blenheim] of flying panel, gyro instruments, tail drift light, bombsight IX. Phase IV, in the hangar, bloody cold, had snow beginning of week. Bombsight, auto compasses, oxygen equipment.

Saturday 28 Dec
48 hours leave. Left 13.30hrs Melksham. Got stuck at Oxford at 20.30hrs, had to go by bus to Thame and hitchhike the rest. Got a car and found another RAF bloke with
his car broken down. Helped him in to Aylesbury. Arrived at the Lake about 10.15pm.

Sunday 29 Dec
Went to find time of train to Oxford (7.45am). Stayed in in the evening playing games.

Monday 30 Dec
Caught 7.45am train but it was half an hour late. That made all the subsequent trains late and I arrived at camp one and a quarter hours late. Cuthbert there with open arms. We are in the workshops this week and first thing is filing. A round rod to be filed 13/32" square.

Tuesday 14 Jan 1941
Still on brass rod. Gas drill in the evening before tea (bloody nuisance).

Wednesday 15 Jan
More square bashing today. Stayed in our huts.

Saturday 18 Jan
Went to Trowbridge. Bought a ukulele 6/6. Went to pics, saw ‘Choose Your Partner’ at the Regal.

Sunday 19 Jan
Stayed in, went to Fireside Hour at Melksham picture house.

Monday 20 Jan
Mk IV A autopilot.

Thursday 20 Feb
On Feb 16 I finished my 10 week course here and on Feb 17 I went before the board which I passed and was put on another 16 week course here at Melksham, con course [conversion course]. I also got 14 days’ leave. Am now Ac1 IR(2), 4/9 per day.

Sunday 18 May
Up for breakfast and back in bed until 10 o’clock. Dinner and then for a walk on the canal bank towards Trowbridge. Saw a moorhen’s nest and a few seconds later caught a grass snake. Put snake in my gas mask container. Walked along road towards Trowbridge. There we went into the canteen. Bill Ratcliffe had forgot his cash so it was on me. Saw ‘Three Men and A Girl’ at the Regal, came out and started walking back to camp. In camp the back way and straight up to the NAAFI then to bed.

Monday 19 May
(Little) Ted and Bunny got caught in London by SP’s. It appears they had a big round up. Big Ted got out of it. After breakfast showed Willy, the snake, to Bunny and let it go in fields opposite the hut. Found Willy had disgorged a live toad while it was in my respiration container. Started Mk IV autopilot.

Tuesday 20 May
Got browned off so went to the pictures in Melksham, ‘Of Mice and Men’. Not bad. Came out in a much better mood.

Wednesday 21 May
On the range in the afternoon. Did rotten fire picket so it meant that I had to go into the cookhouse until 21.00hrs. But they gave us a grand supper to finish off with. Bill Warner walked out with half the cookhouse under his arm.

Thursday 22 May
Science exam, made a real balls of this. It was a 2 hours.

Friday 23 May
Went down to the canteen with Ted and Jack (Bunny was still on jankers) and did a bit of genning for the test.

Saturday 24 May
Had test on Mk IV automatic controls. Tried to catch bus at gate but there were too many waiting so I came back for my great coat as it was raining. Caught bus near the Baptist chapel later on but could not get in the pics so I came back from Trowbridge after a good meal in the canteen.

Sunday 25 May
After dinner Ted, Jack, Bunny and I went down into Melksham and caught the bus to Trowbridge. Had tea in the canteen and then went into the pics saw ‘Black Friday’ (not bad). Came out and caught the bus to Melksham. We then walked back to camp in the pouring rain and had a good supper in the NAAFI and back to the hut to bed.

Monday 26 May
Bright sunshine. Started tuning and installation of Mk IV. Started raining later in the morning and at dinnertime it simply tippled down. Did nothing all day but write notes except for stripping a Mk IV s/m last thing in the afternoon. Tried to get into pics in Melksham to see ‘Edison the Man’ but was unsuccessful so went down to Baptist canteen and finished a letter to Harry.

Tuesday 27 May
Bright sunshine then rain again. Went down to pictures with Jim and Cookie and saw ‘Edison the Man’. Very good.

Wednesday 28 May
Bullshit day. Spent most of the afternoon chipping tar covering the square. They are trying to camouflage it. Went out before tea and caught the 5.40pm bus to Trowbridge and saw ‘The Thief of Baghdad’ in glorious Technicolor. Damn good film. Back about 9.45pm.

Thursday 29 May
Bit of trouble with the corp about PT first thing. Bright sunshine first thing then rain but at dinnertime there was a spell of really hot sun so I, with some of the boys, sat in front of the hut. Spent all the evening digging up the square again 6.30pm-8.30pm (bastard). Finished off my book ‘Dr Greenfingers’ in bed before I went to sleep. Boller and Art went with the Chippenham to a dance and arrived back at 4 o’clock in the morning.

Friday 30 May
Raining hard so we didn’t have PT. Nobody got up until 6.45am. No sun at all for a change. Still raining at dinnertime.

Saturday 31 May
Didn’t go out but went round the NAAFIs getting fags. In 3 Wing Ted, Bunny and I got a packet of tobacco for Harry. Came back to the hut and went to bed early.

Sunday 1 Jun
Went the walk along the canal bank towards Trowbridge again with Bill Ratcliffe, Ted W and Bunny. Found two moorhens’ nests. Went into the baths and sunbathed until 7.00pm when we came back to camp and had supper in the NAAFI. Art, Boller, Ted and Harry Lumberg were at the pool too. Came back by bus.

Monday 2 Jun
Stayed in hut all night and read. In the hangars today. Damn fine on the kites. We are on instruments until Thursday when we are on oxygen.

Tuesday 3 Jun
This evening I stayed in again as I am still broke. The hangar is getting ch------- [illegible] now.

Wednesday 4 Jun
Bullshit day. Messed about in the hangars in the morning. In the afternoon I scrounged off to the hangars with Edwards and did a bit of the suction pipeline layout. Went off about 4.30pm and caught the bus to Trow. Had tea (Ed was with me) in the NAAFI. In the CWS [Co-operative Wholesale Society] hall saw ‘No No Nanette’. Lousy. Back in camp just in time to book in.

Thursday 5 Jun
Felt tired so I went to bed immediately after tea. Started oxygen in hangars, stripping and calibrating.

Friday 6 Jun
Pay day. Was it timely! Worked out oxygen pipeline layout for an Anson. Went down to Baptist canteen and did this diary. Now I’m going for a drink.

Saturday 7 Jun
Did a pipeline layout for oxygen on a board.

Sunday 8 Jun
Church parade. Went so if Bunny’s (who was on unofficial weekend) name was called I could answer. Went with Art to Bath after dinner. Got a lift in on an army lorry. Went to pics. Had tea at Toc H. Came back by bus.

Monday 9 Jun
Started Mk IV in hangars.

Tuesday 10 Jun
Doing pipeline layout for Mk IV.

Wednesday 11 Jun
PT and a game of soccer was all we did this afternoon. Set off for Trowbridge before tea and saw ‘Northwest Mounted Police’ at Regal. Very good.

Thursday 12 Jun
Classes 1/1 and1/2 written paper today. Ours next week. Started DRC today with Cpl Malin (he’s not much bottle).

Friday 13 Jun
Bombsights today. Bill went down and got the photos we took a fortnight ago. They are not too bad.

Saturday 14 Jun
Cameras today. Me and Jack went down to Melksham to see if we could get into the pics. Couldn’t so we went into Trow. Had a SOP [sleeping out pass] by the way. Bunny and Ted went home. Went into the New Kinema. Saw ‘Third Finger Left Hand’. Got a lift back to camp in a corp’s car. Return ticket we had came in handy.

Sunday 15 Jun
Experiment in hitch hiking. Immediately after breakfast, 8.45am, Jack Brent and I set off for Bath. We got out of the gate by showing SOP’s. Jack had Rouse’s pass. No luck with lifts until Atworth, where we got a lift in a coal lorry into Bath. 2d for driver. The lorry was full of RAF blokes. Arrived 10.15am. Set off for Bristol. Immediately first lift to main Bristol Chippenham Rd, where we immediately after got another lift right into Bristol. Here we had dinner at YMCA, 11d. While waiting for dinner (we arrived at 11.30am) we went and looked at the air raid damage (it’s very bad). From Bristol we got three lifts before arriving at Axbridge. From here we walked the two odd miles to Cheddar Gorge, our objective. At Cheddar we first went into the milk bar and had a couple of milk shakes, at least Jack did. I had one and a glass of milk. We then went into the two caves first Cox’s and then Gough’s. They cost 1/- apiece to go in. We then had a long way to walk before we got another lift. First one dropped us at Chewton Mendip from where we got a lift to Midsomer Norton and we walked from there to Radstock. Here we got a lift to Frome. From there we had to walk about 1½ miles before a lift into Trowbridge came along. At Trowbridge we caught the bus back to camp. Back 10.30pm.

Monday 16 Jun
Broke!!! Started REVISION. Stayed in at night and wrote letters.

Tuesday 17 Jun
Stayed in. Had a bath. Went over fields with Bunny and did some binding. The weather for the last few days has been glorious.

Wednesday 18 Jun
Still on revision. Mk VI DRC and gyro inst. Getting ready for written paper tomorrow. Instead of having the afternoon off we went to school but did not learn much.

Thursday 19 Jun
Written paper. This was a 3hr paper with ten out of eleven questions to do. I did not do too bad except on the Mk VI questions (2). In the afternoon we went back to school for more rev., for the board this time. Went to the pictures in the Crystal Palace.

Friday 20 Jun
Stayed in the hut laying on my bed and binding.

Saturday 21 Jun
Same as last night.

Sunday 22 Jun
Went to Trowbridge. Bunny and Jack went ahead, me, Art and Beecham came on later. Arrived at 2.00pm. Had to wait at baths until 3.00pm in boiling hot sunshine. Had a bathe, came out about 5.30pm. Had tea in the canteen behind the town hall and went to the Gaumont and saw a picture with Ray Milland and Sonja Henie.

Monday 23 Jun
[Exam] Board
Went in about 11.15am, came out at 12.45pm. Don’t think I did too good. All afternoon Harry Lumberg and I pulled up weed round the spark plug tester’s shop. Stayed in.

Tuesday 24 Jun
Had to dig the ground between the inst. lab and first workshop in the morning. In the afternoon we went into the main store. I was stacking boots all afternoon.

Wednesday 25 Jun
Went down to board room and Andy gave a speech and how we had passed out. I am now Ac1 HILL IR(1). Went until dinnertime in the Sperry lab sectioning inst. After dinner we had more fatigues. Put some tents up. Went with Ted, Bunny, Jack to Trow and saw ‘Escape’, Robert Taylor and Norma Shearer.

Thursday 26 Jun
Busy day. Some fatigues then a speech by Jeb, about 4 words. More fatigues. After dinner FFI and clothing parade. Packed up for going off tomorrow.

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