Sgt Pilot Harold Orchard RAF - Part 2

Sgt Pilot Harold Orchard RAF — Part 2

L/Ac Orchard (Part Time Air Gunner) returned to 82(B) Squadron from North Coates on 12th December 1937, and prepared to settle in to what probably appeared as a steady occupation for the remainder of his service with the RAF.
The routine of promotions and postings continued for the first few months of 1938, and then on 11th March the squadron began to re-fit with its new bombers, Bristol Blenheim aircraft which were being collected directly from the factory. The delivery was complete by 23rd March, when a total of 12 aircraft had arrived. A further 4 had been allotted as reserve. The old Hind aircraft were then sent elsewhere, probably to one of the Reserve or Training squadrons.
The Blenheim was one of the first 'modern' bombers to enter RAF service. It was, of course, a monoplane, and had been derived from a fast transport aircraft called the Bristol 142. The Blenheim first appeared in 1935, and RAF squadrons began re-equipping with it in 1936. It was powered by two Mercury VIII engines, giving it a speed of some 285mph at 15,000 feet, with a service ceiling of about 27,000 feet. The Blenheims were much larger than the Hinds they replaced, being 37ft 9ins long with a wing span of 56ft 4ins. It carried twice the bomb load (1,000lbs) and was better armed, having five .303 Browning machine guns. The aircraft were operated by a crew of three.
The arrival of the new type at 82 Squadron would have kept the ground crews busy for some time, familiarising themselves with a machine completely different from the old biplanes.
Whilst the NCO's and Aircraftsmen of the squadron were busy with their new charges, the Squadron Operations Record shows the continued comings and goings of officers, and also a mention of the new squadron crest and motto 'Perseverance'
July 1938 saw Harold experiencing a new RAF post, this time at West Freugh on the west coast of Scotland. Between 1st and 23rd of that month the Squadron moved to No.4 Armament Training Station for annual training. 12(B) Squadron, now equipped with Fairey 'Battles', were at West Freugh at the same time, and no doubt Harold spent some time catching up with the news from his old Squadron. 82(B) had now grown in size to an establishment of 16 Officers, 4 NCO Pilots, 12 Senior NCO's and 114 Corporals and AC's., and on 10th September its aircraft strength was increased to 21, the extra planes again being collected from the Bristol Aeroplane Company.
Routine continued for the remainder of 1938, although by now it must have been becoming apparent to everyone that War was no longer a remote possibility, but rather a definite probability. Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler at Munich on 29th September had at least given Britain a breathing space in which to continue the strengthening of her Armed Forces. Surrounded by this tension and activity, life in 82(B) continued, and in December a new Badge and Motto ('Super Omnia Ubique') were approved by the King. At the end of the month squadron strength had risen to 17 Officers, 5 NCO Pilots, 17 Senior NCO's and 147 Corporals and AC's.
1939 saw Harold stationed for a short time close to home. On 30th January the Squadron 'proceeded by road, rail and air' to No.6 Armament Training Station at Warmwell, Dorset for annual training. Squadrons at Warmwell frequently used the area around the Fleet and Chesil Beach for their bombing practices, and no doubt Harold's father would have been aware of 82's activities as he worked at Portland Dockyard. The Squadron returned to Cranfield by the same forms of transport on 17th February.
During this period, on 3rd February, S/Ldr Pleasance, who had commanded 82(B) since its formation, was posted to Headquarters Bomber Command. His place was taken on a temporary basis by S/Ldr S.R Groom, who retained the post until July, when Wing Commander S.H.Ware was posted as Squadron commander.
Routine continued for a few more weeks and then the looming shadow of a European War was cast over the squadron. In March 1939 Hitler, if he had not done so already, tore up the Munich Agreement and occupied Czechoslovakia. Britain seemed on the verge of war, and prepared for mobilisation. On 21st March, Cranfield Station took part in a 'Minor Home Defence Exercise', the first of several over the next few weeks. 82 Squadron's Operations Record for 26th March reflects one such exercise. At 11.00 hours all leave was cancelled; aircraft were ordered to taxi to dispersal areas when the alarm sounded; and the squadron was ordered onto standby. By 14.00 hours the squadron was on full standby, and all personnel were returning from leave.
After a time these exercises were toned down, and routine returned more or less to normal. On 20th May Empire Air Day came round again, and 82 Squadron took part in the Cranfield programme. In addition, a detachment of three aircraft gave a demonstration of low level bombing at Luton Municipal Airport. On 8th July another such airport opened, at Birmingham, and the squadron gave another low-level bombing display.
Meanwhile, more preparations for war were in evidence, as during June personnel from the squadron began ferrying Blenheim bombers to Egypt, from where they were to play a major role in the Desert battles over the next four years.
On the 19th July the last major event of Harold's career as an Aircraftsman took place when the squadron provided nine aircraft as part of a mass flight over France arranged by the RAF.
Harold had decided some time previously on a change in the direction of his RAF career, and in July he was posted to begin perhaps the most exciting, challenging and, ultimately, tragic phase of his life.

LA/C Orchard made his first recorded flight in an aircraft on 5th July 1939, when the Pilot's Flying Log Book in which he was to record all his flying for the next 20 months shows its first entry, a flight lasting 45 minutes in Tiger Moth G-AECH, piloted by the instructor, Mr.Mathias.
Harold had been posted to No.7 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School at the civilian Flying School at Desford, a few miles west of Leicester, where he was part of No.21 Ab Initio Training Course. Desford was one of thirteen such schools which had been co-opted by the RAF for initial flying training as part of the pre-war expansion scheme. Instruction was given largely by civilian instructors, although RAF personnel often tested the pupils. As they were serving on a civil airfield, the trainee pilots were attached on paper to Headquarters Reserve Command for purposes of pay and administration.
As with many training schools, Desford was equipped with the de Haviland 82A, known to the RAF as the Tiger Moth MkII. This was a development from a long line of Gypsy Moths, first produced as the DH60 in 1925. The DH82 was produced from 1934 until 1945, and was the standard ab initio trainer at the time. The biplane was fairly small, with a wing-span of 29ft 4ins and a length of 23ft 11ins, and quite slow, having a maximum speed of 104mph at sea level. It could operate at 13,600ft, although it took over 21 minutes to climb to that height. The crew of two, normally a pupil and an instructor, sat in two cockpits, one behind the other. The rear cockpit on training aircraft was fitted with a special hood so that instrument - 'blind' - flying could be practised during the day.
In total Harold was to log 52 hours in the type, the majority of flights being in G-ADXU (31 flights totalling nearly 21 hours). He also spent nearly 7 hours in N6480 (11 flights), and also flew at least once in eleven other Tiger Moths. Throughout his course at Desford his instructor was invariably Mr.A.Mathias.
The first 9 hours 45 minutes were spent learning various basic skills on the aircraft, such as taxying, flying straight and level, turning, climbing, gliding, taking off and landing, and action in emergencies such as engine stalling or a fire. At the end of this time another instructor, Mr Johnson, tested Harold for his first Solo Flight, which he made after 10 hours and 10 minutes, the flight itself lasting just 5 minutes (in G-ADXU) on 2nd August 1939. The next day Harold made a further two, much longer, solo flights, these being of 40 and 20 minutes duration.
A further series of practices in basic flying skills continued for some two and a half hours, and then on 11th August S/Ldr Lee administered a test for suitability as an RAF pilot. Having succesfully passed, instruction moved from the basics to more advanced skills such as aerobatics, forced landings, air navigation and instrument flying. These were practised both with the instructor and as a solo pilot. The routine continued until 6th September, when Harold had logged 41 hours and 45 minutes flying, 20 hours 30 minutes of these being solo. F/Lt Hopcroft then administered the RAF 45 hour test. Three days previously Harold had noted in his Log Book 'September 3rd 1939 - War declared with Germany'. Although not an officially required entry, it was no doubt acceptable.
During the following week, flying skills were continually practised, until on 14th September Harold piloted N6948 on two solo Cross Country tests, both lasting 55 minutes. In an entry dated 16th September 1939, the Desford Chief Flying Instructor, F/O A.G.Bullmore, noted that Harold had flown a total of 25 hours 10 minutes dual, and 26 hours 50 minutes as a solo pilot. Included in this was 5 hours 30 minutes instrument flying. He graded Harold as an 'Above Average' pilot, with no special faults. Harold was well on his way to becoming a fully qualified RAF pilot.

Having successfully completed his basic flying training, Harold joined Number 15 Course at the RAF's No.10 Flying Training School at Ternhill, Shropshire, the course officially commencing on 9th October 1939. He was a member of a course of 39 pupils, of whom 27 were Acting Pilot Officers, 9 were Corporals, and 3, including Harold, were LA/C's. 10 of them had been at Desford together.
Ternhill was one of the five new Flying Training Schools opened in 1935 as a result of the Government's decision to expand the RAF. As at all FTS's, training was based around what was known as the 'Gosport System', devised in 1918 by Major R.R. Smith-Barry. Basically, the approach was to allow the trainee pilot to be 'in the hot seat' as much as possible, even during dual flights. Thus he would learn the limitations and abilities of both the aircraft and himself from first-hand experience.
In common with most RAF Training Units at the time, 10 FTS was equipped with North American 'Harvards', and the first task was to convert the new intakes from biplanes to a much faster, single-winged aircraft. Harold very quickly made the conversion, as his Log Book shows that after only 2 hours and 25 minutes instruction, he took and passed his solo test in the aircraft.
The Harvard was a fairly large plane with a wing span of 42ft and a length of 29ft. It was not particularly fast, having a maximum speed of 205 mph, but it was considerably faster than the Tiger Moth. Despite this, it could land at less than 70 mph. It was a two-seater aircraft, designed as an advanced-pilot trainer. The pilot and instructor sat one behind the other, both with a full set of instruments and controls.
During his stay at Ternhill, Harold was to spend nearly 100 hours in Harvards, over 60 hours as a solo pilot. Unlike his experiences at Desford, where more than half his flying time was in one particular aircraft, Harold's Log shows that he was not attached to one single machine. He did spend 9 hours flying N7156 and a similar time in N7025, but also made at least one flight in no less than 30 other Harvards. He was, however, instructed largely by one person, as most dual flights were made with a Sgt. Hartley. Where another person was co-pilot, it was usually for the purposes of a test, such as on 11th October when F/Sgt Sweet conducted a Solo Test, or 27th November when P/O Silk conducted a Flight Commander's Test.
Besides teaching advanced flying techniques to its pupils, the FTS was also concerned with such skills as Signalling, Reconnaissance, Maintenance (at which Harold scored second highest on the course), and Qualities as an Officer or NCO. In addition to practical flying, written examinations were also held in Air Navigation, Armaments, Airmanship, and Signals.
No.15 Course's records show that Harold did well in most aspects of his training. For the written exams mentioned he scored 86.6% (4th overall), doing particularly well in Air Navigation. He scored 79% (3rd overall) for practical Armament and navigation skills. In his final assessment he gained 72% for his qualities as an NCO, but 87% (only 1 point behind the best pilot) for his qualities as a pilot. His passing out position was 3rd, with an overall score for the course of 81%, 3 and 1 points behind the 1st and 2nd placed men, both of whom were also NCO pilots.
Harold's Flying Log Book gives a good picture of the type of flying training which was carried out at this time:
October 1939
The first 2 hours 45 minutes were spent in dual flight practice whilst Harold became familiar with the new aircraft, and then he made his first solo flight in a monoplane.
Throughout October various exercises were undertaken so that the new pilots became thoroughly competent with their aircraft. Skills practised included powered and glide landings; take-offs with and without the wind; turns; instrument flying; spinning; low level flying; forced landings; and loops and slow rolls. During the month a total of 30 hours and 35 minutes were spent flying.
November 1939
The month began with practice in formation flying, followed by cross-country flights to such places as Cirencester, Leominster, Hullavington, Ollerton and Peterborough, although the last flight was abandoned due to bad weather.
On 9th November a new experience began - night flying. For Harold, however, it started somewhat disastrously, as during the first few landings the Harvard collided with two Ansons. Subsequently, several other landings, including some solo, went without hitch.
The rest of November was spent in more flying skills practice, and cross-country flights to Wittering and South Cerney. November ended, after a further 20 hours 5 minutes flying, with a Flight Commander's Test, and Harold was graded as an 'Above Average' pilot.
December 1939
December saw the beginning of combat training, with 5 hours 35 minutes being spent in air-to-ground firing and low level bombing practice.
January 1940
Bombing practice continued, with both high and low level and dive bombing being involved. Air-to-air firing at towed targets was the next skill, and on 18th January Harold himself spent 2 hours 20 minutes towing a target. No doubt this all reminded Harold of his course at North Coates a few years previously.
On January 16th a cross-country Navigation Test was undertaken, with a flight to Tewkesbury and Peterborough.
The rest of the month was spent in more night flying, and also formation flying, both as a member of the formation and as the leader. The total flying time for the month was 20 hours 15 minutes.
February 1940
The Log Book records that no flying took place in this month due to bad weather.
March 1940
The last full month at Ternhill was spent on further combat practice, such as low and high level and dive bombing, and firing at ground and air targets. Much of this experience was gained at No.9 Bombing and Gunnery Practice Camp at Penrhos, North Wales. Harold arrived there on 3rd March, and the flight is recorded as one of the few in the Log Book where he was a passenger and not a pilot or co-pilot. After almost three weeks at Penrhos the return flight to Ternhill was made on 22nd March, again with Harold officially logged as a passenger.
A cross-country flight was made to Peterborough and Tewkesbury again, and there were Instrument Flying and Navigation tests. The total flying time for March was 16 hours 10 minutes.
April 1940
The last few days at Flying Training School were spent revising flying skills, flying time for the month being 7 hours 20 minutes.
Finally, on 12th April, Flight Sergeant Harold Orchard received his final grading of 'Above Average' pilot. He left FTS with a total of 151 hours 40 minutes flying recorded in his Log Book, of which 92 hours 35 minutes was as a solo pilot. This fits well with the RAF's pre-war requirement of 146 hours flying before joining a squadron.

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