No.101 Squadron, Royal Air Force

After a further 11 months moving between operational training units and stations in Wales and England, the time came for Bill to be posted to a fully operational Royal Air Force Squadron.  This was what he had been working towards, ever since he began his initial training back in New Zealand in January 1942.  He describes his first impressions of his new Squadron in his diary:

Next morning we were told we were posted to No 101 Squadron so we were all on our toes…  We were over at our new ‘drome by 5 pm.  First impressions were not good.  The place is very scattered and mud everywhere.  Our billets are Nissen Huts with not too much room.  I had always thought that conditions on a Squadron were on the top line, but this place is nearly as bad as Wales. (Bill Smith, diary, 3-12 Oct 1943 1999/195.14c)

 

At the time Bill Smith joined No. 101 Squadron, it was based at RAF Station Ludford Magna in Lincolnshire, England, and was equipped with Avro Lancaster bomber aircraft.  This Squadron specialised in top-secret radio counter-measures and some of its aircraft carried special equipment which searched out and then jammed enemy radio frequencies.  To operate this equipment they carried an additional specially-trained crew member who could speak German.

Bill had been posted to 101 Squadron along with the rest of his crew, which had been selected while they were on operational training.  A full crew on a heavy bomber such as the Lancaster was usually made up of seven airmen: 1 pilot, 1 navigator, 1 flight engineer, 1 wireless operator/air gunner, 1 bomb aimer, and 2 air gunners. 

Bill was the only New Zealander in his crew, with the others being from England, Scotland, Australia and Canada.

Next section: First Operation.