Norman Turner

Name : Norman Turner D.F.C., D.F.M.

Rank : Flight Lieutenant

Ser. No. : 979538

Dates at Cranage : 15 Jan 1941 - 25 April 1941

Navigation Course

I came across Mr Turner’s information while running a search on the word ‘Cranage’ on google. Mr Turner’s son Allan Turner created a page on his own web site in memory of his father, and luckily for me, Allan had included his father’s time at Cranage which was then picked up by the search engine. After a brief exchange of e-mail Allan has kindly given me permission to add the information and images about F/Lt Norman F. Turner here in our personnel section.

Service History

Norman Frederick Turner was born in Sale, Cheshire on the 15th December 1919.

He joined the Royal Air Force in June 1940, when he was 21 years old. From June 11, 1940, through August 20, 1940, he received his basic training as a member of D Flight, No. 4 Squadron, 5 Initial Training Wing (I.T.W.), which was located near Hastings, East Sussex.

Mr Turner is the airman on the far left in the back row.

From August 21, 1940, through September 21, 1940, he learned to fly at No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School (E.F.T.S.), which was then located at R.A.F. Watchfield, Berkshire, having previously been at R.A.F. Hamble in Hampshire. He made his first solo flight in an Avro 643 Cadet Mk.II, with the nationality and registration mark (G-AENL), on August 30, 1940. Mr Turner flew a number of other Avro Cadet aircraft during his flight training at R.A.F. Hamble, including G-ADTU, which is pictured below.

This picture is a copy of one that is pasted in his Pilots Flying Log , which explains its wrinkled and aged condition.

From September 21, 1940, through January 14, 1941, he learned to fly multi-engine aircraft at N0. 11 Service Flight Training School (S.F.T.S.), R.A.F. Shawbury, Shropshire, flying the Airspeed Oxford Mk 1.

From January 15, 1941, through April 25, 1941, he was trained as a navigator at the No. 2 School of Air Navigation, R.A.F. Cranage, Cheshire, where he flew the Avro Anson Mk.I. Allan found it interesting that in the assessment of Norman’s abilities in his Log Book on July 8, 1941, concerning points to be watched, a written notation asked “Has he shown aptitude as a Pilot Navigator?” The assessor wrote an emphatic “NO” in large print.

A copy of Norman’s Flying Log Book pages for RAF Cranage, No.2 S.o.A.N.

From April 26, 1941, through July 10, 1941, he continued with his flight training at No 25 Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.), which was located at R.A.F. Finningley, Yorkshire. It appears from his records that his training focused on instrument flying, air/firing, and bombing. During this flight training he flew the Avro Anson, Vickers Wellington, and Handley Page Hampden, with the majority of time being spent flying the latter. Indeed, in the June and early July of 1941, he flew what appears to be his first seven operational bombing raids in a Hampden.

On July 14, 1941, he was posted to Bomber Command, No. 5 Group, No. 61 Squadron (Sqn), to begin what would be his first of two operational tours with No. 61 Sqn. Between July 29, 1941, and sometime after August 29, 1941, he flew a variety of aircraft, including the Airspeed Oxford, Handley Page Hampden, and Avro Manchester. Again the majority of this flying appeared to be training, including endurance tests, local and cross country flights.

Around September 10, 1941, he was posted to No. 97 Sqn., R.A.F. Coningsby, Lincolnshire, where he remained for only a brief period. He was posted back to No. 61 Sqn., on October 21, 1941. It is unclear why he was posted to No. 97 Sqn., for such a short period of time. Presumably, it was for further training, which included one two hour flight on September 29, 1941, to drop bombs at the R.A.F. Wainfleet bombing range.

He converted to the Avro Lancaster during the month of May 1942, and flew his first operational mission in a Lancaster on March 30, 1942.

During his first operational tour with No. 61 Sqn., he flew out of the following airfields:

R.A.F. Hemswell, Lincolnshire, England

R.A.F. North Luffenham, Rutland, England

R.A.F. Woolfox Lodge, Rutland, England

R.A.F. Syerston, Nottinghamshire, England

R.A.F. St. Eval, Cornwall, England

R.A.F. Syerston, Nottinghamshire, England

Twice during the summer of 1942, No. 61 Sqn., was loaned to Coastal Command for anti-submarine operations over the Bay of Biscay. On July 16, 1942, eight aircraft and twelve crews were detached from their bases in Rutland (the smallest County in England), to R.A.F. St. Eval in Cornwall. They began a period of extreme hazard and frustration, which lasted five weeks.

In the book “The Avro Lancaster,” written by Francis K. Mason, and published by Aston Publications, there is a synopsis of one of the more memorable events that occurred during that detachment on Page 79, which reads as follows:

“A new and disastrous episode in these maritime adventures began on the 19th August with the news that an enemy blockade runner, the ss Corunna--a ( Altmark Class) Tanker of 12, 000 tons--had been sighted of the Spanish coast. R5661, captained by Flying Officer A. L. Searby, took off to make a search; it is believed that the Lancaster found the ship and attacked, but was evidently shot down by the ships defences. Squadron Leader George Ernest Weston than attacked in R5543, but his bombs all missed. Next the Canadian, Flight Sergeant C. P. Shriner, in R5563, attacked but failed to return. Two unsuccessful bombing runs were made by Flight Sergeant F. Hobson in R5562. Better fortune attended Flight Sergeant N. F. Turner in R5679 who claimed to have hit the ship with two bombs as it steamed 35 miles off Cape Ortegal; his Lancaster was severely damaged by flack from the enemy tanker but he managed to bring it home to a safe landing. Late in the evening Flight Sergeant G. E. Dale in W4111 sighted a ship but was driven off by accurate flak; from the final sortie of the day the New Zealander, Flight Sergeant O. Haynes with four Canadians and an Australian in his crew in R5605, did not return.”

Such was the importance attached to the location and destruction of the enemy ship that further searches were ordered by the remaining three serviceable aircraft of No. 61 Squadron on the 20th. Furthermore, No. 50 Squadron was ordered to detach seven aircraft to join the search that day, but it is thought that no further contact was made with the German vessel. Pilot Officer J. Harrad of No. 61 Squadron, in R5543, evidently got into difficulties during his patrol, and the I.F.F. signals were seen to fade to the west of the Scilly Isles, but a subsequent search failed to find any trace of the aircraft or crew. Four further patrols were flown on the 22nd but without success. No. 61 having lost four Lancasters and 28 men , as well as four aircraft badly damaged in the course of a month, was now ordered back to its base at Syerston, as No. 50 returned to Swinderby.”

In Norman’s record of this operation in his Pilots Flying Log Book, provides the following information:

Month: Aug

Date: 19

Aircraft: Lancaster

No.: 5679

Pilot or 1st Pilot: Self

2nd Pilot, Pupil, or Passenger: Crew

Duty (Including Results and Remarks): Shipping Strike 10,000 ton

Altmark Class Tanker

[7 x 500 G.P. (2 hits)]

Multi Engined Aircraft (Day) (1st Pilot): 6.40 hrs.

The following two photographs show the flak damage to the left wing of R5679 after its encounter with the tanker described above.

Lancaster QR-O, R5679, After It’s Encounter With The Tanker. Digging our feet in.

F/Lt Turner’s first operational tour with No. 61 Sqn., ended on October 14, 1942,

From October 14, 1942, through November 28, 1942, he was attached to No. 1660 Conversion Unit, R.A.F. Swinderby, flying the Avro Manchester And Avro Lancaster.

From November 28, 1942, through February 17, 1943, he was attached to N0. 3 F.I.S., Empire Central Flying School (E.C.F.S.), R.A.F. Hullavington, Wiltshire. In his Pilots Log Book, Norman refers to this attachment as “30 Course.” While taking the course, he flew 52.51 hours in the Airspeed Oxford Mk.I. He also makes reference to R.A.F. Castle Combe, which was used as a practice landing field.

From February 21, 1943 until April 3, 1943, he returned No. 1660 Conversion Unit, R.A.F. Swinderby, where he was assigned to “A” Flight, again flying the Avro Lancaster.

From April 9, 1943, until August 10, 1943, he remained at N. 1660 Conversion Unit, R.A.F. Swinderby, but moved to “B” Flight. He flew a variety of aircraft during this period. including the Avro Manchester, Avro Lancaster, Handley Page Halifax, De Havilland Tiger Moth, and the Miles M.14 Magister.

F/Lt Turner’s second operational tour with 61 Sqn., began sometime around the middle of August 1943, with his first bombing raid being Nuremberg, Germany, on August 27, 1943. This was also his first combat operation as the skipper of a newly delivered Avro Lancaster Mk. III, Serial No. JB 138, Call Sign QR-J.

The crew christened JB 138 with the name “Just Jane”, after a Daily Mirror comic strip character named Jane who was a popular pin-up with servicemen at that time. Indeed, she was so popular that she was recognised by Sir Winston Churchill, as Britain’s “secret weapon”! Of course, with the name came JB 138’s provocative nose art, which depicted a very naked Jane reclining on a bomb.

F/Lt Turner completed his second operational tour with 61 Sqn., on 29 April 1944, during which he and his crew completed 25 bombing raids over Germany.

In November 1944, Mr Turner passed the test to become a Ministry of Aircraft Production Test Pilot for Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd. at Weybridge, Surry. He was certified to test Warwick, Wellington and Lancaster aircraft though he mainly flew Wellingtons.

After the war, Mr Turner left the R.A.F. for a brief period, but like many others, lacking skills other than flying, he reenlisted. He went on to fly with Coastal Command (Shackletons, Neptunes) and Transport Command (Hastings). He retired as a Ground Control Approach (G.C.A.) Controller, having had to give up flying at 55. He died in 1995 at the age of 75.