Name : Stan Pascoe

Rank : Sergeant (1st visit), Flight Sergeant (2nd visit (commissioned in Nov. 1942, 51210))

Ser. No. : 548419

Dates at Cranage : Late 1940 - Mid 1941 & July 1942 - Feb 1944

Instructor - No.2 S.o.A.N.

The two pieces below are from an initial letter to Hugh Budgen and a follow up e-mail to myself.

 

Letter 1

17 - 10 - 2010

Reading my copy of Air Mail, I was very interested in your “Help” ad.

Yes, I was at R.A.F. Cranage during the following times.

Late 1940 to mid 1941 after which I was on Blenheim operations at R.A.F. Watton until June 1942. I happened to return to Cranage in June until November 1943 after completing Ops.

Trained as a Wireless Operator in Cranwell in 38/39, posted to the School of Air Navigation at Manston. When war broke out the Squadron moved to St Athan (south wales). When France fell the whole squadron moved to Cranage. You will know the aircraft there, Ansons.

Hope my dates at Cranage are similar to the time you were there, if not it is nice to make contact with someone who was there. Incidentally, I met my wife at the Sergeants Mess Valentines Day dance. She passed away in 2004.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Stan

 

E-mail 1

29 - 04  - 2011

My first encounter with R.A.F. Cranage was with the No.2 S.o.A.N [School of Air Navigation]. I had joined the Unit in December 1938, after qualifying as a W/Op. At that time the Unit was located at R.A.F. Manston in Kent. When WW2 commenced we were moved to R.A.F. St Athan, South Wales, then when France capitulated, a further move was ordered and we arrived at R.A.F. Cranage. Anson aircraft were  used exclusively for the training role of Navigators and the move to Cranage was deemed to be necessary in order to continue the training at a location considered safe from enemy action.

The first thing to do was to plan a number of flying exercises in this new area of operation, ranging from simple triangular routes which were meant to give the trainees experience in navigating to each turning point and then back to Base. These exercises were classed as DR (dead reckoning) flights which entailed straight forward navigational skills, increasing with complexity as the trainees progressed in skill. During these exercises I was often called upon to provide a radio bearing to assist in their calculations to return to Base. Night flying exercises were gradually introduced during the course. These early night flying exercises produced an increase in assistance from me and I usually kept up with our progress with radio positioning just as a precaution. As the Course progressed more complex navigational skills were required in the form of astro-navigation at night and at altitude.

I was posted from Cranage in June 1941 to carry out a tour of operational flying with 82 Squadron, in Blenheim aircraft stationed at R.A.F. Watton Norfolk. My tour finished in July 1942 and I was posted back to Cranage for staff W/Op duties. Checking through my flying log book only one pilots’ name appeared in the two postings to Cranage, S/Ldr P. Riley in the first and then as W/Cmdr, O/C Flying in the second. A list of pilots’ names is attached. [See below for list]

A name change came about in September 1942, we were now known as the C.N.S. [Central Navigation School]. Also additional aircraft types were being used including the Vickers Wellington providing a different operational environment for the trainees. A typical long range exercise would take in a DR leg to Rockall [that tiny speck of rock out in the Atlantic], landing at R.A.F. Benbecula [North Uist], then returning to Cranage as a night flight, total flying about 8 hours. This type of exercise was in the latter part of the course when the trainees were virtually qualified.

In November 1943 I partly severed my connection with R.A.F. Cranage when I was attached to 25 Group H.Q. at RAF Ternhill, as staff W/Op to the A.O.C. You will be aware that Cranage was one of a number of Stations controlled by 25 Group, and apart from the occasional official visit by the A.O.C. or other H.Q. Officers, my connection with Cranage had ceased.

For interest, C.N.S. eventually moved to R.A.F. Shawbury, Shropshire and was re-named E.C.N.S. [Empire Central Navigation School] where I completed my flying career in September 1945.

 

The following are lists of pilots that I flew with during my time at Cranage -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Tour - Late 1940 to Mid 1941

S/Ldr J. Riley

S/Ldr Shand

F/Lt Hunt (O/C 2 Flight)

F/Lt Binks

F/Lt Cooper

F/O Stevens

F/O Haggar

P/O Wedderburn

P/O Lawson

P/O Botting

P/O Read

P/O Wigley-Jones

F/Sgt Salter

F/Sgt Powell

Sgt Stranks

Second Tour - July 1943 to February 1944

W/CMDR J. Riley   (O/C Flying)

S/Ldr Oldbury

S/Ldr Foulsham

F/Lt Malcolm

F/Lt Dowell

F/Lt  Schofield

F/O Grimes

P/O Thain

P/O Dobson

P/O Rees

F/Sgt Doherty

Sgt Chambers

Sgt Breckenridge