[Observer1940]

Brian

I searched for a whole evening, the other night through my photocopies and photographs of two RAF files about incidents, regarding the Flying Training School incident, shooting down a Wellington.

I hope to get to Kew again in the next month, but already have a long list to go at, but also hope (time pemitting) to discover the date and identity of the incident.

Although, if someone has information about the Wellington shot down by an Instructor for you, all the better.

Training Groups
I am aware that there were at least two Groups which mainly covered the Service Flying Training Schools and these are No.23 and No.24 Group, which ought /may give more details about the incident and hopefully give the Unit date/involved, to check the Unit ORB.

No.23 Group
I have only seen the following Training Group ORBs for August 1940, but they are in AIR 25/521 No.23 Group, with the No.23 Appendices which are the Group Routine Orders and Charges in AIR 25/524.

August 1940 No.23 Group ORBs covered SFTS.

No.24 Group
AIR 25/537 No.24 Group ORB (WW2). The August 1940 No.24 Group ORB also had references to SFTS.

Also check Cat. Ref. and the Appendices for No.24 Group.

No.17 Group
Was a Coastal Command Training Group.

No.20 Group
Was, I am led to believe, the Coastal Command Training Group (Not Seen).

No.21 Group
Was also a Training Group (Not Seen).

Regarding the Enquiry
You may know this already, but bear in mind that if the AOC of the Group whose Unit held the Wellington on Charge was more Senior in Rank, than the Training Group AOC involved, then the Inquiry would usually be held by the other Group or Unit whose Unit held the Wellington on charge (Rules definitely applied to Bomber Command by the latter part of 1940 as I have seen it minuted).

No.10 OTU
I emailed 6th June 2010 titled "Friendly Fire 2" details from a Bomber Command letter dated 13th August about the shooting down of Whitley N1411 on 5th August 1940, to you. Do you still require the Flying Accident Card and Bomber Command's response to the Court of Inquiry, as Bomber Command challenged some of the Inquiry findings?

Billy Fiske
Regarding Fiske being down in the balloons 15th August, it appears he and fellow Pilots were chasing a German aircraft amongst the balloons around teatime, during a raid, as six RAF balloons got shot down during the raid.

Regards Mark