RAF hero Roger Morewood

[Kyt]

RAF hero Roger Morewood recalls his days as one of 'The Few' - The Daily Record

THE Royal Air Force was born 90 years ago today, April 1, 1918, when the Army's Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service were combined.

The RAF's finest hour came during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Prime Minister Winston Churchill immortalised the fighter pilots who took on the might of the Luftwaffe with the famous words: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." Inevitably, "The Few" are now fewer.

And for those who remain, memories are of a time in the shadow of death when they never felt more alive.

PILOT Roger Morewood is one of "The Few" who flew in the Battle of Britain, officially recognised as between July 10 and October 31,1940.

Roger, who became a wing commander, served in the pre-war RAF and flew on afterwards. He notched up more than 5000 flying hours in 32 different types of aircraft.

Now at the age of 92, he lives in a cottage on Scotland's Solway Coast.

The walls are covered in black and white photos of young men in RAF uniforms lined up in front of aircraft and colour prints of his grandchildren and of his late wife Rosemary, who he was married to for 57 years.

They may be reminders of an extraordinary life but Roger doesn't dwell on the past.

He looks and sounds like a man decades younger, even if the signature RAF handlebar moustache is white. He's embraced new technology with gusto.

"I've got sat-nav in my car, it's a wonderful piece of kit," he said. "I call mine Gertie and she chats to me, keeps me company in the car."

In the kitchen is his computer, which he uses to keep in touch with family and friends, sending photographs taken on his digital camera. After the RAF, he worked for a while as a photographer among other things.

He said: "I wasn't very academic at school but I liked doing practical things. An uncle suggested I join the RAF so I did at the age of 17. I was going be a pilot, that was the only reason to join."

For Roger and many other pilots, pre-war flying was something of a gentleman's sport, not something to be taken too seriously.

And, typical of those who have served in war, they are happy to recall the funny incidents and don't speak of the moments of fear and of sadness at the loss of friends.

Roger trained to fly in a Tiger Moth biplane before joining 56 Squadron - regarded within the RAF as an elite unit - flying open cockpit Gauntlet fighters.

The squadron were then re-equipped with Gloster Gladiators - the last RAF biplane - then the Hawker Hurricanes that would join Spitfires in fighting off Hitler's Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain.

After the fall of France, there was a period of relative quiet known as the "Phoney War".

Roger said: "We had a few panic station alerts when we were scrambled. We'd be leaping into our aircraft with flying suits over our pyjamas as we tried to get into the air in a minute and a half."

But a shock awaited the dashing young Roger when he was posted to a new squadron at RAF Hendon in north London.

Roger said: "I was told it was a fighter squadron but when I got there, I saw twin engined Blenheim bombers.

"Someone high up had decided that if you slung a pack of four machineguns under the nose, you could call the Blenheim a fighter."

The Blenheim was already about 70mph slower than a Hurricane - and the German fighters - but it could stay airborne longer.

Roger added: "The guns made the Blenheim about 15mph slower. The best you could say was that, if you pressed the button, the guns fired but you were too slow to catch anything. Worse, you were too slow to run away from anything, either."

Roger's squadron were assigned the dangerous role of long-range fighter sweeps over the coast of occupied France and Holland.

He said: "It was damned dodgy. We had a high loss rate on operations."

At the age of 21, Roger was regarded by the young pilots as an old man. THE Blenheims were replaced by the twin-engined Bristol Beaufighter, which - with six machine guns in the wings and four 20mm cannon under the nose - was the RAF's most heavily armed fighter-attack aircraft.

Roger said: "A wonderful aircraft but when you fired the guns, everything vibrated and something usually dropped off.

"One time, it was the needle on the airspeed indicator. I'd no idea what speed I was doing, landed a bit faster than was expected!"

Flying from Shetland, his squadron attacked German shipping off Norway.

Roger was rested and spent two years training new Beaufighter pilots but still managed to go on some operations, mainly attacking convoys off the coast of Holland.

He said: "Our job was to attack the flak ships, floating anti-aircraft batteries, so other Beaufighters could attack the cargo ships.

"It could be pretty hairy as 12 Beaufighters lined up to have a crack at the target. You'd see tracer shells from your mate's plane whizzing over your head or underneath you. They were a bigger danger than the Germans."

Roger was posted to the Mediterranean where he contracted TB. He recalled: "In hospital, they treated you with whisky in milk and a pint of Guinness for breakfast, very primitive stuff."

When the war ended and the RAF were scaled down, Roger continued to serve in various postings around the UK until 1947.

He said: "That was me out but because of various problems with the commissions I had held, I slipped through a crack in the system and I wasn't eligible for a pension."

While Roger loved the flying and camaraderie of the RAF, losing out on a pension angers him. HE said: "I had to find a job and turned my hand to a few things but towards the end of the 40s, the RAF started panicking and were desperate for pilots.

"So I wound up back at the Central Flying School as an instructor, but with the rank of flight lieutenant. I was posted to Edinburgh and then Glasgow University squadrons.

Then, in 1957, I left the RAF. Finished."

He and Rosemary, moved around England before settling in Colvend 27 years ago. He said: "I'm quite comfy here but I couldn't live as I do now without a grant from the RAF Benevolent Fund.

"I'd told a friend about how hard things were on a state pension. He told me to contact the RAFBF and it's helped me out.

"If I had my time again, of course, I would join the RAF, only this time I'd make certain I'd be in line for a pension."

Yesterday, the RAFBF launched their national "Reaching Out Campaign" at Edinburgh Castle.

A spokes woman said: "We want to let serving and retired members of the RAF, their partners and dependants know that they could be missing out on much-needed welfare assistance."

The RAFBF estimate there are 400,000 people in Scotland eligible for their help, with up to 150,000 experiencing some kind of difficulty or distress.

The spokeswoman added: "The charity is currently expanding its well-established grant, care and mobility services, as well as funding new, innovative services such as a debt advice service."

[Antipodean Andy]

Well, there's a chap who kept busy! Love this bit:

"A wonderful aircraft but when you fired the guns, everything vibrated and something usually dropped off.

[BC1]

Interesting to read your comments about the Blenheim IF's with underslung gun-packs.
I have an account from one Flt Lt R M B Duke-Woolley of 23 Sqn who was informed by his Flt CO that anything which stood in the way of their Blenheim's "tremendous fire-power" would in his opinion "fall apart like a rotten apple". On 18/19 June 1940, Duke-Woollley fought a running battle with an He 111 which had just despatched another 23 Sqn Blenheim in flames. D-W made [b]seven[b]attacks on the He 111, finally closing in to only 20 yds in his frustration and the lack of any apparent visible damage to their quarry.
Their aircraft was hit by return fire on this last close-range attack, and RTB on one engine; the He 111 went into the sea at Cley, Norfolk and the crew were made PoW.

BC

[Adrian Roberts]

who was informed by his Flt CO that anything which stood in the way of their Blenheim's "tremendous fire-power" would in his opinion "fall apart like a rotten apple".

The Blenheim 1F's gun-pack had four machine-guns as opposed to a Spitfire's eight. Both the CO and Duke-Woolley would have known that. Sounds like a classic bit of management-speak!

Roger Morewood must be an amazing bloke, though. There can't be many pilots still around who started their careers in Gloster Gauntlets.

[Antipodean Andy]

Originally Posted by Adrian Roberts

The Blenheim 1F's gun-pack had four machine-guns as opposed to a Spitfire's eight.

...and it was "only" four .303s in the gun pack - even so, I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of just one but despite the apparent lack of punch, .303 equipped aircraft did pretty well!

Roger Morewood must be an amazing bloke, though. There can't be many pilots still around who started their careers in Gloster Gauntlets.

You're right there, AR, no one springs to mind. About the closest I can think of is W/C Patrick Gibbs, who died recently, who flew Furies and Harts (I think) when he graduated from Cranwell.

[P-51]

Roger was posted to the Mediterranean where he contracted TB. He recalled: "In hospital, they treated you with whisky in milk and a pint of Guinness for breakfast, very primitive stuff."


Wow what a treatment, lol. Was that really what they did for TB during the war? and if so what was their reasoning?

[Antipodean Andy]

Probably a treatment developed due to shortages?

Guinness is very strong in Vitamin B (like Vegemite - Thiamin) and whisky, well, it's just lovely!