Trinidadians in the RAF

**spidge** · 08-22-2009, 03:52 PM

Service Flight Training School (British Commonwealth Air Training Plan)
RAF Brize Norton History 1935 to 1942
AOS - Air Observer School
RAF Chipping Norton airfield
S of GR = School of General Reconnaissance

**Jerome** · 08-24-2009, 08:45 PM

Thanks Spidge

**Antipodean Andy** · 09-01-2009, 05:10 PM

Reading Six O'Clock Diamond by Gus Officer. During his time towing targets and assisting with conversion courses (first with the air firing school at Bilbeis and then as part of No.1 MIddle East Training School at El Ballah right on the canal), some 92 Sqn pilots arrived for a conversion to Kittyhawks. Among them was 'Minnie Rosten from Trinidad ... of the RCAF.'

Anyone with anymore?

**Jerome** · 09-01-2009, 09:15 PM

Andy, i don't have anything on Minnie Rosten - does the book give a date?

**Antipodean Andy** · 09-02-2009, 01:25 AM

Jerome, from what I can work out, roughly June 1942.

**Jerome** · 09-11-2009, 10:01 PM

I have searched the local papers from Jan to Aug 41 and have not yet found a reference to Rosten. The only 92 Sqn Trinidad pilots during that period (June 42) was Louis R Graham Gordon-Smith, no mention of qualifying on Kittyhawks. There was another Trinidadian flying spits, shot down in July 42 and again in Apr 43 (this time taken pow) - Keith L Rostant (pronounced ross - sta ). Gordon-Smith sent this letter home re the Apr 43 shoot down:

FS K Rostant, attached to 8th Army in Tunisia, Spitfire, reported missing April 16th. Three days ago, received details of how he was shot down into the sea off Tunisia by FS Louis Gordon Smith, serving in same Squadron, son of D Gordon Smith of SMC. FS Smith wrote in part : "Yesterday afternoon our chaps escorted 4 Squadrons of Kittyhawks on a patrol waiting for transport aircraft. They ran into a "terrific gazzle". About 40 transport crash-landed on the beach to avoid being shot down. And then this morning early, some more Kittys ran into 15 transport aircraft and their escorts and they shot down all the 15 transport aircraft. I should not like to be in their shoes now. I am afraid to say that in the course of these big "dices" Keith Rostant was shot down; but the chaps in his Squadron say that they saw him bail out and that he landed in the sea not far from shore. So he is either a POW or he may have swam ashore and hidden somewhere." FS Rostant's letter to his parents from the POW Camp: " Here I am in a German POW camp, somewhere in Germany, safe and sound not having sustained the least bit of injury when I was shot down. I had to bail out over the sea and spent some hours in my dinghy before being picked up by an enemy warship." FS Rostant then mentions that he was in a temporary camp only and would probably be moved to a permanent one. After further training he was assigned to a fighter squadron which formed a component part of the 8th Army. About 10 months ago, he was wounded when his plane was shot down over Libya but rejoined his squadron on recovery. Mr & Mrs Rostant have 2 other sons in the services and a 3rd leaving shortly to enlist in the RAF in Canada.

Could it be Rosten is Rostant? Will continue searching the Archives.