Who When Where

I'm sure other Forum members will correct the following, if necessary.

Reason H (could mean “Holding” - as in "holding until posted elsewhere")
Service Flying Training School (SFTS)
Initial Training Wing (ITW)
Reserve Command (RC) – or – Recruit Centre (RC)
UT Pilot (Under Training Pilot)
50 epp Pool (probably No. 50 Group Pool)

Can you have another look at "Reserve to IRW". Are you sure it's not "Reserve to ITW" ?? After all, he's at No 8 ITW (Newquay) a week later.

Also, I think "50 epp Pool" is actually "50 Group Pool". That would make more sense. Operational Training Units (OTU) were called "Group Pools" in the early days of the war. They accepted pilots direct from Flying Training Schools or non-fighter units of the Royal Air Force.

After ITW basic training (12-14 weeks), there was a 5 week pilot selection course, when pilots in training would be recommended for pilot or navigator duties, and would go to a Group Pool to await a posting to a S.F.T.S. (Service Flying Training School).

I believe 50 Group Pool RAF (Flying Training Command) was located at RAF Yatesbury circa 1939, then at RAF Watchfield by 1940.

In case the acronym "CFS" is also listed on his record, it stands for Central Flying School. Are there any other acronyms on his record that you can see?

Thepastisyourself wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 11:40 epp pool could be gpp pool - writing very poor.

Group Pool was also abbreviated as "Gp Pool" and "GP".

My understanding, backed up to some degree by a little book on the history of RAF Llanbedr and this YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tk1hkxS120, is that drogues were flown from towing aircraft but were winched in and out. Obviously(?) you don't want the drogue, a target for guns, right behind you, so you have your winch-operator wind the thing out and then in again later on.

The video shows the drogue to be rather smaller than I previously thought so that the aircraft takes off with the drogue secured away - not unlike a parachute. It is then released, wound out and becomes the target. The video also shows the drogue being released (somehow) before landing.

One possibility, therefore, is that the Battles (both?) took off on target towing duties, with their drogues securely stowed - at which point one decided a bit of unauthorised practice was in order. And since the Battle, even though it carries a Merlin engine like a Spitfire, is under-powered for its size and weight, it's not the best aircraft to dog-fight and ...

I'm speculating about all the above but the video does suggest that the drogue is cleanly secured at take-off, rather than being dragged along the runway at take-off.

This link http://www.internetmodeler.com/2000/aug ... attle2.jpg is to an image of someone's model of a Fairey Battle target tug - it looks like the deployment of the drogue is done from the rear seat and the (horizontal) propellor can be used to power the winch. I think!