Bonnie Scotland

The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

Now for the final hurdle, and on 3rd Sept. 1942 I was on my way to bonnie Scotland for the gunnery course at Evanton on Cromarty Firth about 30 miles north of Inverness and a few miles from Invergordon, notorious for its naval mutiny. At that time a base for Coastal Command Sunderlands. An arduous journey, threading my way through the sleeping forms of Londoners bedded down for the night on the platforms of the Underground stations (a sight I was to see several times in the future) and then standing most of the way to Inverness.

On arrival at camp I found some more old pals and we celebrated together. Promoted to L.A.C. (Leading Aircraftsman) and soon busy dicing with death in Blackburn Bothas firing at airborne drogues and at ground targets on the wild north east coast of Scotland, cinecamera gun exercises with attacks by fighters etc. We were shown the films which were a lasting record of how good a shot you were in the air, gun turret turning and manipulation, gun stripping and assembling, aircraft recognition and pyrotechnics, dinghy drill, escape and survival exercises, clay pigeon shooting and a bit of Morse and some semaphore to prevent us going rusty. A very concentrated course and most of our spare time was spent at the camp cinema or the Scotch hut in the village, although we did manage a trip or two into Inverness. I had a good result at the end of the board, we had a super feed to celebrate and on 2nd Oct. 1942 we had a brevet parade and were presented with our flying badges and promoted to Sergeants.

We left camp at 0200 hrs. and arrived at Stowmarket at 0200 hrs. in a terrible fog and I was more than pleased to see Clifford who had come to meet me. After a few days leave it was back to Evanton to learn that I had been retained as an Instructor. I was sent to do a course at R.A.F. Manby in Lincolnshire, another long journey for my 41

The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

kitbags etc.! The weather was pretty grim and we only managed to do 6 trips in Wimpeys during 5 weeks. The camp was called Mad Manby or the Royal Manby Air Force and it lived up to its reputation. The C.O. was ex Guards and he must have had a grudge against the R.A.F. The place was a sea of mud and we had to do P.T. in normal kit plus gum boots. Some of us went to Grimsby on a day off and finished up at a Variety Show at the Tivoli Theatre. A challenge was thrown out during one of the acts and I finished up on stage beating a sailor in a beer-drinking contest. The reward was participation with the chorus in the next act.

Again Doff and I managed a weekend together and I was able to get a sleeping-out pass for a couple of nights. We all heaved a sigh of relief when the course finished (I was one of 28 out of 39 who passed) and I was posted back to Evanton. So off we went again, my 2 kitbags and I! I did a slight detour en route and arrived at Stowmarket at 02.15 hrs. leaving again at 07.40 hrs the next morning, had an 8 hr. wait at Crewe and arrived back at camp 13.30 hrs. the next day.

I was only back a week when I was granted 7 days leave, the rule then was that all flying personnel should have 7 days leave every 3 months, so off I went again but without my beloved kitbags. During this leave Doff, the children and I went by train to Long Melford and spent two days with the Whiteheads who were now living there. It was a bit rough having to go back a week before Christmas but we were thankful for the week we had together. Doff and the children had been invited to go back the following week to spend Christmas at Long Melford. On my several leaves from Evanton Grandad Sparrow invariably came up to London with me and stood dinner at the Euston Hotel before seeing me off on the 19.20 train to Inverness. The Christmas on camp was a pretty lively affair. A Christmas dance in the Mess on Christmas Eve, after which some of the lads paid their respects to the Major in charge of the R.A.F. Regiment bods on airfield defence.. He was retired from one of the Scotch regiments, a 42