Museum
REME Aviation Pioneers – John Probert Scribe: Steve Colling (Corps Historian)
T
he Museum has just completed work with the Army Flying Museum to document REME Support to Army Aviation. Two online videos can be seen on the Museum website at: https://www.rememuseum.org.uk/ (follow the website to the events page). REME took-on responsibility for the maintenance of Army aircraft from the RAF in 1958 following a decision that the Army would assume responsibility for manning and operating aircraft in Air Observation Post (AOP) and light liaison roles taken a year earlier. The story of how the role developed is documented in Craftsman of the Army (Vol 1). Just a paragraph is devoted to the six men that made it happen; one of whom was Major John Probert (a war time Army seconded Spitfire Pilot). Unfortunately, we do not (yet) have a copy of his record of service but with online resources and a bit of background knowledge his story can be pieced together; albeit with a few question marks! John was born in 1921 in Widnes, trained as Chemical Engineer and worked for ICI in 1937-38. He joined the Territorial Army and was a member of the South Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales’ Volunteers) which re-rolled as 61st (South Lancashire) Searchlight Regiment RA in 1939. It served in North West England and the Orkneys. By 1942 he was a Sergeant leading a team responsible for the operation and maintenance of radar equipment. After officer training at Kasr el Nil he was commissioned into the Gunners in 1942 and joined 111 Field Regiment RA in the Western Desert. Sometime in 1943 he was selected for flight reconnaissance duties with the RAF. Flight Lieutenant Probert gained his Pilot’s brevet and served as a reconnaissance Pilot with 659 Squadron which flew Austers. The Squadron supported Army operations in NW Europe after D-Day +5 but John’s medals do not include the France and Germany Star; implying he did not serve in theatre before the end of the war. Neither did he go to India with 659 Sqn in October 1945. Did he fly Spitfires or did he fly a Spitfire? After the war, John was demobbed. He went to Southern Rhodesia, became an Assistant Surveyor of a gold mine and studied
at the University of Witwatersrand in Rhodesia. Two years later, John returned to the Gunners in the rank of Captain and served with 15 Medium Regiment RA at the School of Artillery BAOR. In 1948 he was awarded a Regular Commission in REME. Employed as a Workshop Officer at 22 Base Workshop, Hamburg he organised training for Vehicle Mechanics and Fitters. From there he went to the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham as an engineering student. In 1951 he was posted to 40 Base Workshop, Singapore returning three later to become Deputy Assistant Director Mechanical Engineering, HQ Scotland in the rank of Major. The same year, he qualified as a parachutist with the Airborne Forces. From there he went to Nairobi to command a Station Workshop during the Mau Mau Emergency. In 1957 Major Probert was posted to the Technical Wing of the
Awarded his Pilot’s brevet in 1943
Qualified parachutist in 1951
40 craftsmaneditor@reme-rhq.org.uk
John Probert’s ID Card
