From the Museum

REME Aviation Pioneers – John Probert

Scribe: Steve Colling (Corps Historian)

The 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

Awarded his Pilot’s brevet in 1943 John Probert’s ID Card

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

Qualified parachutist in 1951

Army Air Corps Centre Middle Wallop as Officer Commanding. He was responsible for forming the Aircraft Technical School and Technical Services Section. Initially, his staff consisted of one RAF Officer and thirteen RAF senior rank instructors.

There followed a staff job in the Ministry of Supply with responsibility for helicopters including Skeeter and Scout.

In 1959 he returned to HQ BAOR as the Senior Technical Officer (aircraft) responsible for 50 aircraft. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1960, he was appointed OC Technical Training Branch, Middle Wallop and later OC Aircraft Servicing Branch AACC, Middle Wallop. In the later he had technical responsibility for aircraft servicing and maintenance worldwide.

His next two appointments took him to Hong Kong as Commander REME and then New Zealand as Director of the Royal New Zealand Electrical & Mechanical Engineers. Colonel Proctor returned to REME Aviation in 1968 and an appointment as Assistant Director Electrical & Mechanical Engineers in EME 9(A) at the Ministry of Defence.

His last appointment in the Army was as Deputy Director Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, 1st British Corps in Germany, as a Brigadier. He’s last recorded in the REME Officers List for 1973 as a serving officer. By the time the 1974 list was printed he was a retired and living in Auckland, New Zealand. The list says Years of Commissioned Service 1942-1974. Obviously not all REME and not continuous, although quite a career.

As a civilian, John Probert briefly joined air New Zealand in Auckland before being appointed Chief Executive and Principle Officer, City of Salisbury, Rhodesia from 1974 to 1977. He remained in Harare until the early 80’s, became MP for Borrowdale, completed an honours degree in History and served in HQ 3 Brigade as a Major RA.

An Army and Corps Rugby player, he certainly filled his days. He died in New Zealand in 1994.

The Museum Archive holds a collection of historical material and a growing collection of individual records of service based on research by the Corps Historian. You might think that the part played by John Probert would be well documented in the Archive but, although there are some photos and an obituary in the Craftsman, there’s relatively little else. All the interesting stuff, the flying logs, associated papers and medals were put up for sale in New Zealand some years ago. Present whereabouts unknown. Might the Museum be a more fitting custodian?

So, if you’re of a certain age and downsizing or just clearing out your loft or garage, please give thought to offering items of REME historical interest to the Corps Museum. And, if you haven’t seen the two films documenting REME Aviation, log on, make a donation to your museum and catch-up!

Brigadier Probert retires from DADEME BAOR in 1974, pictured fourth from the left, in the front row, with his Air Force wings on display John Probert's impressive haul of medals John Probert's auction lot, possibly in New Zealand