No. 8 ITW

Initial Training - England - 6th September 1941

Newquay - Cornwall

Tom and many others volunteering for the R.A.F. would have assembled at an Initial Training Wing (ITW). Tom Fee and possibly my grandfather were very probably staying at 'The Crescent Hotel' or 'Beach View' in Island Crescent overlooking Towan Beach.

A course followed of approximately 10 weeks which including lectures and grading in maths, navigation, signalling in morse (sending and receiving using a morse buzzer and Aldis lamp), hygiene, law and administration, arithmetic, aircraft and ship recognition and anti-gas.

My grandfather wrote his marks and final score on the back of the ITW photograph;

Having passed these exams Tom was now a LAC - Leading Aircraftman.

The Initial Training Wings must have been processing massive amounts of potential aircrew as this excerpt from No. 7 Initial Training Wing's record book from the Public Record Office;

• • June 14 - 124 u/t pilots posted to Arnold No. 2

  • July 31 - 70 u/t pilots posted overseas for training in the USA

  • Aug 1 - 50 u/t pilots posted to USA for training

  • Aug 20 - 82 u/t pilots posted to USA for training

  • Sep 1 - 40 u/t pilots posted to USA for training

  • Sep 19 - 50 u/t pilots posted to USA for training

  • Nov 15 - 41 u/t pilots posted to USA for training

Tom could have been in any one of these pilot groups. He may have missed the following rather alarming statement...

On October 1 instructions were ordered;

"ORDERS IN EVENT OF INVASION"

INTENTION - It is not the intention to use cadets as infantrymen so that in the event of invasion every effort is to be made to extricate all personnel from Cornwall. Training is to be carried on until invasion is imminent, therefore no movement will take place until the order "ACTION STATIONS" has been received.

ACTION STATIONS - On the receipt of this order, unless a cancellation to these instructions is received from high authority the WING will proceed on foot to the Wadebridge Railway Station at short or immediate notice.

I copied the following busy daily routines from No. 7 ITW from a Public Record Office document:-

STATION ROUTINE: Monday to Saturday

• • Reveille 06:30 hrs

  • Breakfast 07:00 hrs

  • First Working Parade 07:55 hrs

  • Sick Parade 08:00 hrs

  • Break 10:15-10:45 hrs

  • Cease Work 12:30 hrs

  • Dinner 12:45 hrs

  • Second Working Parade 13:30 hrs

  • Cease Work 18:00 hrs

  • Tea/Supper 18:15 hrs

  • Tattoo Roll Call 22:00 hrs

  • Staff Parade 22:15 hrs

  • Lights Out 22:30 hrs

Sunday

• • Reveille 07:00 hrs

  • Breakfast 07:45 hrs

  • Sick Parade 09:30 hrs

  • Church Parade

  • Dinner 12:45 hrs

  • Tea 16:00 hrs

  • Supper 18:30 - 19:30 hrs

  • Roll Call 22:00 hrs

  • Staff Parade 22:15 hrs

  • Lights Out 22:30 hrs