Two's Company by Philip West

attended RAF College, Cranwell in 1939 and joined 13 Squadron in France in March 1940 on Lysanders (Army Co-operation). He joined No 1 PRU Benson early in 1941 on Spitfires. He commanded 4 PRU (later 682 Sqdn) as Squadron Leader in October 1942 and flew out to North Africa for Operation Torch, the Allied landings, flying Spitfires. He was posted to the UK as CF1, 8PR, OTU Dyce, Aberdeen in September 1943 and took over 542 Sqdn Benson in March 1944 (PR Spitfire Mk XIs and Mk XIXs). In September he was promoted to Wing Commander and given command of No 540 Squadron flying Mosquito 16s and 32s. The Squadron moved to France early in 1945 to support the Allied armies. In December, Freddy was posted to Egypt to take command of No 680 PR Sqdn (later to become 13 Sqdn), flying Mosquitoes and Spitfires. He was posted to Staff AHQ East Africa in 1946 and retired from the RAF in April 1979.

joined the RAF at “about 14 or 15 years of age. Rejecting the opportunity to become a bomb-aimer, Joe was determined to pester the RAF until they would accept him on a pilot’s training course. Flying mainly Lancaster and Halifax aircraft, Joe joined 158 and 35 Squadron’s, and later became part of the Pathfinder Force. During an operation to bomb Cannes in southern France on 11th November 1943, Joe’s (aged only 19) Halifax was badly shot up, forcing him to ditch the aircraft in the Mediterranean, where he and the crew spent three days in a dingy before being rescued; for this operation Joe was awarded an ‘immediate’ DFC. He completed 68 operations, 60 before his 20th birthday on 11/7/1944.