ITWs Initial Training Wings

Thanks for the message, how nice it is to be missed! I have been away exploring the South Coast of France for just over two weeks hence the lack of posts.

This one is to ask is any thing is known about the ITW at Bridlington. Was there actually an airfield? I have looked at the Yorkshire airfields section but can see no mention of Bridlington. I have a letter from Sgt Frederick Anderson, my cousin's husband, on which he gives his address on 10/10/42 as
"3" Sqdn 'C' Flt 14 ITW Bridlington.

Pauline.

Not sure how the '3 Sqn' ties in with an Initial Training Wing. TNA allocates Bridlington to 14, 15, 19, 20, 21 and 70 ITWs. Their ORBs are in AIR29.

The ITW was not an airfield, but both Carnaby and Catfoss airfields have also been called Bridlington.

I note there are two 'Bridlington' ORBs in TNA, AIR28 (110 / 111) of which all adjacent numbers refer to airfields. I suspect it is Catfoss as the ORB for the latter ends around the same time as AIR28/110 begins. It is peculiar that Catfoss is a long way from Bridlington - Lissett is much closer.

An interesting query.

Thank you. Andy's RAF history is intriguing. My cousin tells me that in 1941 he went as part of a guard escort on a convoy taking spare parts for the Hurricanes in Murmansk, and I have asked questions about this here and on the rafcommands forum but no-one seems to know anything about it. Then he went to Branscombe in Devon before being posted to the ITW at Bridlington. He then flew on Wellingtons before joining the crew of Lancaster W4373 which crashed near Dusseldorf on 12 June 1943. He was the Mid Upper Gunner and I believe it was his first mission with this crew. Training for a wireless operator/airgunner took 18 months so I presume that he did that training at Branscombe

I should have said that Peter did alert me to the fact that Andy may have trained as a wireless operator at Branscombe early in his RAF career before volunteering as aircrew, which makes sense, but then how does the guard escort in 1941 fit in? I am confused (something easily achieved!)

Branscombe was a Chain Home radar station. I don't think there would have been any facilities for training. But there are some AIR 29 records for RAF Regiment who would guard these sites.

Extract from a note i put together about my Uncle Jack who was at Bridlington during the war....
"A further Part of this training took place from the 17^th April 1943 at the 14 ITW Elementary Air Gunnery School (EAGS), which was located in Bridlington. 14 ITW was not anywhere specifically in Bridlington. 14 Air Gunners Initial training Wing was Bridlington!!! The main part where they ate, bathed and did some lectures were at the Spa right on the front. Morse training by Aldis Lamp was carried out on the beach.
The trainees were accommodated in some of the terrace houses running inland from the Spa and at the far end of the street was a large house, probably boarding house turned over to the RAF that was the Squadron Office. Classes were all over the town, mainly on the main street. The children's boating lake was where they did skeet shooting. During this time Jack would have practiced with firearms, rifle, machine gun, and also gone trap shooting. Other activities included aircraft recognition, Morse code on lamp and buzzer (Key), gas drill, pyrotechnics as well as the more usual medical inspections, fire, guard and cookhouse duty. The only drill he did was marching to and from classes and to meals from classes. There was not a lot of free time due to the amount of studying, after the supper meal he would have been free, but he would have had little or no money and there was not much to see or go to in Bridlington in wartime." So it wasn't an airfield, it was Bridlington!!

Forgot to say.... before even getting to Bridlington, my uncle was a qualified airframe rigger, but applied for aircrew several times before being accepted..... "after acceptance Jack was posted on the 6^th March 1943 to 14 Initial Training Wing (ITW) at Hastings, which was located in the Marine Court Hotel where he spend 6 weeks being trained in the in a number of diverse skills such as, basic armament, gunnery, morse code, navigation, mathematics! RAF Law and numerous other subjects, including the use of the many pieces of specialist equipment he would be required to master."

Bridlington was the elementary air gunnery school, from there a gunner would be then sent to a 'proper' AGS - Air Gunnery School where gunnery training both on the ground and in the air would of taken place. in my uncles case he went from Bridlington to RAF Dalcross near inverness..... apologies but another quote from my notes..... "Finally Jack was posted to a base with aircraft, on the 7^th May 1943 he was sent up north to RAF Dalcross and No 2 Air Gunnery School (AGS). RAF Dalcross was located on what is now the present day Inverness airport, located approx 6 miles east of Inverness. At Dalcross Jack would be introduced to flying, and flying tactics such as learning to call out to the pilot various manoeuvres to evade an attacking fighter. He would also get the opportunity to practice air-to-air firing, from Avro Ansons firing live rounds at assorted targets being towed by aircraft. There was also opportunity to practice air to ground firing on the numerous local firing ranges. At the end of the course there were final examinations to sit, which Jack passed and was presented with his sergeants stripes and air gunners wings on the 22^nd June 1943." So from being initially posted on the 17th April to being a qualified gunner took just about 8 weeks!!!!! I presume for a gunner/radio op, there would be another radio operators module tagged onto the training somewhere? Hope this helps..... Graeme

Interesting Graeme, thank you very much. I have a letter which Andy wrote to my mother and me from Bridlington in which he compares the food there with that that they had at Branscombe describing the former as good and the second as 'starvation diet'! I would like to obtain his service record but I believe that I would need my cousin's consent, and as she is now 90 years old and her second husband is 92 or 93 it doesn't feel quite right to ask her.

Pauline.

Have now looked up the letter from Andy, and leaving out personal bits, he says this about Bridlington.
'Well Aunty this is not a bad place although it is slightly binding. We have got such rotten hours to do here, 0645 first parade and 6.15 pm the last one. .... We have only been here a week today ... the food is terrible and after Devon this is nearly starvation diet. Never mind we are only here for six weeks, so they say.'

I think from what you have said Graeme and the fact the Andy was flying by June 1943 that what I have read elsewhere re the time it took to train an air gunner must be wrong.