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Flight Sergeant D MacTaggart | |||
Flying Officer Bartleet's crew. | |||
Mr Dugald MacTaggart has served with 103 Squadron during World War II. He has kindly given us permission to publish his story on this site. An Airman's Tale On completion of training as a Bomb Aimer at No 8 B & G School Lethbridge and No 2 AOS Edmonton, Canada, I returned to the UK in September 1943. Following a short toughening up course with the RAF Regiment at Whitley Bay, I was posted to No 6 (0) AFU based at Stayerton and Moreton Valance. Training at these units was carried out on Ansons. Map reading and bombing practice over the densely populated areas of England was quite different to that experienced over the prairies of Canada. Early January 1943, heralded a posting to No 83 OTU at Peplow and an introduction to the famous 'Wimpy'. It was here that the crew in which I served as Bomb Aimer was formed and comprised: F/0 Bartleet (Peter) Pilot Sgt Armstrong (Derek) Navigator. University Air Squadron trained Sgt James (Frank) Wireless Operator Sgt Chiles (Kenneth) Mid Upper Gunner Sgt Jones (Bill) Rear Gunner Sgt Barnes (Larry) Flight Engineer. Joined the crew later at Halifax Conversion Unit. Peter was an experienced pilot and a member of the Goldfish Club having ditched in the Irish Sea on a training exercise when serving as an Instructor at AFU. During training at OTU, Link trainer and fighter affiliation exercises were carried out along with bombing, gunnery and cross country flights. A good team spirit soon developed both in the air as well as socially, With fuel in short supply for the stove in our Nissen hut we spent many convivial evenings in the warmth of the local hostelry. Lectures from an Intelligence Officer on evasion, escape and interrogation techniques formed important and interesting features of our training. The latter being of particular value at a later date. Our first venture into occupied Europe took place on the night of 24 March 1944 on Wellington BK 335 to 7.30 pm from Peplow OTU when we went on a special exercise near to Paris. No leaflets or bombs were carried and this mission, which served as a diversion for a main force attack on a German city, was uneventful as far as our crew was concerned. We returned to base six hours later. The next step in training took us to No 1656 Conversion Unit at Lindholme. In addition to circuits and landings on Halifaxes, cross country exercises using H2S as a navigational aid were carried out. A total of five hours was spent on Link training, Parachute drills (8) and crash landing exercises (16) also formed part of the course. On 3 June 1944 (my 24th birthday) we made our first flight in a Lancaster (W4264) at LFS Hemswell. A few days later, spent mainly on circuits and landings, we logged a total of six hours, 10 mins a day and three hours 40 mins night flying before posting to 1 Group, Bomber Command, No 103 Squadron at Elsham, Wolds.Our first operational flight was to Saintes on 23 June 1944 to 10.10 pm, duration 7 hours 55 Mins. Thereafter, we carried out 19 operations including 'V1' Sites, Kiel, Stuttgart, Revigny, Caen and the Battle Area in Normandy. Whilst exciting 'moments' were experienced on some of these trips we had so far come through them unscathed. Other crews were less fortunate and empty beds and new faces in the Mess and Crew Rooms were a feature of life on the Squadron. Our 19th operation was to Bordeaux 'U' Boat Pens on 12 August 1944 (7 hours 20 mins) where we were hit by flak near the target.. A starboard engine was badly damaged but we bombed along with the others. Being a daylight raid, the prospect of being left behind the main stream was unnerving. However, an American fighter seeing our plight escorted us to Normandy where a Spitfire took over. This feature amply demonstrated Allied co-operation and superiority in the air. | |
