Air Force Index

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.     Site Home     WW2 Home     Add Stories     WW2 Search     Library     Help & FAQs  WW2 Features     Airfields     Allied Army     Allied Air Forces     Allied Navy     Axis Forces     Home Front     Battles     Prisoners of War     Allied Ships     Women at War     Those Who Served     Day-by-Day     Library     The Great War  Submissions     Add Stories     Time Capsule     TWMP on Facebook     Childrens Bookshop  FAQ's     Help & FAQs     Glossary     Volunteering     Contact us     News     Bookshop     About Advertisements World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

No. 19 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force    No. 19 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force was formed in May 1940 at RAF Kinloss. It's role was to train crews for operational flying, once their course was completed they would move on to an operational squadron. No.19 OTU was disbanded in June 1945.   16th Jan 1942 Postings 30th Apr 1942 Postings to 161 Squadron 31st May 1942 Postings and Awards If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Logbooks Do you have a WW2 Flying Log Book in your possession? If so it would be a huge help if you could add logbook entries to our new database. Thank you. View Logbook entries Those known to have served with No. 19 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force during the Second World War 1939-1945. Boxwell DFC. William Desmond. Sqdn. Ldr. Philp John Adam. P/O. (d.4th Jun 1942) Watson DFC. Dennis Arthur. P/O. Westgate Robert John . P/O. (d.11th July 1942) The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of No. 19 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. Announcements The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web. 27th April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 264001 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. Want to know more about No. 19 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force? There are:4 items tagged No. 19 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. P/O. Robert John Westgate 97 Squadron (d.11th July 1942) Robert Westgate, known as Jacckie was my uncle, he was a Tailgunner with 97 Squadron. I am trying to find a photo of my Uncle Jackie during his time at OTU 19 Kinloss such as a graduation photo or a photo of him with his pals while training. Lynn Berry Add to this record. P/O. Dennis Arthur "Watty" Watson DFC. B Flight 51 Squadron Having completed training at No. 19 OTU Kinloss, Dennis Watson was posted to 51(B) Squadron at Dishforth on 1st November, 1940. On his first Operation on 7th December, 1940 to Boulogne the Starboard Engine U/S over target. Pilot (F/LT Ker) hit by flak in left eye. Emergency landing required at Thorney Island. Aircraft Whitley, T4148. Second Operation on 3rd January, 1941 to Bremen. Pilot Sgt Wall. Aircraft Whitley, P5020. W/C 51 Sqdn. W Tait. In hospital 7/8th January 1941 at Harrogate, following car accident. 4th March Hospital for head injuries, Oxford. 18th March to conval-escent hospital - Middleton Stoney. Left 30th May, 1941. Eventually attached to 'C' Flight Wellesbourne Mountford OTU as Nav Officer 27th February, 1942. 19 April, 1944 - Decompression Test. Light bomber Mosquito. High Altitude Test - Warboys, Hunts. Did Mosquito conversion course at Warboys. Posted to PFF 109 Squadron 'C' Flight at Little Staughton, Beds. Jan 1945 joined 'A' Flight. Main pilots were John Patrick Crump (106096) and Arthur Thomas Buckland (68169). Completed 75 operations with 109 Sqdn. Received DFC & Bar. 2nd August, 1945 posted to Woodhall Spa as S.AD.O. Oct/Nov 1945 Intermediate Admin Course. 15th April, 1946 posted D.D.B.OP.S., Whitehall. 2nd February, 1948 Shawburry Nav. Course. 4th April, 1948 Posted to No. 2 F.T.S. Church Lawford 3rd January Posted to 3 Group 8th May 1950 Termination of Regular Service. 24th July 1950 joined English Electric at Warton, Lancs. Marcus Watson Add to this record. Sqdn. Ldr. William Desmond "Boxy" Boxwell DFC. 150 Squadron William Boxwell was born in 1912 and died in 1984. He learned to fly in a Tiger Moth and BA Swallow in 1936/7 at Hooton Park in Cheshire, and in 1938 he joined the Civil Air Guard, and was commissioned as a PO in September 1939. In training he flew a wide variety of types including Hawker Hart and Hind, Gloster Gauntlet, Battle, Demon, Blenheim, Oxford and HP Harrow. In September 1940 he commenced operations (unit unknown) and between then and April 1941 flew 12 operations on Whitley Vs. He was then transferred to Instructional Duties with 18 and 19 OTUs and between then and early 1943 was mainly at Kinloss with the rank of Squadron Leader. In March 1943 he transferred to the infamous Manchesters and later Lancasters, taking a drop in rank to do so, but flew no operations on these, transferring in about August 1943 to Wellingtons and being posted with 150 Squadron to North Africa as a Flight Commander at Kairouan. He flew 28 ops between then and May 1944, taking command of the Squadron as a S/L during this period in succession to S/L. In May 1944 he was attached to 330 Wing (the only RAF unit to come under US command during WW2) and although it is not recorded in his logbook he spoke in the 1960s of having flown as an observer on the infamous Ploesti raid (Operation Tidal Wave) which was so costly for the USAF. A photograph from this period, now lost, described him as Acting Wing Commander. In July 1944 he was awarded the DFC. In late 1944 he flew two further ops on a Venbtura, and was then transferred to the Middle East where he spent the rest of the war instructing SAAF pilots in 76 OTU. His final posting was as Station Commander of the firefighting unit at Moreton-in-Marsh, and he was demobilised sometime in 1946, thereafter undertaking periodic refresher training on Tiger and Chipmunks up to mid-1953. Christopher Storey Add to this record. P/O. John Adam Philp 76 Sqd. (d.4th Jun 1942) John Philp served with 58 and 76 squadrons operationally flying Whitleys and Halifaxs. Details from his Pilots flying log book state: John Adams Philp was born on 28th February 1921 at 44 Henleage Avenue, Bristol. He attended Dover College and then the Medical School at the University of Bristol where he volunteered for service with the RAFVR. His flying training commenced at No.17 EFTS (elementary flying training school) RAF North Luffenham on 19th April 1941, where he flew DH 82As, finally flying solo and then being assessed as a pilot with average proficiency after 51 hours 30 min flying time on 30th May. After a period of leave he continued at the EFTS from 8th June to 18th June where he received further training flying DH 82As. On 19th of June, John transferred to No 6 SFTS at RAF Little Rissington achieving flying A/S Oxfords. His first solo flight in an Oxford was on 3rd July. He qualified for the award of the Flying Badge as a Pilot on 30th August 1941, after a total of 136 hours 35 minutes flying time. John was then posted to No.19 OTU (officers training unit) at Kinloss on 18th September for further training, this time on Whitley IV and Vs to 6th November. John then joined 58 Squadron `B’ flight on 20th of November 1941 at RAF Linton on Ouse and, after further training practice including 5 days at No.2 BAT Flight Driffield, he flew his first nine missions on Whitley Vs. These included bombing operations to Stavanger on 6th January 1942, Brest on 8th January, Emden on 10th January, Rotterdam on 28th January, Mannheim on 11th February, Le Harve on 14 February (abandoned operation due to failure of aircraft to climb plus bad icing and suffered a forced landing at Digby with bombs still on board on his return), Emden on 12th March (Johnny missing) Boulogne on 13th March (docks targeted 16.250 lbs bombs nickels) and on Paris 26th March (nickel raid). On 7th April 1942 he commenced a Halifax conversion course, completing this on 17th May when he was posted to 76 Squadron `A' flight on 19th May 1942. His first mission with 76 Squadron was on 30th May 1942 and was part of the 1000 bomber raid on Cologne; he was to fly Halifax 11 F-W1104. The Flight crew of F for Freddie were F.O. Philp - Pilot. F.Sgt Mullhauser - Wireless Operator, F.Sgt Ormerod - Obs/Navigator, F.Sgt – Lofts Bomb Aimer, Sgt Watson - Rear Gunner, Sgt Battersby - Flight Engineer, Sgt Hart - Mid-Gunner. He noted in his log book; `aircraft on target in biggest raid ever whole Cologne area ablaze and fires seen for miles. Our load dropped well on target'. His second operational mission with F-W1104 was to Essen on 1st June. He was killed in action on only his 3rd mission with F-W1104 of 76 Squadron (his 12th operational) on 3rd/4th June 1942, flying on a raid over Bremen. His log book was noted as missing and stamped ‘death presumed’ by his commanding officer. John Adams Philp was aged 21 years the son of Leslie and Evelyn Philp of Bristol and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Tim Kirby Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices.

Links Suggest a link

The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running. Hosted by: The Wartime Memories Project Website is archived for preservation by the British Library Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV - All Rights Reserved We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.