North Coates, Lincolnshire
For 7 weeks, from 23rd October to 9th December, 1937, Harold found
himself on the rather bleak, and at that time of the year desolate,
location of No.2 Armament Training Camp at the quaintly named North
Coates Fitties, on the coast of Lincolnshire, just south of the
Humber Estuary.
In 1935, the RAF had only three such Camps. Besides North Coates,
there was one at Catfoss, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and one at
Sutton Bridge near Wisbech, in Cambridgeshire. Under the 1936
expansion scheme, nine more such Camps were established, including
No.4 at West Freugh in Scotland, and No.6 at Warmwell in Dorset.
When Harold arrived at North Coates the establishment was still
referred to as an Air Observor School, but during his stay, on 1st
November to be precise, a major administrative change occurred,
although it was unlikely to have had much effect on the ordinary
airmen attending the training camp. On that date, the Station
Headquarters and Air Observors School were merged to become No.2 Air
Armament School, and S/Ldr J. Marsden was posted as Commander of the
Temporary Armament Training Camp. In April 1939, these schools
underwent another name change when they became Armament Training
Stations.
The purpose of the schools was to train pilots and aircrew in
bombing and gunnery, and as such they were located in places where,
as 'Flight' Magazine put it at the time 'bombs could be dropped and
machine guns fired without risk to the persons of the King's lieges'.
As with similar present day schemes, protests were raised by
societies intent on keeping the camps away from their locality.
Normally two squadrons would be based at the Camp at a time,
usually for about a month. As well as training airmen engaged in
active flying, the AAS's were also involved with the RAF's scheme
whereby ground personnel would be taught the basics of air gunnery,
so that in the event of a war, navigators could quickly become
pilots, and their roles be taken over by the trained Part Time Air
Gunners. Hence the reason for Harold's stay at North Coates.
The camp had hutted accommodation (Harold lived in Hut No.23), and
included sleeping quarters, messes, a hospital and a N.A.A.F.I. As
Harold himself said in a letter written from the camp to his sister,
the latter organisation provided free shows, as well as food, drink,
and other 'groceries'. He also pointed out how cold Lincolnshire was
at that time of year, but by stoking up the hut stove in the evening,
it could be kept going all night.
  
Spare time activities at North Coates
The Aircraftsman with Harold was Frank Hartnell
Gunnery training consisted of two main practices - air to ground
and air to air. The ground targets were mainly located along the
shore, over which the RAF had rights to some seven and a half miles,
extending about 8,000 yards out to sea. These targets consisted of
old aeroplane fabric stretched over a framework, each with a large
Roman numeral indicating the target number. The aircraft used were
often the Station's own, Gordons and Tiger Moths.
Air to air firing was at flags or drogues towed by one of the
station aircraft, generally on a cable some 1,000 feet long. After
the flag target had been fired at, the towing aircraft dropped it to
the ground, and then released a drogue type without having to land.
This target resembled a wind-sock, and was the same size as the
fuselage of a Bristol 'Bulldog' fighter. In order to make the most
use of a drogue, the bullets fired at it during different practices
were smeared with different coloured paint, which left distinguishing
marks around the holes caused during each practice. After various
'attacks' the drogue was also dropped to the ground for marking.
Under normal conditions, firing was carried out between ranges of 100
and 300 yards.
Harold successfully completed his course at No.2 AAS, and returned
to the routine of his Squadron with the added title 'Air Gunner Part
Time'.
...
...
 Return to
Contents Page
 Return to
home Page |
