Composition ‘When Tiree held the Key to D Day’ by John Robertson 2018, about the critical role of RAF 518 Squadron Meteorological Observers, which was based at Tiree during WWII. Originally compiled for the Highalnd Aviation Museum in Inverness.
Click here to view 2018.48.1
My father, Eric Crow, was stationed on Tiree during the war as one of the ground personnel, and I remember him telling me about 518 Squadron’s role in producing the weather map for the D-Day landings.
I originally found this information on Geoff Pringle’s “oldnautibits” and asked him to make the following changes, which he has done. On Page 5, the sentence beginning “In my own department …..” should read
” the T1154 radio transmitter was found to have a defective VT104 pentode valve”. The next sentence should read ” … and the skipper fired up the four Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engines …”
I was an Air Wireless Fitter in the Royal Air Force with 52 Squadron at Butterworth, Malaysia, in the 60s. Our Vickers Valetta aircraft were still equipped with the T1154 /R1155 radio equipment. and the power amplifier valves were VT104 pentodes (British equivalent CV1104, Stores Reference 10E/215). As for the engines, Halifax LL123 was a Halifax Mk V, powered by R-R Merlins. 518 Squadron also did use the Halifax Mk III, powered by Bristol Hercules XVI engines, but not until early 1945.
My grandfather Gordon Wilkes was part of S518 and is the one mentioned in Geoff Pringles note