There is a very
good reason why many Battle of Britain commentators give scant attention to the
October tag-end of the Battle. Nothing much happens, and when it does, it
occurs only sporadically. Bill Millington’s and 249 Squadron’s experiences
certainly bear this out. Indeed, in its
24 October 1940 issue, Flight
magazine confidently asserted that ‘the Battle of Britain
has been won by the Fighter Command, and...what is now going on is mere
nuisance raiding, not intended to prepare the way for an invasion of this
island’.
So, if nothing
much was going on for Bill Millington on 10 October 1940, other than another
non-eventful afternoon patrol of Rochford, let’s see what he was up to on 10
October 1939.
Bill had arrived
at 10 Flying Training School, Tern Hill, Shropshire, in the west Midlands on 7
October 1939, and his training had begun in earnest. On the 10th, he had his
first ‘dual instruction on Harvards. Extra good show. Spinning, low flying etc
with Sergeant Hartley’. He could not have been happier. He was now so busy he had
little time to write home but managed a brief postcard:
‘Have recently
been posted to the Midlands in a fighter squadron flying high speed fighters.
Enjoying every minute of it and keeping fit. Regret have very little news to
offer as several matters cannot be communicated on account of some war or other
over in Europe...Cheerio.’
If, on 10 October 1940, Bill had looked back on
his training experiences on the Harvard after flying combat in the Hurricane, I
am not sure he would have still called it a high speed fighter! Advanced trainer
yes, but high speed, no. But, perhaps it was, in comparison to the Miles Hawk
he had flown at No. 8 Elementary and
Reserve Flying Training School, Reading.
(This is one of
the photos Bill sent home of a Tern Hill Harvard).
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