On the morning of 21st July 1944 the truck dropped off our crew at "D" Dispersal for a "Y" cross-country exercise in Halifax II LW335.
As we walked over to the aircraft, it was noticed that the streamer normally attached to the pitot head cover was missing and we couldn't reach the cover to remove it. (From here on this incident became my responsibility).
I told the crew to carry out their pre-flight checks and I would ask the Tower to provide assistance to remove the cover. However, I completely forgot the pitot head cover problem until I was ready to "rotate" on take off and saw my ASI (Air Speed Indicator) reading "zero". It was too late to stop as we were fast running out of runway so I "pressed on" and take off was completed. We started frantically thinking how we could get THE BLOODY COVER OFF!
The forward escape hatch was opened and all we could see was the "B" cover snugly in place. It was soon obvious that it was too far forward to reach by hand from the hatch so we tried another way. The long hinged cover on the navigator's map storage was chopped off with the crash axe and "Little Jock", our bomb aimer, lay on his stomach with "Big Jock", our flight engineer, sitting on his legs partially hanging out of the hatch. He tried to prise the cover off with the stick from the nav's table. However, every time he poked the stick out the end broke in the slipstream. Various other efforts were made without success.
On return to base I reported my ASI (air speed indicator) U/S (unserviceable). "Use the Nav's ASI" I was told. "That's not working either," I reported. In due course we were directed to "Holme on Spalding Moor" as having a longer runway. We then devised a plan! However, my first approach was too fast and when I put flaps down we shot up about 1,000 feet. The next was OK and after touch down we rolled as planned right through to the end of the runway and turned onto the taxiway, but away from the control tower, and asked for instructions.
Immediately on coming to rest Doug (Rear Gunner) and Jimmy (Mid Upper Gunner) jumped out of the hatch on the port side. Jimmy climbed up on Doug's shoulders, removed the offending cover and both scrambled back on board. Meanwhile, Big Jock (Flight Engineer) was under our instrument panel rapidly bending the ASI pressure tube back and forth until it cracked. When we arrived at the tower parking we were soon overrun with engineers checking the ASI system.
The 'fault' was finally detected, and a new tube installed. We completed our "Y" short cross-country some 5 hours later!
I believe this is a great example of how crews worked together; I made a major mistake and my crew covered for me! I had a tremendous crew and I believe it was their combined co-operation and dedication that ensured we survived. It is hoped that in telling this story I can apologise (somewhat late) to the ground staff who had to trace the fault. They did, we remember, express some surprise on how the feeder tube had become bent. We also hope that under the 'statute of limitations' after 50 years plus we will not face a charge.
My
Crew:
Denis Earl - Navigator
Keith (Bluey) Witnish - W/O Doug King - Rear Gunner
Jock Brown - Bomb Aimer
Jim Houghton - M/U Gunner
Jock Johnstone - F/Engineer