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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Edward F. Sargeaunt

My cousin Jack was a little more than a year & a half older than I. When selected for aircrew training, he quickly passed through Initial Training Wing schooling, and on to flying training, for which he was shipped over to the USA and Texas. In early 1940, with losses mounting, the Air Ministry need to build up an adequate supply of trained aircrew became acute. The growing Luftwaffe intrusion over Britain made serious flying training in the UK impractical, and the USA opened its major resources, and its hearts also, training British airmen, augmenting those of Canada and the other Commonwealth members.
Jack did EFTS on PT17As. When he returned home, I remember him telling me about the AT6 at Service school, and the instruction to “get the undercart up quickly on takeoff”, although not so that you risked bending the locking pins by not being properly airborne. The splendid welcome with which he and his fellow cadets were received in the Houston area made a lasting impression on him.
Later, he completed an operations tour on Lysanders - then was posted to a Spitfire MkVIII equipped squadron. His last operation was a weather reconnaissance, with a colleague, to Fiume at the top end of the Adriatic on November 12th, 1944, under an electrical storm. Neither he nor his colleague returned.
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick & Diane Lane, of Wilmot Way, Banstead, Surrey SM7 ‘ 2QD, England, are taking great care of Jack’s log book. Pat is very appreciative of this opportunity to display his older brother Jack’s record.