Skip to the content

Year by Year › 1938

1938

From the RAF to the Fleet Air Arm

When carrier flying passes from the RAF to the Royal Navy, Bill is in the first group re-commissioned into the Fleet Air Arm, on 1 August 1938. He joins HMS Glorious in the Mediterranean, flying from the carrier and from shore bases in Egypt and Malta.

64 letters · 2 newspaper cuttings · 1 book

Bill’s first log book was lost when Indomitable was bombed in August 1942, so the flights before July 1941 are not known. This year is told through his letters and the papers.

January

Papers

Calgary Herald, 17 January 1938Youthful Calgary Pilot Taking Flight Training In Famous 41st Squadron

February

Places named

Northolt Catterick Church Fenton Catfoss Reading Digby North Coates Farnborough

Wrote

4 February 1938To Jean 8 February 1938To Mother 15 February 1938To Mother 17 February 1938To Dad 21 February 1938To Mother 28 February 1938To Mother

March

Places named

Aden (Khormaksar)Catterick Montrose Reading

Wrote

7 March 1938To Mother 9 March 1938To Dad 16 March 1938To Mother 21 March 1938To Mother 27 March 1938To Mother 29 March 1938To Mother

April

Places named

Church Fenton Catterick Digby Northolt Reading Cambridge Cranwell

Wrote

3 April 1938To Mother 3 April 1938To Mother 13 April 1938To Bob 23 April 1938To Mother 28 April 1938To Dad

May

Places named

Catterick Digby Wittering Duxford Hucknall

Wrote

May 1938To Mother 8 May 1938To Dad 15 May 1938To Jean 20 May 1938To Dad 21 May 1938To Mother 29 May 1938To Mother

June

Places named

Cranwell Catterick Abbotsinch Dishforth Wittering Aldergrove

Wrote

13 June 1938To Bill 14 June 1938To Mother 20 June 1938To Dad 25 June 1938To Mother 29 June 1938To Dad

July

Places named

HMS Glorious Aldergrove Catterick Hal Far Gibraltar Church Fenton Duxford

Wrote

7 July 1938To Dad 10 July 1938To Dad 10 July 1938To Mother 12 July 1938To Dad 14 July 1938To Dad 18 July 1938To Dad 22 July 1938To Dad 31 July 1938To Mother and Dad

Papers

Calgary Herald, 29 July 1938Calgarian Joins H.M.S. Glorious

August

Places named

HMS Glorious Hal Far Dekheila Heliopolis Ismailia Amiriya Port Said Gibraltar Catterick

Wrote

17 August 1938To Dad 18 August 1938To Dad 18 August 1938To Mother 22 August 1938To Mother and Dad 27 August 1938To Dad 28 August 1938To Dad 31 August 1938To Mother

September

Places named

HMS Glorious Hal Far Ismailia Catterick

Wrote

September 1938To Dad 22 September 1938To Dad 25 September 1938To Mother 27 September 1938To Dad

October

Places named

HMS Glorious Dekheila Heliopolis

Wrote

22 October 1938To Dad 25 October 1938To Mother

December

Places named

Hal Far Gibraltar Ismailia

Wrote

5 December 1938To Jean 6 December 1938To Dad 11 December 1938To Dad 13 December 1938To Mother and Dad 28 December 1938To Jean 31 December 1938To Dad

In the books

Canadians in the Royal Air Force Les Allison, 1978

All the years The letters of 1938 All the books

← 1937: A fighter pilot with 41 Squadron1939: HMS Glorious and the coming of war →