Wartime Heritage ASSOCIATION

I Got Caught!

In the fall of 1943 East Camp at RCAF Station Yarmouth echoed with the hum of aircraft and the work of service personnel, a vital role in training Telegraphist Air Gunners of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Among the recruits were two young lads, Saunders, and Wood, who often found themselves at the heart of mischief when off-duty. One evening, fuelled by his daring plan and youthful exuberance, Saunders approached Wood with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I got caught!" Wood, looking intrigued: "Caught doing what?" Saunders, grinning: "I wasn’t careful enough!" Wood, raising an eyebrow: "Alright, spill it. What were you up to?" Saunders, leaning in conspiratorially: "I had this brilliant plan to fly over Camp 60 and surprise those Army boys. Imagine their faces!" Wood, chuckling: "You're mad! What happened?" Saunders: "Well, I managed to sneak a bag of flour into the plane. Everything was going according to plan until the pilot caught wind of it." Wood, curious: "A bag of flour? Saunders, shaking his head: " Was going to toss it out of the plane when we flew over the Camp. But the pilot noticed the bag of flour and made me take it out. Can you believe it? And we never did fly over the camp. He avoided it like the plague!" Wood burst into laughter, picturing the daring escapade. The planned caper of the flour bag became legendary among the Telegraphist Air Gunners. Little did they know, the mischief would become the fabric of a story passed down through the years, a tale to be retold at TAG reunions in the post war years, a testament to the antics of those TAGs who served in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II.

For the Birds! “Some of these pilots are really for the birds!” Wood exclaimed, shaking his head. “I was out yesterday somewhere over Pubnico when my pilot decided to try some aerobatics. We were above the clouds, and into a loop we go, and then it happened, my strap broke!” Saunders raised an eyebrow. “You what? You left the plane?” Wood grinned, his youthful enthusiasm undiminished. “Yes! I actually left the plane mid-loop, did a trapeze act in the sky. And when the pilot came out of the loop, I re-entered the rear cockpit. A little scared, mind you, but I told him I had done up my harness and to carry on!” Saunders chuckled. “You’re lucky, Wood! Remember last week’s crash near Weymouth? The pilot was flying low over the trees. I guess he clipped the top of a tall one and landed in the woods. Broke his ankle, poor chap. But the TAG didn’t even know they were crashing. Didn’t get hurt, but the plane was a total write-off.” Wood’s eyes widened. “Incredible! After this place, maybe a carrier in the Fleet Air Arm will be safer!” Saunders leaned closer, his voice low. “I don’t know, Wood. Landing on a pitching deck doesn’t excite me either!” And so, Saunders and Wood continued to share their tales of adventures at East Camp RCAF Station Yarmouth.

The Fleet Air Arm’s Telegraphist Air Gunners Saunders and Wood are fictional characters; however, their tales of adventure are factual, shared at annual reunions of Telegraphist Air Gunners in the post-war years.

The Fleet Air Arm’s Telegraphist Air Gunners Saunders and Wood are fictional characters; however, their tales of adventure are factual, shared at annual reunions of Telegraphist Air Gunners in the post-war years.