A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 1 of 14)

I suppose I wasn't the only one to feel extremely homesick the first few nights, but we soon settled in...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 2 of 14)

At the end of the chief flying instructor's test we got out of the aeroplane and he then proceeded to...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 3 of 14)

There is a photograph of the 4 of us. Ron was later killed at Machrihanish, when I was there, Reggie lost...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 4 of 14)

Flying from Dundee one day, we landed on the river and were taxiing up towards the slipway on a falling...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 5 of 14)

On Naval Air Stations if the weather is fit for flying the "affirmative" flag is flown from the...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 6 of 14)

From my log book we stayed there a couple of days before we flew on, probably so that the aircraft could be...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 7 of 14) (Sep 43 — Jul 44)

He wanted to send me to be a signals distribution officer somewhere which I pulled a face at, so he said...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 8 of 14)(Aug-Sep 44)

Take-off and landing were controlled from the tower with green or red Aldis lamps, but they had a new RAF...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 9 of 14)(Sep 44 — Nov 44)

On the first or second day there, one of these squadrons was doing stream landings, that is landing very...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 10 of 14)(Nov 44 — Mar 45)

It was now time to move on to Australia and after 4 years in the Fleet Air Arm I was at last...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 11 of 14)(Apr-May 45)

This was later tested when one pilot drifted over to port when landing and although he caught a wire he ran...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 12 of 14)(May - Jul 45)

It was about this time we had the squadron's first casualty when a Hellcat coming in to land was waved...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 13 of 14)(Jul- Sep 45)

Pityliu is an island towards one end of the lagoon that formed the anchorage for the Fleet in the Admiralty...

A View from the Back: The Recollections of a Fleet Air Arm Observer 1941-1946 by Tony Inman (Part 14 of 14)( Sep-45-Mar 46)

The days drifted by, the Aussies went home and eventually we were transported back to Australia - not to...