The Armaments Officer 11

…... there is nothing to add to that. No squadron could have wished for a finer officer to form and command it. He had the wonderful knack of getting the best work out of everyone, of making all hands feel that every job was well worthwhile. We all knew he was a glutton for work himself, and he had the rare gift of commanding on service lines men who had not been brought up in the Navy, and showing them what a fine and fair thing

proper and reasonable discipline can be.


Draper carried on the good work, and enthused it with his unique personality and power of winning the keen loyalty and great personal affection of us all. I only served a week or so under Squadron  Commander Bromet, and the rest of the time under Squadron Commander Draper. But there was no break in the continuity of the Squadron’s activity. We had exchanged one commanding officer whose outstanding merits we all admired, for another who seemed fully qualified to carry on. We knew Draper already, and were prepared to see him exercise his unparalleled power and knowledge of flying, his keenness and enthusiasm to carry on and add to the Squadron’s already fine reputation. We know how splendidly he did so.


It must also be recorded what an inspiration to the Armament Section was the magnificent work done by the pilots of my time. To take a few names at random Compston, Johnstone, Jordan, Munday,  Price, Cooper, Booker, Day, McDonald. But they were all wonderful, and they all had a cheery word for the armourers.


I remember good old Canadian McDonald as he climbed into his machine to do a real dirty job of work. He gave me his usual cheery grin and said:


“Guns all right, Pinkie?"

"Think so.”

“I’ll just bet they are.”


That was typical of “Mac.” Always the optimist, always cheery and convinced that everything would be all right. Unfortunately, that flight was his last.


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1916 - 1939 Anecdotes Homepage

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