Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 9, 2013 16:48:46 GMT 12
From an erk to chief technician, the diary of Joe Roddis
In Support Of The Few
In Support Of The Few
This newly published book compiled by RAF veteran Joe Roddis with the assistance of Mark Hillier and Gregory Percival tells the often overlooked story of the groundcrew of the Royal Air Force. In fact more specifically the fascinating story of Joe Roddis, who served in the Battle of Britain and then joined the newly formed No. 485 (NZ) Squadron, our own Spitfire squadron, in 1941.
When thinking about the Battle of Britain most people will bring to mind plucky young men who went aloft in their fighters up to five times a day, day after day, to clash with the Luftwaffe over sunny, golden fields and white cliffs. Seldom thought of are the men of the groundcrew who missed out on the glory, but were in fact keeping the battle running by providing serviceable, fueled, armed and tuned up fighters hour by hour for their pilots to fly. Not much lounging in the sun in armchairs between raids for them, there were constant inspections and day to day maintenance with the added stresses of battle damage repairs and wear and tear that the aerial melee' above placed on the airframes. Even after the Battle of Britain the groundcrews worked hard in all weather, often through the night, to ensure the required number of aircraft could take off each day for the daily sweeps over Europe. The erks worked hard, and the NCO's and Engineering Officers in charge of them had a great burdon of responsibility on their shoulders, but they did the job required well. "In Support Of The Few" tells the story of one of those men who worked tirelessly to keep 'em flying.
This softcover book has 100 pages including the index, and a foreword by Squadron Leader Doug Brown mid, one of the few remaining pilots of No. 485 (NZ) Squadron. Joe himself is one of just three remaining groundcrew members of that squadron known to still be with us, from the many hundreds of RAF men who kept the kiwi fighters flying.
The book starts with Joe as a 17 year old lad from Yorkshire, joining the Royal Air Force in February 1939. Following basic training at Driffield and trade training as a flight mechanic at St Athan, his course was shortened due to the outbreak of war, and he found himself posted to No. 234 Squadron at Leconfield. This was the beginning of Joe's war. He served with No. 234 Squadron through the Battle of Britain, during which time the squadron had moved to Middle Wallop.
In March 1941 he was posted to the newly formed No. 485 (NZ) Squadron. Joe was one of the vital members of the ground crew on this New Zealand squadron for the rest of the war. Therefore the bulk of this book covers his memories of serving with the kiwis and servicing their Spitfires. As well as Joe's wonderful personal stories of that time the book has many photos and some of the No. 485 Squadron photos are new to me.
The book is a great read and anyone interested in the work of a wartime Spitfire squadron will find it of interest, particularly kiwi readers who will recognise many of the well known heroes of the RNZAF mentioned. If you recognise Joe's name it may be because he took part in the television programmes Spitfire Ace, and Battle of Britain with Sir David Jason.
Published in 2013 by Yellowman Ltd, I believe that the only stockist of this book in New Zealand at this time is the shop of the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. Their website is here www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/main/Shop/
In purchasing a copy through them you can support not only that fine museum, but also proceeds of this book go to help keep Supermarine Spitfire IX ML407 OU-V formerly of Joe's kiwi squadron flying in the UK with the Grace family. Some of the proceeds will also go to the Apuldram Centre for adults with learning difficulties.
When thinking about the Battle of Britain most people will bring to mind plucky young men who went aloft in their fighters up to five times a day, day after day, to clash with the Luftwaffe over sunny, golden fields and white cliffs. Seldom thought of are the men of the groundcrew who missed out on the glory, but were in fact keeping the battle running by providing serviceable, fueled, armed and tuned up fighters hour by hour for their pilots to fly. Not much lounging in the sun in armchairs between raids for them, there were constant inspections and day to day maintenance with the added stresses of battle damage repairs and wear and tear that the aerial melee' above placed on the airframes. Even after the Battle of Britain the groundcrews worked hard in all weather, often through the night, to ensure the required number of aircraft could take off each day for the daily sweeps over Europe. The erks worked hard, and the NCO's and Engineering Officers in charge of them had a great burdon of responsibility on their shoulders, but they did the job required well. "In Support Of The Few" tells the story of one of those men who worked tirelessly to keep 'em flying.
This softcover book has 100 pages including the index, and a foreword by Squadron Leader Doug Brown mid, one of the few remaining pilots of No. 485 (NZ) Squadron. Joe himself is one of just three remaining groundcrew members of that squadron known to still be with us, from the many hundreds of RAF men who kept the kiwi fighters flying.
The book starts with Joe as a 17 year old lad from Yorkshire, joining the Royal Air Force in February 1939. Following basic training at Driffield and trade training as a flight mechanic at St Athan, his course was shortened due to the outbreak of war, and he found himself posted to No. 234 Squadron at Leconfield. This was the beginning of Joe's war. He served with No. 234 Squadron through the Battle of Britain, during which time the squadron had moved to Middle Wallop.
In March 1941 he was posted to the newly formed No. 485 (NZ) Squadron. Joe was one of the vital members of the ground crew on this New Zealand squadron for the rest of the war. Therefore the bulk of this book covers his memories of serving with the kiwis and servicing their Spitfires. As well as Joe's wonderful personal stories of that time the book has many photos and some of the No. 485 Squadron photos are new to me.
The book is a great read and anyone interested in the work of a wartime Spitfire squadron will find it of interest, particularly kiwi readers who will recognise many of the well known heroes of the RNZAF mentioned. If you recognise Joe's name it may be because he took part in the television programmes Spitfire Ace, and Battle of Britain with Sir David Jason.
Published in 2013 by Yellowman Ltd, I believe that the only stockist of this book in New Zealand at this time is the shop of the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. Their website is here www.airforcemuseum.co.nz/main/Shop/
In purchasing a copy through them you can support not only that fine museum, but also proceeds of this book go to help keep Supermarine Spitfire IX ML407 OU-V formerly of Joe's kiwi squadron flying in the UK with the Grace family. Some of the proceeds will also go to the Apuldram Centre for adults with learning difficulties.