Caroline Kesseler

Caroline sent this email message on Feb 19th 2022.

• I have a photo (attached) of a group of men in civvies standing outside a building. Written on the reverse in ‘Reading 1937’
• One of the men is known to be Philip Francis TEMPLEMAN who arrived in the UK from Newfoundland in February 1937 to train in the RAF.
• He went on to join 37 Squadron and was KIA in March 1940.
• I have found reference to flying training at Shinfield from 1940 but would like to know if men were being trained there before that? Or perhaps it was an administration centre for new recruits?
• If not at Shinfield perhaps you would know where else the training may have taken place?
• The building in the photo certainly looks similar in construction to those in some of the photos on your website.
• Any help would be much appreciated.
• Kind Regards

Webmaster Andre replied on Feb 22nd 2022

• Dear Caroline .....
• Thank you for attaching the photo. I do not have much more information than you already seem to know. As far as I am aware, there was no earlier use of RAF SP prior to 1940. Please note however, that SP was never used for physical flying training; it was simply a headquarters which coordinated other specialist UK camps' activities - collecting, analysing and presenting results which measured its effectiveness.
• I am copying in a colleague, Greg, who served with me at SP in the 1980s. He lives locally and is relatively knowledgeable about the camp's origins. He might be able to shed more light on this. Either he or I will contact you with any other relevant information.
• If you agree, I would like to document your query, along with the photo, and post it to the website (but not revealing your email address without your consent). This may also help. Incidentally, do you have any connection with anyone who served at SP in the past?
• Regards,

Caroline replied:

• Hello Andre
• Thank you so much for getting back to me.
• Having done some further research I think it may in fact have been taken at Woodley Aerodrome near Reading as they were training RAF Pilots there in 1937.
• The photo belongs to a third party and so if you think it may clarify the location to post it on your website I will contact him and just check he is ok with it.
• No I don’t have any connection with Shinfield – just trying to find a location for the picture.
• I am part of a project regarding the RAF men who participated in The Battle of Heligoland Bight on 18 December 1939 – Philip Templeman was one of them. The project is in its final stages and we hope to publish a book later this year. www.heligoland39.org
• Many thanks for you help.

Webmaster Andre replied

• OK, thanks for the information. Good luck with the project ... and the book ☺. I took a look at the website ... it was well-presented and I found it very emotional!

Greg North emailed on Mar 22nd 2022

• Caroline
• First of all, my apologies for the delay in responding to your email to Andre.
• First of all, that building in the photograph was not at RAF Shinfield Park or at the previous location on what is now the Whiteknights Reading University campus off the Shinfield Road/Pepper Lane.  HQFTC was previously part of HQTC (Training Command).   With the advent of WW2, it was essential to have a firm grip on aircrew training given the substantial increase  of future requirements, not to mention the aircrew losses which were unsustainable.   This structure  when went full circle in1968 and the two commands once again merged and were relocated to RAF Brampton in Rutland.   In short, HQFTC was responsible for the policy and executive management of aircrew training.
• Aircrew training was carried out in many locations, often with small satellite grass airfields supporting a nearby major RAF Station.   Locally, commercial flying training was carried out at White Waltham (Maidenhead) pre war but during WW2 the airfield had an RAF operational role.   Today White Waltham survives as a commercial flying training airfield. Again, that photograph was not taken at White Waltham, most of whose buildings are still standing today.
• The other local airfield through to the 1960s was Woodley Aerodrome.   Woodley Aerodrome was the aerodrome used for the design, manufacture and testing of aircraft by Phillips and Powis back in 1929.  Miles Aircraft were formed there in 1943 and they who were purchased by Handley Page in 1950.   The airfield was used by the RAF during the war and was known as RAF Woodley.  Some buildings were listed and survive to this day.   The aerodrome is now a housing estate.   If you Google Woodley Aerodrome you will see several images.   One of which is not dissimilar to the building in the photograph in that it has the upper echelon.  I do not believe that it is that particular building myself but it could have been modernised.   It does not appear that aircrew training was carried out here at all.
• Much aircrew training was carried out abroad, especially in the USA (The Arnold Scheme), Canada, India and South Africa.
• Local to Woodley Aerodrome is the Museum of Berkshire Aviation, they may be able to help you.
• I am sorry that I cannot be more helpful.

Greg North emailed further:

• Caroline and Dr Andre (Megga congratulations!!)
• Contrary to other websites, you can see from the www below that aircrew training took place in 1944, prior to that Miles were frantically putting into production an RAF trainer aircraft.
• Have you contacted the RAF museum curator at Hendon?  You could also try the curator at Reading Museum.  Reading University students in 1941, participated in aircrew training.
• Another site is the records of serviceman held on computer in Kew, SW London.  (www.forces-war-records.co.uk)(Google and enter name, you have to pay a fee to get more in depth records).   Another site is www.gov.uk.
• https://museumofberkshireaviation.co.uk/html/history/avwoodley.htm
• And also, not sure when this list was current, but might help
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Royal_Air_Force_stations_in_Berkshire
• Best I can do for now.
• Kind regards