Some of Ken’s “most memorable” experiences happened before going on ops. He relates flying worn-out Wimpeys at OTU, his pilot being hospitalized by an injury, and being saddled with a replacement pilot who proved to be incompetent in the extreme. After a few hairy incidents, most of the crew rebelled at HCU and asked for another, more experienced and dependable skipper.
Members of his crew seemed to have escaped a jinx which plagued the original crew-mates they had teamed up with. His new pilot, bomb-aimer, original air-gunner, and mid-upper gunner, had for various reasons - been sidelined for ops in which their aircraft subsequently lost. His original rear gunner, Guy Arbour, filled in for another air-gunner on a trip from which he didn’t return. His flight engineer and wireless operator had also been shot down before joining the crew on 426 Squadron.
Ken’s Halifax aircraft was named “Clueless” but their performance in the air belied that description because they successfully completed 34 operations. Ken had taken four other trips as a replacement navigator so his total was 38 operations. After their first twelve or thirteen ops, it was suggested that they go on Pathfinder Force but, Ken says, several of the crew were “flak happy” and others were anxious to complete their tour as quickly as possible, so they stayed with the Squadron.
Ken relates that they had “the usual experiences” coned by searchlights, heavy falk damage on several trips fighter attacks, returning a number of times on three engines and “on one trip, flak took out most of the front perspex creating a very drafty return for the Navigator and WOP ..” Despite these “usual” occurences, the crew emerged without a scratch.
Ken credits his early experience as a sailor (when he cultivated the ship’s navigator and learned much about astro-navigation from him) with giving him an edge when it came to navigation in the air.
Following his tour, Ken was posted as instructor at #24 OTU Honeybourne, in October 1944. In June 1945, they flew all their Wimpy’s to a “graveyard” near Liverpool.           July 16, 2001