DW-D

DW-D – When Francis-Knight was our Flight Commander, a new Spitfire was flown in. The letters “DW-D” were to be painted on the newly arrived kite but most of the pilots said that they would not fly a kite with a “D” on it; suspiciously, “D” had previously killed too many, and it was strongly suggested that “D” should be left out of the alphabetical context. Francis-Knight, never the suspicious type, said in an officious tone, “Paint ‘D’ on that aircraft.”

Nobody offered to test the new “D.” Nobody, that is, except Doley who said, “Oi’ll test the bloody koite.”

When the undercart was down on a Spitfire, it blocked out both the glycol and oil rads, so one had to get off the ground quickly to get the undercart retracted or the engine overheated, and, of course, when one was landing and it was necessary to have to go around again, one always retracted the undercart pronto. On the Spitfire, one, also, had to be sure that the mixture lever was fully back before the throttle, which was right next to the mixture lever, could be completely closed or pulled back.

Francis-Knight, along with a number of us, was standing in front of the Flight hut and near his personal, beautifully cleaned Spitfire watching Doley trying to set “D” onto the grass. But “D” kept going and going and going and going across the field at quite a clip. Doley finally opened the throttle and took off again but he didn’t bother to retract the undercart. Francis-Knight was visibly annoyed. He, and we, knew that Doley didn’t notice that the mixture lever was, evidently, not pulled back and, consequently, Doley couldn’t close the throttle. Around came Doley again, and again he couldn’t get “D” to slow down as “D” kept floating across the field. Off he went once more and Francis-Knight was beside himself as the undercart was still down. Here came Doley again, and it was obvious that he had the do-or-die attitude as in the roll on the grass this time he cut the mag switches, but it was too late. Well, Doley cut the tail off Francis-Knight’s beautiful Spitfire, and Doley and “D” ended up by running into the part of the Flight hut where the Sergeant was, at the time, writing data into his aircraft records. “D” did not catch fire. The cockpit was well jammed and all Doley could say when he was being pulled from the squeezed cockpit was, “Bloody ‘ell.” The poor Sergeant was still sitting in his chair although the chair and the Sergeant had been moved considerably and he was rigidly staring straight ahead.

Francis-Knight? Well,……… .

We felt badly, as Doley was on the train that night and we never saw him again but he had erased the “D.”