Stuart Holmes joined the RAF as soon as he was 17 ½ years old in 1949 and was soon sent to Southern Rhodesia for pilot training, travelling there in some style aboard RMV Stirling Castle. After 18 months he returned to the UK as a sergeant pilot and converted to Sunderland flying boats. In 1951 he was posted to Singapore, which was a permanent RAF base from which detachments of three or four Sunderlands were forward-based in Japan to support operations in Korea. He completed two detachments over Korea and was commissioned during his time there. He describes in some detail the operations he flew: patrolled the coast to spot any Chinese or Russian ships interfering; prevent the Chinese from inserting agents by sea; bombing designated patches of jungle before ethe army moved in; gathering accurate weather information for allied forces as the Chinese had stopped weather reporting. He highlights the challenges and excitement of learning to fly Sunderlands, including weapon training and adapting to different flying conditions.

Sam was well travelled and hitch-hiked through Germany in 1938-39, where the atmosphere seemed to change as war neared. After joining the RAF in 1941, he was sent to Canada for training before heading to RAF Leuchars in Scotland where he hunted enemy submarines. Following a relatively uneventful period of wartime flying, Sam used his navigator training to join a charter aircraft company flying around Europe. He was then sent to fly planes rescuing Hindu refugees from persecution during the 1947 partition of India. Sam subsequently captained civilian planes during the Berlin Airlift. Unlike RAF pilots who took commands from operations officers, he was responsible for deciding when weather conditions made flying too treacherous. He recalls near crashes with a Russian plane flying off course and an RAF York whose pilot disobeyed tower landing commands. He worked hard during the airlift and had little time for leisure while flying 3 flights per day and sometimes at night. After returning to Jersey in December 1948, Sam joined a civilian carrier that later became British Airways. His account sheds valuable light on the essential role civilian charter companies played in the Berlin Airlift.

Sid (an RAF wireless operator) and Jim (a pilot) met while serving together in 46 Squadron during the Berlin Airlift. They recall the devastation of postwar Berlin, waving at Russian pilots from their aircraft, and their daily routines during the airlift. They flew two trips per day, including both night flying and day flying to carry flour, coal, newsprint and medical supplies, as well as airlifting children and the elderly out of Berlin. There were few social opportunities for RAF pilots, as their flying schedules precluded heavy drinking at aircrew pubs or clubs. After a few months, the work became rather tedious, but the humour of American pilots provided entertainment and light relief. Sid and Jim reflect upon flying in treacherous weather conditions, explaining that flights were rarely cancelled yet relatively few accidents occurred. They both saw the airlift as an opportunity to fly, rather than a humanitarian feat. Sid and Jim’s interview highlights the routine and eventual monotony of operations during the Berlin Airlift. Their enduring friendship is testament to the lasting bonds forged between servicemen.