John Powell's RAF Service

<p dir="ltr">The contributor's father, Frederick Powell (known as Eric), was born in London. The Powell family were from Devon. Eric joined the RAF as an apprentice and served in India, before the war, in armored cars. In India, weapons were delivered by train and Eric was asked to drive engines. The contributor noted that at some point in his life, Eric had a chat with the future King George VI. </p><p>Just before WW2 broke out, Eric joined the 99 Squadron. During the war, Eric supplied forces in Burma with weapons. Eric also looked for faults in aircraft designs, having already learnt about explosives and bombs in the air force. Eric flew a Westland Whirlwind in 1943. Eric didn't retire until 1953. </p><p>The contributor told a story about his mother during the war, who was out walking with her baby and dog during an air raid but went home rather than to a shelter because there was a revolver in the pram. </p><p>Objects include: Eric's coat; RAF cap and Sunday best; Stand and mechanism that Eric designed; Eric turned a polish shell into a lighter; Plane model made in India, out of aluminum; Watercooler topped with felt, so when it got wet it kept the water cool, webbing, c.1940 Eric used throughout war until he retired in 1953.</p>