George sheds light on Cricket…
I wrote him about this comment sent by a reader…
I visit this site occasionally as it relates to my father’s old squadron, never been moved to write previously but on seeing your post and what I assume to be your call sign, I am sure my dad, who passed away some years ago, had a call sign Cricket 33, does this mean you were on the squadron at the same time.
I have many questions re his RAF days and would be interested to hear from you.
Mick
I am not Cricket 34.
George Stewart is..
So I wrote George who wrote this…
Hi Pierre
Yes Cricket and their numbers were idents for 23 Sqdn.
RAF Pilots used to identify them in all flying activities, when I was on the Squadron in 1944, at Little Snoring, in Norfolk. We used it especially, approaching England upon returning from an Op, Saying ‘Hello Largetype, this is Cricket 34, and ’Our Cockrell is crowing’, meaning that we had turned on our IFF which made us stand out from other traffic, including enemy a/c, as they would then acknowledge by saying “Roger 34, let us know when you are drying your feet”(ie crossing the coast). It also let our tower know who was getting home safely.
They would likely reissue the numbers as crews passed through the system.
toodles
Thanks George for shedding some light on this. Did you by any chance know Bill Goody? He was Cricket 23 around the time that you were ‘on squadron’?
Message from George Stewart…
Hi Pierre
Bill Goody could have been on 23 when I was, but likely we wouldn’t have got to know one another, unless he bunked in with us.
He was an NCO, and spent off time in the SGT’s Mess, which meant we’d not connect.
I don’t recognize him, in any case.
Toodles
Cricket 34
Further information…
Further
He flew YP-N, PZ178, the aircraft I flew 15 Ops in, including my first Op, in July.
Griffiths became S/L after I left, so we never met, Bill and me, so we never met.