Jack Currie (RAF officer)

John Anthony Logan Currie, (7 December 1921 – 19 October 1996) was an officer in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and an author.

After serving during the Second World War, he stayed on in the RAF and attained the rank of squadron leader.

After he left the service he wrote a number of books on the RAF, three of which described his own experiences as a bomber pilot.

His books portray life as it was in RAF Bomber Command during the course of the Second World War.

Currie served as narrator in three BBC documentaries on the air war over Europe.

Currie was born in Sheffield, the son of John Alban William Currie and Margaret Ulph Ward-Smith.

While he was still a young child the family moved to Harrow, London.

Currie was taken to air shows, where he became fascinated with aeroplanes.

After leaving school he worked a variety of jobs, including cartoonist for the Harrow Observer.

On occasion his cartoons were featured on the pages of national publications such as Punch.

In the evenings Currie sang for a dance band.

With the outbreak of war in 1939 Currie volunteered to serve in the Royal Air Force.

He scored well on the aptitude tests and was placed on the deferred service list to await pilot training.

While awaiting his call up he volunteered as a stretcher bearer and ambulance driver during the London blitz.

He also served as an ARP runner.

In 1941 Currie was called up to serve in the RAF.

He completed his initial training in England, undergoing dual instruction on Tiger Moths at RAF Ansty.

He was then shipped to the state of Georgia for pilot training by the United States Army Air Corps under the Arnold Scheme.

In early 1942, he soloed at Souther Field, near Americus, Georgia.

Souther was the same field where Charles Lindbergh had first soloed.

After finishing his initial training at Souther, Currie moved on to Cochran Field, near Cochran, Georgia, for further training.

His penchant for low flying nearly resulted in his being failed out of primary flying school.

Near the end of his Basic course he was flying low over a river when he discovered a second Stearman trainer coming up on him from behind.

Thinking it rather bold for another student to attempt to gain a firing position, Currie put his airplane through a sharp, climbing turn.

He discovered the other plane was flown well, and was able to regain its position.

With that Currie put in a series of hard maneuvers, finally gaining the upper hand.

Pulling up alongside, he waved but got no response.

Shortly after returning he was called up to see the top flight instructor at the base.

The other pilot had been no student, but was the base's chief flight instructor.

Low level flying was an automatic wash-out offense.

Learning of what had happened, Currie's instructor spoke up for him, and through his intervention Currie was able to stay on, though he was saddled with a heavy penalty in "tours" and had to forfeit leave between courses.

At the completion of his training Currie was rated "above average" and offered a commission in exchange for staying on in Georgia as a pilot instructor.

Wanting to return to the United Kingdom and fly operations, he declined the offer.

This struck the review board as odd, so as an excuse for declining the commission he claimed he felt he was too young to be an officer.

The board understood there was more to it, but declined to question him further and allowed him to return to England.

Currie earned his wings and returned to the United Kingdom in late 1942, being posted to Bomber Command as a sergeant pilot.

He was sent for further training at an Operational Training Unit, and received final training at a Heavy Conversion Unit, where he collected a crew.

His crew was assembled in the usual RAF manner.

All the trainees were placed in a large hangar and sorted themselves out on their own into crews.

Currie was approached by navigator Jimmy Cassidy, and the two of them collected the rest.