When you came home on leave, you couldn't get a girl . . .

In recent times the old Queens Hotel on the promenade is best known as having been the police station in the crime series ‘Hinterland’ Prior to that it housed local government offices since the hotel closed in the late 1940s. Perhaps the most interesting chapter  in the building's  history opened when No.6 Initial Training Wing of the RAF was established there on 1 August 1940 until being disbanded on 10 May 1944. RAF recruits in their smart grey uniforms were billeted throughout the town.  The late Des Davies served in the Merchant Navy during the war and commented wryly that “When you came home on leave you couldn’t get a girl ‘cos the RAF had them all.”

Prospective pilots, navigators and other flight crew would study mathematics, navigation, airframes, engines, principals of flight and, of course, square bashing. After eight weeks, if successful, they would be sent to Elementary Training Flying School, usually after having a group photo taken in front of the Town Hall. 

Group of graduates of ITW No 6 photographed outside the old Town Hall, ca.1943

An interesting vestige of their stay came to light on 12 April 2007. Helpfully, though sometimes annoyingly, my first digital camera printed the date on every photo. On that day I received a call from the Belle Vue Hotel to invite me down as something of interest had been discovered. Stripping wallpaper in one of the bedrooms had revealed graffiti left by one or more of these prospective pilots.

How to navigate by the stars

The graffiti in question includes a map of part of the night sky centred on the Southern Cross, a table of aeroplane wing lengths, some sketches and intriguingly one name ‘Hallam’ and his service number 1803458. All that can be added about Hallam is that he does not appear on the Commonwealth War Graves website, suggesting he survived the war.  The same can be said for another name that appears, S Daller. Sadly the recent fire affecting the Belle Vue will have destroyed the graffiti  but below are a few  record photos. The management inform me that should Hallam 1803458 come forward he will not be charged for re-decoration of his room.

Table of aeroplane wingspans compiled by 'Hallam,1803458'

Sketch believed to be a Douglas Boston, an American twin-engined bomber flown by the RAF during WWII (aircraft id information supplied by Hugh Morgan)

Pilot Officer Prune

Hugh Morgan, of the West Wales Veterans' Archive, supplied some additional information about 'Pilot Officer Prune.' He was a fictional character used in the RAF’s operational training manual teaching airman how not to undertake a task – using humour as a teaching aid. So PO Prune was essentially someone to poke fun at and very commonly used during the War and even today in RAF related discussion groups.

Blog by William Troughton.