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examples of this while he was under training at Sealand, Wales. An air commodore came to educate the budding pilots in accident prevention. He instructed his understudies to ensure that the wooden chocks were in place and to stand clear of the propeller before starting the engine. All of this seemed simple enough until the officer ‘went to his own aircraft with the propeller turning ... [and] did what he had just been telling us not to do. He walked into his own propeller and was decapitated.’[35]
    Before graduating to the second term of FTS, one of the most important events in the life of an RAF trainee took place: the presenting of the pilot’s Wings. Recognised worldwide, the Wings of the RAF were as coveted then as they are now. At a ceremonial parade, the silver and gold insignia were pinned on the blue tunic of the proud pilots. ‘I can recall the thrill of the achievement and pride of service as I stepped forward to receive the famous emblem of a qualified pilot,’ reminisced Deere. With their newly acquired Wings, the pilots entered the final stage of training in their advanced term: war-making was applied to their general flying skills and knowledge.
    This incorporated everything from formation flying to high- and low-level bombing, to air-to-air gunnery and close air support.[36] As with a number of flying skills, formation flying was first introduced to pilots ina two-seater, and then subsequently a solo attempt was made. This usually required the new pilots to take up their position behind their leader. The constant adjustment of the throttle in order to hold position took time to master. The most important gunnery exercises were the air-to-air attacks. These were carried out by a student towing a drogue target for attacking students. At Penrhos, North Wales, Gray found that drogue duty was undersubscribed—the live ammunition combined with the inaccuracy of some new pilots made the task perilous.[37]
    Towards the end of the course, pilots were often introduced to the most modern service machines available in preparation for their postings to active squadrons. Deere was selected for fighters, and proceeded to the last instalment of his preparation at No.6 Flying Training School, Netheravon, Wiltshire. With the completion of this first term, and the presentation of his Wings, he went on to fly the Hawker Fury: ‘This single-engine biplane fighter ... was a wonderful little aircraft and I shall always remember the first time I sat in the deep open cockpit, behind the small Perspex windshield, and the thrill of pride at being at last behind a real fighter aircraft.’[38] Gray found himself attached to No.11 Fighter Group Pool at St Athan, Glamorganshire. Here the New Zealander was introduced to the new North American Harvards; with an enclosed cockpit, retractable undercarriage and instrumentation for full blind flying, they were among the cutting-edge trainers of the day. Gray and Deere recall that their enjoyment of the last few days of training was tempered by the outbreak of war on 1 September 1939.
    Two days later Britain declared war on Germany and it was clear that the airmen would soon be asked to put their training to the test in combat. New South Wales-born Paterson Hughes found his instruction overtaken by the German invasion of Poland, and a few days into the conflict he wrote home to his brother:
    There’s no use muttering about things ... to my mind the chances of living through this are about equal anyhow, and that’s all one can ask after all ... Until this had been going on for a while we won’t be able to judge much about their men and machines or whether they fight well or indifferently, but one thing is certain both these Air Forces are out to show just how bad the other one is, and how long it will take I’d hate to guess.[39]

CHAPTER 2
The Prelude

    For Hughes and the other Anzacs, the first few weeks of the war were spent in anticipation of