JAMES HENRY SUMMERLEE,

Lieutenant Commander, MID, RN (Rtd), Part 1 of 2

as noted by Val Summerlee

edited by Gordon Smith, Naval-History.net

Introduction

Val Summerlee is my father's sister, herself an ex-Wren, and it gives me great pleasure to add her husband's naval career and photographs to the site.

Quite coincidentally, in working on post-war casualty lists, I was horrified to realise how many Fleet Air Arm crew were killed in the decades following the end of World War 2. I was not joking when I  suggested to Jim that we were lucky he was still around. It is therefore with his agreement that these pages are:

I have added Jim's comment directly from his albums
 

CAREER OF JIM SUMMERLEE

Born July 2nd 1925,  in Huntingdon, Hunts.

Joined the Royal Navy at HMS St. Vincent, Gosport, near Portsmouth, as a Naval Airman 2nd class, in 1943. Did flying training in Canada at St. Eugene then Kingston, both in Ontario, where he qualified for his 'wings' the day he was 19 ½ .

 
 

1 9 4 5 – 1 9 4 6

Further Training

Returned to Britain on the liner Louis Pasteur, landing at Liverpool on New Years Eve, 1944/45, then on to HMS Macaw at RNAS Carlisle. Commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant, back-dated to the day he received his wings. Training continued in 1945 with postings to:

RAF Errol, Perthshire for advanced flying

HMS Godwit, RNAS Hinstock & Peplow, Shropshire, for instrument training on Oxfords (March)

RN College Greenwich for a short course

HMS Humming Bird, RNAS Zeals, Somerset for conversion to Corsairs (May)

HMS Heron, RNAS Yeovilton, No.1. Fighter School for Corsair flying training

HMS Vulture, RNAS St. Merryn, Cornwall for air gunnery target practice (July)

Returned to Yeovilton

HMS Corncrake, RNAS Ballyhalbert, Northern Ireland for decklanding on escort carrier HMS Premier (converted cargo ship) in Belfast Lough (14 September)

HMS Dipper, RNAS Henstridge, Somerset for advanced course on Corsair low level flying.
 

With the war now over, granted indefinite leave from 21 Sep 1945 to 10 May 1946 while the Navy decided what to do with him and his fellow pilots.

 

 

1 9 4 6 – 1 9 4 9

Service Flying

In May 1946 posted to HMS Nuthatch, RNAS Anthorn near Carlisle, Cumberland, as a Ferry Pilot, ferrying various types of aircraft around Britain. In 1946, after a temporary posting to HMS Siskin, RNAS Gosport to learn to fly Hoverfly R4B's one of the first helicopters, back to Anthorne and then on to HMS Peregrine, RNAS Ford, Sussex on 27 Aug 1947 for a twin engine course. Following this, transferred to HMS Goldcrest, RNAS Dale, West Wales on 24 Nov 1947 flying Mosquitoes of 790 Squadron. On 13 Dec 1947, the Squadron moved to HMS Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall.

During this time, it is noted that he flew in a Mosquito with a Wren V.B. Smith on the 21 Sep & 16 Dec 1948 and the 6 May 1949.  (They married on 8 Aug 1949!)

 

1 9 4 9 – 1 9 5 2

Carrier Flying

On 11 Jul 1949 posted to fleet carrier HMS Implacable flying Firebrands V's with 813 Squadron. Off Norway with the Home Fleet in September 1949, and later, after Christmas leave, she sailed to the Mediterranean. After further leave, posted to 767 Squadron at RNAS’s Henstridge and Yeovilton, Somerset where he did nothing but take-off and land on a dummy flight-deck at Henstridge while  'batsmen' learnt their trade. Known as 'clockwork mice', once the course was completed, they had to do the same thing for real - on any aircraft carrier that was available.

 

 
1 9 5 2 – 1 9 5 6

Helicopters, including Korea and Suez

After an accident in the mess, transferred to RNAS Gosport on 17 April 1952 for training on Sikorsky S51 helicopters. First posting was to HMS Vulture, RNAS St Merryn, Cornwall, as a SAR (Search and Rescue) pilot for 4 or 5 months.

On the 9 Nov 1953, he was loaned to the Royal Australian Navy and served on HMAS Sydney in the Korean War theatre on SAR. He flew out in a Constellation, joined Sydney in Singapore, and returned home at the end of hostilities from Singapore to Stanstead in Essex in an Avro York. While out in the Far East, he travelled by boat from Kure, Japan to visit Hiroshima.

After leave, posted to HMS Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose in June 1954 as search & rescue pilot. Following a  quick conversion course to Sikorsky S55's at HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent,  he was posted to fleet carrier HMS Eagle on 6 February 1956 as Commanding Officer of the Search & Rescue unit. During this time, Eagle took part in the Suez Campaign, and Jim received two Commendations. One, to the whole crew was from the Commander-in-Chief for rescuing Lt. Lyn Middleton (who commanded carrier HMS Hermes in the 1982 Falklands War and later went on to become an admiral). The second was a Mention in Despatches for flying in and out of the War Zone at Suez, taking in medical supplies and bringing out the wounded. Jim lifted out Lyn Middleton on a second occasion, and narrowly missed doing so on a third. This was off the south coast of Malta when the resident crew at Halfar did the job.

 
 

 

1 9 5 7 – 1 9 5 8

Weapons Test Flying

Returned to the UK in Jan 1957 and was posted to HMS Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose. Then on 19 Feb 1958, joined the RAF’s Air Torpedo Development Unit (ATDU) dropping experimental torpedoes in a deep water range off the Isles of Scilly. His last flight before leaving the Royal Navy on 7 Aug 1958 was in a Whirlwind V11 for ATDU.

 

1 9 5 8 – 1 9 6 4

Civilian Helicopter Flying

Did a Civil Licence course at Air Service Training (AST) Hamble (at his own expense, which ate up most of his gratuity), and joined Helicopter Services Ltd on 3 Nov 1958. Started in South Wales flying Bell 47G's with concrete skips slung underneath for the construction of an offshore cooling caisson for Aberthaw Power Station. Then various charter work, before joining BEA Helicopter Experimental Unit based at the Beehive, Gatwick on 2 Jun 1959. Next five years was also on general charter work, mostly crop-spraying in Scotland during the summer months, but also providing engineering assistance during the building of the M1, Britain's first motorway. Some of the more interesting flying work in this time included:

1959 -  ITV Anglia (including 19 Aug & 10 Sep), flying Lady Mountbatten from the Paraplegic Games at Stoke Mandeville to her home at Broadlands on the River Hamble, working with Rank Films (22 Sep)

1960 - BBC TV interviews  (31 Mar & 6 Jun)

1961 - Hammer Films

1963 - BBC, Anglia TV (19-20 April), Pathé (14-16 Aug, 20 & 25 Sep), World Wide Photo’s (17 & 26 Aug), MGM (including 21 and 22 Aug) and National Geographic (12 Oct)

1964 - Beatle’s in their first film at Gatwick (13 Mar)

 

 

1 9 6 4 – 1 9 8 2

Penzance to Scillies “Bus Service”

Transferred to Cornwall on 18 April 1964, where BEA started the first civilian passenger service using helicopters. Initially flying from the grass airfield at St Just in Penwith to the Isles of Scilly then moved to a purpose built heliport at Penzance. During the winter months, sometimes went to Beccles in Suffolk and Aberdeen, Scotland flying out to the North Sea gas and oil rigs respectively. Back on the Penzance-Scilly run in 1967, Jim was the first person to spot oil tanker Torrey Canyon fast aground on the Seven Stones Reef during his early morning flight on 18 March. Other points of interest in this period included:

1966 - Penzance Film Charter (11 Jul)

1967 - photo charters for Torrey Canyon (21, 25 (2 charters), 27 (2), 29 (2+2) & 30 (3) Mar). On 8 Aug, and accompanied by his wife on what happened to be their 18th wedding anniversary, met the Queen & Prince Phillip on the Isles of Scilly and later on board the Royal Yacht Britannia for a cocktail party, where they also met Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

1969-71 - flying from Beccles to oil rigs (14-24 Feb 1969), Aberdeen to oil rigs (10-14 Nov 1969, 30 Dec-3 Jan 1970, 18 Dec-8 Jan 1971, 27 Jan-10 Feb 1971)

1973 - started training on the new S58T helicopter (1 Oct)

1974 - flying from Beccles to oil rigs (21 Feb-4 Mar)

1978 - received Queen’s Commendation for Services to Aviation in the New Year Honours List (1 Jan)

1982 - retired after completing 30,000 crossings to the Isles of Scilly (28 May)


 

In retirement Jim continued his love of fishing as a very keen fly fisherman as well as bass beach fishing. He also started a long association with the Sennen Cove Lifeboat, located near Lands End, Cornwall as a Committee member, Chairman, and Honorary Secretary for ten and a half years, retiring at age 70.

(These notes are duplicated in Part 2)

Two of Jim's flying colleagues

I am glad to say that partly because of this story, two of Jim's oppos - David Hamilton and Al Hickling, who feature on these pages are now in touch with him after a gap of over 50 years

Gordon Smith

Mainly Mosquitoes

Gun Observer Harry Cole - by the sea at Dale

Wee George Sells & Drunken Duncan, talking of beer no doubt (3 before breakfast)

So smooth

Flat out on both. Harry making the crossing in evens

Outside the Angel - 1430 - All kali
left to right - Stan Waters, Feet Berry, Robbie-Mary, Bert Knight, Mike Bateman

VAL and JIM around this time

Pip & "my passenger Valerie"

"Dapper" Berril

S.P. (Senior Pilot) Johnny Barnes

ROGER from BATS

Home Fleet cruisers at Inver "G"
  (Dido-types)

Dog (or D for Duty) Destroyer coming into position

Vamp

Our Royals demonstrate "The Beating of the Retreat"

ON THE WAY HOME - November 1949

After the storm