The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. E H Adams

Eric Henry Adams was born in St. Albans on 3rd July 1920 and joined the RAFVR in May 1938. He did his elementary flying training at 29 E&RFTS Luton. Called up on 1st September 1939, he went to 2 FTS Brize Norton on 9th October for No. 42 Course.

Adams completed his training on 23rd March 1940 and converted to Blenheims at the Coastal Command Landplane Pilots Pool at Silloth. He then joined 236 Squadron at Filton in June.

The squadron was serving with Fighter Command during the early months of the Battle of Britain and then returned to Coastal Command.

Adams was posted with his flight to Aldergrove on 19th November 1940, where it joined a flight of 235 Squadron to reform 272 Squadron.

He flew his first operational sortie with 272 on 1st December. Later in the month Adams was posted to 252 Squadron, recently reformed at Aldergrove. Early in 1941 Adams contracted a throat virus and was in hospital for four months. He was taken off operational flying and in September 1941 went to Henlow as a test pilot for newly-assembled Hurricanes equipped with Packard-built Merlin engines.

In mid-1943 Adams did a flying control course and was afterwards posted to N'dola, Northern Rhodesia, a staging post on the South Africa/Egypt route.

He returned to the UK in October 1944 and became an aircraft controller at RAF Carnaby. Adams was released in April 1946 as a Warrant Officer.

He was a successful estate agent until his retirement in 1982.

He died in May 2003 in Newport, Monmouthshire.