The Airmen's Stories - Sgt. J S White

John Sidney White was born on 11th May 1916 in Heanor, Derbyshire and joined the RAFVR about July 1938 as an Airman u/t Pilot. Called up on 1st September 1939, he completed his training at 9 FTS Hullavington on No. 16 Course, which ran from 31st December 1939 to 9th June 1940.

He then went to 12 OTU Benson and converted to Battles before joining 12 Squadron at Binbrook in early July 1940. White flew his first, and only, sortie with the squadron on 17th August 1940, a daylight attack on shipping in Boulogne Harbour.

White volunteered to serve with Fighter Command and was posted to 213 Squadron at Exeter on 4th September. He arrived at the squadron but was sent to 6 OTU Sutton Bridge on the 9th. After converting to Hurricanes he was posted to 32 Squadron at Acklington on 28th September and joined the squadron on 2nd October.

White moved to 73 Squadron at Castle Camps on 5th November 1940. The squadron embarked on the carrier HMS Furious on the 10th, bound for the Middle East. The pilots flew Hurricanes off at Takoradi on the 29th, to fly the ferry route north to Heliopolis via Lagos, Accra, Kano, Maidugari, Khartoum, Wadi Haifa and Abu Sueir.

Commissioned from Warrant Officer in July 1942, White was released from the RAF as a Flying Officer.

He died in June 1985 in Northampton.