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The Airmen's Stories - F/Lt. J S Young

 

James Stewart Young Young was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on 5th August 1915, the son of a doctor. He went to the village school at Elstow, Saskatchewan.

In 1923 Dr. Young took his family to Vienna where he was to carry out post-graduate studies in the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat field. Young spent a year in a boys boarding school there. The family moved on to London and Young spent six months in school there.


From 1925, back in Canada, Young was at school in Edmonton, Alberta. In his last year at high school he began flying lessons at the Edmonton and Northern Aero Club. Young subsequently obtained his pilot's licence.


As a result of seeing a newspaper advertisement asking for applications for RAF short service commissions, Young travelled to England at his own expense, was interviewed at the Air Ministry in June 1936 and accepted into the RAF.

 


Young began his initial training at 6 E&RFTS Sywell on 12th October 1936. He went to No. 1 RAF Depot Uxbridge on 21st December for a short induction course and moved on to 10 FTS Ternhill on 16th January 1937.

With his training completed, he joined 10 Squadron at Dishforth on 7th August. He was posted to the Ferry Pilot Pool at Filton on 8th September 1939 and then to 7 B&GS Stormy Down on 27th October as a Flight Commander.


On 2nd September 1940 Young went to 7 OTU Hawarden and after converting to Spitfires joined 234 Squadron at St. Eval on 18th September. He left the squadron on 23rd November 1940 to go on an instructors course at CFS Upavon, following which he was posted to 15 FTS Kidlington on 29th December.


Young went to West Kirby to prepare for overseas service on 2nd June 1941, going first to Reykjavik, Iceland then to 34 SFTS Medicine Hat. He later instructed at 36 SFTS Penhold, where he was a Flight Commander.

In mid-1943 Young returned to the UK, took a refresher course at Brize Norton and then went to 105 (Transport) OTU at Bramcote on 17th August. In November 1943 he was posted to 45 (Atlantic Transport) Group at Dorval, Montreal.


He was sent to Nassau on 30th January 1944 to 113 Group, to operate on the South Atlantic ferry route. He returned to Dorval on 23rd September, transferred to the RCAF on 23rd July 1945 and returned again to the UK on 1st October to join the Missing Airmen Research Enquiry Unit in Brussels.


On 25th June 1947 Young returned to Canada. He stayed in the RCAF postwar, retiring in October 1962 as a Squadron Leader.

He died in 2002.


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