Talk:F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas

Early RAF Service

Some additional info on Yeo-Thomas’ early RAF career, happy to add and reference. Any thoughts? Cambaroo (talk) 01:39, 21 May 2020 (UTC)Cambaroo

While living in France Yeo-Thomas attempted to join the British Army on the outbreak of WW2 but was turned down as they had enough recruits at that stage of the war, he then attempted to join the French Foreign Legion but they were not accepting Britons. After placing his car at the service of the British Air Attaché in France he was granted permission to join the RAF in 1939. He requested to be trained as an Air Gunner but this application was rejected due to his age, he instead was enlisted as an AC2 (lowest rank possible) in the trade of Interpreter and served at a Forward Air Ammunition Park with the Advanced Air Striking Force (AASF). He was soon promoted to Corporal and then Acting Sergeant before being posted back to HQ Fighter Command and a Bomber Liaison Section in England where he met his second ‘wife’ Barbara who was then a young WAAF. At this point a second application to become an air gunner was refused. He was posted back to France (Le Bourget Airport) in April 1940 and was caught up in the rapid German advance. In June 1940 he withdrew with his unit 800km across France via Tours, Limoges and Bordeaux - finally sailing to England from Pointe de Grave (where he bought a postcard from a stall at the 1917 monument commemorating the landing of American troops and sent it to a friend with the prophetic words “I know how you are feeling at present, but don’t get discouraged. We will return and liberate France.”) He didn’t evacuate from Dunkirk. Back in England he was assigned to work as an Interpreter with the Free French Forces before being recommended for a commission by his CO (Group Captain Flower). He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Administrative and Special Duties Branch of the RAFVR on 28 Nov 1940 and posted to No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron as an Intelligence Officer, receiving promotion to Flying Officer on 28 Nov 1941. After repeated complaints about his misemployment and threatening to raise the issue in Parliament he was posted to RF Section of SOE in February 1942.

Additional honour

Yeo Thomas has a street named for him - "rue Yeo Thomas" in the 13th Arrondissement of Paris, just south of the Bd Vincent Auriol, between rue Nationale and rue du Chateau des Rentiers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.82.66.16 (talk) 11:17, 8 September 2014 (UTC)

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