Squadron Leader Hilary Richard Lionel Hood, DFC

Through the Eyes of His Colleagues

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© Philip Harvey; no reproduction without permission, please.

"We then passed to Wittering and No 11 FTS. My instructor was not only the Flight Commander but he also used to do the individual aerobatics at Hendon every year. Marvellous pilot, but in a way he was responsible for the only flying accident I ever had in the RAF which was due to my own fault. His name was 'Robin' Hood - later killed in the Battle of Britain. At Wittering we had Hawker Harts and Furies and Audax aircraft. He used to come into land, tail-swishing and put the Hart right down outside his flight office - he had it absolutely weighed up. He never showed me how to do aerobatics strangely enough, but one day he said "I'm going to show you how to do a gliding loop, but under no circumstances must you attempt to do this on your own."

The thing about the Hart variant was they had a great big radiator which one had to let in or let out according to one's temperature. It had a wheel and a chain which went down behind the engine. The important thing was, before you did any aerobatics, and certainly before you did a gliding loop, was to wind in the radiator. There was really nothing to a gliding loop. You just got up a lot of speed and do the whole loop without any engine. Needless to say, the next time I was up on my own I thought I'd try one of these things. But I forgot to wind the radiator in. I whizzed down to get the speed on, pulled back on the stick but I didn't get enough speed so as I got to the top of the loop, I hung and also began to hang down on my straps.  as I realised I wasn't going fast enough there came the most shattering crash. The words began ringing in my ears - "You shall in no circumstances do this on your own." I rapidly thought the aircraft had fallen to pieces, but what had happened was the radiator had fallen in. I eventually fell over the top of the loop and came out all right but I never did it again.

Then came my one and only flying accident of my career. I went on a cross-country; Wittering to Cranwell, to Upper Heyford and back to Wittering. Visibility wasn't all that good but it wasn't too bad. I set off, reached Cranwell all right, then suddenly all the roads were going the wrong way and the woods that I should be flying over weren't there. Then the visibility began to drop and I was lost. Suddenly, there was a city below which was not meant to be there. I circled and then I was hopelessly lost. Then I spotted an airfield and it was obviously a training field as I could see Avro Cadets flying about. I decided to land and came round.

Ahead of me was one of the Cadets, going round much slower than I was in my Hart. I was overtaking him rapidly so I started this tail-swishing which I'd seen Robin Hood do, which I wasn't qualified to do, to try and keep behind him. He landed and I was side-slipping, and the long and short of it was that suddenly I had a lot of downward speed but no forward speed, I was stalled. I hit the ground with an almighty crash. The next thing was I physically very near the grass, a shattered airscrew stuck in front of me and the remains of the Hart sitting around me.

The instructor in the Cadet that had landed ahead of me got out and walked back to my wreck, stooped beside me and said "You ....!" then walked back, got into his aeroplane and took off again!

Someone obviously telephoned Wittering and shortly afterwards the deputy flight commander, Jimmy Neal, came over in his Tutor to pick me up. We flew back and landed. Robin Hood came out of his office, walked up to me and said, "You...!"

Squadron Leader R W 'Wally' Wallens DFC

'Robin' Hood was a charming fellow, a very experienced pilot, having flown in a fighter squadron before the war, and more latterly on the ghastly Wellingtons fitted with the sea-mine de-gaussing ring apparatus. When he came to 41 he was 'rusty', and was wise enough to let Flight Commanders and senior pilots lead the squadron in flights and sections without interference, taking a 'back seat' in formations until he had gained tactical experience, a decision greatly appreciated by us.

He was quiet, unassertive, with a gentle sense of humour, and the fighter pilots innate sense of caution, until the time came to 'throw it to the wind'. He was a great loss and sadly missed.

Unfortunately, war did not encourage close, new friendships, and made old ones difficult to bear when the chairs of those one had known for a long while remained vacant at the end of the day. From the early days, therefore, we made little attempt to exchange pleasantries of home and family, preferring the accepted badinage and horse-play, which suppressed feelings and eased the tensions of anticipation.

Flight Lieutenant Roy C Ford

I believe it was in August 1940, during the Squadron's brief respite at Catterick before returning to Hornchurch, that I was authorised to perform low flying exercise in Spitfire J which I later understood to be the aircraft normally flown by F/O Scott who was on leave. Shortly after arriving at the low flying area, I spotted the Flying Scotsman heading North at speed on a straight stretch of railroad between Thirsk and Northallerton. The opportunity was too good to miss and at the high point or rather the low point of the ensuing beat up, I failed to notice high tension wires due to their being obscured by a tree immediately adjacent to the passing express. This unforeseen circumstance resulted in the aircraft slicing right through them, causing substantial damage to the Spit and no little concern to it's pilot.

Apart from putting a section of North Yorkshire out of lighting for a few hours, the accident placed me, quite justifiably, on the mat at a time when one Spit was considered the equal of three enemy aircraft. Accordingly, I was bought before my Commanding Officer on the following day to answer a charge that could well have led to my dismissal from the RAF. As it was, I was fortunate indeed to be disqualified from flying duties for just two days during which time I acted as Duty Pilot - day and night.

I had a genuine respect for Robin Hood not only for the very generous manner in which he treated me on that occasion but also for his other highly commendable qualities. He was certainly a popular C/O during his time with XLI and a gentleman in every sense of that word.

T G McMahon - Flight Rigger 41(F) Squadron 1940

I did two trips with them (Catterick to Hornchurch) before moving on. I have no personal knowledge of Squadron Leader H R L Hood, being only a lowly Flight Rigger at the time. I do recall that he was often seen smoking his pipe when taxiing to and from dispersal.

Squadron Leader Frank Usmar

I joined 41 squadron as a sergeant pilot immediately after Dunkirk (mid June 1940) having come straight from Flying Training School. I didn't have much contact with Squadron Leader Hood until we went South from Catterick, then unfortunately he was killed soon after.

Wing Commander E A 'Shippy' Shipman

I was with him in 1940 (No. 41 squadron) and flew as his number two several times. He was posted to no. 41 Squadron in April 1940 and was killed in the London area, in collision with another Squadron pilot (we understand) in September 1940. So he was with the Squadron only five months.

Peta Jones - Wife of Flight Lieutenant J T 'Terry' Webster DFC

Robin took over XLI from Johnny Johnston just when things were beginning to hot up in 1940. As I was living off-camp in Richmond and the Squadron was regularly going down to Hornchurch from Catterick, I rarely saw them apart from odd parties and an occasional get together at dispersal point. Indeed, I was lucky to have Terry at home for more than two or three days at a time - or even the odd night off-duty. Terry had a great respect for Robin and I found him a very quiet, gentle person with a keen sense of humour and very easy to talk to.

Bob Logan - Resident in Crockham Hill, Kent 1940

Bob was friends with Squadron Leader Hood's younger brother Oswald, and often saw 'Dickie' Hood when he was home on leave. He recalled that occasionally Dickie would fly over his parents house in a silver biplane with chequer board markings on, showing off his aerobatic skills to those in the village (This was presumably when he was stationed at Kenley or Biggin Hill).

Bob's family lived in what is now Buttles Cottage, Froghole Lane, and his father and auntie often worked for the Sykes family. He recalled that Dickie Hood was a 'quiet sort of chap', whereas Oswald was rather an extrovert. Oswald became a Major in the Army.

Bob last saw Dickie Hood in Westerham in August 1940 (Presumably on his last leave 12th August to 18th August 1940). It was quite common for Dickie to walk back through the park from Westerham to his home. Bob recalls that Dickie flew out over the channel and never returned.

Pat Gorick - Resident in Crockham Hill, Kent, 1940

Pat recalled the Sykes family, who lived at Jacobs Ladder, Froghole Lane. They were an elderly couple with two sons, both adopted, Richard and Oswald. Oswald had a daughter, Angela, and a son John, who was unfortunately killed in a motorcycle accident. Angela married Christopher Child. As far as Pat can remember, Richard Hood was killed when crashing his aircraft on top of a German bomber.

Raymond Keen

Dick Hood was adopted by the Sykes family in Limpsfield, Surrey - where I was born. We were very friendly with the delightfully bohemian Sykes family and I often stayed with them and their only son, Oswald & Dick Hood were close friends of mine.

I think Dick went to Tonbridge School, and he was a great dare-devil, engaged in all sorts of hare-brained activities. They made "go-carts" rushing down steep hills, and even fitted one with a petrol engine. Dick was an amazing tree climber and was always the leader in all these activities, showing the characteristics that made him the ideal fighter pilot. As I remember, he was very browned off to be taken off flying and confined to training young pilots, but I imagine he persuaded the authorities to let him go back to active flying, which led to his death.

I left England in 1934 to take up a job in Cape Town, and so lost touch. Oswald Sykes visited us in Cape Town when in a wartime convoy. Father Sykes had a crane hire business, Henry Sykes and Co, in London.