Teletype Error results in Close Call

Heroes Remember

Teletype Error results in Close Call

Transcript

I was coming back to England. I was shipping back to England, and I arranged transport from one of our aircraft out of Fadhiya. I was in Naples at the time. And I went on as a passenger. And we were supposed to come into Hoseley South, which is just around Southampton. And when we got over there, the tower said, “No, we’re below minimums here.” But they got 3,000 feet over at Ford, which was down towards Bournemouth. And so we started to go down, and down, and the pilot knew I was aboard. And we were circling in the clouds, and he said, “Can I go down on the radio altimeter?” I said, “No, no, no, no, no!” That thing was built for torp dropping. “Go out to sea and come down.” And he did, and we broke cloud much less than 300 feet. We came across the coast. The kids were playing in the schoolyard, and I could see the expression on their faces. The tower was closed down, so we landed. We didn’t know which ... we just landed. Anyway, security came out, “What are you guys doing?” “Well,” we said, “Somebody put an extra zero on the teletype.” And I didn’t realize until about a day later, that if I hadn’t been on board, and if he hadn’t asked that question, they would’ve hit the hills if they’d had gone down any lower. Because there’s a whole range of hills along the south coast of England. But I didn’t realize it until, it was about a day later, and I went, “Oh my God!”

Description

Mr. Linden shares the story about returning to England as an airline passenger and assisting in a close call landing.

Robert Linden

Mr. Linden was born on March 14, 1921, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As a young boy, he always had a great fascination for air planes, which led him to seek employment in that field. When the Second World War broke out, Mr. Linden decided to join the Air Force. In 1941, he enlisted in Winnipeg as a radar mechanic, and trained in radio physics at the University of Toronto. He was later posted overseas for service with the Royal Air Force under the 537 (Night-fighter) Squadron. In 1943, he received a commission and held RCAF Officer rank, later reaching the rank of Flight Lieutenant at 236 Wing RAF. In August, 1945, Mr. Linden married in England, and returned to Vancouver to study engineering at the University of British Columbia and later his M.Sc. at MIT. In 1956, he resigned his commission and began a long career working with the federal government in Ottawa. He retired in 1978, but continued to studied history for MA at Carleton University. Mr. Linden’s keen desire to recognize the importance of radar during the Second World War led him and many other radar personnel to form the Canadian Radar History Project in 1987. This project was exhibited at Canada's War Museum in Ottawa.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 1:56
Person Interviewed:: Robert Linden
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: England
Branch:: Air Force
Units/Ship:: 537 Squadron
Rank:: Officer
Occupation:: Radar Mechanic

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Teletype Error results in Close Call

Heroes Remember