Visits by active Air Force and Naval Officers who were experimenting with or using our Radars on operations were always welcome both as a sour to the personnel of the factory and to enable us both to get some first hand experience and criticism. The most famous of these visitors who came quite often was "Cats Eyes" Cunningham and his Navigator, Flight Lieutenant Rawnsley.
He would land at some local Aerodrome after a night operation on a Beaufighter or Mosquito and spend the day with our engineers. I will never forget one day when we asked the Colonel and Adjutant of an American Engineer Regiment stationed locally before "D" day to meet Cunningham and Rawnsley for lunch. The Americans were completely taken aback by the modesty of these two renowned flyers, and found it hard to believe that they were really and truly the famous pair. Cunningham is still Chief Test Pilot and Director of Hawker Siddley which now incorporates De Havilands, his original firm.
The American Engineer Regiment referred to were a first rate crowd of very mixed origin, but all highly skilled technicians and mechanics from Colonel down to the privates and their equipment was superb. The colonel and Major were regular army all the other officers and men being recruited from their civilian jobs. I learned with some surprise, that the USA, enemy of all State Enterprise, considered to be Socialism, has always regarded the U.S. Corps. of Engineers as responsible for all Coastal protection and for flood control and conservation of all navigable rivers.
This peace time duty largely contributes to their technical efficiency which enable them in war time to perform such technical feats as pipeline, road and airfield construction and field repair work, as routine jobs. What a pity we do not utilise our own Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Regiment in similar tasks. Our Navy and Air Force do in peace time very much the same work as in war, i.e. running ships and flying planes, which no doubt accounts for them being able to attract better types than the Army can hope to recruit in peace time.
