I am writing in support of Tony O’Gorman’s letter (Oxford Mail, December 17) relating to RAF Bicester.

I was based there as a 19-year-old in 1940, and although it provided a vital service as an operational training unit, it was a relatively obscure part of the RAF.

I flew many hundreds of miles over the local area, trying to diagnose reported technical faults inherent in the Mark I and Mark IV Blenheims.

Some of the pilots I flew with were no older than I was and their navigational skills were rather limited.

Good use was made of local landmarks such as railway tracks and the towering chimneys of the nearby brickworks to lead us back to Bicester.

One consequence of having to use a grass runway was that a heavy landing on a soggy surface frequently resulted in the Blenheims losing their tail-wheel units, rendering them unserviceable.

One further memory I have is that the aircraft were frequently dispersed to nearby airfields at Hinton-in-the Hedges and Silverstone in order to minimise damage in the event of enemy air attacks.

All in all, RAF Bicester had a relatively low-key role during the Second World War.

WILLIAM MORRIS, Foxcroft Drive, Carterton, West Oxfordshire