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common in those days. In 1936 he saw a demonstration of a “Flying Flea” given by it’s inventor and decided to start work on his own machine but soon after these aircraft were BANNED because there had been so many fatal accidents caused by the Flying Flea aircraft..

At about this time Kenneth applied to join the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as a pilot, but was rejected on the grounds of “Defective sight in the right eye”.

In 1937 Ken gained his Civil Pilots “A” Licence which only required a signature from his doctor to the effect that he did not suffer from epilepsy etc. The following year he again applied for the RAF Short service commission as a pilot, but was rejected due to his defective right eye. Though at this time he was doing well in the “County & National competitions as a “MARKSMAN”! He did however join the Civil Air Guard at its inauguration keeping in practice as a pilot. In those days flying would only cost him 2/6d per hour (12.5 p).

Kenneth was aware that war was imminent, and that as a member of the Civil Air Guard he would be called up as a potential RAFV. Pilot. Should war break out, so Ken purchased the official book “Medical Fitness for Flying and soon learned all about the Bishop Harman Binocular vision tests etc for RAF Pilots. When war did come in 1939 Ken was called up for the RAF and in the October he took his “Eye tests”. This time he used his past experience and knowledge from the book to ensure he used his good eye for both right and left hand tests and he found his knowledge of the “binocular tests got him through

Ken Wallis had been intrigued by the design and work his father and uncle had put into Wallbro and with his cousin’s help and many old photographs he decided to try and build a replica of the aircraft. His niece, Rosemarie, daughter of his Uncle Garnett Wallis had obtained old manuals and other literature, which was of great assistance. Garnet had been in the Royal Flying Corps, and had kept a lot of his old manuals and reference notes, with this wealth of data. He prepared Drawings and soon he had prepared and a replica of the original ‘Wallbro’ work was soon commenced in his workshops at Reymerston Hall, Norfolk.

On completion the Replica G-BFIP was flown on some ten occasions at RAF Swanton Morley in the 1980’s. A BBC television film was made of one of the flights and was broadcast on a number of occasions. The Certificate of Airworthiness expired in 1982 and the Monoplane was moved to Shidham in 1994.

With the outbreak of war, he joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve, as an operational Pilot flying Westland Lysanders and later went over to Welling Bombers (designed by one of our namesakes). He survived thirty-six bombing missions over Germany, lurching home after one raid with one hundred and fifteen holes in his aircraft. He was nicknamed “Crash” after five of his aircraft crashed returning from raids.

Coming home was often more dangerous for it was not unknown to be shot down by our own fighters! Flying in over Harwich our own flak came up with blazing enthusiasm, not matched, thank goodness, by accuracy! His flight was diverted further north into what he’d hoped was more friendly territory but there was the next obstacle, the ‘Humberside Balloon Barrage’. These were supposed to have been illuminated for the benefit of returning bombers.    This particular night as Ken Wallis limped in over Hull they forgot to switch them on and he nearly lost his port wing on a balloon cable. Thanks to, ‘Geodetic Construction’, designed into the Wellington by our namesake

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