The Diversions
Between combat missions over Nazi Germany, life at Polebrook settled into a routine. There were paperback books. About once a month, one base or another would have a dance—trucks would haul young ladies from the surrounding towns, drawn by the tremendous buffet of food that the locals didn't have access to.
"There was very little diversion there. We did have paperback books at hand and about once a month, one base or another would have a dance... Otherwise, we were engrossed with the minutia of paperwork, writing letters of regret to the families, efficiency reports, etc. I don't recall having much idle time."
But the staff officers' mess was another matter entirely.
The Procurement System
Early in the 351st's time at Polebrook, Col. Hatcher had relieved the commander of an aircraft service group and reassigned him to a unique position: taking the cash from all the clubs on base each week and procuring extra supplies.
"Early on, Hatcher had relieved the C.O. of a an aircraft service group, and gave him the job of taking the cash of all the clubs on base each week and getting extra 100 pound sacks of sugar, coffee, and flour."
"He would visit all the towns in the area buying, trading or whatever for fresh foodstuff, eggs, and meat from the locals. He would then have a truck from base go pick up the purchases."
The Chef
"The head cook at our staff officers' mess had been the head chef in a Chicago hotel, and he was good."
The Ice Cream
The chef would make an ice cream mix from powered eggs, milk, and other available ingredients. Then came the innovation:
We would put it in an airplane that would take it up to 18,000 feet and freeze it.
"He would make an ice cream mix from powered eggs, milk, etc, and we would put it in an airplane that would take it up to 18,000 feet and freeze it."
At 18,000 feet, the temperature is well below freezing—cold enough to turn the ice cream mix into actual ice cream. The airplane would drone at altitude over Polebrook "at fairly regular intervals," and any old 351ster, Bob noted, would remember hearing an airplane at altitude over the field on a regular basis.
"And I am not aware that our method of freezing ice cream has been publicized, most any old 351ster will no doubt remember hearing an airplane droning at altitude over the field at fairly regular intervals."
The Scotch
The procurement didn't stop at food. The 351st also sent an airplane to a distillery in Scotland every week or so, returning with a hogshead or two of scotch.
"We also sent an airplane to a distillery in Scotland every week or so and come back with a hogshead or two of scotch which we would bottle at the clubs."
A hogshead is a wooden container between a keg and a barrel in size—holding roughly 60-65 gallons of scotch. The 351st would bottle it at the base clubs themselves.
The Verdict
Bob's assessment of the staff officers' mess at Polebrook was unequivocal:
"But our staff officers' mess was the finest in the UK."
Bob's note on hogsheads:
"A hogshead is a wooden container between a keg and a barrel in size. The OED will probably confirm and elucidate the matter."
From the Flight Records
From the records
August 1944 Form 5 — a month of combat, test, and local flights at Polebrook.
A Form 5 records aircraft and hours, not cargo — no line says “ice cream.” But the freezing runs hid easily inside months like this one, dense with the local and test flying a bomb group generated every week.
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