November 2009 - Brussels Air Museum Foundation

NOVEMBER 2009
2 nd TACTICAL AIR FORCE MEDIUM BOMBERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER
HOT GEN
George Van Iderstine legacy
ESCAPE!
More on General Gueguen
ATLANTIC FERRY
‘Grumpy’ moves to Seattle
PENNFIELD RIDGE
Fourth annual memorial ceremony
AIRFIELD SITES
Whatever became of...

2 nd TACTICAL AIR FORCE
MEDIUM BOMBERS ASSOCIATION
Incorporating
88, 98, 107, 180, 226, 305, 320, & 342 Squadrons
137 & 139 wings, 2 Group RAF
Chairman/Liaison
Secretary/Archivist
Treasurer
Registrar
Newsletter Editor
MBA Executive – United Kingdom
Norman Prowse
6 Kenwood Road, Edmonton, London N9 7Jd
Telephone: 020 8803 2986
Russell LeGross
15 Holland Park Drive, Hedworth Estate, Jarrow, Tyne & Wear NE32 4LL
Telephone: 0191 4569840
E-mail: russ@legross.freeserve.co.uk
Amanda Riley
9 Sidney Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK40 2BQ
Telephone: 01234 305907
E-mail: ajrileyuk@hotmail.co.uk
John D. McDonald
35 Mansted Gardens, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex RM6 4ED
Telephone: 020 8590 2524
E-mail: john.mcdonald22@btopenworld.com
Peter Jenner
13 Squirrel Close, Sandhurst, Berks GU47 9Dl
Telephone: 01252 877031
E-mail: peterjenner01@tiscali.co.uk
MBA Executive - Canada
Chairman/Newsletter Editor David Poissant
242 Harrowsmith Drive, Mississauga, ON L5R 1R2
Telephone: 905-568-0184
E-mail: david.poissant@sympatico.ca
Secretary/Treasurer
Western Representative
Eastern Representative
Secretary
Susan MacKenzie
406 Devine Street, Sarnia, ON N7T 1V5
Telephone: 519-332-2765
E-mail: mackensu@sympatico.ca
Ken Wright
2714 Keighley Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 5X8
Telephone: 250-756-3138
E-mail: kenwrightsr@shaw.ca
Darrell Bing
75 Baroness Close, Hammond Plains, NS B4B 0B4
Telephone: 902-463-7419
E-mail: dbing@peakgroup.com
MBA Executive - Australia
Tricia Williams
PO Box 16, Ormond, Victoria, Australia 3204
Telephone: 03 9578 5390
E-mail: elegant@aanet.com.au
Dispersals is published February ● May ● August ● November

DISPERSALS • UK/ /EUROPE
Going from knowing to remembering is not easy;
may you enjoy remembering.
LAST POST
March 24 th , 2009. It is with the greatest sadness that we have to announce
the very sad passing
of Vera Nutkins, stalwart of the Shoreham
Aircraft
Museum Tearoom and widow of Frank Nutkins (180 Squadron). She passed
away on Sunday 15th March 2009 after a recent illness. Vera was born in
North Shields, Northumberland
in 1926 and
did her bit for our Country by
serving with the Auxiliary Territorial Service during WW11 on the
Ack-ack
guns as a Range-Finder. After the war she met and married Frank
Nutkins,
who always reckoned
she was responsible for the holes in his RAF aircraft!
October 9 th , 2009. Nevin Filby. The subject of Tricia William’s email said it; “no more
letters from Nevin.” After a long
battle with
cancer - and it did not show in his many letters
- he
passed on. The newsletter will never be quite the same again. He
sent us so many interesting
items which you no doubt remember. There is one amongst the nose art that was in before we
knew. There will be
more from
what he has already sent. But his
letters willl no longer come
and strain
my eyesight. One thing he often mentioned and hoped for news, was to find a photo
of the nose of the Walleroo Warrior in which he flew and of whichh he did not have a picture. I
hear thatt only months ago a young Canadian sent him
some. Just in time it is gladdening to
know. We can look forward to reading that story. Goodbye and thank you for being you.
This memorial
faces the new, soon to be finished,
extension to The Shoreham Aviation
Museum. As
Frank was a Wop/AG with
180 Squadron the extension
will contain an
Air Gunner’s corner; the Museum in
which both Frank and Vera were very involved, is
mainly concerned with the Battle of Britain whichh took
place above; as
is reflected in many of Geoff’s pictures.
1

SNIPPET: Another
connected W.A.A.F., Mick Manning’s mother, served in
the ‘Y’ Service
listening to German radio.
Mick and his wife are writing a companion book to ‘Tail
End
Charlie’ about her experiences.
It was good to seee so many signatures being written
into
copies of
‘Tail End Charlie’ at the re-union.
EDITOR’S NOTES
There is something special about the November newsletter; it is written immediately after the
Re-union. It is great to meet so many of you. However I must not ignore those of you who were
unable to
come; Russ will tell you about the
important things so I will comment personally
and
for some, you will have heard it before. Talking about ladies and the
Re-union, it was also good
to see the
lively little
white haired mine of information on Great Massingham and its Squadrons,
called Sister Laurie,
back with
us. She is the one who obtained and translated the diary story
of Yves Gueguen’s escape (below). To those of you who have ‘met’ The Gal From Kalamazoo
[A Mitchell whose ‘ diary’ I have written] Sister Laurie
has current
contacts with 342 Lorraine
Squadron
with whom The Gal finished her
flying ‘life’; ‘Harry’ Harrison was
who flew in her
was at the re-union. Another recent contact, Hein Koudjuis of the
Dutch airworthy Mitchell’s
crew sent me photo’s
of a genuine 320 Sqn. B.25 on static display; not always well cared for she
appears on the back page with a heartfelt wish. Many of the nose art pictures came from Stuart
Marshalll [Ret’d Airport Manager, Blackbushe], who has passed his research
archives to
Reg
Day’s Memorial Museum at the sister airfield at Dunsfold www.regdaysmemorialmuseum.co.uk
Those of
you at the re-union may
have had a glimpse of his history of Hartford Bridge in WW2.
As you can see, we have decided to revert to the home printed style for Dispersals [UK ‘A4’
version]. Pro printing proved to be a costly hassle.
Peter
A NIGHT VISITOR BY THE DOZEN
FROM
YVES GUEGUEN’S DIARY
Translated and sent to
us by Sister Laurence Mary
BIER FEST - GUEGUEN’S ESCAPE continued
From the
meeting place in Pau…
At the stated time, a lorry stopped in front of us, but it was full of
Germans. We weree stunned, frozen to the spot, when the driver, a
civilian, came up and
explained in bad French that as a Spanish refugee,
he was a member of the Network and drove the lorry which was
delivering supplies in
the Pyrenees. He was to drive to Orloron through
the tightly controlled
forbidden zone. A quick briefing was given to
the
Englishmen, who accepted all this withoutt any understanding. They
were presented to the NCO as co-drivers
for the owner, who had
2

authorized Pedro, the driver, to help the three of us.
On board the lorry were six soldiers, guns at the ready to guard the load of food. I did my best to
monopolize the conversation with the Germans to prevent them speaking to the Englishmen, who
were busy stuffing themselves with apples, so they were unable to speak. We passed through all
the controls and finally arrived at Orloron where I was eager to leave our escort, but the German
Sergeant certainly outdid his duty by not letting us go before we had shared a friendly drink. The
situation in the pub was almost too funny for words, which is more than can be said for the beer!
FIVE IN A CELL.
We had many adventures over the next three days. We discovered that the network was flawed.
Our guide, Pablo was a Spanish Republican, saved us by hastening our departure but left us
seven kilometers from the frontier. We finally reached Spain after a twenty hour walk, having
had to part with everything that we possessed. A shepherd gave us a royal welcome, but having
gone in search of food, he returned with the police, so we spent the night in prison. We were
held in the Carcel Modelo in Pamplona, five to a cell made for one person. We were given a
little hot water in a bowl morning and evening; we were bitten by an army of fleas every night,
there was compulsory attendance at Mass, herded with a shepherds crook. I wondered whether
we would be ever in time to take part in any battle.
On February 25 th 1943, signs were hopeful. The Englishmen were summoned to the parlor to
meet a military attaché from the Embassy. They had been located and were to be taken away
the following day - myself included. I shared their journey to Madrid, but not their meal which
had been ordered from the local canteen, thanks to the Pesetas provided from the Embassy. I
can still remember their menu: omelets, lamb chops and green beans. Since I was at their
service, I even had to roll up my sleeves and unblock the drains which their bones had blocked.
British egoism! Still that didn't alter the fact that they were heroes. Moore and Ferguson were
to return six months later, but by then there were no lines of demarcation and no Spanish cells.
Having been expelled from Madrid on 13"' March 1943, I eventually made it to Gibraltar,
worried because time was passing and I wanted to get on to England. We left Gibraltar at
nightfall in the hold of an old Albemarle Bomber which had been brought into use as transport.
We then headed for England. Beside me was B.C. Vallieres, who turned out to be a brilliant
paratrooper in the Free French. Our flight took hours and we were cold in the hold and we had
trouble with the crew, while searching in the dark for a container to relieve pressing needs, we
mistakenly filled their thermos flasks.
At last we landed in England. The air base personnel cheerfully greeted us and we were
touched by their warm welcome, but one of them told me that it was unusual to see us land as it
was the first time for weeks that an Albemarle from Gibraltar had not been reported missing
without trace! A charming lady volunteer drove us to London and we were introduced to a city
at war. Our praises for the courageous Londoners were soon silenced when the heavy doors of
the Patriotic School closed behind us.
[All French ‘emigres’ were processed through the Patriotic School...ed.]
3

SNIPPET:
Re: 342 Lorraine Squadron, remember Ricardou’s French hedgerow memorial to those who
flew low over us Their Bostons had that reputation for flying “un vol au ras des marguettes”.
Within the Squadron were those qualifying to be Daisy Cutters. The entry fee was a donation of
French vegitation -- in the form of leaves or twigs attached to the returned aircraft. On one
occasion a branch was offered; on being accused of over-enthusiasm, the pilot replied “It is
Palm Sunday”.
ARCHIVISTS REPORT (95)
Another Reunion is now over, having been attended by 39 members, families and friends.
Hopefully everyone who attended had an enjoyable time in the refurbished Park Inn Hotel. This
report will only contain the Minutes of the AGM held on the Saturday.
As archivist I have very little to report on that part of my brief so I hope that by the time the next
newsletter is due I will have something to write about.
2 ND TACTICAL AIR FORCE
MEDIUM BOMBERS ASSOCIATION
25 th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The 25 th Annual General Meeting of the 2 nd Tactical Air Force Medium Bombers Association
was held at the Park Inn formerly known as the Moat House Bedford on Saturday 26 th September
2009 at 2.00pm
PRESENT.
Mrs A. Riley (Treasurer), Mr. R. Legross (Secretary Archivist),
Messrs. L. Clifford, J. Clifton, T. Gill, R. Wilkinson, C. Winter, P. Webb,
E. Skinner, G. Coote, P. Jenner, R. Haynes, H. Merrick, G. Riley,
F. Perriam, W. Cooper, H. Hughes, N. Prowse (Chairman, for latter part) and Sister Laurie.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Mrs. A. Bolton, Mrs. J. Scott, Mrs. M. Nielsen,
Messrs A. Wellman, T. Brady, L. Davies, R. Jacobs, R. Day and J. MacDonald
CHAIRMANS OPENING REMARKS
In the absence of the Chairman, Mr. Norman Prowse, Mr. Len Clifford volunteered to take the
Chair and welcomed members to the meeting.
IN REMEMBRANCE
A Minute’s Silence was observed for those members who had passed away since last years
meeting.
KEN BAILEY - Navigator 180 SQDN,
BOB DAVIES - Radar Mechanic 98 SQDN
GORDON GRELLMAN - RAAF Pilot 98 SQDN,
4

KAY WATTS - WAAF Driver 107 SQDN
Gen. YVES GUEGUEN - C.O. 342 (LORRAINE) SQDN.
TED HITCHCOCK - Wop/Ag 226 SQDN.
BERNARD DEAL - Navigator 2 nd TAF ITALY
BILL MCWHIRTER - RCAF Air Gunner 180 SQDN
HAZEL HARRINGTON - Wife of Basil Harrington
ERNIE MCGOWAN - RCAF Pilot 180 SQDN
TOM BEARDSWORTH - Observer 180 SQDN
BILL MORRIS - Air Gunner 88 & 342 SQDNS.
TREVOR BENNETT - Pilot 98 SQDN.
CHARLES PLEWMAN - RCAF Observer 98 SQDN.
JOHN SMITH-CARINGTON - Pilot 98 SQDN
HARRY LEEKS - Pilot 98 SQDN.
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 27th SEPTEMBER 2008
The Minutes of the Meeting held on the 27 th September 2008 were presented and approved
MATTERS ARISING
No matters were arising other than those to be discussed during the course of this meeting.
CHAIRMANS REPORT
As the Chairman was unable to attend on this occasion, no report was presented.
TREASURERS REPORT
The Treasurer presented the accounts for the previous year and reported that the finances were in
a better state as a number of members had been contacted and subscription arrears had been paid.
Following a brief discussion the Accounts were approved by those present.
REGISTRARS REPORT
The Registrar was not present and in his absence the Secretary read out the current Membership
details as reported in the recent newsletter that had been sent to Members at the beginning of
September.
LIASION OFFICERS REPORT
As the Liaison Officer was not present at this time no report was forthcoming.
SECRETARY ARCHIVISTS REPORT
The Archivist announced that it had been a quiet year from the Archivists position with only the
issue of the raid on The Hague which had been reported in the latest issues of Dispersals and
information was still arriving relating to this. It was hoped that further information from
members would help in resolving this issue over the next few issues.
The Corgi Aviation model of the Blenheim had been on sale since about May 2009 in model
shops and was priced at about £50.00
“Tail End Charlie” by Mick Manning was now being produced in paperback. For those who
5

wished copies it was suggested that they contact the Secretary for further information.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
It had been announced that the Treasurer wished to stand down at this meeting, however, after
deliberation it was agreed that the Treasurer would remain in post for another year. It was
therefore proposed that the present holders of the Association Offices be re-elected en bloc.
POSITION NAME
Chairman
Norman Prowse
Treasurer
Amanda Riley
Editor
Peter Jenner
Registrar
John MacDonald
Secretary/ Archivist Russ Legross
All of the current Officers were then elected en bloc.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
1) Donated Picture of B25 Mitchell.
An oil painting depicting a B25 Mitchell has been donated by the son of the late Ray Haynes.
At the last meeting it was agreed to get a valuation for this and a report was received stating
that it did have value and the next stage was to decide what to do with the painting.
Following a discussion it was agreed that members of the Association who had served in
2TAF would sign this painting and with a detailed note of the aircraft provided by Ray
Hayne’s son being attached a decision would then be taken as to what would be the next step.
2) The B25 Mitchell Project
No further information on this matter had come to light and it would seem that due to the
current worldwide financial situation the project had been shelved.
3) Dispersals
A long discussion took place over the current format and it was agreed that due to the
prohibitive costs of using an outside printer the editor would once again control the printing
of future editions reverting back to the A4 size.
4) National Arboretum
Mr. B. Cooper informed the meeting that the 2TAF plaque at the Arboretum was in a poor
state and requested permission to discuss with the Arboretum staff how to renovate the
plaque.
It was agreed that Mr Cooper should do whatever is necessary to have the plaque renovated
as long as costs were not excessive.
5) Annual Subscriptions
It was agreed that subscriptions be increased to £10.00 for the coming year.
There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 15.45hrs.
REGISTRAR’S REPORT
Welcome to ‘New’ members:
Mrs Sarah Morris is carrying on Bill’s membership.
6

[Another
Oooops from your ed. : Jan Wittink has been with us for some time now and I have
never welcomed him.
“Welkum” ]
TREASURER’S REPORT
AS PRESENTED & AGREED at
the 2009 A.G.M.
IT WAS ALSO AGREED THAT THE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION FOR THE YEAR BEGINNING
September 2009 SHOULD BE £10. Payments a.s.a.p. please to
Amanda, who is able
and
willing to act for another year [you may
get your receipt on a nappy]. She and Guy were
congratulated on the anticipated arrival of another connected lady.
7

“Skip, that’s got us to
Ashford; see the railway
works All you need do now
is to head about 275 and
follow the railway
line,
O.K.” Dropping his kit into
the bag, our imaginary
Navigator breathed out what
little tension remained once
they had crossed the coast at a
known point and sat back.
Maybe that is when non-
have
smoking Bob would
enjoyed the smell of
tobacco smoke in a warm aircraft. A navigator’s crib which many of
you
may welll have met on your way
back from the Pas de Calais. Those miles of straight Southern
Railway line, the longest straight bit they had; and used
to test newly designed locomotives’ top
speeds, pointed pretty
well straight at HB and
within recognition of the Dunsfold
area.
What Fowler, Orpen, McQueen and the other Medium
Bomber pilots and crews probably did not
know was that
about a quarter of the
way along, near Headcorn Station,
was
a U.S. airfield housing the
362 nd
Fighter Group’s
Thunderbolts. The three named crews certainly didd not
know that by August 6 th they would visit (and ruin)
the
newly-laid strip thatt the Jugs had recently
moved into at
Lingerolles, France
called A12 [See the previous 3
Dispersals].
Actually in Headcorn, by the
station was what the RAF
called Lashenden; what they called Headcorn for Johnny
Johnson’ s Spitfires and for the 362 nd was in Egerton [You will no
doubt recall R.A.F. logic].
Now, in a hedgerow across the road from
the old airfield is a neat well kept
memorial facing up what was the N – S
runway. Alan Palmer’s
father gave up
most of his land to the airfield, including
a fine working oasthouse which was on
the line of a potential runway.
He
took
over the farm
in due course and he
and
his wife have
ensured that the memory of
the British, Canadian and American
airforce personnel remains strong.
They maintain the memorial where there
is
an annual
celebration
at which local
and worldwide people with associations
8

gather and over which there is a flypast. Some of those have been members
of 362 nd Fighter
Group who went on to A12 to accept four 2nd TAF Mitchells [and an Ansonn ‘taxi’ to HB] in
early August, 1944. Among them has been “Mogin” of the Maulers. The Palmer’s retirement
bungalow
is nearby, at the end
of the field
behind the memorial. There Alan has a fascinating
collection
of related items; maps, letters, photographs and other documents. I was honoured, on
your behalf, to spend hours of their time looking through some of
the material. I could have
easily spent a week. They sent a four-part account
to the internet BBC – People’s War
collection, under Medway archives.
They tell the story in considerablee detail of what
happened
there which made possible the fact that sheep may safely graze. The
black rectangles
on the wall name those who fell while serving in Egerton.
Canadiann members may be interested to know
that Johnny Johnson [High scoring English ‘ace’]
also flew
from Headcorn leading
the Canadian Spitfires.
“Following command of No. 610, in March 1943 Johnson was posted to lead the Canadian
Fighter Wing [421 & 403 Sqns] at Kenley. Before long, Syd Ford, commanding No
403
Squadron, laid a pair
of blue Canadian shoulder flashes on Johnson'ss desk. "The
boys would
like
you to wear these," said Ford. "After all, we're a Canadian Wing and we've got to convert
you.
Better start now." [Telegraph Obituary]
Alan has a photograph of J.J. wearing the Canadian shoulder flash; unusual for a man born near
Loughboirough. “Toddy”,!
Johnson’ s wingman and his wife
were billeted with Alan’s family.
Treasured teens.
Detail of photo at left, showing
Johnson’s ‘Canada’ flash.
‘Norm’ Follow, J.E. Johnson, ‘Dagwood’ Philip
Taken Aug ’43 opposite
airfield entrance, at rear of their
HQ in Week’s farm...in serious contemplation, which we
assume was about which village pub to use!
Alan & Sheila Palmer kindly sent us a copy of the photo. Many thanks to them.
9

WEST RAYNHAM
Built in
the prewar expansion era, West
Rainham
was a permanent R.A.F. Station
opened in May 1939, initially
populated by
Blenheims and Wellingtons.
In September
1942 No. 180 Squadron was formed there to fly
Mitchells, which were flown from the larger
airfield at Great Massingham, Raynham's
satellite. No 342 Squadron French-manned
to
fly Bostons, was also
formed at West Raynham
in the Spring of 1943 before moving on
to
Sculthorpe for operations.
Nowadays the buildings area is owned by West Raynham Park, who are converting it to living
accommodation. The next move is to turn the crescent of hangers, which stilll exists, into
‘Loft
Style Holiday Apartments’. Health & Safety
would not allow me to
see what was being done but
I got the
impression
that, as a runway is to
remain open, one would fly in, in
one’s Cessna, to
one’s loft apartment.
I did not discover what was to become of the ground level; perhaps
one’s
spare Bentley would be waiting there. Dream
on.
[ Re. the
‘steam’ Halifax item in
the August
Canadian Corner thesee extracts from an email
conversation (after its publication in ‘Odd Bods’ Newsletter) confirm the assumption from my
research...ed.]
…But the story Halifax Mk 4 takes a bit of swallowing. Checking all those well known internet
places Google etc I can find no
detailed mention of the Mk4. Found one which had it with
supercharged Hercules engines and another brief
referencee said, "Mk4
not produced." I tried
the
Canadiann website but could find no entries there.
I wonder
did you put
it in the April edition as an
April fool. I can't believe that. Any more info
would be
appreciated
or is it just a spoof.
Regards
Brian Thirkell.
DISPERSALS • OZ
ODDESSEY
10

Hallo Brian,
Thanks for your email to our Secretary George Smith, referencee the fabulous coal-burning
Halifax IV bomber. The article certainly made our members sit up
and was fortunately mailed
out in time for them to receive it on 1st April.
The Canadian Air Gunners' Association kindly allowed
me to use it for the occasion, and
you
may find
it among a whole host of back numbers of their magazine on www.airmuseum.ca/
/mag/
then go to "Webzine Editions" and navigate to 2001 March and April editions.
Kind regards,
Walter Eacott
[ Editor , OddBods newsletter ]
[It was a brilliant piecee of writing. Did you to, not believe it but gave it sufficient credence to check]
[‘P’ Peter’s
crew arrived back at Dunsfold after the stop over at A12
in France, seee “Strip Poker” in August Dispersals,
to find themselves on the
Battle Order for the next day: --]
BATTLE
ORDER;
THE MORNING AFTER
On 9 August '44 the target was a large ammunition
dump in the centre of
a forest near the town of
Ferrile, with take-off at
1020 hours. Our aircraft on
this Op, "T" Tommy, a Mark 2 Mitchell, had glazed
housing in
the tail end of the fuselage to
accommodate a kneeling gunner and it contained
two .5 inch
machine guns that had limited lateral
and vertical movement. The gunner had to crawl
into the very cramped position, kneel on 2 pads and
pull up the
seat behind him; to get out he had to
crawl backwards. Not
a favourite
position but it
was mine for the day. The run in
over the French
B‐25 Bomb Aimer's Tunnel ‐ crawling
room only coast was uneventful until just prior to reaching the
D. Poissant photo
target area, when we came under intensee and
accurate flak. David Kirk, our Nav/B called out that he had been hit
and the skipper directed me
to come forward and
attend to David. I backed out of my little cubby hole, gathered my 'chute
and crawled over the
bomb bay (noticing that the bombb bay doors were open - hydraulics were
gone!) to
the front of the aircraft. The nose of the Mitchell was accessible through a narrow
tunnel which ran under the pilot' s seat from the main spar area, and so I entered the tunnel to
find
the chaos
in the nose.
David in the Bomb-aimer's position had been
hit badly in the left leg
above the knee. I explained
to him that I intended to get him out by backing into the tunnel and dragging him by
the
shoulders. But first I had to clear
the debris, broken equipment, wires etc. away
from his left leg
11

and then we began the moving operation. I had David's shoulders and arms into the tunnel
entrance when he cried out that his leg was caught. I backed out of the tunnel, took off my
harness and (knowing my present day stumpy build you will find this hard to believe) I crawled
over David's body into the nose again, freed his foot and crawled out the same way, getting us
out into the well between the pilot's seat and the bomb bay.
I opened the first aid kit only to find that the tourniquet strap was missing, so I used David's
communication cord to apply the tourniquet, dressed his wounds and gave him a morphine
injection. I made him as comfortable as I could and went to check on the skipper. He told me that
he had been hit in the left thigh but it didn't seem too bad.
As we came out over the French coast we encountered more flak, which brought from Jim, the
gunner, "S--- that was bloody close!” Once over the Channel the skipper jettisoned the bombs.
As we neared the English coast Ted asked me to check the bomb bay and join Jim for the two of
us to try to wind down the undercarriage as the hydraulics were u/s. Try as we would we could
not budge the landing gear, eventually breaking the winding mechanism in the process. What is
that about greater strength accompanies fear
Gunner Jim and I moved forward. He took the spare seat next to the skipper to help him during
the landing and I braced myself in the well with my back against the bomb bay wall, David
nestled between my legs with my arms around him preparatory to the crash landing. Dunsfold
tower diverted us to Hartford Bridge where 137 Wing (Mitchells & Bostons) was located as they
had better medical facilities available.
The skipper had to make a crash landing with the port wheel still in the nacelle, the starboard
wheel only partly out of the nacelle, the nose wheel who knew where, no flaps and the bomb bay
doors open. What a wonderful job he did getting us down on to the grass on the starboard side of
the runway with "T" Tommy doing a huge arc to port, across the runway and the FIDO pipes,
finally settling in a cloud of dust. The emergency services crews were on the spot immediately
and because of the starboard wheel being partly down we were able to jettison the bottom hatch.
The medicos got David out and off to the Base Sick Quarters together with the skipper. An
ambulance took them to military hospital at Aldershot [now rationalised/defunct...ed] where the
skipper was relieved of the splinter in his leg and was returned to Hartford Bridge. David had his
left leg amputated.
Epilogue. David Kirk recovered well and had a long career in the Administration Branch RAF
postwar, rising to the rank of Wing Commander. He spent some years with RAF in Paris at
NATO headquarters, resigning to take up an equivalent civilian position with SHAEF in Brussels
where he lived for 16 years. On retirement he and his wife Margot migrated to Australia in the
mid-1980s. He was a member of the Odd Bods from 1986 until his death in 2003.
From George Smith via the ‘Odd Bods’ Association newsletter. I guess he deserves to get his Grand-daughter back,
having lent her to us as our Treasurer...Ed.]
ED [Walter Eacott – Odd Bods Assn]: It was hard work getting the story from George. He was
apprehensive that readers would think he was shooting the proverbial line. I think you will agree
12

that it is a moving account from a modest man, doing his best for a comrade in distress and
making light of his own discomfort and misfortunes.
[There is no ‘line box’ now; so tell us your stories ……..PJ]
FROM ‘Odd Bod’ David Kirk, Merimbula, NSW on 9 August, 1994.
Although still a new sprog in Odd Bods terms, I had hoped to attend the 40th Birthday Party on
the 24th. Unfortunately, due to a number of circumstances, including being scheduled for a spot
of very minor surgery on the remains of my left leg on that day, I shall not be able to make it, so
I send my apologies to the President, Committee and esteemed members and promise to be with
you in spirit.
My main reason for hoping to be present was to pay tribute to a founder member and past
President - George Smith. I first met George early in 1944, under the RAF's peculiar 'crewing--
up' procedure, at a Ventura OTU at Pennfield Ridge in New Brunswick, Canada. That course
kept us together until the end of March, and then we went separate ways until a Mitchell
conversion course at Finmere, Buckinghamshire in July. From Finmere we took a roundabout
rail journey via Bircham Newton to join 180 Squadron at Dunsfold on 2nd August 1944. A
hectic week later, fifty years ago today, George was hauling me down the tunnel from the nose,
tying a tourniquet round my leg, pumping morphine into me, comforting me and our skipper who
had also been hit, and in his spare time trying, in the absence of hydraulic fluid, to wind down
the undercart. In that latter endeavour he failed - because the worm drive broke.** The skipper
was well enough to make a good landing with one main wheel down and locked and the other
flapping in the breeze - good enough for the walkers to walk away from - by that time I had
ceased to take an intelligent interest in the proceedings.
The point of all this is that had it not been for George's initiative and actions, I would not have
been around to even consider attending any Odd Bods function; I would not be functioning at all!
Despite that series of rather brief acquaintances in 1944, George never gave up on me. He
maintained a very one-sided correspondence, briefing me on the development of his family in
exchange for an occasional Christmas card. In 1981 I made my first visit to Australia and saw
George again for the first time in over 35 years - even then I had to strain his goodwill by
departing on ANZAC Day. That was the year that George marched with you but then dashed out
to Tullamarine to wish me farewell instead of lunching with you. That's the sort of man George
Smith is and typical of those Odd Bods it has been my privilege to meet - and might explain why
I had hoped to be with you on August 24th. But it is not to be. My best wishes to you all; I'm
sure we'll meet again.
David Kirk
** [I hear that the C.O. suggested minimal rations as their strength broke the system...ed]
13

THE
BEE LINES
Nevin Filby, among his many interesting comments from Down Under, sent the following, which fits
in nicely with our ongoing collection of Nose Art.
Which breaks down to
tell its own story :--
14

2 nd TAF
NOSE ART
Begin with a cheat; this is on the U.K. Grumpy, now gone
Stateside. Nevertheless a Grumpy must have pride of
place. On the starboard side
of the
original’s nose was the crest of the
City of Derby; the city to which
she was linked when 98 Squadron
was formed. The original
personnel who were still available
after the war were individually
presented with a city of Derby
brooch. There cannot be many around, Reg
has one; if you know of any City of Derby
crest
other holders we could publish a list. Alf Martin was a founder member,
whether he has one, I do not know.
Left: ‘ Sneezy’ & her ground crew. Right: F/L L. Bell &
F/O R. Rogerson, about to board.
342
Lorrraine Sqn.
(Boston) nose badge
15

A mascot alive and
drinking; neither crew
nor Squadron are
knownn to me. I will
welcome your
enlightenment. Were
the pints recording
safe returns or
celebrations The
face reminds me of my
Latin Master, hence a
dogged inability to translate “AVE RAMPERE
STIRCVS FACERE”. Again, please help...edd
Another, three-dimensional nose attachment; brought
back from the raid on Philips at Eindhoven. It
probably only
squawked in Dutch which is why he
only looked at
Ken Houghton.
Our
Australian
members will know
SNIFTER: The cartoon dog that left his
mark (visual and olfactory as a point of
ordure) on something; in this case a
swastika. W.A. Walder, [the Navigator in
the
crew of D. Marshall, under gunner;
W.
Davies, Wop/AG; W.A.W; and C.A.
White, Pilot; L-R] drew
his aircraft’s
Snifter and on
another with Hitler’s face
being the victim but we do not know to
whom it belonged. He did wonder what
the
reaction would be if a forced landing
was made on enemy territory.
16

THE SILVER SWORD (left)
On a Hartford Bridge Mitchell, with
C.O.
standing by.
Above: 226 Squadron Mitchell at
Vitry – en – Artois attended by
‘Brummy’, Charlie, and ‘Smudge’.
To round off the collection, here’s
Grumpy
again, behind the Dutch
Mitchell... and now you know why he
is ‘Grumpy’.
17

Here’s the starboard side of the Dutch Mitchell, which
features the abbreviation for the owner’s wife.
[Many
of these pictures were originally personal wartime
photo’s; copied and given to us, perhaps via Stuart Marshall --
for which a very big “Thank You” -- transferred to what
you
see here. I hope that will help you to forgive
some of the
quality...ed.]
SNIPPETS
From the
‘Grumpy Returns’ website, whichh is worth looking
at if you
can, placed
by the ‘Historic Flight
at Kilo 6’ in the
US; to whom Grumpy has now gone. [historicflight.org].
Grumpy
flew back in the reverse direction on the route used
for ‘Lend Lease’ Mitchells to Prestwick [Dorval, Quebec;
Goose Bay, Labrador;
Bluey
West 1, Greenland;
Reykjawik, Iceland;
Prestwick] during the war. The picture
entitled “A B.25 Veteran still looking sharp”, of Grumpy
and Fred
Guest was
taken in Edmonton, Canada. More of
the story
of the flight is to be found in ‘Canadian Corner’
and it is hoped to keep in touch
with Grumpy’s activities in
the future.
To go with Canadian Corner: --- Reg Day tells me that the
original Grumpy’s first op was with a Canadian crew:
Gordon Carver, pilot
[who was later lost, drowned in Boulogne harbour after having to bail
out]
and the tall, dark Treddle as navigator [POW
and back in
Canada post war.]
Does anyone know what happened to the Grumpy after she put down in France, was patched,
returned and sent to Reid & Segrist
OOOPS!! I dare not venture north of the Watford Gap;I said that Bill Morris was “Yorkshire
through and through”; he was a Bolton Boy. Sarah had
the kindness to laugh about it but I
must be beware of The Roses. Sorry … PeterJ.
The photo used on the following page is of a genuine 320
Sqn Mitchell in Overloon, Netherlands
18

GELUKKIG
HAPPY
KERSTMIS
CHRISTMAS
!!!!
Type
B-25D-20-NC
06-07-43 Delivered to USAAF
27-11-43 “FR 193” Transferred to RAF
08-12-43 To No. 12 M.U. Kirkbride
23-03-44 “NO-L” To No. 320 Sqn, Dunsfold
19

DISPERSALS ● CANADIAN CORNERR
November 2009
LAST POST
Al Thomas (Air Gunner – 226 Squadron)
passed away on 07 May 2009 at Granite Ridge
Specialty
Care facility in Stittsville, Ontario.
Al’s wife Ruth reported that he had been
admitted to Queensway Hospital in Ottawa with
a hip problem in early March; it which turned out
to be a tumour which became progressively
aggressive. Al was transferred
in mid-April to
Granite Ridge Specialty in Stittsville, where he
received exceptionally good care. That facility is
very close to the home of Al and
Ruth’s daughter
Cathy and family; Ruth also moved to Stittsville
to be close to Al and family.
Al and Ruth Thomas at 2006 Reunion ‐ Ottawa, ON
D. Poissant photo
Al always enjoyed his reunions with his “old Mitchell comrades”; he and Ruth
worked hard at
gatheringg informationn for event planning to complete our
2006 MBA
Reunion in
Ottawa.
Ruth’s address is:
Ruth Thomas
310 – 1385 Stittsville Main Street
Stittsville, ON
K1S 1C11
20

Chairman’s Message
This issue carries a theme of remembrance very appropriate for November. The Pennfield Parish
Military Historical Society members are performing a very worthwhile task in preserving the
history of #34 Operational Training Unit that was at Pennfield Ridge, NB, a place many of our
veteran members took final BCATP training before operational postings. We also look at the
efforts of The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (Hamilton, Ontario) and The Historical
Flight Foundation (Seattle, Washington) in keeping aloft the aircraft that served the Allied
Forces so well during WWII.
As we pause at 11.00 hours on 11 November in two silent minutes of remembrance of those that
lost their lives, let’s also honour those that did return but gave so large a part of their youth in
defence of the freedoms we often see taken for granted.
We Will Remember Them
We still have no confirmation of those steam-powered Halifaxes; personally, I think the story
was an extremely well-done prank. Are there any other opinions
YOUR SAY
As a matter of fact, there are other opinions on steam-powered Halifaxes; here’s the text of an
email received just before we went to print:
Harold Campbell, Begium (Radar Chief - 139 Wing): This is to show my appreciation for
the grand job you have made of Dispersals. The story of the Halifax IV seemed to be rather farfetched.
Did anyone else have any comments Sentinel did have experience with steam-driven
railcars. A typical gear-driven car would have, for example, single or double six-cylinder
engines:
Rating: 300 bhp
Pressure: 300 psi
Firebox: 33 sq ft
Grate area: 5.1 sq ft
I cannot imagine a Halifax with a load of 5 tons of smokeless coal plus 8,000 pounds of bombs
flying at 40,000 ft at 500 miles an hour; the ‘Sentinels’ were known as ‘Sweat Boxes’ and the
name was not stolen! However, just think of the stoker in his underwear wearing an oxygen
mask. He would be close to God and speaking to him without any doubt!
Keep up the good work! All the best!
21

MEM
MBERSHIP
UPDATE
Sam Shapton, Pilot-180
Squadron
Sam writes to inform
us of his recent move
into a brand new Residential Care
Home; his
new
address, phone number and email addresses are:
Sam Shapton
Promenade E-09
15955 - 27 th Avenue
Surrey, BC V3S 3W3
Phone: 778-373-8532
sshapton@gmail.com
All the best in your new digs, Sam!
Sam with Governor Gen. Michaëlle Jean
PENNFIELD RIDGE REMEMBERS
Reports from Saint Croix Courier and Chris Larsen.
St. George, NB – The fourth annual Memorial Service honouring those who served at Pennfield
Ridge (#34 Operational Training
Unit) and Camp Utopia
was held Sunday, 27 September 2009.
This year’s service was dedicated to the veterans we lost this year: O. Ross Down, James ‘Jim’
Kingston, Ernest J. ‘Ernie’ McGowan, William J. ‘Bill’ McWhirter, Lawrence Pineo Richardson,
Charles ‘Charlie’ Simpson, John A.S. ‘Jack’ Reid, and Charles Rowland ‘Roy’ Swanston; and all
other who put their lives on the line to keep our country free.
Coveragee of the event by The Saint Croix Courier, Barb Rayner reporting:
Veterans Who Served
in Pennfield Remembered at
Memorial Service
St. George – The 76
service personnel killed while serving at the two former Charlotte County
military bases during the Second World War were remembered
at a special ceremony here
Sunday afternoon.
While the weather didn’t cooperate and the
service was moved from the Pennfield Ridge
war
memorial to the St. George Legion hall because of rain, more than 150 people were in attendance
at the event, hosted by the Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society.
22

Among those who attended this
year was Hope Fuglem of Calgary,
AB, whose 25-year-old brother, P/O Carlyle George Christensen, from
Strathmore, AB, was
one of four
airmen killed during a training flight
18 Dec 1943 when their plane [Ventura FD697] hit the water level
indicator
atop the water tank in the rail yard
at McAdam, NB. [Also
killed
were Sgts. R.J Barts,
H.L.
Anderson, and
G.C. Cull. Hope was
accompanied by her husband Milton
(RCAF Pilot - 161 Squadron), a member
of the Air Association, Southern Alberta
Branch.]
McAdam Mayor Frank Carroll also
Hope (Christensen) and
attended the service, along with several
Milton Fuglem
other people from the village. The mayor
gave Fuglem
photographs of
the memorial that was erected in 2000 in
the
memory of the four young airmen.
MBA Assoc. Member Pat Master of Ceremonies Major
Bev
Milne lays wreath honouring
her father, Bill McWhirter
(AG‐180)
Harrison gave a brief history of the
Pennfield Ridge air station and Camp
Utopia following the memorial service
where wreaths were laid. The Last Post and Reveille were played by
Ian Lee and Billy Duncan played
the lament ‘Flowers of
the Forest’ on
the bagpipes. F/L James Stewart DFC laid a wreath on
behalf of the
RAF.
Althoughh Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson was unable to
attend, a letter from him was read. Thompson thanked the society for
collating the history,
ensuring that it will not be lost and the veterans
will always be honoured.
Piper Billy Duncan and
F/L James Stewart DFC
Sheldon Lee, a former MLA and
Transportation Minister, said he was
just a boy
when the military bases were in operation, but he can remember the soldiers marching
past his home in Bonny River.
In his closing remarks Major Harrison said it was important to support the Canadian troops
now
serving in Afghanistan. Those who have returned from
Afghanistan would willingly go back
because they believe they are part of a mission of great importance.
All photos courtesy of
Chris Larsen - Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society.
More photos at
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nbpennfi/penn8b1PPMHS_Service2009.htm
23

It
All Started
With
a Picture
Tracy ‘Mo’ McIntosh
(Canadian Warplane Heritage) www.warplane.com
George Van Iderstine was a Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWH) member; he died in
1999, his
89 th year. I first met George in
May, 1993
and he became the inspiration of my
research of 98 Squadron, which led to my involvement in the dedication of ‘Hot Gen’ in
September of ’94. He was not
widely-known to other
CWH members, but his legacy lives on
through our B-25 Mitchell ‘Hot Gen’.
He was much better known among his wartime 98 Squadron RAF mates who crewed the original
‘Hot Gen’: Al ‘Dunky’ Duncan (Pilot), Paddy Thompson (Observer) and Norman Prowse
(Air
Gunner);
George, as
Wireless Op/Air Gunner, completed the crew
in 1944 following a staff
posting at #4 Air Observers’ School in London, Ontario.
George brought the story of ‘Hot Gen’ to the attentionn of the CWH’s B-25 crew in 1992
and
showed a 1944 photo of himself with the original aircraft; at that time the Museum Mitchell,
purchased in 1975, was dedicated to Brigadier General David Pudney, DFC and
carried ‘VO-D’
identification.
In 1993 it was felt that it was time to broaden the scope of our
Mitchell;
the dedication was now to include all Canadians who
served in
98 Squadron and to
all CWH members who were
recipients of the DFC. The new
scope pleased Mr. Pudney, who
felt that there were so
many others who deserved the honour.
On Saturday September 17 th , 1994 the re-dedication [to ‘Hot Gen’]
took place and approximately 40
honourees came to celebrate and
to remember and honour all Canadians who
were in 98
Squadron
Royal Air Force and CWH also honoured some of
our own
members
who are Distinguished
flying Cross recipients. It was a
very joyous day.
The dedication ceremony became a reunion of sorts. I watched as
old friends reunited
with one another. In one instance, Ken George with original ‘Hot
Walkerdine and Dr. Lionel Hastings of 98 Squadron reunited after Gen’ ‐ 1944. CWH photo
50 years.
The last time they had
seen each other was after a crash
that almost claimed Dr. Hastings’ life. David Pudney, DFC flew
in for the
ceremony from
Spain; it was delightful to see him
hug fellow
squadron member Lloyd Groombridge who uttered
“This is the first time
I’ve ever been hugged by a Brigadier General! ”
I had received a letter from Richard Martin, a 98 Squadron pilot in
England who could not be
with us for the dedication. In his letter he told a story of how they had found an engraved disc,
placed by a person unknown, in the navigation compartment of
their Mitchell. On it
was
inscribed
Psalm 139,
verses 8-11:
“If I ascend to
the heavens you are there.
If
I make my bed in hell, you are there.
24

If
I take the wings of the
morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there
thy right hand
shall hold me.
If
the darkness covers me, and the light about me
be night, so shall the night be as bright
as
day.”
It was read by CWH
member Rev. Chuck Beaton during the ceremony. Richard Martin’s crew
decided to leave the disc in their Mitchell, which they flew until their tour was over.
Life in 98 Squadron was filled with all sorts of adventures. One of the air gunners insisted on
flying in
his pyjamas with his flying suit over them, dropping a bust of Hitler on his front
doorstep.
One night,
while returning to base
after a night of revelry, Paddy Thompson fell down
a coal chute while walking too close to a house and became wedged in “tighter
than a cork
in a
bottle”. It took the efforts of the entire party to free him.
George and some fellow squadron members
‘obtained’ a baby grand piano and
kept it in a field
near wheree they waited with their planes before
taking off on bombing
raids. They used to sing
songs and it helped them keep up their spirits.
Before taking off on their operations, they used to
say to other squadron
members,
“Have a good
one”; it was said for superstition and it meant a lot
to them.
To this day, the identity of the artist of ‘Hot Gen’
remains a mystery, but
in all likelihood it was
one
of the 98 Squadron ground crew members. There
George with CWH Mitchell ‘Hot Gen’ ‐ 1994 were two aircraft to carry ‘Hot Gen’ nose art; both
CWH photo
were ultimately destroyed by flak, the constant
enemy of
Medium Bombers, as they had to fly so low over their targets.
Through George I was granted a unique perspective of
the stories and history
He was also responsible for helping find a good number of the
surviving
Squadron.
of 98 Squadron.
members of 98
On behalf of the ‘Hot Gen’ crew
past, present
and future, thank-you
George. We’ll miss you
my friend.
Editor’s note: After a complaint about
the “objectionable lady”
on ‘Hot Gen’
by
the mother
of young children visiting
CWH, the nose art was reluctantly
changed to ‘Grumpy’. CWH wanted
very much to
restore the
identification
that honoured so many Canadian
airmen and ‘Hot Gen’ was recently and
25
‘Hot Gen’ with CWH Lancaster ‐ September 2009
D. Poissant photo

enthusiastically welcomed
back (with
the addition
of a flesh-coloured bathing suit).
I wonder if Reg Day could shed some light on the identity of the ‘Hot Gen’ artist.
Norman Prowse: can you
add to the stories or provide clearer wartime nose art photos
ATLANTIC FERRY
- REVERSED
David Poissant
The famed B-25
Mitchell restored in
the
likeness of ‘Grumpy’, the longest-serving
RAF
Mitchell (125 Operations), has left her long-
at
time home in Duxford to take
up residence
the ‘Historic Flight Foundation’ Museum at
Paine Field in Seattle, Washington.
Built in North American Aviation’s Kansas
City plant, B-25D-30 to the USAAF advanced flying
Mitchelll 43331/N888972
was delivered
school in La Junta,
Colorado 27 October 1943.
After a short service there, it joined the RCAF
as KL161 and served first in North Bay,
RAF Museum Photoo
Ontario
then at Central Flying School in
Trenton, Ontario. It was then
used as a target
tug in Cold Lake, Alberta and RCAF Uplands in Ottawa before going into storage in 1960. In
1962 it was struck off charge and sold by the Canadian Crown Assets Disposal Corp to John
Goldney of Vancouver; subsequent owners were North
Star Aviation of Fairbanks, Alaskaa and
Noel Merrill Wein of
Anchorage, Alaska.
The Fighter Collection of Duxford purchased it in 1987 and flew it to Aero Traders in Chino,
California for rebuild/restoration, after which the new ‘ Grumpy’ was ferried to
Duxford via St.
John’s, Newfoundland. Ferry pilots were John Crocker,
Tony Ritzman (Aero Trader co-owner),
and Stephen Grey of
The Fighter
Collection.
For seventeen years, ‘Grumpy’ thrilled crowds at
European
air shows before being
put into storage at
North Weald. The Historic Flight Foundation
purchased ‘Grumpy’
in May of
2008 and she was
restored to airworthy
condition by Aircraft
Restoration
Company of Duxford,
England.
Getting ‘Grumpy’ to Seattle involved a five-day
ferry flight with stops in Iceland; Goose Bay,
Labrador; Edmonton, Alberta
& Abbottsford,
British Columbia. For the seven-hour
flight
between Duxford and Iceland the crew donned
Grumpy Landing in Iceland
26

immersion suits in case of emergency (the water’s awfully cold up there).
Second stop was Goose Bay and
the weather upon leaving there was an experience. From their
flight log: “Weather
out of Goose was marginal. We carried ice for the first hour and it
was
impossible to dodge all the clouds. Grumpy gave up about 20 mph due to additional weight,
change of wing shape and reduced engine performance; all in all, not bad. She didn’t miss a
stroke. Then, as conditions improved, the ice fell off, some if it hitting our tail. No doubt
antaircraft
explosions provided similar jolts.”
Upon entering Edmonton airspace ten hours after leaving Goose
Bay, the tower at Edmonton International Airport requested, and
received, a low pass before ‘Grumpy was cleared to Edmonton
City Centree Airport (another low
pass) where the Alberta
Aviation Museum is located with its under-restoration
Mitchell...talk about excited volunteers! The ferry crew, headed
by John Sessions, pilot and Historic
Flight Foundation founder,
over-nighted
at Edmonton and the following day (01 Sept)
met
with a number of enthusiasts; one being Fred Guest, RCAF pilot
with 180 Squadron. Fred’s wartime crewmates were George
McDonald, Observer RCAF, Keith Mitchell, WAG RAAF (both
now deceased) and Art Briggs-Jude,
AG RCAF.
I was in Edmonton at the
time, visiting my Dad;
oh, how I wish I
had been aware of this stop!
Fred Guest (Pilot ‐ 180 Sqn)
At last report, ‘Grumpy’ was at Abbottsford Airport in British
Columbia (another low pass approach) awaiting
the completion
of runway repairs at her new home, Paine Field at Seattle, Washington.
To honour all air crews that perished while moving
bombers to the European Theatre, Grumpy’s flight
crew, led
by owner John Sessions and fellow
pilots Lee
Proudfoot and John
Romain, are carrying
a special
commission Royal Air Force Pooley sword. The sword
will be presented in a ceremony in Washington, DC on
28 October 2009.
‘Historic
Flight Foundation’ kept a detailedd flight log
including
many wonderful photos of their
trip. See
them at www.historicflight.org/grumpyreturns
John Sessions receiving Pooley sword
from Tim Manna, RAF Museum.
With records and photos by
Historic Flight Foundation; permission by John Sessions
■
Thank-you to Michael Crosbee (nephew ‘in-law’ to Trevor Bennettt [P-180]) for alerting me to
the Historic Flight Foundation’s online ferry record.
27

WARBIRD MISCELLANIES
From the ‘Under the Cowl’ files of ‘The Flying Heritage Collection’
The Dot Wags have joked that the yellow circle on the
pilot’s seat of the Avro Lancaster gave German pilots
something to aim for – seemingly very sporting of the British,
but not true. The paint had a practical purpose. The oddcoloured
orb contained pigment sensitive to poison gas. When
a crewman saw a shade other than bright yellow, there was big
trouble. And this warning was not only for gas that might
potentially be used by the Germans. The UK was fully
prepared to employ its own stockpiles of poison should Hitler
have chosen to go down that dark path. Planes like the Lancaster would be the delivery system
to enemy cities or military strong points. During a botched drop, it was quite possible for
unlucky fliers to expose themselves to their own toxicant.
Spitfire Switch The Flying Heritage’s Supermarine
Spitfire Mk.VC was equipped with four Browning .303-inch
machine guns and two 20 mm cannons. A complex rocker
switch mounted on the control stick fired the guns. In the
excitement of battle, it was quite easy to hit the wrong part of
the ‘trigger,’ thus activating the wrong weaponry. Spitfire
pilots came up with a simple solution to memorize the tricky
switch; they turned a common acronym into a mnemonic
device. ‘BBC’ became their key to good gunnery. An
acronym known by most to mean the British Broadcasting Corporation, to Spitfire pilots meant
Browning, Both, Cannons. If a flyer hit the top of the switch, he would get machine guns only
(Brownings); press the middle and all guns fired; and the bottom part of the switch activated the
cannons alone.
Spitfire Plexiglas Spitfires, along with most other
fighters of the era, had thick front windshields made from
bullet-resistant glass. But the side windows and canopy were
produced from clear plastic. The light plastic was often called
by its trademark names-Plexiglas in the U.S. and Perspex in
Europe. Its chemical name is polymethylmethacrylate
(PMMA). During WWII, British surgeon Harold Ridley
operated on many young Spitfire pilots who had splinters of
PMMA in their eyes. The cockpit windows often shattered in
crashes or were blasted apart in combat. He noted that the flyers’ eyes tolerated the inert
material surprisingly well. The strange find inspired Ridley, who later developed an artificial
eye lens from PMMA. He implanted his first lens in 1949. In the years after, millions more
benefitted from the surgeon’s unusual discovery.
See more ‘Under the Cowl’ little-known facts at www.flyingheritage.com
28

OVERHEARD ON THE AIR
‘Actual’ exchanges between pilots and control towers
Overheard in Munich:
Lufthansa (in German): “Ground, what is our start clearance time”
Ground (in English): “If you want an answer you must speak in English.”
Lufthansa (in English): “I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany. Why must I
speak English”
Unknown voice (with an English accent): “Because you lost the bloody war”
German controllers at Frankfurt Airport are known as a short-tempered lot. This exchange was
between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747, call sign ‘Speedbird 206’.
Speedbird 206: “Frankfurt, Speedbird 206. Clear of active runway.”
Ground: “Speedbird 206, Taxi to gate Alpha one-seven.”
The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: “Speedbird 206, do you know where you are going”
Speedbird 206: Stand by, Ground, I’m looking up our gate location now.”
Ground (with impatient arrogance): “Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before”
Speedbird 206: “Yes, twice in 1944 but it was dark and I didn’t land.”
REQUIEM FOR A REAR GUNNER
Also known as ODE TO AN AIRMAN
By Air Gunner R.W. Gilbert (about 1942)
My brief sweet life is over, my eyes no longer see,
No summer walks – no Christmas trees, no pretty girls for me,
I’ve got the chop, I’ve had it, my nightly ops are done,
Yet in a hundred years, I’ll still be twenty-one.
29