Sunderland Flying Boats

[gkmb1948]

I am trying to help the Friends of Poole Flying Boats make a short film. Does anyone have any footage or photos of Sunderland Flying boats which operated during the war years in Poole harbour Dorset please.

[Rossian]

.....the Sunderland Trust,Sunderland House,Royal Dockyard,Pembroke Dock,
SA72 6TD, telno 01646 623 425.
John Evans is the name of the man who runs the museum there.

HTH

The Ancient Mariner
(but not ancient enough to have flown Sunderlands)

[Airborne Aircrew]

Searching Youtube for "sunderland flying boat" gets you slathers of video... Don't know how much is what you're looking for but it's a start.

[Dengue_Dude]

Oh for a camera. . .

I was in RAF Tengah in about 1965 when there was an overflight by 3 Sunderlands in a vic, they did a circuit and departed. Apparently, they'd been in the Pacific and were en route UK (I was told) via all points West.

There was no Google in those days, so I couldn't find out any more. They looked good and sounded better. Magnificent machines. The irony was (or perhaps not), the CO of Tengah was a Group Captain DE Hawkins DFC, he'd got his medal attacking a U Boat in a Sunderland (I was told, but it seems it may have been for something else in Coastal Command - I am researching).

Best of luck.

[stbd beam]

[email protected]

[gkmb1948]

Thanks for that I will contact them in the morning regards Geoff

[gkmb1948]

Thanks for that I have got footage from utube but will not be able to use it for copywrite reasons and there is nothing about Poole, regards

[ICT_SLB]

I seem to recall seeing film of Poole Harbour operations (Imperial Airways/BOAC?) many years ago when I was at BAC Hurn. You might want to contact Poole Museum (http://www.boroughofpoole.com/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-local-history/poole-history-centre/) to see if they know of anything. Poole Harbour Commissioners have run the port for centuries and may also be a source.

[aviate1138]

http://www.pooleflyingboats.com/archive/Changes-at-Poole-with-RAF-Hamworthy.pdf

Seems they have lots of info already - now you have posted there may be some interesting amateur footage appearing as if from nowhere! Let's hope so. :)

[Jig Peter]

Back in the early '40s our family lived in an old vicarage overlooking Lake Windermere, from which the young JP could hear and sometimes see the Sunderlands built at the factory at the northern end of the lake taking off, an awe-inspiring sight which only served to strengthen his "birdman" ambitions ...

As did a visit a few months earlier to a place on the banks of the Clyde where we were able to get close (on the mud) to G-Class flying boats - never found out if they flew from there or were in some sort of storage ...

[Hipper]

There's a Sunderland on display at the RAF Museum, Hendon.

Battle of Britain aircraft, Short Sunderland MR5, airplane history and aircraft photos â (http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/collections/aircraft/short-sunderland-mr5.cfm)

[ICT_SLB]

Getting back to Poole Harbour, flying boats weren't the only aviation there. The Royal Motor Yacht Club storage centre at Sandbanks was obviously a hanger for smaller aircraft during the war. Painted storage spots for various Kingfisher & Gosling rig boards & large tools were still to be seen on the back wall in the 70s.

IIRC British Powerboats also operated out of Poole - think they also built tenders for the flying boats as well as MTBs & Air Sea Rescue launches there.

[gkmb1948]

Thank you for everyone who posted. I have now got a number of leads to follow. I have just finished the first short film for PFBC to help promote their cause.

Now I am hooked and will be looking into all their archive material and have just found out that Poole Museum do have two short films but as yet will not release them.

here is the link if you are interested and have taken artistic licence with some of the footage.

Poole Flying boat Celebration - YouTube (http://youtu.be/BccKamCyTr0)

[ICT_SLB]

GKMB,
Great video! Hope Poole Museum either releases the films to you or puts them on their own website soon. If you're in Cornwall, you're close to the only Sunderland crash site I know of - just inside the Breakwater at Plymouth. I got to dive on it once in the 70s & was impressed by the size of the engines that were still down there then.

[Warmtoast]

gkmb1948

Poole Flying boats

Ther's a fascinating thread here on PPRuNe about a trip to the Far East that started from Poole Harbour in May 1940 including an overnight in a hotal at Sandbanks.

See here:
http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia/48484-rma-caledonia.html

[gkmb1948]

Thanks for that, facinating thank goodness people keep diaries and records. i have passed it onto the friends of Poole Flying boats,

[xtypeman]

Some great shots of a Sunderland on the film Yantse Incident staring the late Richard Todd. On Film 4 later this week. I believe filmed on the Stour near Felixstow.