joe 2812
I, too, am first post-war generation. I feel very sad about the whole affair, but there is another way of looking at Sqn Ldr Duke's actions:
"No children, therefore release the equity on my valuable collection that my wife and I might enjoy the spare cash.
With some of the cash, accelerate the timescale for my wife's operation, also going private for the extra luxury treatment.
Beef up security on the property.
Still leaves a substantial sum in the bank for a good holiday or two, plus a steady trickle from the balance to enhance our quality of living."
It is not unlike that time in one's life when suddenly your previous financial planning bears fruit, where endowments start to mature and the lump sums are available to eat chunks out of the mortgage, or pays for the always-wanted car, or the expensive holiday, etc.
Like many, I tend to hoard mementos, only to glance at them once in a blue moon. Whilst it would be sad to lose them, if one of them had a value such as those of Sqn Ldr Duke's, I would be mightily tempted to do as he did - after all, if my house burned to the ground and I had to start again, I would have to quickly get over the loss.
The emphasis by the press on Mrs Dukes operation is probably an excuse at Government bashing on the NHS issues.
I don't blame the collector. After all, although the items are out of sight to the public, they were not available previously anyway. And he is preserving the collection intact and in this country. You never know, he might just lend them to the RAF or IWMs.