Old Hairy
Thanks for the latest instalment - keep up the good work.
Earlier you said:
Thanks once again,you have helped add a bit of colour to my stories
So I thought I'd add a little more colour in the form of the only photo I took in colour of a Sunderland.
Taken around mid September 1958 at Gan, this 205/209 Sqn aircraft (“P” ML797) was one of the last Sunderlands to visit Gan. On this occasion it had been tasked to fly from China Bay in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to Male, the capital of the Maldives and return to China Bay with some UK diplomats from the UK High Commission in Ceylon, but on arrival at Male it damaged a float whilst attempting to alight in a severe swell; it then diverted to Gan and after temporary repairs it returned to Seletar via China Bay.
According to the 205/209 squadron Operations Record Book in the National Achives at Kew, the last Sunderland to visit Gan was on 20th December 1958, but this was after I'd left the island on posting back to the UK.
History is attached to this particular aircraft (“P” ML797) because on 20th May 1959 at RAF Seletar it flew the final RAF Sunderland flight with the C in C FEAF, Air Marshal The Earl of Bandon on board.
And here is a photo of the C-in-C ("The Abandoned Earl") having a beer with some of his men on an earlier visit to Gan.
