Thank you!
Thank you very much, Cliff, for your reminscences - I do enjoy your writing style, and it all strikes a particular chord for me as my father learned to fly courtesy of the US Navy at Pensacola, and then went on to fly Sunderlands between 1943 and 1946.
Sadly, he is no longer with us, although I do have his log book at home and I often wonder what stories lie behind some of the entries. One in particular is, I think, particularly poignant: an entry for 1 May 1945 showing "ASR 95/H - unsuccessful" - I presume this indicates that the crew of 95/H were lost, just a week before VE Day.
One of his fellow pilots from 95 Sqn (in fact, also his best man) still lives not far from you, on the Wirral.
Thanks again - looking forward to some more!