About 35 years ago, an old Sunderland Flight Engineer told me a story.
He was in the Med during the last war when the Sunderland he was flying in was attacked by a Vichy French Fighter. The aircraft was damaged and the fighter broke of the attack. The Sunderland set down on the sea and managed to get a tow back to a friendly port.
After the war, the French were taking Sunderlands and the Flight Engineer was now an Instructor. He was instructing some French pilots and noted that one of them had the Croix du Guerre. Being intersted, he asked the pilot how he had got it. The pilot was somewhat emabarassed, but eventually admitted that it was for shooting a Sunderland down.
The air changed and the Frenchman became very uneasy. Not wishing to create an International situation, the Flight Engineer asked where and when he shot the Sunderland down. The Frenchman confirmed the date and location and it transpired that it was the same Vichy pilot who has shot him down in the Med during the war.
The Flight Engineer then checked his log book for the aircraft serial number and then took an element of pleasure in informing the French pilot that the aircraft he shot down that day was the same one he was being instructed to fly.
The Flight Engineers name was Reg Baldwin, great guy.
My dad was a Fitter on Sunderlands, he told me of the tool belts they had so that they could tie their tools to them to reduce the chance of losing them in the water. It was said that long after the Flying Boats had gone, the old guys used to still wear their belts so that the others could tell that they had 'done their time' on Flying Boats.
Temps
Last edited by Tempsford; 21st Sep 2008 at 19:45.