Hello everyone from a little boy who never grew up, at least as far as aircraft are concerned. I have been working my way through this thread for months, awed by the memories of Cliff and Reg, enjoying Danny's daily postings, and Chugalug memories ring a bell. Please can I make a contribution?
My father served 26 yrs 1936-1962. He trained as a gunner on Harts and went to France with 142 Sqn Battles but did not fly on ops as far as I know, he would never talk about it other than to say it was a massacre. He did say he had been lucky to get out of France and he became an airframe instructor at Halton. In 1944 he was posted to Poona, India, where the next year I met my first aircraft, a Vultee Vengeance. Being lifted into the cockpit was being lifted into Heaven. We moved to Karachi (Tempests) and at partition had my first flight on a Dakota to Bombay for three weeks on the Georgic to home. I was so excited that I was sick most of the night before.
Father was posted to 9 Sqn Binbrook where I soon found a Lancaster used for dinghy drill beside the static water tank. Three houses away was my dad's friend F/Sgt Bob Nash from Vancouver, who could be tormented into taking me to the Lancaster cockpit for Sunday lessons. In 1945, after two tours on Lancasters, a grateful nation had told Flt Lt Nash that he could continue flying if he resigned his commission (and the pension and pay that went with it). Bob said his Lincoln WS-D flew like an overloaded Lancaster but it was better than not flying at all. So when the other kids said their party pieces, I had the Lancaster takeoff checklist off pat, which either got the party going or produced a stunned silence with sympathetic looks for my parents.
In 1951 we were posted to Aden (8 Sqn Brigands), returning by Hastings to Lyneham (12 hours with two night stops) then to Leuchars (Meteors) and father's choice for his last posting, 202 Sqn Met Flight at Aldergrove (Hastings). I was able to fly on 202's last sortie, a four-ship formation escorting the Standard to its new home at Leconfield. My pilot was the legendary Flt Lt Ignatowski, who had stolen a light aircraft to make his escape from Poland and the advancing Germans. I can still see the tailplane of the lead aircraft rising and falling only a few yards in front of the windscreen, Iggy breathing hard at times as he heaved the Hastings into position.
When in France my father took photographs with his (illegal) Brownie camera. I think they are unique in depicting Battle operations in France, and I would really like them in some museum in tribute to the forgotten airmen of Bomber Command, who suffered twice the losses of their fighter comrades during those dark days of 1940.
I'll try to post a couple, the first being 142's Battles dispersed at Berry-au-Bac to the left of the main road between Laon and Reims, airfield a grass area made from fields on the right. Most personnel were under canvas. Snow has been shovelled from the taxiway in the bitterly cold winter of Dec 1940 with temperatures often below -20C. Seems to be sandbag blast wall beside refuelling bowser. Further along the line is empty bomb dolly. Ground crew is running up first aircraft, to right of bowser a crewman with parachute walks towards the machine.
The second pic (below) is one of several showing mainplane change. Note what appears to be 250lb bombs on the bomb dolly in front of crane. There's more if the audience is interested. Many thanks for this wonderful thread, particularly to those who have made their final climb to the stars.
