The Liberator pic reminds of the meekest, humblest bloke one could meet, a friend of my parents. He was a Sgt pilot in the war on Libs. He told me a story about his first minelaying (I think) sortie against a northern France harbour - did the RAF lay mines at Cherbourg?. He said the flak was unbelievable- once the run started, everyone just did their thing- no-one said a thing on the way back.
The captain, a guy named Ensor (decorated, I believe) looked over and said, "Were you scared back there Taff?"; to which our hero replied, "Sir, I was f'ing ****ting myself!".
"Good, says Ensor, you can fly with me anytime. I'm never flying with anyone who wouldn't be ****ting it back there!" It was, he said, the best thing anyone could have said to a newbie having endured the defences they just had.
He came to talk to my school kids on one occasion too- they ate it up.
RIP Campbell Hanbury RAF (at a ripe old age tho'
)
CG