[QUOTE=Warmtoast;9937573]harrym
Not sure about spanners strapped to wrists, but my photo below taken in 1957 as the 205/209 Sqn Sunderland I was on was refuelled at Glugor (Penang) en-route from Seletar to China Bay (Sri Lanka) shows at least the refuelling hose attached securely to the fuselage - and what about the crew? - a long way down if one slipped!
Thank you for posting this photo which is of great interest to me my late father (Eric Stanton) was an engineer on Sunderlands during the war. Like many people, he didn't talk much about his experiences but I know he didn't enjoy crawling along the wing to refuel and work on the engines (in UK weather!), and did say that "if you dropped your screwdriver you'd had it".
Incidentally I recently found a notebook containing some of his lecture notes from his training. Of course this is of sentimental value and I want to hold onto it, but if anyone interested in WW2 history or Sunderlands would like some scans, or even to borrow it for a short time please get it touch. Obviously there won't be any technical information in it which isn't well known, but is a historical document of sorts. The Heritage Centre at Pembroke Dock are aware of it.
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