Operation Goodwill 1946 (Merged)
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As an ex wearer of the forage cap for the light blues one does wonder how the hell they managed to keep them to stay put in those positions without the use of hairgrips or liquid nails
Unlike today when the wearers look like a bunch of Italian ice cream salesmen!
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Airfield Identification, Huntingdonshire 1946
This picture is a crop of a photo entitled 'Formation over Huntingdonshire' and is of 35 Squadron on the 6th June 1946. The squadron at the time was based at Graveley.The full picture can be seen here on post #3:
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...ll-1946-a.html
I'm struggling to indentify the station and ask if anyone has any ideas please?
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'Goodwill' Begins
Before departure all airmen were fitted out with three sets of made to measure Saville Row Dress uniforms.
On the 8th July 1946, 'A' Flight consisting of eight Lancasters under W/C Craig departed Graveley on the first leg of Operation Goodwill. The C in C along with many others came to see them off at the end of the runway. 'B' Flight under S/L Harris left on the ninth with a further eight aircraft.
'A' Flight departure for America, Graveley, July 8th 1946.
The route was Graveley - St Mawgan - Lagens (Azores) - Gander (Newfoundland) - Mitchell Field, New York. Problems with weather over Gander delayed 'A' Flight's departure from Lagens which was unfortunate as accommodation was limited and it meant that both flights were there at the same time. The squadron finally arrived at Newfoundland on the 12th. They departed Gander on the 17th for the six hour flight to Mitchell Field and over Boston they flew in formation down the coast at about two thousand feet to the airfield on Long Island.
W/C Craig meets OC Mitchell Field, Colonel L R Parker, July 17th 1946.
On parade. Note guns present in the turrets and the squadron badge on the side of the cockpit.
USAAF band.
At ease, '98 degrees in the shade'. The Avro York is in the background.
On the 8th July 1946, 'A' Flight consisting of eight Lancasters under W/C Craig departed Graveley on the first leg of Operation Goodwill. The C in C along with many others came to see them off at the end of the runway. 'B' Flight under S/L Harris left on the ninth with a further eight aircraft.
'A' Flight departure for America, Graveley, July 8th 1946.
The route was Graveley - St Mawgan - Lagens (Azores) - Gander (Newfoundland) - Mitchell Field, New York. Problems with weather over Gander delayed 'A' Flight's departure from Lagens which was unfortunate as accommodation was limited and it meant that both flights were there at the same time. The squadron finally arrived at Newfoundland on the 12th. They departed Gander on the 17th for the six hour flight to Mitchell Field and over Boston they flew in formation down the coast at about two thousand feet to the airfield on Long Island.
W/C Craig meets OC Mitchell Field, Colonel L R Parker, July 17th 1946.
On parade. Note guns present in the turrets and the squadron badge on the side of the cockpit.
USAAF band.
At ease, '98 degrees in the shade'. The Avro York is in the background.
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The caption was a bit misleading, as the airfield is actually in Northamptonshire - Deenethorpe to be exact!
Oh the wonders of Google Earth.
Overhead view
Oh the wonders of Google Earth.
Overhead view
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Thanks Hot Charlie.
My father was a navigator on that day and wrote the caption!
Interestingly, only a couple of miles to the north is Spanhoe where his Valiant crashed in 1960.
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...st-1960-a.html
My father was a navigator on that day and wrote the caption!
Interestingly, only a couple of miles to the north is Spanhoe where his Valiant crashed in 1960.
http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...st-1960-a.html
Last edited by Hipper; 9th Mar 2012 at 21:27.
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You're welcome. I'd looked at most of East Anglia before going the other way!
The Valiant crash which sadly claimed you father's life is rather sobering incident and one that you'd hope 50 years later wouldn't be allowed to happen in today's RAF.
The Valiant crash which sadly claimed you father's life is rather sobering incident and one that you'd hope 50 years later wouldn't be allowed to happen in today's RAF.
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Dammit! I had a suspicion it was Eighth Air Force, may have been the many runways and one hangar. I’d looked at Polebrook, Kings Cliffe (5 miles away!) and then got ‘diverted’.
Anyway, Deenethorpe, post war true story. 1990s. The Memorial to players of the Mighty Eighth had just been completed and I’d pulled into the small lay-by to admire it.
It was a beautiful summer’s afternoon, blue skies and no wind. I’d been there for ten minutes or so and got back into the car. I put the key into the ignition and the radio started up. I didn’t start the engine as the first thing I heard was the opening bars to –
Glen Miller’s Moonlight Serenade. I think Americans call them goosebumps.
SITE PAGE - Deenethorpe Airfield
Anyway, Deenethorpe, post war true story. 1990s. The Memorial to players of the Mighty Eighth had just been completed and I’d pulled into the small lay-by to admire it.
It was a beautiful summer’s afternoon, blue skies and no wind. I’d been there for ten minutes or so and got back into the car. I put the key into the ignition and the radio started up. I didn’t start the engine as the first thing I heard was the opening bars to –
Glen Miller’s Moonlight Serenade. I think Americans call them goosebumps.
SITE PAGE - Deenethorpe Airfield
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'Goodwill' Continues
The following day, the 18th of July, there was formation flying over New York and from then until mid August the squadron flew and were feted all over the U.S.. They flew to Scott Field St Louis, Lowry Field Denver, Long Beach Los Angeles, Kelly Field San Antonio, Andrews Field Washington, Westover Field near the city of Springfield Massachusetts, and finally back to Mitchell Field Long Island on the 18th of August. The crews had their fair share of entertainment including visits to the races, film studios and opportunities to go shopping (I would imagine with the austere situation back home that such opportunities could not be missed).
This link shows about one minute of film of the squadron flying over New York and landing at Mitchell Field. It starts about 03.01 minutes:
Pres. Truman Honors Nisei Combat Group, 1946/07/18 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
Long Beach Field, Los Angeles, F/L Bullen, F/L Gardner, F/L Hulbert, F/L Simpson, F/L Lewis plus a couple of friends.
Er, surely not. San Antonio, Texas. I think F/L Bullen (my father) is hiding behind the drink tins - probably having emptied most of them!
Andrews Field, Washington. About to take off in a Fairchild Packet to visit Fairchild Aviation Works.
Fairchild Packet
Fairchild Aviation Works, Maryland USA.
This link shows about one minute of film of the squadron flying over New York and landing at Mitchell Field. It starts about 03.01 minutes:
Pres. Truman Honors Nisei Combat Group, 1946/07/18 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive
Long Beach Field, Los Angeles, F/L Bullen, F/L Gardner, F/L Hulbert, F/L Simpson, F/L Lewis plus a couple of friends.
Er, surely not. San Antonio, Texas. I think F/L Bullen (my father) is hiding behind the drink tins - probably having emptied most of them!
Andrews Field, Washington. About to take off in a Fairchild Packet to visit Fairchild Aviation Works.
Fairchild Packet
Fairchild Aviation Works, Maryland USA.
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There are some NCOs in post #1 in the picture of Robinson's crew.
I'm not sure of the exact facts but one paper reported 73 officers and 140 enlisted men on the tour, including of course ground crew.
From what I can see, all the men had opportunities to enjoy themselves.
I'm not sure of the exact facts but one paper reported 73 officers and 140 enlisted men on the tour, including of course ground crew.
From what I can see, all the men had opportunities to enjoy themselves.
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Return to Graveley
On arrival back at Mitchell Field, on the 18th of August there were final opportunities for sight seeing and shopping, but from the 20th the groundcrews were hard at work carrying out a full service to radar gear and general preparation for the return home.
The aircraft departed Mitchell Field on the 22nd for Gander where there was further maintenance work carried out. On the 23rd 'A' Flight departed for Lagens and then on the 25th left for St Mawgan.
Also on the 25th of August, 'B' Flight took off from Gander for the trip to Lagens. The squadron departed at night (TL Q took off at 2335 hrs) and unfortunately there was an incident that involved fatalities. TL R (TW870), piloted by F/L Pete Stockwell, had to return to Gander after twenty minutes in the air as he had problems with his DR compass. He was cleared to land but mistook two directional green lights which marked the leeward end of the runway for glide path indicators. As a result the aircraft bounced on the raised road which was parallel and twenty yards from the leeward edge of the runway. It was also marked with red lights as a prohibited area but there were some civilians standing there. The aircraft's starboard wheel hit some of them, killing three men and one woman and injuring a fourth man. The Lancaster was damaged and had to remain at Gander. On investigation, Stockwell was exonerated of all blame (source mostly Alan Cooper).
The squadron spent three days at St Mawgan where I've no doubt the customs took a keen interest in the aircraft. On the 29th August the remaining fifteen Lancasters departed St Mawgan for Graveley, flying in formation following a coastal route before turning north over Brighton for a flypast accross London and a warm reception at the home base.
Squadron arrival at Graveley on completion of American tour, August 29th 1946. All that sun is just a memory.
Final parade at Graveley, August 29th 1946.
Marching on for inspection by American ambassador at Graveley, August 29th 1946.
The squadron left Graveley for Stradishall on the 18th September 1946.
35 Squadron, Shallufa Canal Zone, Med. January 1948.
Fate of TW870
In the heavy landing at Gander, the aircraft suffered damage to the centre section and undercarriage and was declared Cat AC on 29.8.46. In the event, probably due to cost and difficulty of repairs on site at Gander, and the large number of spare Lancasters in store, TW870 was re-categorised to Cat E and struck off charge on 31.10.46.
It remained virtually derelict at Gander until October 1950 when it was sold as scrap to Hercules Sales of Toronto, then to Freight Lift Inc (Doug Siple/Don McVicar). After the minimum work necessary, the aircraft was flown from Gander to Dorval (the engineer who rebuilt the Lancaster flew as flight engineer on the trip via Summerside to Dorval. He records that he didn’t have much to do ‘as vandals had stolen most of the instruments’). At Dorval it was converted to become a fuel tanker, including the fitting of a streamlined nose section (this nose cone had once been part of Trans Canada Airlines Lancaster X Passenger Plane KB702/CF-CMT, and had been used as a chicken coup after CF-CMT was scrapped. It was rescued, cleaned up and fitted to TW870!) The plane was then transferred to World Wide Aviation. On 6.5.52 it was registered as CF-GBA and moved to Seven Islands, Quebec where it was used to transport fuel to the outposts of the Iron Ore Company of Canada. On one of these flights the pilot, Capt AR Iba, lost control during an overweight landing in a crosswind on a gravel airstrip at Menihek, and the Lancaster hit a rockpile, caught fire and was burnt out. Both crew members were unhurt. The manifest showed a load of 2,150 gallons of diesel, 300 gallons of petrol and 800 gallons of Avgas (source Bob Hornby).
For more and slightly different information, see here:
Lancaster Bomb Tragedy
The aircraft departed Mitchell Field on the 22nd for Gander where there was further maintenance work carried out. On the 23rd 'A' Flight departed for Lagens and then on the 25th left for St Mawgan.
Also on the 25th of August, 'B' Flight took off from Gander for the trip to Lagens. The squadron departed at night (TL Q took off at 2335 hrs) and unfortunately there was an incident that involved fatalities. TL R (TW870), piloted by F/L Pete Stockwell, had to return to Gander after twenty minutes in the air as he had problems with his DR compass. He was cleared to land but mistook two directional green lights which marked the leeward end of the runway for glide path indicators. As a result the aircraft bounced on the raised road which was parallel and twenty yards from the leeward edge of the runway. It was also marked with red lights as a prohibited area but there were some civilians standing there. The aircraft's starboard wheel hit some of them, killing three men and one woman and injuring a fourth man. The Lancaster was damaged and had to remain at Gander. On investigation, Stockwell was exonerated of all blame (source mostly Alan Cooper).
The squadron spent three days at St Mawgan where I've no doubt the customs took a keen interest in the aircraft. On the 29th August the remaining fifteen Lancasters departed St Mawgan for Graveley, flying in formation following a coastal route before turning north over Brighton for a flypast accross London and a warm reception at the home base.
Squadron arrival at Graveley on completion of American tour, August 29th 1946. All that sun is just a memory.
Final parade at Graveley, August 29th 1946.
Marching on for inspection by American ambassador at Graveley, August 29th 1946.
The squadron left Graveley for Stradishall on the 18th September 1946.
35 Squadron, Shallufa Canal Zone, Med. January 1948.
Fate of TW870
In the heavy landing at Gander, the aircraft suffered damage to the centre section and undercarriage and was declared Cat AC on 29.8.46. In the event, probably due to cost and difficulty of repairs on site at Gander, and the large number of spare Lancasters in store, TW870 was re-categorised to Cat E and struck off charge on 31.10.46.
It remained virtually derelict at Gander until October 1950 when it was sold as scrap to Hercules Sales of Toronto, then to Freight Lift Inc (Doug Siple/Don McVicar). After the minimum work necessary, the aircraft was flown from Gander to Dorval (the engineer who rebuilt the Lancaster flew as flight engineer on the trip via Summerside to Dorval. He records that he didn’t have much to do ‘as vandals had stolen most of the instruments’). At Dorval it was converted to become a fuel tanker, including the fitting of a streamlined nose section (this nose cone had once been part of Trans Canada Airlines Lancaster X Passenger Plane KB702/CF-CMT, and had been used as a chicken coup after CF-CMT was scrapped. It was rescued, cleaned up and fitted to TW870!) The plane was then transferred to World Wide Aviation. On 6.5.52 it was registered as CF-GBA and moved to Seven Islands, Quebec where it was used to transport fuel to the outposts of the Iron Ore Company of Canada. On one of these flights the pilot, Capt AR Iba, lost control during an overweight landing in a crosswind on a gravel airstrip at Menihek, and the Lancaster hit a rockpile, caught fire and was burnt out. Both crew members were unhurt. The manifest showed a load of 2,150 gallons of diesel, 300 gallons of petrol and 800 gallons of Avgas (source Bob Hornby).
For more and slightly different information, see here:
Lancaster Bomb Tragedy
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This is the diary of Charles Owen who was pilot of TW909 and took the AOC-in-C Bomber Command Air Marshal Sir Norman Bottomley on the Goodwill trip.
Crew
S/L R Richards DFC (Navigator)
F/L T Shepherd (Navigator)
F/L W Bolsover (Air Bomber and PA)
F/L C Dear DFC (Wireless Operator)
F/L W Robinson DFC DFM (Engineer)
Lancaster TW909
20 July 1946
Northolt - Lagens (Azores)
7 hours 40 mins
Took off in the dark in good weather, and went straight up to ten
thousand. Cruised along in the moonlight above cloud, and once the Old
Man had gone to bed everything was very quiet and straightforward.
Weather was perfect all the way, and we landed at Lagens in time for
breakfast. Tried to sleep all day but the temperature was up in the
nineties and so we weren't very successful.
21 July 1946
Lagens - Gander (Newfoundland)
8 hours 15 mins
Intended to take off after dark so as to reach Gander in daylight, but
decided to take off in the late afternoon as there was a chance of fog
over Gander at dawn. Cruised all the way at ten thousand and, except
for passing through a front about half-way, the weather was good.
Landing at Gander was a bit tricky as the VHF was more or less u/s and
all three runways were lit up simultaneously. However managed to pick
the right one, and so to an enormous breakfast at 3.30am. First
unrationed food since 1939, and we all made pigs of ourselves. The Old
Man seemed to enjoy it as much as we did.
22 July 1946
Gander - Harmon Field
1 hour 5 mins
Gander looked a little bleak in the morning, so the Old Man decided to
nip over to the Yank base on the west coast of Newfoundland. Trip over
was very straightforward, but was struck by the wildness of the
country. Precious few roads and very few houses. Saw a pranged Hudson
in the woods and went beetling down in some rather splitarse turns to
have a look, thus inviting, and getting, some rather pointed remarks
from the cabin. "C-in-C to Pilot. Just what was the purpose of that
manoeuvre?"
Landed at Harmon and saw our first American reception committee, three
staff cars and a lorry.
25 July 1946
Harmon - Mitchell Field (New York)
5 hours
Very straightforward trip down the coast to New York, punctuated by
frequent and unsuccessful attempts to contact Canadian and American
radio stations and pass position reports. Eventually contacted
Westover and passed an ETA for Mitchell. On arrival was instructed to
let down on the Range, but as we had no radio capable of picking it
up, and I wouldn't have known what to do with it in any case, this was
a bit tricky. Compromised by letting down straight ahead and then
circling the field looking hopeful, thereby getting immediate
permission to land and cutting out four Yanks who were flying on the
range. Hard luck. Reception committee of one general, one W/C, one
S/L, numerous colonels, four staff cars and a bus. Also the gentlemen
of the Press. Many photographs and the Old Man tickled pink.
26 July 1946
Mitchell - Patterson Field (Dayton)
2 hours 50 mins
Very bumpy leaving New York, with low cloud and blistering heat, not
helped by the fact that we all had shocking hangovers, including the
Old Man, who was distinctly rude on the intercomm about the
conditions. Circled over the city before leaving and admired the
skyscrapers. Cloud broke up about halfway, so climbed up to ten thou
and cooled down a bit. Feeling better by the time we reached Dayton,
and the Old Man a little more affable. Reception committee a good
average with two colonels and four cars.
27 July 1946
Patterson - Randolph Field (San Antonio)
5 hours 30 mins
Airborne at 08.30 after a shocking thrash which lasted all night.
Temperature was terrific, and Dicky passed out after ten minutes, and
was laid to rest in the nose, so thereafter I mapread all the way.
Conversation brightened a lot by Bill remarking that Dayton was the
only town where he had seen a girl's arsehole on the stage. Got to San
Antonio at last and landed at Kelly Field, only to find that plans had
been changed, so that we had to climb back in again and fly over to
Randolph. Reception was terrific, including the cadets lined up along
the runway to see us land. Committee of one general, hosts of lesser
fry and no less than eight staff and two lorries, thus establishing a
record for the trip.
28 July 1946
Randolph - Long Beach Airport (California)
5 hours 50 mins
Usual early take off, with hangovers even worse than usual after a
cocktail party (6 - 9.30) and a mess dance (9.30 - 4.00? or maybe
5.00?). Put up my first major black by over-sleeping and only waking
up 30 mins before proposed ETD. Very quiet trip at ten thou all the
way, but temperature over the desert very high, and I was thankful for
a Texas cowboy hat which I had somehow acquired the night before (Owen kept this hat for the rest of his life). Very pleasant flight rations consisting of chicken sandwiches, bananas, peaches and iced milk, which was quite a thing. Long Beach was a
amazing sight from the air, due to oil derricks clustered like trees
among the houses. Reception committee up to standard, including G/C
Collard and the advance trip from 35 Squadron.
2 August 1946
Long Beach - Scott Field (St Louis)
7 hours 25 mins
Very boring stooge across the States, not helped by the fact that the
strain of five days jag in Hollywood and Long Beach was beginning to
tell. Landed at Scott just as it was getting dark. Had intended to
refuel and press on, but the rain started to come down in sheets and
as I wasn't keen on landing at Washington at night in bad weather, we
decided to stay the night and press on in the morning.
3 August 1946
Scott - Bolling Field (Washington)
3 hous 20 mins
Still pouring with rain the next morning, but Met was pretty hopeful
so off we went. Found we had a dead cut on one mag on the stbd outer
just before take-off but decided to press on regardless as Scott Field
was pretty dreary. This nearly caused mutiny down the back, but we
ignored the frantic pleas of the sergeant fitter and took off without
incident. Weather at Washington was good, and we dropped the Old Man
off at the National Airport, where Gen Spaatz and his boys were there
to greet him. We then nipped off smartly and went across the river to
Bolling.
7 August 1946
Bolling - Harmon Field (Newfoundland)
5 hours 40 mins
Night take-off from Washington in shocking weather. Cloud base at 300'
and pouring with rain. Stooged along in cloud until somewhere near
Westover when it started to clear up. The Met forecast for Harmon was
good, but got there to find low cloud and fog with vis down to about
500 yards. Luckily they had GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) on the line so in we went. The Old Man
was most impressed, as apparently he'd never seen GCA in action
before.
8 August 1946
Harmon - Lagens
7 hours 45 mins
Weather at take-off time was distinctly duff. In fact it stank, but
once the Old Man had seen some lunatic take off in a civilian DC-4 he
seemed to think the honour of the RAF was at stake, so off we had to
go. Weather was lousy for the first two hours, but after that it
cleared up nicely and we had a quiet trip. Dawn broke abou an hour
before we reached the Azores, and we could see Pico sticking up
through the clouds when we were 50 miles out. Landed in time for
breakfast.
9 August 1946
Lagens - Prestwick
7 hours 40 mins
Took off about 22.00 intending to make Bovingdon in the early dawn and
so catch Customs with their pants down. However as we approached
Land's End we were directed to St Mawgan. We duly arrived there, and
could see the aerodrome from 6,000', but for some peculiar reason we
were diverted to Prestwick. I got a bit annoyed about this, but when I
tried to argue they got a little rude, so off to Prestwick we went to
be greeted by Customs who had just finished Prestwick and were right
on top of their form.
9 August 1946
Prestwick to Abingdon
3 hours
The Old Man very keen to get home, so pressed on from Prestwick as
soon as we had refuelled. Weather was not so hot and Gee was u/s, so
decided to crawl down the Irish Sea and up the Bristol Channel and so
in to Abingdon. The crew by now were just about all in and by the time
we reached the Bristol Channel everyone was asleep except for me and
the Old Man, who appeared in the cockpit and gallantly mapread us into
Abingdon. Very tired when we got there and so proceeded to do a
shocking landing, but the Old Man didn't complain and told us to take
14 days leave, which we thought a good show.
Kindly shown to me by Charles Owen's son Oliver, who has also written an article on his father in The Observer:
Oliver Owen discovered his father was a wartime RAF hero | Life and style | The Observer
Crew
S/L R Richards DFC (Navigator)
F/L T Shepherd (Navigator)
F/L W Bolsover (Air Bomber and PA)
F/L C Dear DFC (Wireless Operator)
F/L W Robinson DFC DFM (Engineer)
Lancaster TW909
20 July 1946
Northolt - Lagens (Azores)
7 hours 40 mins
Took off in the dark in good weather, and went straight up to ten
thousand. Cruised along in the moonlight above cloud, and once the Old
Man had gone to bed everything was very quiet and straightforward.
Weather was perfect all the way, and we landed at Lagens in time for
breakfast. Tried to sleep all day but the temperature was up in the
nineties and so we weren't very successful.
21 July 1946
Lagens - Gander (Newfoundland)
8 hours 15 mins
Intended to take off after dark so as to reach Gander in daylight, but
decided to take off in the late afternoon as there was a chance of fog
over Gander at dawn. Cruised all the way at ten thousand and, except
for passing through a front about half-way, the weather was good.
Landing at Gander was a bit tricky as the VHF was more or less u/s and
all three runways were lit up simultaneously. However managed to pick
the right one, and so to an enormous breakfast at 3.30am. First
unrationed food since 1939, and we all made pigs of ourselves. The Old
Man seemed to enjoy it as much as we did.
22 July 1946
Gander - Harmon Field
1 hour 5 mins
Gander looked a little bleak in the morning, so the Old Man decided to
nip over to the Yank base on the west coast of Newfoundland. Trip over
was very straightforward, but was struck by the wildness of the
country. Precious few roads and very few houses. Saw a pranged Hudson
in the woods and went beetling down in some rather splitarse turns to
have a look, thus inviting, and getting, some rather pointed remarks
from the cabin. "C-in-C to Pilot. Just what was the purpose of that
manoeuvre?"
Landed at Harmon and saw our first American reception committee, three
staff cars and a lorry.
25 July 1946
Harmon - Mitchell Field (New York)
5 hours
Very straightforward trip down the coast to New York, punctuated by
frequent and unsuccessful attempts to contact Canadian and American
radio stations and pass position reports. Eventually contacted
Westover and passed an ETA for Mitchell. On arrival was instructed to
let down on the Range, but as we had no radio capable of picking it
up, and I wouldn't have known what to do with it in any case, this was
a bit tricky. Compromised by letting down straight ahead and then
circling the field looking hopeful, thereby getting immediate
permission to land and cutting out four Yanks who were flying on the
range. Hard luck. Reception committee of one general, one W/C, one
S/L, numerous colonels, four staff cars and a bus. Also the gentlemen
of the Press. Many photographs and the Old Man tickled pink.
26 July 1946
Mitchell - Patterson Field (Dayton)
2 hours 50 mins
Very bumpy leaving New York, with low cloud and blistering heat, not
helped by the fact that we all had shocking hangovers, including the
Old Man, who was distinctly rude on the intercomm about the
conditions. Circled over the city before leaving and admired the
skyscrapers. Cloud broke up about halfway, so climbed up to ten thou
and cooled down a bit. Feeling better by the time we reached Dayton,
and the Old Man a little more affable. Reception committee a good
average with two colonels and four cars.
27 July 1946
Patterson - Randolph Field (San Antonio)
5 hours 30 mins
Airborne at 08.30 after a shocking thrash which lasted all night.
Temperature was terrific, and Dicky passed out after ten minutes, and
was laid to rest in the nose, so thereafter I mapread all the way.
Conversation brightened a lot by Bill remarking that Dayton was the
only town where he had seen a girl's arsehole on the stage. Got to San
Antonio at last and landed at Kelly Field, only to find that plans had
been changed, so that we had to climb back in again and fly over to
Randolph. Reception was terrific, including the cadets lined up along
the runway to see us land. Committee of one general, hosts of lesser
fry and no less than eight staff and two lorries, thus establishing a
record for the trip.
28 July 1946
Randolph - Long Beach Airport (California)
5 hours 50 mins
Usual early take off, with hangovers even worse than usual after a
cocktail party (6 - 9.30) and a mess dance (9.30 - 4.00? or maybe
5.00?). Put up my first major black by over-sleeping and only waking
up 30 mins before proposed ETD. Very quiet trip at ten thou all the
way, but temperature over the desert very high, and I was thankful for
a Texas cowboy hat which I had somehow acquired the night before (Owen kept this hat for the rest of his life). Very pleasant flight rations consisting of chicken sandwiches, bananas, peaches and iced milk, which was quite a thing. Long Beach was a
amazing sight from the air, due to oil derricks clustered like trees
among the houses. Reception committee up to standard, including G/C
Collard and the advance trip from 35 Squadron.
2 August 1946
Long Beach - Scott Field (St Louis)
7 hours 25 mins
Very boring stooge across the States, not helped by the fact that the
strain of five days jag in Hollywood and Long Beach was beginning to
tell. Landed at Scott just as it was getting dark. Had intended to
refuel and press on, but the rain started to come down in sheets and
as I wasn't keen on landing at Washington at night in bad weather, we
decided to stay the night and press on in the morning.
3 August 1946
Scott - Bolling Field (Washington)
3 hous 20 mins
Still pouring with rain the next morning, but Met was pretty hopeful
so off we went. Found we had a dead cut on one mag on the stbd outer
just before take-off but decided to press on regardless as Scott Field
was pretty dreary. This nearly caused mutiny down the back, but we
ignored the frantic pleas of the sergeant fitter and took off without
incident. Weather at Washington was good, and we dropped the Old Man
off at the National Airport, where Gen Spaatz and his boys were there
to greet him. We then nipped off smartly and went across the river to
Bolling.
7 August 1946
Bolling - Harmon Field (Newfoundland)
5 hours 40 mins
Night take-off from Washington in shocking weather. Cloud base at 300'
and pouring with rain. Stooged along in cloud until somewhere near
Westover when it started to clear up. The Met forecast for Harmon was
good, but got there to find low cloud and fog with vis down to about
500 yards. Luckily they had GCA (Ground Controlled Approach) on the line so in we went. The Old Man
was most impressed, as apparently he'd never seen GCA in action
before.
8 August 1946
Harmon - Lagens
7 hours 45 mins
Weather at take-off time was distinctly duff. In fact it stank, but
once the Old Man had seen some lunatic take off in a civilian DC-4 he
seemed to think the honour of the RAF was at stake, so off we had to
go. Weather was lousy for the first two hours, but after that it
cleared up nicely and we had a quiet trip. Dawn broke abou an hour
before we reached the Azores, and we could see Pico sticking up
through the clouds when we were 50 miles out. Landed in time for
breakfast.
9 August 1946
Lagens - Prestwick
7 hours 40 mins
Took off about 22.00 intending to make Bovingdon in the early dawn and
so catch Customs with their pants down. However as we approached
Land's End we were directed to St Mawgan. We duly arrived there, and
could see the aerodrome from 6,000', but for some peculiar reason we
were diverted to Prestwick. I got a bit annoyed about this, but when I
tried to argue they got a little rude, so off to Prestwick we went to
be greeted by Customs who had just finished Prestwick and were right
on top of their form.
9 August 1946
Prestwick to Abingdon
3 hours
The Old Man very keen to get home, so pressed on from Prestwick as
soon as we had refuelled. Weather was not so hot and Gee was u/s, so
decided to crawl down the Irish Sea and up the Bristol Channel and so
in to Abingdon. The crew by now were just about all in and by the time
we reached the Bristol Channel everyone was asleep except for me and
the Old Man, who appeared in the cockpit and gallantly mapread us into
Abingdon. Very tired when we got there and so proceeded to do a
shocking landing, but the Old Man didn't complain and told us to take
14 days leave, which we thought a good show.
Kindly shown to me by Charles Owen's son Oliver, who has also written an article on his father in The Observer:
Oliver Owen discovered his father was a wartime RAF hero | Life and style | The Observer
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Hi, sorry to resurrect this old thread, but the information is fascinating and the pictures are superb.
My interest is from the St Mawgan angle, and I'm trying to pin down exactly what date, and how many aircraft passed through there.
My understanding from above is that all 16 aircraft passed through Mawgan on the 8th (A Flt) and 9th (B Flt) of July.
They then returned on 25th August, leaving there for Graveley 28th, with only 15 aircarft due to the one u/s through the accident.
However the last post seems to offer different dates, and the fact that at least one other Lancaster (perhaps the whole flight of 8?) didn't pass through Mawgan on the way home at least?
Can anyone here confirm the dates at St Mawgan and the numbers of aircraft please?
Also I have a picture of 7 Sqn Lancasters at Mawgan in the same scheme, would these have been used to build up the 35 Sqn numbers to 16 aircraft, or just coincidental visitors?
Thanks in advance
My interest is from the St Mawgan angle, and I'm trying to pin down exactly what date, and how many aircraft passed through there.
My understanding from above is that all 16 aircraft passed through Mawgan on the 8th (A Flt) and 9th (B Flt) of July.
They then returned on 25th August, leaving there for Graveley 28th, with only 15 aircarft due to the one u/s through the accident.
However the last post seems to offer different dates, and the fact that at least one other Lancaster (perhaps the whole flight of 8?) didn't pass through Mawgan on the way home at least?
Can anyone here confirm the dates at St Mawgan and the numbers of aircraft please?
Also I have a picture of 7 Sqn Lancasters at Mawgan in the same scheme, would these have been used to build up the 35 Sqn numbers to 16 aircraft, or just coincidental visitors?
Thanks in advance
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The log of TW909 was the solo flight of Bomber Commands C-in-C, Sir Norman Bottomley. My impression from that log is that on their return to the UK, they did not actually land at St Mawgan but were diverted to Prestwick - not exactly nearby. Why isn't explained.
35 Squadron A Flight departed Lagens on the 25th August, but I think they left late at night so arriving St Mawgan early the next morning, the 26th. Likewise, B Flight probably arrived in the early hours of the 27th. The whole 15 aircraft then departed St Mawgan on the 29th.
I have some times from my father's Flying Log:
July 9th, 1252 arr St Mawgan
July 10th 1021 dep St Mawgan
August 27th 0700 arr St Mawgan
August 29th 1000 dep St Mawgan
He was in B Flight.
The paint scheme, white and black, was original meant for Tiger Force, the proposed RAF aerial attack on Japan at the end of WW2. 7 Squadron, like 35 Squadron, was earmarked for that operation and so, presumably, was also painted those colours. I would assume that the 16 Lancasters of 35 Squadron that went on Goodwill were the Squadron's own aircraft. There's no mention of anything else in the sources I have anyway.
You could find what 7 Squadron were doing at St Mawgan at that time by looking at their Operations Record Books at The National Archives, Kew (if they exist).
35 Squadron A Flight departed Lagens on the 25th August, but I think they left late at night so arriving St Mawgan early the next morning, the 26th. Likewise, B Flight probably arrived in the early hours of the 27th. The whole 15 aircraft then departed St Mawgan on the 29th.
I have some times from my father's Flying Log:
July 9th, 1252 arr St Mawgan
July 10th 1021 dep St Mawgan
August 27th 0700 arr St Mawgan
August 29th 1000 dep St Mawgan
He was in B Flight.
The paint scheme, white and black, was original meant for Tiger Force, the proposed RAF aerial attack on Japan at the end of WW2. 7 Squadron, like 35 Squadron, was earmarked for that operation and so, presumably, was also painted those colours. I would assume that the 16 Lancasters of 35 Squadron that went on Goodwill were the Squadron's own aircraft. There's no mention of anything else in the sources I have anyway.
You could find what 7 Squadron were doing at St Mawgan at that time by looking at their Operations Record Books at The National Archives, Kew (if they exist).
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Hi Hipper,
Many thanks for your very full reply.
The photographas are fantastic, are they in your collection? Do you know if any pictures were taken while the sqn was at St Mawgan?
Many thanks for your very full reply.
The photographas are fantastic, are they in your collection? Do you know if any pictures were taken while the sqn was at St Mawgan?
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I have an album of photos left by my father of Goodwill. I suspect that most who went of this trip were offered, or given, the album.
Many of the photos were taken by Charles E Brown, a noted aviation photographer.
There aren't any pictures taken at St Mawgan and as it was a stopover, there may not have been. There are none of Lagens or Gander either.
Many of the photos were taken by Charles E Brown, a noted aviation photographer.
There aren't any pictures taken at St Mawgan and as it was a stopover, there may not have been. There are none of Lagens or Gander either.
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As a Charles Brown fan I did wonder with some of those cloudscapes and compostions!
In the 'Aviation In Cornwall' book (Air Britain/P.London) on P.99 there is a good picture of one of the 35 sqn Lancs at Mawgan, it's the only one I've seen.
Thanks again for your response.
In the 'Aviation In Cornwall' book (Air Britain/P.London) on P.99 there is a good picture of one of the 35 sqn Lancs at Mawgan, it's the only one I've seen.
Thanks again for your response.