Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II
Sir Archibald's name pops up in many wartime stories. Sunderland W4026 crashed into Eagle's Rock, Caithness, on 25/08/1942. All 15 on board had supposedly perished as matched with the SOB, including the King's youngest brother, Prince George the Duke of Kent, an RAF Air Commodore on the staff of the RAF Inspector General.
The crash site was close to the estate of Sir Archibald that bordered Loch More, the aircraft was off flight plan track (which should have kept it over the sea), and friends of the Duke were said to be in nearby Berriedale, on the coast. To cap it all the rear gunner survived the crash, found some miles from the crash site having walked from it, and kept shtum thereafter. There was talk of an extra passenger, large amounts of Swedish Kroner (worthless at the official destination of Iceland), and a 30 min discrepancy in the time of crash given the ATD (ie it was late at the scene of its crash). In short all the makings of a good conspiracy, ie the smuggling back to Germany via neutral Sweden of the Reich Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess. The man who died at Spandau appeared to lack Hess's WWI under arm wounds and committed suicide with a horizontal ligature, a first in forensic science...
Here's an earlier PPRuNe thread that mentions an even earlier one:-
https://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-526911.html
The crash site was close to the estate of Sir Archibald that bordered Loch More, the aircraft was off flight plan track (which should have kept it over the sea), and friends of the Duke were said to be in nearby Berriedale, on the coast. To cap it all the rear gunner survived the crash, found some miles from the crash site having walked from it, and kept shtum thereafter. There was talk of an extra passenger, large amounts of Swedish Kroner (worthless at the official destination of Iceland), and a 30 min discrepancy in the time of crash given the ATD (ie it was late at the scene of its crash). In short all the makings of a good conspiracy, ie the smuggling back to Germany via neutral Sweden of the Reich Deputy Fuhrer Rudolf Hess. The man who died at Spandau appeared to lack Hess's WWI under arm wounds and committed suicide with a horizontal ligature, a first in forensic science...
Here's an earlier PPRuNe thread that mentions an even earlier one:-
https://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-526911.html
Thank you TR9er for bringing the thread back to life! We look forward to hearing more.
It's the little details such as the letter which I find so interesting, not least its careful punctuation with stops after every initial such as R.A.F.V.R., and commas ending each address line. Only those who learned to type almost 60 years ago, on massive, clattering manual machines, can appreciate the effort required for such detail though we thought nothing of it at the time.
I think the Civil Service and possibly the armed Services dropped full stops in the 1970s and now grammar doesn't seem to matter much, never mind punctuation. Happy day's
It's the little details such as the letter which I find so interesting, not least its careful punctuation with stops after every initial such as R.A.F.V.R., and commas ending each address line. Only those who learned to type almost 60 years ago, on massive, clattering manual machines, can appreciate the effort required for such detail though we thought nothing of it at the time.
I think the Civil Service and possibly the armed Services dropped full stops in the 1970s and now grammar doesn't seem to matter much, never mind punctuation. Happy day's
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Geriaviator
I agree about the splendid old fashioned punctuation, I've even found myself emulating it at work, much to the amusement of colleagues!
I must question the need for full stops in R.A.F. though, surely it wasn't ever Royal.Air.Force. spelt out in full so why when abbreviated. Or have I just forgotten that rule?
I hope to have more images posted this evening.
I agree about the splendid old fashioned punctuation, I've even found myself emulating it at work, much to the amusement of colleagues!
I must question the need for full stops in R.A.F. though, surely it wasn't ever Royal.Air.Force. spelt out in full so why when abbreviated. Or have I just forgotten that rule?
I hope to have more images posted this evening.
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When he arrived in South Africa my dad was issued this piece of useful local guidance. There follow 8 images which make up a single sheet 14 6/10ths inches by 9 8/10ths inches printed both sides. Each image represents a "page" roughly 4" x 7"
Outside front and back covers
Rest of outside
Outside front and back covers
Rest of outside
Last edited by Tr.9er; 3rd Apr 2018 at 19:33. Reason: Adding images
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Unfortunately, all the scanned images I have of "The Sprog" are too high in resolution so I need to investigate how to "downsize" them on my PC before attempting to upload them again.
We have another cliff hangar!
We have another cliff hangar!
Jack
Cape Town
..brings back memories of August 1953 when a very young Warmtoast returned home from 5 FTS (RAF Thornhill, S. Rhodesia) via Cape Town and the Union Castle RMS 'Arundel Castle' as seen below.
..brings back memories of August 1953 when a very young Warmtoast returned home from 5 FTS (RAF Thornhill, S. Rhodesia) via Cape Town and the Union Castle RMS 'Arundel Castle' as seen below.
Brings back memories of the old Union Castle Line. Out in 1950 on the Stirling Castle with my parents First class. Two weeks sailing leaving Southampton on a Thursday.
Coming back from Bulawayo by train the track was washed away in southern Bechuanaland. Twenty fours hours parked by an Indian run store that ran out of everything.
The ship, Winsor Castle, waited at Cape Town until the train arrived and made up time so as to be in Southampton on schedule, on the day that Stalin died.
Four years later having finished my schooling I joined my parents, now back in Rhodesia, on the Capetown Castle, second class. On arrival at Cape Town apparently I didn't have the correct paperwork and by the time it was sorted I only just caught the train up to Bulawayo.
They flew me to the UK when I joined the Royal Air Force which was a pity. Should they have sent me by sea than I would have joined the Overseas Visitors Club on their ships.
Full of writhing young ladies on their first trip away from home.
Coming back from Bulawayo by train the track was washed away in southern Bechuanaland. Twenty fours hours parked by an Indian run store that ran out of everything.
The ship, Winsor Castle, waited at Cape Town until the train arrived and made up time so as to be in Southampton on schedule, on the day that Stalin died.
Four years later having finished my schooling I joined my parents, now back in Rhodesia, on the Capetown Castle, second class. On arrival at Cape Town apparently I didn't have the correct paperwork and by the time it was sorted I only just caught the train up to Bulawayo.
They flew me to the UK when I joined the Royal Air Force which was a pity. Should they have sent me by sea than I would have joined the Overseas Visitors Club on their ships.
Full of writhing young ladies on their first trip away from home.
Last edited by Fareastdriver; 9th Apr 2018 at 16:09.
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Interesting stuff about my home town Tr.9er, thank you for posting it. The ship shown on the front page is the Winchester Castle which carried me off to exile in England in 1950. i was born in the Peninsula Maternity Hospital in District 6 - the buildings still stood there until just a couple of years ago - and we lived in Simons Town where my Dad served as a signaller in the HQ of C in C South Atlantic.
Interestingly Fareastdriver, i also arrived without the right paperwork - but it wasn't discovered that I was an illegal immigrant until I had already been serving in Her Majesty's Royal Air Force for five years.
Interestingly Fareastdriver, i also arrived without the right paperwork - but it wasn't discovered that I was an illegal immigrant until I had already been serving in Her Majesty's Royal Air Force for five years.
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FED (#11932),
Your ..."Brings back memories of the old Union Castle Line. Out in 1950 on the Stirling Castle with my parents First class"...
Was in the Stirling Castle out to India in 1942. First Class - but only in the Dining Room, where I lived on top of a seven-tier bunk about two feet under the ceiling!
Happy days!
Your ..."Brings back memories of the old Union Castle Line. Out in 1950 on the Stirling Castle with my parents First class"...
Was in the Stirling Castle out to India in 1942. First Class - but only in the Dining Room, where I lived on top of a seven-tier bunk about two feet under the ceiling!
Happy days!
Blacksheep
the Winchester Castle which carried me off to exile in England in 1950
the Winchester Castle which carried me off to exile in England in 1950
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It was the 30th of December 1955 when my mother, and my younger brother, and I sailed on Asturias from Southampton to Singapore.
A glance at the ship's history shows that having carried out a variety of different roles and at the end of the Korean War it was commissioned as a troop ship to bring soldiers back. Two years after our voyage it was sold for scrap.
The only historical point of note was that voyage was just a few months before the Suez Crisis. Had it been after the blockade of the canal, I guess the journey would have been via South Africa and who knows maybe on a Castle Line ship.
SS Asturias
A glance at the ship's history shows that having carried out a variety of different roles and at the end of the Korean War it was commissioned as a troop ship to bring soldiers back. Two years after our voyage it was sold for scrap.
The only historical point of note was that voyage was just a few months before the Suez Crisis. Had it been after the blockade of the canal, I guess the journey would have been via South Africa and who knows maybe on a Castle Line ship.
SS Asturias
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Coming back to WWII, I was looking at a very informative website yesterday. It records all the fatal air accidents in Yorkshire including during (and post) WWIi.
The 4th of March 1945, was the date of the last German aircraft to crash in Britain.
It was Junkers 88. Having abandoned intruder attacks in 1941, the Germans revived them briefly in 1945.
Wikipedia instructs that on that day the Germans followed back Halifax and Lancaster bombers after a raid on a synthetic fuel site in Kamen, Germany. Over the skies of Britain the Luftwaffe accounted for 13 Halifax and 12 Lancaster Bombers.
This link provides the full story of the Junkers 88 which crashed near York that day killing the crew and civilians on the ground.
Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.
These links provide the accounts of just two of several downed RAF bombers over Yorkshire when returning from the Kamen bombing raid. There are others on the website.
Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.
Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.
Others
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/...k45/mar45.html
The 4th of March 1945, was the date of the last German aircraft to crash in Britain.
It was Junkers 88. Having abandoned intruder attacks in 1941, the Germans revived them briefly in 1945.
Wikipedia instructs that on that day the Germans followed back Halifax and Lancaster bombers after a raid on a synthetic fuel site in Kamen, Germany. Over the skies of Britain the Luftwaffe accounted for 13 Halifax and 12 Lancaster Bombers.
This link provides the full story of the Junkers 88 which crashed near York that day killing the crew and civilians on the ground.
Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.
These links provide the accounts of just two of several downed RAF bombers over Yorkshire when returning from the Kamen bombing raid. There are others on the website.
Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.
Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.
Others
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/...k45/mar45.html
Last edited by roving; 10th Apr 2018 at 11:02. Reason: added link
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Warmtoast : That's a photo of the Winchester Castle after the post-war refit that made her a single funnel ship. She was in that configuration when I sailed to England.
During the war the ship served as a troop carrier, painted grey, festooned with anti-aircraft guns and with landing craft hanging from the davits on both sides. I know she landed troops for the invasion of Sicily but I don't know where else she served.
Pretoria Castle was converted to a Fleet Aircraft Carrier, then changed back again after the war!
During the war the ship served as a troop carrier, painted grey, festooned with anti-aircraft guns and with landing craft hanging from the davits on both sides. I know she landed troops for the invasion of Sicily but I don't know where else she served.
Pretoria Castle was converted to a Fleet Aircraft Carrier, then changed back again after the war!
Blacksheep
Thanks for the information
she was actually converted back to a Union Castle line passenger liner and saw service as the Warwick Castle.
A new Pretoria Castle was built in 1947, a sister-ship to the Edinburgh Castle in which I travelled out to South Africa in 1951.
Thanks for the information
Pretoria Castle was converted to a Fleet Aircraft Carrier, then changed back again after the war!
A new Pretoria Castle was built in 1947, a sister-ship to the Edinburgh Castle in which I travelled out to South Africa in 1951.