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[Gordon L]

 
Nothing to do with land rovers but may be of interest to anyone near lincolnshire.
https://www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams/battle-of-britain-memorial-flight/news/battle-of-britain-memorial-flight-commemorate-80th-anniversary-of-op-chastise1/
 

[w3526602]

Hi Gordon,

Well it interests me!

Is it too soon (some years), to repeat here, the story of how my father suddenly became a supervisor (with no qualifications) at Handley Page, building Halifax bombers?   It's not what you know .....

He told me that the Lancaster was just thrown together, while the Halifax was precision built .... but the Lancaster was by far the superior aircraft.

602

[Alan Drover]

My late father was a rear gunner in Lancasters. He was awarded the DFC which I have now. He had to leave his parachute behind to get into the gun turret.

[w3526602]

He had to leave his parachute behind to get into the gun turret.

HI Alan,

That was mentioned in a WW2 anecdote.

A "Tail End Charlie" decided (or was told) to bale out, as the Lancaster was on fire. But when he rotated the gun turret so he could reach his parachute, he found that was already on fire, too.

So he decided to take the "easy" option, and jumped without it. I think it was from 21,000ft (about three and a half miles?).

He woke in a pile of snow, with a sore leg, and was taken prisoner. The Germans would not believe his story, but later confirmed it, when they found the remains of his parachute in the wreckage of the aircraft. They gave him a certificate to confirm this.

Slightly more recently, a US Marine sergeant did a training jump from a balloon, at 800ft. His parachute didn't open either, so he decided to "die by the book" .... feet together, knees slightly bent, arms folded. I think he broke a leg.

There is a recent series of adverts on TV (I can't remember what for) showing a photo of a RAF Flight Sergeant .... wearing an "aircrew" wing (or is it wings?). My longer term memory tells me that pilots wore double wings, while all other aircrew wore a single wing, with a letter ... N = Navigator, etc, and I think your father would have worn a single wing, with AG, for Air Gunner. It may be worth enquiring if AG sew-on badges are still available, to stick in your family history scrap-book.

THE FEW. There must have been quite a few of them!  I've met three. One was my CO on the SAM Site at RAF Butterworth. One was the AOC of Fighter Command, who flew a mate and myself (ATC cadets) from RAF Kenley, to several aerodromes in Lincolnshire, where we could clamber over, and into, aircraft, but not touch the ejector seats. And the third was my father's partner, in a small tool making firm in a stable, in Lansdowne Road, in Croydon.

Also OT, but was also featured on TV recently .... The Red Baron. A very "hung over" Canadian pilot claimed to have pulled the trigger when a German aircraft flew in front of him, and reckoned it was the Red Baron. On the other hand, the army claimed he was shot down by "fire from the ground". ?

602

[Ian F]

My father joined the RAF at 18 years old at the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. He served with a Hurricane Squadron in Orkney/Shetland and in France.  Latterly he was assigned to a "Heavy Conversion Unit" with Halifax bombers in Yorkshire. They trained aircrew how to fly these I believe, "converting" the men, not the aircraft.
He was a good man with a spanner, probably where I got my interest from.

Ian F

[Dopey]

When it was being designed, its code name was "Manchester"

[Rory]

When it was being designed, its code name was "Manchester"

The Lancaster started off as a twin engined aircraft called the Manchester, it wasn’t a great aircraft. A quick redesign later , longer wings and two extra engines it became the Lancaster. Later it was redesigned again ( new aircraft) and it became the Lincoln and, of course, the Shackleton was derived from the same basic airframe.

[Wittsend]

By chance the Dam Busters film is on Channel 5 NOW ...


 


 

[Dopey]

By chance the Dam Busters film is on Channel 5 NOW ...


 

Yea I just see a bit of it....... they changed the name of the dog to "Trigger" 

[Gareth]

I live in, and used to work at the Woodford Avro factory that gave birth to the Lancaster. Designed by Roy Chadwick, the new Poynton bypass that goes across the end of the old runway has been named the Roy Chadwick way in his honour.

Sadly he was killed very near to where a memorial is placed next to the new road.

Lancaster history at Woodford is very well represented in the Avro Heritage Museum that now sits in the middle of the housing estate that became of Woodford airfield. Well worth a visit, and car clubs get to have a group photo under the wings of the Vulcan bomber that is on display there.

[angello]

He had to leave his parachute behind to get into the gun turret.


A "Tail End Charlie" decided (or was told) to bale out, as the Lancaster was on fire. But when he rotated the gun turret so he could reach his parachute, he found that was already on fire, too.

So he decided to take the "easy" option, and jumped without it. I think it was from 21,000ft (about three and a half miles?).

He woke in a pile of snow, with a sore leg, and was taken prisoner. The Germans would not believe his story, but later confirmed it, when they found the remains of his parachute in the wreckage of the aircraft. They gave him a certificate to confirm this.

Nicholas Alkemade - quite the 'chap' and a truly incredible story! See:- Nicholas Alkemade

[gromet]

Yea I just see a bit of it....... they changed the name of the dog to "Trigger" 

  The political correct mob have removed the dogs name from his grave and they now want to move his grave 🙄

[Wittsend]

There's a move afoot to move the dog's grave to RAF Marham (in Norfolk) which is where the Dam Busters sqd. are currently based.

I think we all know what the dog's name is and there's nothing we can do about it on this forum 

... and I don't know who you can complain to.

Snap up OE copies of the film at your car boot sales.

[Alan Drover]

The dog's name translates as black from Latin.

[jeichhorst]

500 Lancaster  MK Xs were built by Avro here in Canada.
My uncle was a WAG on Hali MK IIIs during WW2 with RCAF 427 squadron and always claimed they were just as good as the Lancs.
I'm sure it was his unbiased obligation to do so. lol

Jeff