wonwinglo

Richard,I am beginning to realise that it is what to leave out that is the important thing,not just what to just include,I do not just mean any of the many mistakes that I have made in my life which will be highlighted but the sheer volume of material at hand ,I have a huge heap of photographs to sift through today and collate in order of year,this is going to take some time so this is what I have decided to do-firstly my fathers piece will be completed ,I considered this so important to the way my own life evolved that it was well worth including notwithstanding his interesting military service life,then I will have to pause to prepare my own bits and pieces,it is the only way because to include a full appraisal without setting it down as notes first will be impossible,believe me memory does play some tricks ! so I beg eveyones patience but can assure you that the wait will be worth it,have no fear it will be completed here.
Another interesting aspect to this is about a year before he passed away I sat down one day and interviewd him,at first he was reluctant to say too much in any detail but after a while this very private man came forth,thank goodness that I did this because researching his life would have been very difficult otherwise,thankfully he never threw much away ( a bit like myself ) and tiny bits of paper have revealed and confirmed important dates,thus tracking his life has been made a lot easier,now my wife has just pointed out to me that she knows nothing of her fathers army life,so in this respect I am very fortunate,my advice to everyone is get your loved ones history now while you are able to,and once more make sure that valuable records and photographs are not destroyed when the day comes to sort out those chattels,it can and does happen,if it had not been for myself being around then everything would have gone down the tip,do not let this happen,this is social history being vandalised.
Having said this I urge anyone to sit down and have a go themselves,you will find it a most rewarding exercise.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Nigel.D

Barry!! Model maker, Artist, Scribe, Biographer, Auto- Biographer,Author, Historian, Researcher, Curator, Advisor, friend of all and now Philosopher!!!
one day we will be shocked to find something that this bloke doesnt know about? (doubt that though)
superb stuff Barry. You have an amazing gift mate !

Bunkerbarge

Barry,

There are some very poignant messages in your last posting. My Father died when he was only 62 and before I really had a chance to get to know much of the details of his earlier career. This is a great shame as some of the stories he did share of his early days at sea were incredibly interesting and I bitterly regret not getting to know more.

I must sit my Mum down one day and pick her brains while we have the chance. Using her vast collection of old photo's would be an ideal foundation for such discussions and I am sure I would get to know a lot more about my Dad as well. It is such a great shame that he never saw me as a Chief Engineer, which I know he would have been quite proud of, and was something my Mother kept saying when she spent last Christmas on board with myself and Annette.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Barry, as always they are interesting and informative but, far more relevent, they are thought provoking and invariably challenging and, as such, I thoroughly enjoy reading them.

wonwinglo

Part 4-14 months of hard work then embarkation.

At this point it is perhaps appropiate to outline the three basic training schemes in operation at this crucial time in history,the CATP Commonwealth Air Training Plan,using bases in Canada;the BFTS British Flying Training Schools in the USA which utilised American bases and equipment;Arnold Scheme,flying training of British cadets undertaken within the structure of the U.S.Army Air Corps,R.A.F cadets were allocated to one of the above schemes before leaving the UK.
There were in fact six BFTS's established initially as a result of an agreement between Roosevelt and Churchill in early 1941,they were-Love Field,Dallas,Terrell,Texas;Glendale,Lancaster,Cali fornia;Tulsa,Miami,Oklahoma;Thunderbird,Mesa,Arizo na;Arcadia,Clewiston,Florida;Albany,Ponca City,Oklahoma,only four of these were in existance at the cessation of hostilities in September 1945.

During mid 1942 my father made a few moves across Canada in order to learn the skills of his forthcoming trade,from Trenton Air Station in Ontario he went to No.5 Air Observer School,Stevenson field,Winnipeg,Manitoba,Canada-



Breathtaking view from the air of the Capital city of the Province of Manitoba,Canada in 1942,the restrictions of carrying cameras were obviously allowed as this was taken on a training flight in an Avro Canada built Anson trainer.

After a brief stay at Trenton Air Station,Ontario,Canada it was on to No.5 Air Observer School,Stevenson field,Winnipeg,Manitoba where he would see a wide variety of training aircraft including this Handley Page Hampden,and a Curtiss Kittyhawk practising circuits-



Handley Page Hampden ( nicknamed the 'Flying Suitcase' ) in the circuit at Stevenson Field.



A Curtiss Kittyhawk practising circuits and bumps at Stevensons field,these were the sights that greeted my father in 1942.

After a few weeks it was time to move on again,this time to No.31 Gunnery School at Picton,Ontario,once again he received intense specialised training on Avro Canada Anson Mk.II aircraft and Bristol Bolingbrokes.



Ansom Mk.II on approach to Picton,Ontario,and a gut wrenching steep bank in a Bristol Bolingbroke with my father in the turret-



From here he went to No.33 Air Navigation School,at Mount Hope,Ontario here he did a lot of flying in more Avro Ansons,take a look at this picture aircraft as far as the eye can see-



And the obligatory group line up picture,LJC is bottom second in from the right,once again he is in his element,he is flying and has comradship,what more could he have wanted ?-



The group lined up for the course photograph,I wonder how many are still around now ? every name is on the reverse of the picture.

Well on 4th February 1943 after a brief visit once again to the R.A.F depot at Moncton he was embarked back to the UK on the Troopship 'Andes'-



Andes-Displacement 25,689 tons,669 x 83 feet,Steam Turbines,twin screws,21 knots,607 passengers ( 403 first class and 204 second class ) Built by Harland & Wolf at Belfast in 1939,originally built for Royal Mail Lines ( British flag ) Southampton-East Coast of America service,she was completed as a troopship in 1939,entered in South American service 1948,converted to a cruise ship in 1959-60 and finally scrapped in Belgium in 1971.

Well try and put yourself in my fathers place back then,on the way back home what would he be thinking of ? probably looking forward to more flying soon,one thing is for sure these were to be the most happy and memorable times of his life,despite the evils of war he was acheiving what he really wanted.

Part 5 will cover and follow his further advanced training in the UK,and he would meet his bride to be,my mother who was serving as a WAAF at Stranraer as an aircraft fitter.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

wonwinglo

Part 5- Back to the UK for more training.

Following the warm weather of Florida the trainee pilots were faced with a bleak cold landing on the shores of the UK,without fuss or time to reflect they were ordered to report to No.7 PRC in Harrogate,Yorkshire where they would be kitted out with the required equipment for their next tasks,this was during the month of February 1943,with war rationing,uncertainty and stress the recruits just wanted to get things done and go to an operational station.
3rd March 1943 saw my father at No.4 (O ) Advanced Flying unit ,West Freugh,Stranraer,quickly followed by a move to Manby,Lincolnshire at No.1 Armament School for a special training course for instructors,here is a photograph,the note on the back says 'Back row good pals,Bill Wilkinson,Bill Fielder,favourite pubs the 'Jolly Sailer' in Louth,and the 'Ship Hotel' Grimsby at weekends' aircraft were Bristol Blenheim IV and the Handley Page Hampden-



He returned back to No.4 (O) A.F.U West Freugh as a bombing instructor but before long was updating his skills at No.1 Air Armament School Manby learning about the intricate specialist knowledge of the Mk XIV bomb sight,another move this time to No.1 (O) Advanced Flying Unit ,Wigtown ,Scotland as a Navigational Instructor,it was here that he met his bride to be who was an aircraft fitter working on Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah engines,here is a small photograph taken of her at that period-



I actually know very little about my mothers R.A.F career,not even her service number has surfaced,a Northern lass born in Newcastle upon Tyne,but what a lovely period photograph of her,she did tell me about the Sunderland flying boats landing at Stranraer.
Next placement for my father was to be to an Operational Training Unit ( OTU ) at Lossiemouth,Morayshire,Scotland,here he would have been groomed for crew allocation to bombers which took place at R.A.F Sturgate,Gainsborough,Lincolnshire,after a spell with No.1661 Heavy Conversion Unit at Winthorpe in Nottinghamshire.

No.227 Squadron No.5 Group Bomber Command,R.A.F Strubby was to be his next important move,here he would get to grips with the Avro Lancaster,his aircraft was PB731 coded 9J-L,an aircraft that has been much modelled and painted over the years by myself,here are some typical group photographs of this aircraft and the crews-


Top row,extreme right is my father.


4 th in from the left middle row,an awesome looking bomb,the small white bomb is for practise purposes,imagine going to war in that Lanc ? this picture was taken on the squadrons move to R.A.F Graveley in Cambridgeshire,227 Squadron was finally disbanded on 5 th September 1945.


3 rd from the right,also taken at Graveley,a good view of the crew and aircraft,codes were red with a yellow outline.
Thankfully he never did any missions in anger otherwise he would probably not have survived as the attrition rates and loss of crews were very heavy,he did many flights over war torn Germany checking and photographing the damage,also here is a little momento of his trips to Barie in Italy ( yes I was named after the island )-



On 29th January 1944 he was married at Low Westwood church,near Consett,County Durham,here he proudly shows his uniform and links arms with his lovely bride Olive Wilkinson -



The war was nearly over and everyone just wanted to settle down into civvie street,some pilots went to work for the post war B.O.A.C (British Overseas Airways Corporation ) father would eventually return to his reserved occupation at the Alvis,the day he went back to his milling machine the company treated him as if he had not been away to serve his country,he was to remain with the Alvis until his retirement his final position being a works study engineer.
A few more moves to Bruntingthorpe,then R.A.F Catterick,R.A.F West Kirby,Wirral,Cheshire;R.A.F Poddington,Wellingborough,Northants,although he was offered the chance to go abroad to fly Dakotas he declined and instead finished up at a driver M.T Course at R.A.F Weeton,Blackpool where he learned to drive,despite this he never owned a single car in his whole life preferring to cycle everywhere.
Finally he was demobbed at No.108 PDC Uxbridge and Wembley stadium,and took 68 days leave until 28th July 1946,he attained the rank of Warrant officer.


A lot of money in those distant days,here is his war gratuity slip,the grand total of £99.1/- ( one old shilling )
Thats it for my fathers history,now I am going to have a break,meanwhile my own story is in preparation and will carry on from this one,please be patient !

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

new to trains

this blog is totally fascinating, keep up the good work, i find it very enlightening plus being a 'youngster' in the grand scheme i love the pictures and reference which is all before my time !

keep up the good work

__________________
just gotta keep building !

wonwinglo

*** Thanks Guy,it is a part of our history that will never be forgotton,the old flyers and aircrew are fast declining,it would be lovely to hear what happened to some of these people in the photographs ? perhaps one or two will read these notes and it will bring back memories,I suppose we sometimes think of the glamour but it was a serious business involving young men who risked everything for their country.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Nigel.D

Barry what a great treat to share your fathers life and his experiences I wish i had known mty father half as well. he to was a lanc pilot in the war but alas i never really took the time to learn about him like you did your father. Strange thing is this biog sort of helps me make up for it thank you from me and all the family who have gotten an emense amount of enjoyment and wonder in reading your fathers story. We all cant wait for yours !!!!!!!!

wonwinglo

***Nigel the pleasure is all mine,you are quite right this is a kind of therapy for others as well and it is great sharing my story with you all,I only said to my wife today that what my father went through represents thousands of others in the very same situation,I was very fortunate in that I managed to save these simple pieces of paper that show us how he lived,so the story is representative of the way of life of many at that time.It gives me immense pride in knowing that what he went through was not wasted and above all forgotton,at least know it will be seen over a period of time by many people and serve as a reminded of those troubled times.
I am merely capable of having the tools required to convey that message.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

wonwinglo

Building Scale models from plans

Many people interested in building scale models just do not know where to start their project,today we have more plans available than ever before and the world is your oyster,if you have a favourite model that there is no kit available then dont worry because with a little careful planning that dream machine can become a possibility,with a little guidance and patience the task can be simplified greatly.
We will start by looking at a basic three view drawing of a famous aeroplane,here is a superb plan for the original Wright biplane,many thousands of models have been built over the years for this subject and I bet that every one was built totally different in the builders approach to his subject,at first the subject looks daunting but when broken down into manageable sections it becomes much easier,anyway lets take a look at the plan first-




So take a careful look and begin by half closing your eyes,this has the effect of cutting out the tedious detail,not that we do not want to use that detail but much later,the main thing now is to think how we are going to tackle our subject,which materials to use,how to start construction,will the model be made to fly and if so what compromises will need to be made ? these are all questions to be satisfied by you,the model maker !
Now lets take a look at how my own completed model looked when finished and we can compare the plan with my finished model.




Well here she is,difficult to believe that once she was just a dream on a piece of paper,here you have a simplified small flying model of the Wright Flyer,just enough for the eye to take in,and above all enough detail to satisfy the purist,and yes she does fly ! and very well to,but we will go into that later right now we are concerned with the design and how to reproduce it as a model subject.
It is fair to say that a large proportion of this model consists of open structure,the full size used spruce and ash for its longerons,struts and wings,these were covered in a fabric material which was doped up taught to seal the structure and make it airtight,the wooden parts were beautifully varnished and the fittings were mostly hand made metal parts which were all bolted to the woodwork to hold the whole thing together,our model has balsa strips to reproduce the longerons and lightweight jap tissue to represent the fabric covering material,they just look the same in our little miniature and thats the secret to the success of the model.
Before we move on lets take a look at another view of the same model here-



This view shows to good effect the highly simplified fuselage longerons,the foreplane,struts made from barbecue spears and the basic cotton rigging,to attain the slightly bleached effect of the original fabric the tissue was tinted with ordinary tea ! yes a coat of tea makes an ideal antique effect,just brew up,allow to cool and paint onto the tissue.
The very basic seat and engine detail are just made from scrap balsa and then clear doped to seal them,the lower longerons are made from strips of basswood to give a bit of spring to the structure,as can be seen the foreplanes take the brunt of the force should they be struck but are deceptively strong.
Here is a view from underneath-




As can be seen here the wings have a convex undercamber to them,the covering needs to be stuck down before it is doped up,to do this I used one of those Pritstick glue pens,by gently blowing on the tissue after applying the adhesive the tissue is teased into place two rib bays at a time,working slowly and patiently you get the desired results,the rigging is thin cotton applied with tiny blobs of cynoacrylate adhesive,surprising how much extra strength this gives.
Now here is a picture that shows two models of the same aeroplane built in two entirely different ways,the end results are the same in that we have two practical flying models,one much simpler than the other




Wright Biplane replica at the 100 years of flight celebrations Kittyhawk,North Carolina.

So you get the idea ? build simply and dont overload the subject,just like a painting let the eyes fill in the gaps but the overall effect is the most important part of the end product.
Now we can take a look at some more model subjects to see how they can be tackled in detail,bearing in mind the need to retain practicality and combine the feel of the subject,lets do a walkround of some models-



Here is the bare bones for a Ryan NYP,the aeroplane that Lindbergh flew the Atlantic in single handed,this machine has been a firm favourite with me for years and I have built several different versions over that time,I have to be honest and say that every one has been a real headache to get to fly properly,the problem is the small fin and the distinct lack of any dihedral,here I have added some dihedral but after flight tests the fin had to be enlarged considerably to aid stability,another fix could possibly be to have faired in between the struts with clear sheet.
Even a radio controlled version would not fly properly but I am not going to give up !
Note how the tail surfaces are made in two pieces and hinged with soft metal ( Guinness cans are ideal material ) hic..! and see how strong the undercarriage is made up,you need to watch the weight as the wire parts weigh in very heavy.
I can still improve on this model next time round,its all about compromise,then experiment and pick the best points for your next project.

Here is the Ryan NYP all covered and ready to go,although the radial engine looks great it is a lot of parasitic drag but we have to live with such things if we want the model to be scale.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/