Canberra man

Stand by for blasting! At 78 I have a lot to talk about. I grew up in those dreamy days of the thirties when everything in life was good. The worst thing the police did was for the local bobby to put his penknife through our tennis ball for playing in the streets! War came in 39 and was I interested. As a youngster of nine, I didn't realise how the scales were tipping against us. Dad went into the army in 41 and I was man of the house at 11. Mum seemed to have lost it after dad went away, so I used to look after her and little brother. After a while, we didn' go in next doors Anderson shelter, it was too cold anyway. We stayed in bed, on the understanding that if you gotta go you go!!! I used to prop myself up on my pillow and watch the ack ack, Guy Fawkes night was banned, but I had my own fireworks every air raid! One nasty happened in 1942, the Luftwaffe decided to use Grimsby as an experiment with the Butterfly Bomb, many, many were dropped and the victims were either children or animals. No more were dropped because the government put a blackout on news of the disaster and because the Germans didn't know the results, they didn't drop any more. Now for a giggle from us young'ns. It was getting near Nov 5th and one of the lads had found an old chemistry book that had been his uncles. What interested us lads was the fact that it gave the formula for (Whisper) Gun powder! The ammounts were in some thing called drachms and we hadnt a clue. so we experimented. Cunning little devils that were, we knew that pottasium nitrate was saltpetre and was used to put pork down for storage. Sulphur was from the chemists as flowers of sulphur, used by grannies to make ointments. Carbon? simple, soot from the chimney back! After a few scorched forlocks and shirts, we got the right mix. NOW, were to make the bang! One lad said his father had been putting new flowers in the garden and it was nice and soft for digging. So, while parent out, hole in garden, big treacle tin, hole in lid for fuse which was thick string dipped in a mix of gunpowder and water pudding! Fuse was dried in one of the ovens in the kitchen. After every thing was done we lit the fuse and ran to one of the back bedrooms to view the proceedings. There was an enormous explosion, flowers, soil, sods of grass went sky high. Within ten minutes we were watching a heated discussion between, two policemen, three firemen, two ambulance men and a bomb disposal squad. And they say that kids today are out of control!!!!!!!

Ken. If this 'tale' fits better in another forum, by all means move it. I'll continue the rest of my tale later in case you do move it. It might be a bit too top heavy.

John

Welcome to the forum, that has got to be one of the most interesting intros I've seen, one thing you did miss was what type of modelling you do

Canberra man

I don't do a lot now, at my age and income, I can't afford it. I do manage the odd small scale ship now and then. I have a model of the Vanguard, I forget the scale, but it is only 15" (Thats in old money!) The side rails are 5 amp fuse wire soldered in a jig I made and all the parts are covered with note paper to hide the grain and the hull has simulated plating with tiny oblongs of note paper. I'll try and get a photo done.

Ken

Canberra man

They still didn't find out who blew the flowers up! Nothing much happenedand nothing was said, but all three of us had a feeling we were being watched! I left school at 14 and had work at the Grimsby naval base HMS Beaver as a naval messenger, bell bottoms and a flat hat. A smiley! I was standing outside the Fleet mail office and a frigate was just going out on patrol, there was a lot of signalling going on and I asked Petty Officer what was being said, he watched the signals and told me there was an air raid last night and Kittywake asked if Jerry had dropped any mines , the bridge answered, "We'll soon know, your first out"!!! I left in 1945 when everything was winding down. When I was eighteen, national service loomed and I wanted to go in the RAF but they were on restricted entry. I ended up in the Royal Artillery and trained as a signaller and just show how stupid the powers that be are, I was posted to an ack ack regiment, - they don't use signallers! I was demobbed in 1950 and three months later had signed on in the Royal Air force. Trained as an electrical mechanic and was posted to 617 Squadron at RAF Binbrook. I was working on Avro Lincolns for a year, then we had the Canberra B2 and later the B6 which we took on a six month detachment to Malaya dropping thousand pounders on the terrs. In 1956 demob was looming, wanted so much to sign on for more, but didn't have an understanding wife and had to come out. I traded her in later for a better model! After leaving the RAF, I started work at a chemical factory, stood it for four years and left before my lungs did! Found a job at Cherry Valley Farms in Lincolnshire (I am a Yellow belly!) I was with them for 28 years. I also spent 27 years with Air Cadets were I met my wife on an airframes course at RAF Halton. We are now well retired but enjoy breeding miniature Poodles, we have litter growing up now, little beauties, sorry, they are all sold! I also spend one day a week at the local aviation museum at Dumfries (Yes, I now live in Scotland) Hope I have'nt bored you all.

Ken

Bunkerbarge

Ken, A really warm welcome to the forum. Bored? I can listen to stories like yours forever. I'm sorry that you can't continue modelling much nowadays but I'm sure if you told us your preferences that one of us might just have something going spare at the back of our attic somewhere. I think most of us have a significant stash of unmade kits in the "retirement fund" and I know I for one won't have enought years of retirement to get through mine!!

Anyway great to see you here and I very much look forward to hearing more of your exploits.

__________________

“Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack, Butting through the Channel in the mad March days"

wonwinglo

Canberra Man/Ken,a big welcome,characters like yourself are fast declining in this nanny state,your intro is a breath of fresh air,keep stories like this rolling.

__________________
'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/