Awesome 488 Squadron photos

book Gilze-Rijen

Mister Homewood,

thank you for your reply. I will mail you tomorrow, thanks again!

best wishes,

Michael

mail

Dave,

I’m experiencing difficulties in mailing you. Your mailadress is dave [email]daasnz@hotmail.com[/email] without any “bars” or “spaces”, isn’t it???

Michael

Sorry, for some reason that’s wrong. It has an underscore, ie a _ in the gap.

[email]dave_daasnz@hotmail.com[/email]

Send a PM if it does not work.

…………………………Can anyone work out what the blokes are doing behind Ron (in his shirt, tie and peaked cap) in the photo with the windmill?

Possibly trying to erect an aerial on the end of the branch? which is pushed into the ground. Poor resolution on the attachment photo, so cannot quite make out the sleeve badge seen there – is it a sparks badge? Also take a look at the box down by their feet, again poor resolution, but can I make out a headset/microphone with cables and controls? Is that a trailer mounted petrol generator on the right?

Just a wild guess of course!:)

Thanks for the suggestion, good of you to dig it out for me. I believe this permits a Mk.VI in the Day Fighter colours as at least some of the 487 Sq Mossies had this. However, I’d still like to do a late nightfighter as well, and it would be a shame to miss the opportunity of that particular one. For obvious reasons, there are not a lot of photos of NF Mossies, which is what makes this particular set so valuable.

Very enjoyable stuff – not only the aircraft and the men but also the airfield equipment, with those large RAF roundels.

I’ve long wanted to do a model of a 488 Sq. Mosquito, one coded ME.G (my wife Meg likes Mosquitos too) but I’ve never been able to find the appropriate serial. If you ever do find an appropriate photo, or logbook reference, I’d be very grateful.

Hi Graham,

Don’t know if I’ve suggested this before, but you could do an FB.VI of 487 Sqn. Would be M-EG from the port side. HP852 and SZ985 were both M.

Thanks Dave, if you do ever find out, please let me know!

Thanks for sharing these great pictures, Dave. Much appreciated!

Adam, the mid citation read:
“In recognition of distinguished service and devotion to duty.” according to By Such Deeds.

Denis, sorry I am not sure if any were taken at RAF Hunsdon.

Flight Lieutenant John Hancock Scott mid

Do you know what the mention in dispatches was for?

A quick search suggests that F/L Scott passed away aged 94 in March 2010. http://www.amemorytree.co.nz/remembrance.php?personid=95932

I would be interested to know if any of these images were taken at Hunsdon while 488 were there.
The squadron were at Hunsdon from 9th October to 14th november re-equipping with the NF 30 from their Mk12 and Mk13’s before deploying to Amiens

Graham – I will have a look through the journal, but I know that most entries relate only to the AC serial. There is one reference to a formation exercise they flew which listed aircraft by ME-? code, so I may be able to go through a process of elimination once I can tally up the code with the pilot, and x-ref against any flights my grandfather may have taken with that pilot.

If people are interested, I can post some of the photos once I have had time to scan them. Given that today is the 69th anniversary of D-Day, here is a scan of my grandfather’s log for that day, showing his patrol on Line B.[ATTACH=CONFIG]217357[/ATTACH]

Very enjoyable stuff – not only the aircraft and the men but also the airfield equipment, with those large RAF roundels.

I’ve long wanted to do a model of a 488 Sq. Mosquito, one coded ME.G (my wife Meg likes Mosquitos too) but I’ve never been able to find the appropriate serial. If you ever do find an appropriate photo, or logbook reference, I’d be very grateful.

According to “By Such Deeds” by Gp Capt Colin Hanson, Flight Lieutenant John Hancock Scott mid was posted to No. 315 Maintenance Unit in India as a test pilot where he flew types including the Beaufighter, Hurricane, Mosquito, Spitfire and Thunderbolt. he then served as a Staff Pilot with No. 4 OCU, in the RAF. He left the RNZAF on 18th of February 1946. I don’t know what he did after that. There is no date of death given in that book, which usually had the death noted if the person had died before publication in 2002, so he was likely still alive then, perhaps he still is.

Your grandfather’s journal and photos sound very interesting indeed.

Good stuff Dave. I recently discovered a journal my grandfather kept of his time in the RAF during the war. It is a priceless collection of notes, and it includes his tour with 488. There is a photo of the JU88 that crash landed in their airfield. I also have a good photo portrait of his pilot, JH Scott, and interestingly a letter from Scott to my grandfather from India dated late 1945. I don’t suppose anyone knows what happened to Scott after the war?

Great stuff, thanks Adam.

Long long after I posted these photos I had the privilege last year of uniting the last three known aircraft of No. 488 (NZ) Squadron still living in New Zealand, at the Mosquito Launch and Honour Dinner at Ardmore. We had pilots Reg Mitchell and Des Hyland and Observer Murray Richardson there. All three had thought they were the last of the squadron till I put them in touch.

Here’s a snap that was taken inside. Originally it doesn’t show much as its indoors. But I have also enhanced it, and it shows incredible detail which surprised me, from charts on the crewroom walls to models in the rafters. Very nostalgic indeed.

I have found an “original” print of this in my grandfather’s belongings. He has annotated it “A Flight dispersal at Bradwell Bay” The individuals are named as: (Standing L-R) F/O Scott, S/L Watts (Sitting L-R) F/O Broodbank (My grandfather), F/O Robinson

Thank’s Dave, Top Stuff

I think Awesome is the word Dave 😉 , Great to have some pics for the story on your site as well, It’s fantastic to see the real business end of the aircraft we all love so much 🙂 , Now day’s they are really just big boy’s toys :rolleyes: , Good to see you have been so constructive with your time since I have been away 😀 , Doing a great job Dave, Keep the Kiwi end up Mate :p , Cheer’s all, Tally Ho! :dev2: Phil.

Absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing them with us. Nice to see the sooties weren’t forgotten too!

[QUOTE=skypilot62]Ermmm…aren’t most of them bald! 😀 QUOTE]

haha, yep. OK. it’s a quiz, guess which bald old man is Ron. 😀