help please.

We must not forget that Poland itself was moved west because of the war! I know of Poles who were not able to go home because their old homes were in what is now Ukraine. And part of pre-war Germany became Poland after the war.

Thanks both for your replies. My father was already married to my mother by then and not knowing what had happened to his family decided to stay here. He was an instrument maker pre war, photographer during, worked on building sites while in resettlement corps and after release before going into engineering for the rest of his life. I presume it must of been some sort of “‘re-education ” from military to civilian life. He also worked in the film industry for a short while, could this have been something to do with Whitehall? Many thanks for your input.

Nie wjem

I have asked my father who was in PAF/RAF and he does not know what AMV is or was.
He states that the Atlee government offered PAF personnel two years subsidy for schooling/training in nominated technical courses, eg Building & Construction in ‘Milholm’, textile production in Nottingham etc in gratitude for war service and as part of demobilisation. He undertook building and construction for two years while being nominally posted to an aerodrome without aircraft and still being in uniform. Upon graduation he was discharged from the Air Force.

Without knowing if your father remained in the Air Force, in which case a desk posting to Whitehall ‘reviewing contracts for the supply of paint for hangar roof refurbishment’ may have been typical of the postwar RAF over employment conditions, I can’t help. It does not seem he was too enamoured of the nine month posting, unless there were lots of WAAFs floating about…

It would have been a difficult time, deciding what to do. The Communist takeover of Poland offered the real possibility of imprisonment for servicemen returning from the RAF, depressed economic conditions in the UK meant it was difficult to find a footing in the UK and the most likely proposition was the gamble of walking up a gangplank on a ship to the new worlds of Australia or Canada.

What decision did he make in the end ?

Air Ministry Visit?

Indeed Mike,
Nice pics. You can just see the grommets in the ‘2’ in the upper pic.
Cheers

That’s the one JDK,thanks for the pic.I’m just hoping they can preserve her in her present condition rather than restoring her and losing alot of original bits.
As for the Fokker at the Science Museum,IIRC she’s been displayed in an uncovered state since she was first placed on public diplay,so in a way it’s fitting that she should remain this way.I would also argue that it’s interesting to see an aircraft laid bare like that as it gives you a good insight into structural techniques etc.
I can understand your point of view though Daz,it doesn’t seem quite right at first glance.

Is this the LVG you meant Ant?

Tired but complete and (I believe) original and unrestored.

Though this is relatively untouched, they are steadilly working through their W.W.I a/c to a very high standard of restoration.

I was wrong that this one was one of the two German a/c they have under restoration at the moment though! Sorry.

Cheers

Good point Daz,
However I quite like it. It IS a good way of showing the gen public how aircraft of this era are built – Quite like the idea of a compass being part of your wing arrangement (stbd wingroot)!
Cheers

😮 good God! Cover that plane up, please!

Pic of the Eindekker taken at the Science Museum by yours truly just a few weeks ago.She’s 210/16,captured on April 8th,1916.

Good call Daz,
It’s in the Science museum – original (and VERY rare) but without any fabric!
Cheers

Where’s the genuine Fokker Eindekker? I thought this was at the IWM Lambeth, or is it the Science Museum?

I dunno how original the whole package is, though :confused:

Foiled again Moriary, back to the drawing board!
Damn good try Ant, but no – it’s under restoration as I write, and hasn’t ever been consrved or restored before.. Saw it last week in fact. No, MikeJ wins (and happy new year to you too!)

The Spad had the fabric carefully removed, the structure conserved and repaired, and the fabric re-applied, attached by (IIRC) small brads with grommets in the fabric (sounds like an Ardman annimation film – Brad & Grommit). Advice was taken from the Louvre picture conservation team. An interesting idea, and thus will be the only W.W.I a/c with the real skin within the next 40 years or so. Is that important? Well, if you want to go to the real source, rather than a recreation, however faithful, it’ll be the only game in town.

Cheers

“what’s the ONLY W.W.I a/c with its original fabric – but it has also been fully ‘conserved’ with a restoration – so it’s not just ‘untouched’ (like a couple of other machines) and where is it?”

I think there’s an LVG in the air museum in Brussels which is completely original,I saw pic of it a couple of years ago and it still looks pretty good.

Very illuminating chaps.
Just going back to the colours issue, none of the W.W.I machines are in original paint or fabric, it having all been replaced over time.

Just to see who’s REALLY knowledgeable – what’s the ONLY W.W.I a/c with its original fabric – but it has also been fully ‘conserved’ with a restoration – so it’s not just ‘untouched’ (like a couple of other machines) and where is it?

Cheers

Thanks Flood,I was always under the impression that machines were ditched and left to sink-an aircraft in those days cost about as much as a 16inch shell!
I still wonder about the twin-Vickers apertures in the cowling of the IWM example as I’m still pretty certain that Naval Camels had the one Vickers and the one Lewis.

Originally posted by Ant Harrington
The Camel is indeed a 2F.1,fitted with a pair of Lewis guns on the top wing,although the majority of Navy Camels had one Vickers on top of the engine and one Lewis above the wing.I don’t know why the Navy insisted on these differences to the standard twin-Vickers of the land-based machines,but I guess there must’ve been a reason for it.
Unfortunately,it appears that the IWM Camel was messed about with in the past as there are holes cut into the upper cowling where the two Vickers guns would’ve gone on a land based version. :rolleyes:

Actually the Camels launched from lighters were expected to be launched at sea, land in the sea, be retrieved, refurbished and put back into service – if they could not make it back to land – hence their actual name of Ship’s Camel. Not like the WWII merchant ships catapult flight aircraft;).
According to Air Britain’s Royal Navy Aircraft Serials 1911-1919:-
N6812 was salvaged by HMS Redoubts lighter after shooting down Zeppelin L53 off Heligoland Bight after ditching. It was at Felixstowe by 29/8/18, and was with 212Sqn at Great Yarmouth from 10/18 until around 30/1/19.
Interestingly it won’t be in its original paint scheme since it was once painted as F3043 in 1960, and is shown with its serial in a white box in Vintage and Veteran Aircraft’s 4th edition (1974).

And… The IWM didn’t mess with the weapons on N6812 – Royal Navy Aircraft Serials 1911-1919 gives the impression that after Cully unsuccessfully chased a Zeppelin on 5/8/18 the aircraft went back to AES (Aeroplane Experimental Section) at Martlesham and was fitted with the non standard twin Lewis guns…

Flood.

and I can see germaine grear greer -that blood australian woman who lives near an airfifled and complains all the time.

oh and Bill Oddie

and I can smell germoline

he;p please

I can’ focus