I see that James Kightly’s new book on the Walrus and Stranraer (well done mate) has been reviewed on Hyperscale here
http://misc.kitreview.com/bookreviews/walrusbookreviewse_1.htm
I do wonder from this review, where he says :
“The amphibious Walrus and the flying boat Stranrarer owe their existence not only to Supermarine’s and Frank Mitchell’s history of providing Great Britain with maritime aircraft, but also to other Commonwealth nations – Australia and Canada.”
…does he mean Reginald Mitchell? Or was there another Mr Mitchell at Supermarine too?
Also, are the RNZAF’s Walrus’s mentioned in the book James?
And the reviewer also mentions:
“The book covers the brief life of the Walrus as spotter, dive bomber and fighter”
The Walrus was a fighter?? :confused: Is this right? I’d not heard of it before and wonder how it could possibly have got that role? Is this just in the defence of a ship? Or what?
By: Black Knight - 5th January 2005 at 22:32
Well done JDK, how’s the MH434 book coming?
By: Manonthefence - 5th January 2005 at 20:58
Mais No!! He Parlez Franglas as well!!
By: JDK - 5th January 2005 at 20:47
Cher Ami SRP,
Nous somme au Canada maintnant. Ills ont below zero au scale Deg C. Ne pas des aeroplanes interesant, maise trop ‘DHC Beaver’ et plaines avec pontoons mes ami.
Normal service will be resumed once I’ve found where it got put.
Yes, the book is avaliable in the USA, and we’ve put a pic of a Mustang on the cover for the decolonialled reader…
😀
By: srpatterson - 5th January 2005 at 20:36
Well done James. Now that you’re a successful author you can retire to Australia.
When do you and Bev “ship out”?
By: JDK - 5th January 2005 at 20:19
It’s a good kit Starfire. What a lot of people have missed about the book is that we were able to get pics inside the only complete surviving Stranraer, CF-BXO at the RAF Museum. Very few people have been allowed in, and since the mindboggling paranoia about radioactive instruments, fewer still! I know Box Brownie has a shot or two. A big ‘thank you’ to the RAFM staff who helped with that.
Sadly the interior is completely gutted, so there’s no instruments :rolleyes: or fittings. However, thanks to the Canadian Aviation Museum, the Shearwater Naval Aviation Museum and several other good contacts, we were able to add a lot more operational use pics, many of which were never before published.
It’s not, by any means, the last word on the Stranny. We are seriously considering a full coverage / history of the type (as a not for profit publisher we can afford to do this) and have assembled quite a lot more gen on this a/c. Anyone interested in info or who can help can get in touch via PM (please! 😉 )
Cheers
By: ...starfire - 5th January 2005 at 17:49
As to your question, you’ll have to buy the book… 😉
Will do … :rolleyes: Thanks Dave, I nearly forgot it. I have two of them in storage …
By: JDK - 5th January 2005 at 05:55
Many thanks for the note Dave.
Reviewers. It’s a nice review, but yes, he means Reginald J Mitchell. The Australian connection is that the RAAF ordered the Seagull V, and then the RAF ordered the essentially the same Walrus. Canada? The Stranraer was licence built in Canada, stopping it from just being a footnote in Supermarine history, by a larger degree of Canadian use.
As to your question, you’ll have to buy the book… 😉 Let’s just say the Admiralty wanted an aircraft that would do everything and cost half as much as it should. Times don’t change much!
Cheers
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January 5, 2005 at 5:33 am