Is it just me, or does this sound like a perfectly valid excuse for a bunch of us to meet up at Duxford to watch a bit of flying, have a chat, and go for roadkill after? It would save Ashley doing any organising (unless she fancies doing some as an addition!) and we could perhaps get to know each other better.
Over to you:
By: JDK - 29th September 2005 at 02:56
Hey, Karl that’s a great tribute, don’t do yourself down.
Knowing Clive and Linda, they’ll have been very touched. They are not credit takers but great ‘givers’ and it’s great credit to them and their team (for it was a team) that they pulled it off. So much better than the same old same old which is a grove it’s easy to get into with airshows.
Linda’s idea of showing what a ‘Malta food ration’ looked like at the promo days was inspired, and serves well as an indication of how they’ve raised the awareness of Malta’s history.
Having visited Malta in 2001, and seen the place I’d read so much about – Gladiator ‘Faith’, the Ohio name board, the Hurricane and Spitfire, the bombed Opera House, was so moving – especially as I’d just read Nicholas’ Monsarat’s fact based fictional ‘Kapilan of Malta’ (Highly recomended BTW).
Maltears’ photos of the Spitfire & Hurricane coming through Grand Harbour over in the Airshows forum, with Mike’s photos makes it clear that history is being written up in bigger letters.
As an aside, is there any reason the Merlins over Malta website is now password protected?
Not surprisingly, bandwidth was exceeded 😀 Quickly fixed. What an effort.
Teriffic. Well done.
By: karlkj - 29th September 2005 at 00:48
Malta observer
There is no way I could overstate the great moments and people met while I was in Malta last week. I went as a tribute to my old friend Flt.Lt “Bud” Connell of Vancouver who flew in 126 and 249 during Feb-May ’42 (one of his 3 tours) who mainly flew with Buck McNair. I took a copy of his logbook for Ray Polidano at the Malta Air Museum. Imagine his surprise when we opened up Bud’s logbook and the first 2 ops Bud did were on Hurricane HA-E, the very Hurricane sitting in their museum. Sadly I missed the arrival at Grand Harbour but took in every moment at the airshow on Sat as that wonderful duo did such a beautiful exhibition for all of us there. I met Charlie, Clive, Linda, Glenn, and Howard along with team and family members and tried to thank them as best I could. Later on when I spied them in St. Pauls Bay having dinner on my last night there I presented Linda Denney with a 60 year old “V for Victory” pin that I had worn all this year (as you guys know the 60th will probably be the last big one for those aircrews we have all looked up to for so long). I tried to explain to them just how much their efforts were appreciated and to thank them for making a dream come true for those who honour those special people in those special aircraft.
Sorry, it is not coming out just right.
I hope there will be a documentary on this shared adventure of the 60th in Malta.
It was one of the most special I have experienced.
Cheers, Karl Kj. Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada)
By: DazDaMan - 28th September 2005 at 22:03
Yes, very well done indeed! 🙂
By: Rlangham - 28th September 2005 at 21:56
Well done, i couldn’t go but the pictures guys on this forum took made it seem like i was, hope you guys had a great time and congrats to all involved
By: Roger W - 28th September 2005 at 20:20
Just a temporary glitch. Seems OK now.
My thanks also to the good guys and the bad (!) and for MOF for coordinating the news and photos.
Fantastic achievement. Looking forward to the DVD!
By: WebPilot - 28th September 2005 at 14:02
Hear, hear. All credit to everyone involved in this marvellous project.
As an aside, is there any reason the Merlins over Malta website is now password protected?
By: TEXANTOMCAT - 28th September 2005 at 13:57
There were two excellent pieces on our regional news programme ‘Look East’ following the trip – the sight of the two aeroplanes buzzing Valletta harbour was superb, especially the rear facing minicam in the Hurri cockpit showing the victory roll….interviews with veterans and the re-enactors who set up a dispersal.
Am sure that a MOM dvd will follow – and if not, why not!
TT
By: Russ - 28th September 2005 at 13:51
I think a ‘Well Done’ thread is very deserved. I was talking to them at Duxford and to think it was achieved by a very small number of people in their spare time after a days work is truely remarkable, they took some big knocks on the way too.
A wonderful group of people and a wonderful tribute.
Well Done 🙂
By: Russ - 17th July 2005 at 10:02
WOW!! I’d visit the Merlins Over Malta website only it could be expensive. Some great things there!
Well i booked my ticket to Malta last year, Ive ordered the Corgi models as a souvineer, Print looks tempting! 😮
Well done guys this is a fantastic project, cant wait! 🙂
By: gdenney - 16th July 2005 at 22:59
A project update…
With just nine weeks to go things with Merlins Over Malta are progressing well. It is hard to believe that we have been working for almost two years on this now!
We have the majority of our funding in place but we are still in fundraising mode. Linda and Vic are going out to Malta next week to tie up any loose ends that we have there. On their return we hope to be in a position to release more information about the upcoming events. I have place the various dates at the bottom of this post.
As you maybe aware Corgi have come onboard as official partners. They have commissioned a special “Merlins Over Malta” set in their Aviation Archive range. 1945 sets will be produced and Merlins over Malta have 600 of them that we are putting together as a collectors set. We have been working in conjunction with Corgi and The Diecast Aviation Web Site & Forum to turn these 600 sets into exclusive collectors sets.
The sets will include:
These sets cost £99.99 (+ P&P) each and at the moment they are available through The Diecast Aviation Web Site & Forum. Check out their site for more details.
These collectors sets have significantly boosted out fundraising effort and we are very grateful to Corgi and the Diecast Aviation Forum for their help.
The launch of the models at Legends has finally put an end to the guess work pf the Spitfire’s Malta scheme. The aircraft will represent a Spitfire that flew off the USS Wasp as part of Operation Calendar in April 1942.
We have the “Win a place on the Ian Allan CAF Air Sho‘ 2005 Tour!” raffle.
The draw takes place at the end of August so get your tickets now! If you want to sell any on our behalf please let us know and we will send you some books.
We also have the following available to raise funds for the project
Gerald Coulson’s Merlins Over Malta
Robert Taylor’s Malta – George Cross
Limited Edition Hawker Nimrod Presentation Sets
Spitfire Vb Photograph and Fabric Presentation Set
Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, 1940-1943
Malta Story DVD signed by Muriel Pavlow
These items are all available from the Merlins Over Malta Shop
The projected dates at the moment are:
The afternoon of Thursday 22nd of September – Arrival through Grand Harbour
Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th – Malta International Air Show
The evening of Sunday 25th – Flypast at the War Memorial in Floriana
Wednesday 28th – The opening of the Air Battle of Malta hangar at the Aviation Museum
Thursday 29th – The flight home begins
We would like to thank everyone that has supported us so far. The end is insight but we are not there yet! Please keep the support going! We would not have got this far with out your help!
We look forward to seeing as many of you in Malta as we can.
I’ll post another update soon but keep an eye on the website!
Glenn
By: Snapper - 5th May 2004 at 08:41
Depends how much of it goes to the veterans really. It also depends what thye havce to do. At least CCB, to their credit, don’t expect them to spend too long signing during the day, but it’s still a hell of alot for an octogenarian. Imagine the pain that you can have if you hands are bad – dating back from when you crashed and got burnt in 1944 – and hurt like hell. It’s easy to hold a pen for a while at 30, but it’s not necessarily so easy when you aint!
By: von Perthes - 4th May 2004 at 13:08
£30 for 12 signatures does seem a lot, but…
Is some of this going towards the MoM appeal?
The print I want to get signed (Geoff Nutkins’ ‘Clifftop chase’ depicting the ‘109 ‘white 4’ on display in the BoB display at Duxford) only cost me £35. When you consider that on Geoff’s website, prints signed by 8 BoB pilots sell for around £195, £35 + £30 doesn’t seem so bad for a print with 12 BoB/Malta signatures.
Geoff.
By: EN830 - 4th May 2004 at 08:45
Glenn
Do you think there will be any problem getting the Hurricane fabric signed by the veterans and Muriel Pavlow without incurring costs?
By: Snapper - 4th May 2004 at 06:22
“then someone put it up to £15”. That was Vector with the signing of ‘609 at War’. And I’m not going to say any more on that subject.
“the whole veterans signing thing has become so commercialised”. And that’s from our perspective. You should perhaps hear what some of the veterans think of it. George Jaspis, DFC for example absolutely loathes it. He almost definitely won’t be at Duxford Flying Legends this year with the others because of the whole commercial circus he sees the shows there as being. Many feel that they are really being taken advantage of.
Incidentally, I think it was the Battle of Britain Pilots Association (or something like that) that reccomended its members charged £3 per signature – either to keep or dontae elsewhere if they didn’t want it – to try and keep things to realistic levels as they were starting to get swamped. ‘Bee’ Beamont told me that – actually copied a letter to me about it – and stated that as a wartime AND postwar test pilot he got twice as many requests!
By: Manonthefence - 3rd May 2004 at 19:24
Sadly family commitments mean I cant make the day, I will however be with you in Spirit(s).
I do however have one question for JDK. What are you on and can I have some ??
Simon, hope to see you at Old Warden
By: von Perthes - 3rd May 2004 at 18:31
I have just received the following info from CCB books, regarding the taking of prints etc. to be signed at their stand.
‘There will 2 tables of 6 pilots/aircrew. A charge will be levied per item of £15 per table.
Approx. times will be 10.30 – 12.30 and then 14.30 to 16.00′
Geoff.
By: von Perthes - 3rd May 2004 at 14:23
Cheers Glenn, I’ve emailed CCB re any fee/donation involved for bringing items to sign.
Let’s hope the weather is more like yesterday than today.
It certainly looks like the Forum will be having ‘A grand day out’
By: gdenney - 3rd May 2004 at 13:20
This is the list of attending veterans taken from the CCB website
TONY PICKERING,
BAM BAMBERGER,
KEN WILKINSON,
BASIL STAPLETON,
BOB INNES,
HARRY MOON,
TERRY CLARK,
BILLY DRAKE,
JACK TOOMBS,
JOCE MILLARD,
ALBERT GREGORY
and TOM NEIL
We have recently confirmed that Muriel Pavlow, star of The Malta Story and Reach for the Sky will be attending the event. See the Merlins Over Malta Day webpage for more details and updates.
Glenn
By: von Perthes - 3rd May 2004 at 08:52
Does anyone know which former RAF pilots & aircrew (don’t like that term ‘vets’) will/may be attending, and what the situation is re bringing prints along to be signed?
Geoff.
By: Ashley - 1st May 2004 at 16:23
Hello guys and gals 🙂
V. short note to say hello from a rather wet and cold Devon, hope all is well with you all, looking forward to seeing some of you at Duxford on the 9th :p
Becka x
P.S. Moggy, read your PM, answer yes (probably) but definite answer would have to wait until I get back to Dux
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April 15, 2004 at 9:45 am
