My two fave things – Spitfire and beer – all combined!

Airborne Drays

In his book “Typhoon Pilot” Desmond Scott mentions his Typhoon wing doing a similar run with beer being ferried to Europe in the long range fuel tanks slung under a Typhoon’s wings – the liquid refreshment was well received at the temporary airstrip in France though he notes the beer acquired a “metallic taste”.

He also mentions a trip where he flew back to UK from France with his gun bays stuffed full of bottles of recently liberated champagne, but that many of the bottles blew their corks en route due to the vibration and altitude :(.

Paul F

The one veteran that comes visiting each year from the Aleutian islands campaign said he did a flight once with the drop tank fitted on his hurricane filled full of booze. Almost his first and last when it gasped for fuel on final. For the most part though the ground crew consumed the alchol from the instruments as that area was under a complete alchol ban during the war.

In Tony Jonsson´s book, Dances in the Skyes, he is quite clear about the bear runs. He was with 65 squadrons on Mustangs from early spring 1944 and did the more or less the complete European Campaign. He said they cleaned out a couple of drop tanks and made “bear runs” to Manston (IIRC). The “bear runs” were once a week and were alternated between the pilots of the squadron. He hated the “bear runs” as the whole squadron would be out watching the landing, and if you made a bad one, and the tanks dropped off the wing, you were the most hated man in the squadron for a week!!

He was also with 111 squadron in North Africa, one of the first Spitfire squadrons to land at Masion Blance. He saw the North African Campaign to more or less it´s conclusion. On the subject of alcohol, he said the squadron had a couple of “sourcers”, men good at getting something from the land. He said they never ran out of red wine from local people. He call it, in Icelandic, Grugg, which is not a very flattering word!!!

The reference to Henty and Constable of Chichester rings a bell, yes: the brewery long since gone.

I guess this form of beer delivery would be termed by CAMRA as “gravity dispense”?

452 and 457 Squadrons used to carry the good ale in the ammo bins of the spits up at the top end defending Darwin,not while in combat of course.

Brilliant information. 😀 You learn something new every day.

I’ve seen that torpedo picture before, but do not recall where. Damn.

The underlining text to this image says the Norwegians often did this to bring beer to the continent after D-Day and even cracks a joke about how the beer is nice and cold by the time of arrival!

Apparently this was a quite common occurrence in North Africa (when they could obtain the beer of course?)

It is a publicity shot of Johnson’s Spitfire MK329 called Junior (sometimes the serial is given as MJ329). It was his spare Spitfire which he seldom flew, being used by him, it seems, for commuting between airfields. It was coded JEJ JR, the JR in smaller letters and underlined. Photo of it here http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/ISL/Water%20Mark%20Decals/48001-48010/48003/WM48003.htm

At the time Johnson’s real Spitfire was MK392, and yes, the two do get confused. A very rare photo of MK392 here:

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/ISL/Water%20Mark%20Decals/48001-48010/48004/WM48004.htm

Note the Js on these two Spitfires have flat bottoms not rounded ones. This is a mistake often made by those that like to draw profiles as well as adding maple leaf badges that are not there in the photographs.

There are other photos with the kegs, one on the ground and a close up of the keg and pylon, in Morgan and Shacklady.

I don’t think the beer delivery stunt was supposed to be taken seriously but when you put and idea into people’s heads….

There is a photograph of the Norwegians filling a specially adapted torpedo tank with ‘joy juice’ and Mr Matusiak has a photo in one of his books of a fitter attaching what looks like the tip of an American drop tank to the front of a beer barrel to make it more streamlined.

The best online source I can find suggests Henty and Constable of Chichester, who are in fact long gone. However I haven’t a clue what context it is in, as I can’t read Polish and can’t see the relevance to Polish seamen!

http://plu96.nazwa.pl/forum/printview.php?t=4941&start=0&sid=850870b307b06456d5320425156f16fb

Make sense of that one…

Adrian

I think the name of the brewery may have been mentioned in Johnnie Johnson’s book (?Spitfire Ace), published back in the 1950’s. I’ve got a copy at home somewhere, and if I get time may look it up!

I could suggest it was Shepherd Neame and that the beer was ‘Spitfire’, but I’m sure it was supplied at the time by Hall and Woodhouse of Badger Beer fame.

Aha, the Modification XXX Depth Charge – in flight! Looks to be a genuine photo as well, I don’t recall seeing this, though I’ve seen one of the “charges” mounted under the wing whilst on the ground.

Anyone remember the brewery? I’m sure I remember that it was what would now be called an Independent, and was still about relatively recently, but as for where I got that or the name of the brewery…

Adrian