The eve of the day of days.

adrian-gray

Thank you……..

You have inspired me. Lost my Mum the other week, gutted. Spend my life trying to cover every angle and do that right thing, look after the pennies….

B@llocks to it…have a couple of weeks off soon….off to classic wings…lets do it !

A delightful postscript yesterday. 2Excel, who run the Blades aerobatic team were using their executive charter aircraft to fly D-Day veterans back from the commemorations in Normandy.

On their return to Sywell, they asked Matt, Paul and I if we would open the Biggles’ Biplane hangar and let them take a look around. An honour. But of course!

There was particular interest in the BE-2 replica and the US Army L-4 Cub under restoration, not to mention a 1932 Austin 7 that had happened by. However they all seemed to politely ignore the Fokker Triplane and Bucker Jungmann!!

Kev35 – a perfect post – very well said indeed sir.

Low and slow – ditto, well done. It is good to hear that Bicester’s links with the past survive – all the more important to support Bomber Command Heritage as they strive against the odds to save the whole site for the eductaion of future generations into that huge part of the wartime sacrifice.

Delighted you had such a memorable flight Adrian. I just realised I missed out on one airfield in Monday night’s quest. Finmere, so including Bicester that makes the hour’s tally a round dozen!

June 6th was spent otherwise, I’m afraid, but on the 5th at long last I took the other half to Duxford, where she’s been wanting to go for years(!). We saw the Airborne Assault collection, marvelled at uniforms belonging to men that a relation had done the laundry for, wondered whether the video showed a jeep being dropped at G***t S******d, and generally enjoyed ourselves.

Low’n’slow, who has had the misfortune of meeting us, will be particularly delighted to hear that I had a total rush of blood to the head over lunch (I’m losing my job, so who knows when I could afford it again?) and went over to Classic Wings to see what was available. As a result we can now both boast that we have flown a Tiger Moth from a Battle of Britain airfield. I grinned so much I think I may have strained my jaw, and she’s much the same as me.

I must confess to a moment of panic as we turned onto the final approach and I suddenly thought “OH God – nervous passenger from hell here – what must I NOT grab if I have a flap?” As it was, I was mesmerised by the grass approaching, and the pilot greased it in as smoothly as you like.

Adrian

Thanks Kev, always enjoy your historical and thought provoking posts when it comes to ww2 anniversaries. God bless our vets!

Not an aviation story I’m afraid but my father went ashore on D-Day +3. He was in the RASC and involved with the PLUTO (pipe-line under the ocean) oil supply system. He said the worst part was going down the scramble nets from his destroyer in to the landing craft which were heaving up and down. If you slipped it was very easy to get crushed between the two ships.
Anyway he got his men ashore and they were all gathered under a rocky outcrop when somebody tapped him on the shoulder and said “Would your blokes like a cuppa”. Surprised, he turned round to be faced by a grinning Salvation Army chap with a big tea urn. He never did find out how he’d got there but it was a pound in the collection for “War Cry” in the pub every Friday when he got back after the war. (Which he did thankfully)

Today and yesterday will never be forgotten by me. I raise my glass to all those who fell to give us the freedom we enjoy today.

I remember most of all my regiment who went before me.

I take out my wings and look at them today with pride. I think how the hell did they live through that!

Paul 178 (ex 2 Para)

‘Utrinque Paratus’