Wellington book

Hi Steve
I have parts of Wards Wellington and a booklet that was written by a member of the Severnside Aviation Society Allan White of the Wellingtons final flight, if you are interested I can send you copies of the booklet and photos of the items recovered
Ian

Yes please Dave!

Hi Steve, there are not many No. 75 Squadron guys still alive who were on Wellingtons, but are you aware of Jack ‘Wakey’ Wakefield? He was a rear gunner on the Wellington from 1940 with No. 75 Squadron, and he later went to North Africa with, from memory, No. 37 Squadron. He has some great stories. He is still in the Blenheim, NZ, phone listings. I met him two years ago and although very poor in the eyesight department everything else was sharp then. if you want I can PM more details.

Thanks Julian, private message sent.

DWI – still trying to chase up my scatty aunt-in-law!

… She flew Wellingtons????

😀

Hi Steve

i have an Air Gunners Log book and some photos relating to 75 Squadron Wellintons.

happy to copy for you.

Julian.

Thanks chaps.

The response to my appeal for contacts with veterans for my forthcoming Wellington book has been tremendous – thanks everyone. I still have a few gaps:

DW.I – anyone out there?
Transport ops – ditto
French Navy
75(NZ) Sqn

Thanks as always

Steve

DWI – still trying to chase up my scatty aunt-in-law!

PM sent re the Kiwis, Steve.

Mind slip on my part – sorry…. indeed it was that (in?)famous Vulcanologist Roly Falk who had the misfortune to drop in, in a Wellington! My father was due to fly in it that day but was hauled off at the last minute for something else. Although he was in the Viking prototype crash on June 22nd 1946 when he and several others scrambled out of the wreckage in a hurry.

Regarding that last T10, I think I am correct in saying it was refurbished at Wisley, possibly was not flown again. Then went to the Nash Collection, stored at London Airport (later Heathrow) , but was not on show at the Royal Aeronautical Society Garden Party at Wisley in September 1956 although the rest of the collection was there on that Sunday.

Concerning Mutt Summers, I think maybe a grand daughter lived about ten years ago in the Guildford area. Good luck with the book it will fill a big gap!

Mind slip on my part – sorry…. indeed it was that (in?)famous Vulcanologist Roly Falk who had the misfortune to drop in, in a Wellington! My father was due to fly in it that day but was hauled off at the last minute for something else. Although he was in the Viking prototype crash on June 22nd 1946 when he and several others scrambled out of the wreckage in a hurry.

Regarding that last T10, I think I am correct in saying it was refurbished at Wisley, probably was not flown. Then went to the Nash Collection, stored at London Airport (later Heathrow) , but was not on show at the Royal Aeronautical Society Garden Party at Wisley in September 1956 although the rest of the collection was there on that Sunday.

Concerning Mutt Summers, I think maybe a grand daughter lived about ten years ago in the Guildford area. Good luck with the book it will fill a big gap!

Wellington

Hi Forumites

“Shorty” Longbottom was killed in the crash of Warwick PN778 on the 6th January 1945; the crash of the Wellington referred to by R6915 was that of LN817, flown by W/C “Roly” Falk on the 5th July 1946.

The last flight in the UK of a Wellington was that of MF628 (she of the “Dambusters” film and now of the RAF Museum) on the 25th January 1955. The last flight of a Wellington anywhere is possibly by one of two French Air Force Wellingtons based in Morocco, which took place later in 1955 – a couple of pictures in an Air Britain magazine show two pretty airworthy examples of the type taken in that year…

I agree that no definitive account of “Mutt” Summers flying activities exists, although I am working on it…..

Incidently Steve, we have at the Museum copies of the logbooks of many of the Vickers test-pilots, including Handasyde, Lucke, Longbottom, Lowdell, as well as “Mutt” Summers. I am also working on getting Mutt’s brother Maurice’s logbook, also a test pilot at Vickers if you are interested in information..

Hope this is of interest
Regards
Andy Wis at Brooklands

Just a suggestion, don’t overlook the investigation / development work that Vickers did with the Wellington. Wisley airfield in the late forties and early fifties used several including, it was rumoured two that were fitted with reverse pitch props.

Gossip had it that one of those fell out of the sky when the props went fully reverse in six seconds instead of the designed for fifteen. Shorty Longbottom rumored to have been the unfortunate pilot.

At around the same time there were photos taken, possibly by Vickers staff, of the Wisley apron showing Wellingtons (in silver thus presumably T10’s) with Vikings and prototype Viscount 648(?) on the apron. Somewhere I have a copy showing the Viscount with a couple of silver Wellington tails in the background.

Your enquiry also prompts a question, why has a biography of Mutt Summers never appeared in print?

DavF68,

Yes please, that would be great.

Many thanks

My wife’s aunt is a journalist who some years ago interviewed an ex-RAF pilot who flew DWI Wellingtons in the Middle East for their local paper. – I’ll ask her if she still has the transcript if you are interested.

Not forgetting he did a shed load more hours on tin Wellingtons, Varsitys & Valettas post war 😀

I forgot that he was that involved with the type!:o

Ah missed this (Thanks Pagey) yeah, Dad flew one raid to Essen from the OTU at Morten in The Marsh, before ferrying a Wellington to Cairo then going on to join 36Sqn in India, ultimatley ending up back in North Africa at Blida. Afterwards he was an instructor in Palestine before being demobbed.

If you need more info etc fire me a PM.

Dave,

Yes please for those post-war photos, I will send you a private message with my email address.

Thanks and regards

Steve

This sounds like it will be a great book, and looking forward to reading the end result.
Be great to see Coastal and post-war use of the Wellington get the coverage that it deserves.

Dr Strangelove on here, his father was on Wimpeys in N.Africa, hopefully he will see this and be able to help in some way.