Whirlwind Film Documentary Being Made?

Great information

I found this thread through Jim Munro who I came across through my own interest in the Whirlwind. I didn’t know he was producing a film on this wonderful aircraft (he kept quiet about that) though very glad to hear it as I too felt that it was important to remember it, save for posperity the thoughts of those few pilots who remain and equally importantly record the aircraft’s merits as the work of one of the great aircraft designers of the era and how it influenced his later and greater designs. I can now allow Jim to create the documentary it deserves.

My own interest apart from the love of a beautiful and technically advanced aircraft that could have achieved so much more had it been developed, is to produce profiles and paintings of the aircraft and relating those to specific pilots where possible. If anyone has good images or additional information especially relating to decals and details that could be useful to this end then I would love to hear from you.

Stuart
www.screenworx.net

Re buried Whirly

Has anyone down Yeovil way got access to council records , ?? If they find an order for removal of remains then that will close that chapter.
Jim Munro is in negotiations with a possible sponsor for his documentary, so fingers crossed eh’

I have been in contact with Jim Munro regarding the buried P7048. Yes it was reduced to produce ,and what wasn’t recyclable was buried. The local council complained and it was disposed of. End of story

Hi
I have heard many variations the story how it is not there anymore, i have been luckily able to see a photo of the a/c before it was buried.( sorry not allowed to post it…)
As it was engine less, etc, I can’t see how any contaminants were in the ground.
cheers
jerry

I found some spare time this afternoon and have transcribed the BBC recording of my Uncle Tom desribing the aerodrome attacks. I have posted as a new thread here;

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1497754#post1497754

I hope some might find this of interest.

Regards

Anthony

Paul,

I would be obliged, thank you. Please e-mail me at [email]apugh@o2.co.uk[/email].

I think I will transcribe the recording of Uncle Tom giving an account of the raid on Lannion if this might be of interest to Forum members.

Thanks again.

Cheers

Anthony

Hi Anthony

You are most welcome. I have a copy of a 263 Squadron group photo taken in early 1942 when Tom was the Sqdn Ldr that I’d be happy to provide you with a digital copy.

Paul

Foden very interesting NiallC

Thanks for that info Niall C, I had a feeling there was something amiss when reading a 2004 report from G Foden saying that the Whirlwind was unstable and NOT (Quote) liked by the pilots. It all becomes clear now. I will pass that on to Jim.

Hi Stuart

I’ll be honest and say that I am assuming that the Pathe footage is part of the unedited footage taken by the Movietone crew as mentioned in my earlier post. Like all of us I’d love to know if the rest of the footage is still ‘out there’. As to whether the 25 minutes of footage actually made it into one of those Movietone Newsreels I have no idea.

The ground based footage was taken at Warmwell in November 1942 as one of the RAAF pilots I’m researching, Frank Hicks, is in the footage in the Pathe clip. Frank was KIFA in Feb. 1943. As for the Air-to-Air shots I’m not sure of the date on which they were taken.

Do you, or does anyone else, know if there was cine footage taken of 137 Squadron when the press visited them in early March 1943?

Paul

Hi Paul, now your confusing me…:confused:

Movietone, 25 minutes of unedited footage, what happened to that then?

Also something I’ve always thought as odd, did Westlands not ever take any film of their Whirlwind, seems strange not to do so…

Jerry, did you get much responce from your letter of request for information, photo’s from the people of Yeovil?

Stuart…

Paul,

Thanks for this. Particularly good one in flying helmet in front of aircraft. One or two of the images seem to ring bells, not sure if my father already has them or if they have been used in previous publications. Might well order a print or two if my father doesn’t have them.

I know my father has some WW2 photos of his own and I will ask if he is prepared to share these.

Thanks again for the tip.

Cheers

Anthony

i have been trying to think ,it may have been a Wessex ,not Whirlwind ,could have been 20 years ago at one of the old RAF Henlow show,s ,they had some good Airshows at Henlow years back ,i guess i have made a fool of myself ,in future i will think more carefully before putting a posting on here

Terry

Join the happy band, I’m another one

Anthony

ww2images.com has a lovely photograph of your uncle Tom.

Paul

Morning/Evening Gents

With respect to the Pathe footage you may find the following from 263 Sqdns ORB useful:

No.263 SQUADRON – NOVEMBER 1942

The month of November was the second during 1942 that was totally free from any accidents of any kind.

WARMWELL
1st. – 5th.
Frontal weather with low cloud, rain and mist. Occasional flying only. No first solo’s or Operations.

4th.
Two British Movietone News camera-men arrived to photograph the Squadrons activities, obstensibly for South American (‘Bellows Club’) comsumption. Their Beaufort photographic aircraft did not arrive, so they had to be content with photographing the line of Whirlwinds and Squadron personnel, shot from the back of ‘A’ Flights van. It was a murky, cold afternoon. S/L Alcott of 10 Group acted as Liaison Officer, the arrangement for the photographing of the Squadron having been made by the Air Ministry.

11th.
Flawless blue day. Some excellent looking low attacks and formations were flown in the morning by F/L Warnes, F/O Lovell, F/S Abrams and Sgt Wright, for Movietone News. However, even after the weeks postponement the camera Beaufort had not yet arrived. A security lecture by S/L Wallich of Fighter Command was attended by 25% of the Squadrons personnel. In the afternoon, Air Vice Marshall W.F. Dickson CB DSO OBE AFC, who has recently been appointed AOC No.10 Group, paid his first official visit to RAF Warmwell, The AOC honoured both ‘A’ and ‘B’ Flights of this Squadron by a visit to their dispersals.

14th.
4 Whirlwinds went to Harrowbeer in order to release 175 Squadron. Today the camera Beaufort did arrive, but permission to use it had now been withdrawn by the Air Ministry. It is regretted by the Squadron that the cine-film programme could not be completed by the making of air to air photographs.

No.263 SQUADRON – FEBRUARY 1943

10th.
Departure of ‘B’ Flight by rail and air to Fairwood Common.
1000. Arrival of Movietone News Photographers escorted by S/L Allcott, PAO 10 Group, also an Air Ministry Photographic Beaufort from PRU Benson. However, cloud was too low for flying on this day. Security talks in connection with Squadron movements given to all available personnel on this and previous day.

No.263 SQUADRON – JUNE 1943

15th
Showing (at last) of the Movietone News Film of the Squadrons activities. This version lasted for 25 minutes and is unedited. It is clear that an interesting film can be made of this material.

No.263 SQUADRON – AUGUST 1943

13th.
First light uneventful Shipping Recce. The 8 pilots who took part in the Vrac’h Operation, together with the Adjutant and Intelligence Officer, were filmed by British Movietone News. S/L E.R. Baker DFC described the Operation for sound recording. Night flying was cancelled because of low cloud.

So the material in the Pathe footage is from the dates mentioned above. I have identified most of the pilots shown if people are interested.

Sorry Soggy, S/Ldr E.R. Baker is not in the Pathe footage but was probably at 263 Sqdn on 15/6/43 when the Movietone footage was first shown to the squadron.

If needed I have names and addresses for quite a few of the surviving Whirlie pilots. (I haven’t updated it since early 2007 though).

Paul

[QUOTEAlso has anyone heard of a Whirly pilot by the name of Glynn ( Dick ) Foden ? If so is he still about ?[/QUOTE]

Hi
Glynn Foden was posted in to 263 Squadron on 25 Jan 41. From the squadron ORB he does not appear to have flown the Whirlwind operationally. It’s possible that he never flew it at all – for whatever reason many pilots were posted in from Hurricane OTUs, had no twin-engined experience and were converted to twins using the squadron’s Oxford. Thus a long delay between arrival on the squadron and first Whirlwind solo – let alone ops.

263 ORB (and Filton ORB) confirm that Sgt Pilot Foden was remustered to ACH. G.D in classification of AC2 effective 29/05/41. Interesting.

HTH

NiallC

Thanks Shed Man, PM received.

I will drop Jim an initial contact e-mail and see where we go from there. I am sure my father will be fascinated to hear of this project.

Thanks for your help.

Cheers

Anthony

Thanks Anthony and Soggy

Thanks for all your input you chaps. Jim really appreciates it.
I have sent you another E mail Anthony so you can go direct to the man

I’m looking forward to next year Whirlies are go !!

Anthony – I think this must be the occasion of the movie clip at Pathe, from Wing Commander Baker’s letter, little over half-way down the page:

http://www.eregbaker.info/ww2_1943.htm

…where he relates with some glee and pride the visit of the ‘Movie-tone news people’ after the Squadron’s successful attack on e-boats and armed trawlers at L’aber Wrac’h.

I never knew that those Whirlwinds were used so effectively in the ground attack role.

Soggy,

Pleasure, great site isn’t it. There is more Whirlwind stuff here if you haven’t seen it already http://www.eregbaker.info/index.htm including a couple of Warmwell pics.

Sadly the Pathe clip was filmed after my uncle was posted from 263 in February 1942.

Cheers

Anthony

Ah, thank you Anthony – an excellent site about 263 and from the Operations book, 12th July 1943:

Squadron moved by lorry and air to Warmwell. The Squadron is again accomodated in the comfortable and convenient dispersal huts in KNIGHTON WOOD with 3055 Echelon alongside it. There are now for the first time three operational Squadrons at WARMWELL.

The wood seen in the Pathe clip is I think Knighton Wood, where in the 1970’s I spent many happy hours exploring the remains of the airfield and the emplacements in the woods.

Soggy

Soggy,

If you have a look at the website dedicated to 263 Squadron (link given in my earlier e-mail) this gives a detailed history. It could certainly be Warmwell from the chronology indicated.

Cheers

Anthony