I’m not a pilot so I owe my experiences to others.

Flying in an Army Sioux in 1968, full fuel, three pax, looking for a harbour area in the forest to harbour up my troop overnight. Driver of the airframe came to a hover over a beech forest and tried to move off downwind, up hill, with no ground effect. We fell through the trees. On impact the skids folded up and jammed the doors closed. The handbrake broke, the blades flopped around for ages, the full fibreglass (?) tank popped and fuel splashed over the engine with rather a loud hiss. No explosion followed. Eventually got out through large split in canopy in front of instrument panel. Walked four miles with the driver to nearest German house where he reported in by phone that he was unable to complete the next job as his aircraft was unserviceable. He declined the offer of a REME fitter to repair it and eventually mentioned in passing that it was Cat 5 (or was it cat 1). Anyway, a write off.

Flying in a RAF Comet over Mount Vesuvious at night. It was glowing.

Flying on a hot day in Northern Ireland in a Sioux with no doors on, in shirt sleeve order. Five or six trips up and down the football field in ground effect to try and get some air moving. Eventually got unstuck. At five thousand feet, discovered thunderstorm. Hail hurt (No doors). Roaring with laughter as the Sioux entered a spiral descent as we struggled to put our DPM jackets on.

Stalling in an SF Herc low level over Wales.

A sortie in a Herc during the Falklands when we dropped to the Task Force and were followed (unknown to us; radio silence) by a Russian Bear which eventually flew over us at fifty feet vertical separation, which caused the captain some concern.

A second sortie of about twenty five or six hours. Near the FI we had to hide in a cloud as there was an Argie fighter looking for us. This concentrated ones mind. Later I talked to Sharkey Ward about how he shot down an Argie int-gathering herc. My sympathies and empathy were entirely and completely with the Argie aircrew.

Many of my ilk will have better stories to tell.

It’s certainly WW1 and British but it’s unlikely it could be identified without the drawing number. Are there any letters or numbers stamped on the blade anywhere; and is there any sign of a makers decal anywhere?