jettisoningjan leeming
wikipedia
(highlighted in red possible connection with the Air Museum)
Born Janet Atkins in Kent, England,[1] and educated at the St. Joseph’s Convent Grammar School, she worked as an actress and presenter in Australia and New Zealand before becoming a well-known face on British television in regional and children’s programmes. After a stint presenting the BBC One afternoon show Pebble Mill at One between 1974 and 1979, she became one of the UK’s best known newsreaders in the 1980s on the same channel for most of the decade, and also hosted the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest.
She has kept a relatively low profile since leaving the newsroom in 1987,[2] with bit parts and one-off specials including as a stand-in newsreader for the Channel 4’s breakfast show The Big Breakfast during the 1990s. Her most recent appearances include one as herself in the film Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?, starring Tom Courtenay, in 1999; and latterly on The Harry Hill Show; So Graham Norton; Lowri; Good Morning Australia; Esther and Through the Keyhole. [B][COLOR=”Red”]At the Barbican she presented the RAF Concert to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain.[/COLOR][/B]Since 2000 much of her time has been spent in corporate work and her longtime passion working with a Cheetah conservation charity in South Africa. She appeared in Safari School, a reality television series, which was first broadcast on BBC Two during January and February 2007.
jettisoningyorkshire post
and it’s here in today’s YORKSHIRE POST too – and the category of airmen is correct this time !
Carving out wartime French connection
Published on Monday 26 December 2011 06:00
DEEP into the Second World War, on Christmas Eve 1944, the festive season was looking bleak for many sick children in hospitals in York.
For the 2,500 French airmen stationed nearby at RAF Elvington, it was also due to be a tough Christmas away from their families back home.
But thanks to a flash of inspiration from Sous Lieutenant Lemarchand, who served as a mechanic in the French Air Force, it turned out to be a happy Christmas in the Yorkshire city.
On December 24, more than 200 toys handcrafted by the airmen using razor blades were delivered to needy children in the city. Working day and night for three days, scraps of waste metal and wood had been transformed into cars, ships and aeroplanes.
The men were spurred on by Sous Lieutenant Lemarchand, who had persuaded his team of mechanics to embark on the project after he saw a charity Christmas tree in York station.
A prize of a bottle of whisky went to the maker of a model Normandie-type liner, which was able to float.
The heartwearming story has recently come into the hands of the Yorkshire Air Museum through a member of a French veterans’ association whose father was an engineer at Elvington. The museum has also discovered that an Elvington resident, John Nicholson, still has one of the toys, given to him as a child.
Museum director Ian Reed said: “These chaps could start with a lump of metal and would create a complete aeroplane exhaust. I’m sure they were doing it with their children in their minds.”
The Frenchmen also had a deep connection with local Yorkshire families and their children. In October this year, a service was held at York Minister commemorating them.
Mr Reed added: “Many of the men based here spent Christmas with Yorkshire families and there is a great strength of feeling towards them still around today.”
jettisoningthe toy makers were MECHANICS not PILOTS !
the makers of these toys were the MECHANICS at elvington – not PILOTS .
(see my original posting from a few days ago . this story was carried by the YORK PRESS !)
again – some reporter not checking facts before printing
and no – i’m not starting another halifax / lancaster argument at this point ! (although both the french squadrons based at elvington flew halifaxes )
jettisoningfrench in york
today in the YORK PRESS
THE French Ambassador to Britain has thanked the people of York for their wartime support following the unveiling a memorial plaque in York Minster to French fighter pilots.
Bernard Emié expressed his gratitude and celebrated the bond between France and the UK in a letter to the Yorkshire Air Museum, following the ceremony and service in October.
He said: “I would like to express my admiration for the 2,000 and more French who, as mechanics, pilots, secretaries and bombardiers, lived here in York during the Second World War and contributed to the allied war effort. Thanks to them and others, my country’s honour remained intact.
“But, quite obviously, I’m also grateful to the people of York, past and present, and Britain as a whole. On behalf of the French people, I want to express my country’s gratitude to you, the British people, for your support back then and for your welcome today. Yesterday, as today, we fought together, in the air, as well as on land and sea.”
More than 2,000 French airmen were based at Elvington during 1944 and 1945. Among their first missions was the bombing of their own country in preparation for the Normandy invasion. Half of all French aircrew perished during bombing operations, particularly over the Ruhr and Berlin.
Ian Richardson, of the Yorkshire Air Museum, said: “It is something that the Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial can be justifiably proud of, having been the instigator of the idea and the driver of the event as it gathered momentum. However, the event would not have come to fruition if the project had not received the wholehearted support of the City of York and our tourism and business community. A great sense of civic honour for the city has been achieved and we can all take great pride in the words of the French Ambassador.”
jettisoningWW2 airfield buildings
1. BRITISH AIRFIELD BUILDINGS OFTHE SECOND WORLD WAR – Graham Buchan Innes Midland Publishing Ltd ISBN 1 85780 026 5
(in the AVIATION POCKET GUIDE SERIES)
profusely illustrated but no measurements
2. BRITISH MILITARY AIRFIELD ARCHITECTURE – Paul Francis Patrick Stephens Ltd ISBN 185260 462 X
a much more scholarly book – plenty of pics but also plans and dimensions etc
jettisoningHALIFAX LW383
several published sources are / have been available in the UK :-
1. THE HALIFAX FILE – RN Roberts – which gives allocation histories , dates delivered etc (eg LW383 was initially allocated to 420 RCAF Squadron and would have flown from Dalton and/or Tholthorpe)
2. ‘578 SQ OPERATIONS 1944-45’ – Chuck Adams DFM (air gunner who flew ops with 578 Sq)
3. ‘BASED AT BURN’ (Burn being where 578 sq was located) – Hugh Caudron
i don’t know what sort of details your friend might want to use –
578 Sq contribution – 24 aircraft
target – the OPEL works at RUSSELSHEIM – V1 and V2 parts being manufactured
main force – 191 Lancasters (13 failed to return) , 96 Halifaxes (7 FTR including TWO from 578 Sq ) and 10 Mosquitos
so there is plenty of material – i have the mentioned published sources so i will gladly give further information
jettisoningHALIFAX LW383
several published sources are / have been available in the UK :-
1. THE HALIFAX FILE – RN Roberts – which gives allocation histories , dates delivered etc (eg LW383 was initially allocated to 420 RCAF Squadron and would have flown from Dalton and/or Tholthorpe)
2. ‘578 SQ OPERATIONS 1944-45’ – Chuck Adams DFM (air gunner who flew ops with 578 Sq)
3. ‘BASED AT BURN’ (Burn being where 578 sq was located) – Hugh Caudron
i don’t know what sort of details your friend might want to use –
578 Sq contribution – 24 aircraft
target – the OPEL works at RUSSELSHEIM – V1 and V2 parts being manufactured
main force – 191 Lancasters (13 failed to return) , 96 Halifaxes (7 FTR including TWO from 578 Sq ) and 10 Mosquitos
so there is plenty of material – i have the mentioned published sources so i will gladly give further information
jettisoningYork and France remember the fallen with Minster ceremony
it happened today
as reported in the YORK PRESS
THE heads of the French and British airfattended a moving service at York Minster to commemorate the sacrifice of French Airmen based in the city during the Second World War.
Air force chief General Jean Paul Palomeros and RAF head Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton were among 1,600 dignitaries, veterans and guests to attend the inauguration of a memorial at York Minster in honour of thousands of French airmen who were based in Elvington.
Later, crowds gathered outside the Minster to watch an Anglo/French flypast of planes including a Battle of Britain Lancaster Bomber.
Speaking at the service, Reverend Group Captain Nick Berry said: “This memorial is a testimony to their iron resolve, to their bravery, to their love of their homeland and to their willingness to take a stand against the darkness that threatened to engulf their home land.”
It is the first French war memorial to be housed in an English cathedral, officials said.
The 346 Guyenne and 347 Tunisie French Air Force squadrons of Royal Air Force Bomber Command were the only French Air Force heavy bomber squadrons of the allied air forces during the war – based at RAF Elvington near York.
More than 2,000 French airmen were based at Elvington during 1944 and 1945. Amongst their first missions was the bombing of their own country in preparation for the Normandy invasion.
Half of all French aircrew perished during bombing operations, particularly in the Ruhr and Berlin.
To mark the 66th anniversary of the French heavy bomber squadrons leaving Elvington to return to liberated France, nine Elvington veterans, now in their eighties and nineties, and their families have returned to York to represent their comrades.
Pauline Bogaert, whose late husband Jean served in Elvington, said about the service: “It was most touching. I can’t find words to express what I feel.
“The English and French were together as we were 66 years ago. Unfortunately my husband is not here but we feel that he is still with us today.”
jettisoningYork says Vive la France one more time
in today’s YORK PRESS
ARMAND Vergne and Jean Caillet were aged only 20 when they came to Elvington to play their part in the fight against Nazi Germany.
They were among 3,500 Frenchmen who lived in York and fought alongside the RAF and who paid a heavy price for their courage – half of the men were killed in battle, many in missions in Germany.
Now in their late 80s, Armand and Jean yesterday joined a party of nine Elvington veterans and their families, who returned to York as part of a week to commemorate the role of French airmen in York in the Second World War.
Speaking on the specially arranged East Coast train as they travelled to York, the two friends said they remember their time in the city as one of the most important of their lives.
Jean said: “It’s very moving to return to York. It was a very special part of our lives and that has remained in our minds. We were about 20, it was an adventure.
“I was very pleased to be in England. I had read English before. I could read Shakespeare, but I could not call a taxi.
“The war was terrible, but they were the best years of my life. It’s funny to say that.”
Both Armand and Jean remember the friendships made with local people and even romances between the servicemen and local women.
Armand said: “I met women everywhere – dancing, at parties with friends. We were lucky because we had the French uniform, there were many successes.”
The aftermath of war brought into sharp clarity both the tragedies and happiness of their time in Elvington, for navigation instrument technician Jean even more so, as he returned to France to find that none of his family had survived the Nazis’ concentration camps.
They said they both found that little was known in their home country about the sacrifices made by French airmen serving in England.
Jean said: “The French did not know what happened during the war. Elvington is seldom talked about – nobody knows. We are pleased this event is happening.”
After leaving the train the group headed to Bettys for tea – a well known haunt for the airmen stationed in York. The tearoom has a huge picture mirror on which are engraved the names of 600 young airmen, many of whom died on operational missions.
Earlier in the day, a Hurricane was stationed in St Sampson’s Square as part of the French in York Week. For a list of events, visit yorkshireairmuseum.org
A wartime photo showing just how well thought of Bettys was in those days !
jettisoninglancaster ????? friday the 13th !!!!
ahem !!!!
having ‘browsed’ through aspects of this interesting site i have noted the following error !!
item 984
AVRO. Lancaster with crew and “Friday the 13th Dec DFM”. Photograph, 9 x 14 cm.
this is actually the very well known photograph of HALIFAX LV907 NP-F at Lissett taken 02 08 1944 !
not a LANCASTER at all !
jettisoningGordon Carter RCAF 35 Squadron
gordon carter was featured as an evader .
the commentary indicated his HALIFAX was shot down in BRITTANY in SEPTEMBER 1942
several photographs of carter and halifax a/c were included
can anyone give me the serial number of this particular a/c ? i’m not meeting with much success at present with the 1942 volume of BCL
the 1943 BCL Losses p459 lists F/O GHF Carter RCAF as an evader
i have tracked down references to gordon carter in Bill Grierson’s WE BAND OF BROTHERS (J&KH Publishing ISBN 1 9000511 89 4) p202 which includes references to the same items mentioned in the documentary – the young lady – and the evasion in a fishing boat – but no mention of which particular halifax or specific date .
there is a tantalising mention in grierson’s text to JC ‘Tommy’ Thomas as pilot – and to a photograph of ‘tail gunner Bill Freeman’s body’ .
anyone able to assist further ?
jettisoningGordon Carter RCAF 35 Squadron
gordon carter was featured as an evader .
the commentary indicated his HALIFAX was shot down in BRITTANY in SEPTEMBER 1942
several photographs of carter and halifax a/c were included
can anyone give me the serial number of this particular a/c ? i’m not meeting with much success at present with the 1942 volume of BCL
the 1943 BCL Losses p459 lists F/O GHF Carter RCAF as an evader
i have tracked down references to gordon carter in Bill Grierson’s WE BAND OF BROTHERS (J&KH Publishing ISBN 1 9000511 89 4) p202 which includes references to the same items mentioned in the documentary – the young lady – and the evasion in a fishing boat – but no mention of which particular halifax or specific date .
there is a tantalising mention in grierson’s text to JC ‘Tommy’ Thomas as pilot – and to a photograph of ‘tail gunner Bill Freeman’s body’ .
anyone able to assist further ?
jettisoningHalifax JB912
i’ve had this for some time from the Air War Over Denmark site
Halifax II JB918 crashed in the North Sea off Holland 27/4 1943.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 102 Sqn. Bomber Command and was coded DY-T.
T/O 00:41 Pocklington. OP: Duisburg.
JB918 crashed in the North Sea killing all onboard. It is believed that this was the Halifax claimed by Unteroffizier Georg Kraft of 12./NJG 3 in Plan Quadrat 4482 H5 in See at 04:29 hours.
Pilot Sgt Ames G. Grainger RCAF rests in Vlieland General Cemetery, Holland.
Flt. Engr Sgt Frederick G. Harris and W/Op Sgt William A. Willis have no known graves and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial while Navigator Sgt Kenneth Oatridge, Air Bomber Sgt William Foley and Air Gnr. Sgt Howard Beck all rests in Texel Cemetery in Holland.
The body of Air Gnr. Sgt Thomas A. Wells was found washed ashore in Beach area 1a at Søgaard Forstrand by Police Constable Kristensen on 24/6 at 12:15 hours. He informed Assistent Receiver of Wrecks Sillesen who in turn informed the Police station in Ringkøbing. The police inspected the body and Truppenführer Springer, Küstwache in Nymindegab was called for. The body was taken to Esbjerg by the Wehrmacht and laid to rest in Fovrfelt cemetery, Esbjerg on 29/6-1943.
jettisoningHalifax JB912
i’ve had this for some time from the Air War Over Denmark site
Halifax II JB918 crashed in the North Sea off Holland 27/4 1943.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 102 Sqn. Bomber Command and was coded DY-T.
T/O 00:41 Pocklington. OP: Duisburg.
JB918 crashed in the North Sea killing all onboard. It is believed that this was the Halifax claimed by Unteroffizier Georg Kraft of 12./NJG 3 in Plan Quadrat 4482 H5 in See at 04:29 hours.
Pilot Sgt Ames G. Grainger RCAF rests in Vlieland General Cemetery, Holland.
Flt. Engr Sgt Frederick G. Harris and W/Op Sgt William A. Willis have no known graves and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial while Navigator Sgt Kenneth Oatridge, Air Bomber Sgt William Foley and Air Gnr. Sgt Howard Beck all rests in Texel Cemetery in Holland.
The body of Air Gnr. Sgt Thomas A. Wells was found washed ashore in Beach area 1a at Søgaard Forstrand by Police Constable Kristensen on 24/6 at 12:15 hours. He informed Assistent Receiver of Wrecks Sillesen who in turn informed the Police station in Ringkøbing. The police inspected the body and Truppenführer Springer, Küstwache in Nymindegab was called for. The body was taken to Esbjerg by the Wehrmacht and laid to rest in Fovrfelt cemetery, Esbjerg on 29/6-1943.
jettisoningOperation ‘Veracity I’
this operation is quite well documented :
german warships SCHARNHORST & GNEISENAU
RAF Bomber Command involvement :
18 Halifax a/c 4Group (largest Halifax force to date) – 1 FTR
18 Stirling a/c 3 Group – 4 FTR
11 Manchester a/c 5 Group – 1 FTR
These are actual losses – as opposed to crashes on return to UK
Accounts contain references to ‘vics’ of a/c
‘Bomber Squadron – Men Who Flew With XV’ MR Ford-Jones p50/52
“XV Sq (Wyton) detailed 9 Stirlings which took off just before 10.00 led by W/Cdr PB Ogilvie , the squadron CO . Once airborne they formed themselves into 3 vic formations and headed towards St Ives , near Wyton , where they were to rendezvous with nine 7 Sq a/c from Oakington .
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