Snafu – you are not exactly the target market for the film.

Now as to whether the granddaughter of Rob68 comes to the same conclusion – maybe you could compare notes with her!!

hampden98 – whilst I agree with your comments about Rik Mayall he died in 2014, not 2015 – 9 June 2014 to be exact – this year the daily mirror highlighted the fact that he had died intestate and left his family with a huge tax bill http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/rik-mayalls-family-face-huge-5556336

cheers

Allan

Thanks for the feedback Tony

cheers

Allan

130 (Punjab) Squadron at Kristiansand/Norway – June 1945

Hello FB

I have the 130 (Punjab) Squadron ORB for that period, what would you like me to look for? – 130 had been with 125 Wing from 30 September 1944 at B.70 Antwerp/Deurne until the end of the European war at B118 Celle, and had, as the senior squadron – in length of time – in the Wing, hoped to go to B.160 Kastrup/Copenhagen – however, it was not to be.

125 Wing was reorganised as a composite Wing (OC G/Cptn J E Johnson / WingCo Ops George Keefer), and whilst 41 Squadron (Spitfire XIV) was retained, 130 (Spitfire XIV) returned to the UK, 350 (Belgian) Squadron (Spitfire XIV) was posted away for 6 weeks to B.152 Fassberg, and in came 486 RNZAF squadron with Tempest V’s from B.150 Hustedt, and 137 Squadron with the Typhoon 1B from B.156 Luneburg. 130 took over Spitfire IXB’s at B.152 Fassberg from 411 Squadron RCAF on 7 May ’45, returned to the UK, and moved to Kristiansand on 20 June 1945, moving around various Norwegian bases.

“Spitfire against the odds” by Ronnie Ashman has a few photos of 130 Squadron pilots and ground-crew at Kristiansand, and the building in the background of your picture appears to match that in one of his pictures. As an aside – Ronnie Ashman delivered Spitfire XIVe MV268 from 83 Group Support Unit which was taken over by JEJ.

Any chance of a copy of the pilots photo at all please – you can reach me at allan(dot)hillman(at)btinternet(dot)com

cheers

Allan

Hello Laurence

72 squadron (RN), were not in Norway – they were in Italy and Austria by this period – however, 130 (Punjab) Squadron were in Norway in from June 1945 (code AP – but it does not look like AP) with Spitfire IXb’s, having handed back their Spitfire XIV’s just after they left 125 Wing in May ’45.

19 squadron (QV) were not in Norway either – and had changed from Spitfire IX to Mustang III (then Mustang IV) in January 1944.

Allan

Was on this forum in 2010:

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?104871-Spitfire-stops-play-just-not-cricket! – but 1959, not the previous year

I lived in Orpington then, and it was a big talking point at the time.

Allan

Certainly did Charlie – the BBC are showing a programme on the 28th about the funeral, as it is a weekday I have no idea why they don’t put it on the correct day(!!), and I am hoping that as the procession passes St. Clement Danes I might just see myself, or others that I worked with in those far off days – on a different tack, a few months earlier when Harold Wilson won the October 1964 general election I was working nights and the Daily Mirror building was putting up a searchlight each time a seat was won, eventually all we could see were red lights, so we knew who had won!!

Back in 1966 we also watched the World Cup football matches that were showing on TV’s in the same STC building, without sound of course was we were out in the street, but it made no difference!!

Allan

was this news long distance information !?

Saw him twice in the seventies in London – about the time of “my ding a ling” – fabulous, and good to see him still rocking.

Allan