Just did some googling on Ben Lee. Came across a German dive site referring to a 262 Squadron Catalina going down and the crew being rescued. It mentions Pilot Ben Lee being burned.

http://www.taucher-net.de/aktuell.html?only=688

Coincidence?

Translation as follows:

Antisubmarine aircraft found
Adjusted of oli to 15.07.2003
In the delta of a protected area in South Africa, the St.Lucia lake, an oiling anchor ran due to in the last year. Over the lake against a possible oil pollution to protect short hand became the delta the lake with soil verfuellt.Im course of the high temperatures in this year evaporated the water in the lake the largest part and let diver the wreck of an airplane of the Royal air Force in the shallow water area rediscover. It served in 2. World war of the hunt for submarines operating in the Indian ocean and belonged to the 262nd RAF Squadron. This was equipped with water airplanes of the type Consolidted Catalina PBY Ib and used the lake as airport. On 25 June 1943 Flight Officer Fred N.C. White of the St.Lucia lake with the Catalina H (identification FP 265) started around submarine patrol over the ship convoy WP 30 to fly. From an unsettled cause the machine with a Kookaburra emblem on the nose exploded when taking off. In the explosion place on the water 1,460 gallons flugbenzin burned out with a dreadful heat development. Nevertheless a life raft approached, whose attendant jumped into the crocodile-contaminated lake and in the middle out of the inferno the sergeant, flight engineer and 3.Piloten Ben Lee saved from Highgate, London. Differently than its thickly Cork as well as Sergeant Trevor bar ring clay/tone Ben Lee with heavy burns outlived crew comrade, the Australians Flight Sergeant Lane, Sergeant franc Sody, Sergeant Ron Jenkins and the Englishmen Sergeant Mills, Sergeant.
Seawaters and the tooth of the time added to the wreck, the individual building groups however still are in a remarkably good condition.

Not sure what to make of it, but when I saw this Ben Lee being burned and the original mention of the guy in the photo having been burned, I figured it was worth adding to the discussion

Dan

Here’s a postwar 79th Fighter Squadron, 20th FG Mustang based Stateside.

I haven’t forgotten you Martin 🙂

Just been busy. I’ll get the others on the way

Dan

….glanced up to see Pilot Officer Johnson enter the room.

“I hear they can teach monkeys to fly. Maybe that’s why they’re going after the zoo.Trying to tap into our manpower reserves.”

Squiffy groaned at Johnson’s poor attempt at humor.

“Get outside and make sure your Spit is ready to go. Never know when the *******s might show up again.!”

Squiffy’s growl sent Johnson out the door. Squiffy turned back to the gramaphone when all of a sudden……

Never a Spitfire around when you need one!

Excellent photos, of a fantastic restoration. Congratulations to all involved.

Steve

Umm…er… Steve? You have to remember that the Spitfire would be behind it 🙂

Dan

And another of the pilots of the 12th PRS in 1948. My friend is shown flying off Leon Gray’s left wing, Captain Earl Miller. Clyde East is off Gray’s right wing.

Dan
Lots more 12 PRS group photos if you are interested in the RF80 types 🙂

Some F80 photos from a former pilot. He’d flown 39s, 38s, 47s and 51s before transitioning to P80s. Note the gray painted P80s. He then flew RF80s that appear in the other photos

Dan

F86 Sabre
Hawker Hunter
A4 Skyhawk
F4D Phantom
F104 Starfighter

Dan