It was filmed quite a while ago for the children’s series Horrible Histories (which my 8 year old son happens to love!)

The fact that the train is supposedly found in an occupied country has no bearing on its importance.

That’s good then, because this train was supposedly hidden in Germany, Walbrzych was then Waldenburg and was well within the German pre-war border.
For what it’s worth, many German residents in this area buried their valuables ahead of the advancing Russian Army, (and were then forcibly moved westwards and out of reach as borders were shifted), so it’s not as far fetched as some other burial stories!

I’ve just painted this aircraft, Spitfire P8148 ‘The Black Horse’ purchased by employees of Lloyds Bank and entered service with 72 Squadron at Acklington.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]239015[/ATTACH]

Mark P

That’s pure fantasy I’m afraid, Pickard was already dead before Ritchie was shot down. There were two eyewitnesses on the ground who described what happened, I met one of them in St Gratien a few years ago. The combat/chase was short and clinical and all took place before the second wave bombed the prison.

…and here is my impression of Pickard’s last moments for an article we’ve produced for next month’s Britain at War magazine based upon Dr Ducellier’s research. Despite what last month’s Flypast article said and illustrated, Percy Pickard and his navigator didn’t get anywhere near the prison. The entire second wave was caught low and slow in a turn by Wilhelm Mayer and the German pilot simply picked off the last in the formation, which just happened to be Pickard. He did his best to escape but, with the height and speed advantage all resting with the ‘190, it took less than a minute for Mayer to blow the tail section clean off the Mosquito. I doubt that any pilot would have been able to escape the situation that Pickard found himself in on that day.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]224777[/ATTACH]

Steve and Maureen are such a lovely couple, I spent some time chatting with them at their home a few years ago and will treasure the memory. As far as I remember, Steve did a tour on 57 Squadron flying Lancs in 1943 and lost (I think) four bomb-aimers in tragic circumstances. I’ll see if I can dig out my notes.

Ha, I told you that was the hardest part of the verdamnt painting! OK we need to alter the caption to ” ‘Dixie’ Dean lines his Meteor’s starboard wingtip up alongside the V-1 before whipping round to the other side after seeing an orphanage and convent looming up on the starboard bow! ” …sorted.