The man with the moustache is Alan Walter Gear.
He was a hurricane pilot in the Battle of Britain.
Gerry

I am not certain but it looks like the contents of one of those ‘modern’ style books with loose items that slip into envelopes.
I recall that there was a BoB one released a few years ago.
I’m pretty sure that Baders original log book is stored at the National archives.
Gerry

Hi all,
I have attached a photo of Alan Gears identity tags as something to compare with your fathers.
He wore these throughout WW2.
My understanding is that one is waterproof and the other is fire proof.
Gerry
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Hi all,

I also went to see the film today.
I have to say I was underwhelmed by it and found it a bit repetitive.
The flying sequences saved what, for me, was otherwise a mediocre film, which in light of the criticism the RAF received at the time seemed a bit ironic.
It lacked the tension and realism that Saving Private Ryan captured so vividly.

I know that it impossible to have a cast of hundreds of thousands of people but the beaches looked empty most of the time and gave no scale of the magnitude of the miracle of Dunkirk. Saving private Ryan made you feel like you were in the battle.
Perhaps I’m just overly critical but I’ve been looking forward for it for a long time and left disappointed.

Gerry

Hi Johnnie
I have 604 squadrons ORB if you want something checked out.
Gerrt

Hi

I did this a few years ago relatively cheaply for a bit of fun.
I bought a guillows balsa wood and tissue hurricane model in a 1/32 scale.
This is a small scale model that has pre cut sections that you push out and trim as required. See picture below.
Anyhow, once I removed each centre section I measured it precisely and multiplied that measurement by 32 to get its full size dimensions.
I then marked that width and height on a piece of MDF which I stood up vertically against a wall.
Then I placed the small moulded piece of balsa wood on an overhead projector and kept moving the projector back until the reflected image met up with the width and height measurements on my MDF.
Then, using a marker pen, I drew this projected image onto the MDF sheet and cut it out to get a full size copy of the 1/32 scale model section.
I repeated this until I had all of the sections from the propeller to two sections beyond the cockpit ( I only wanted a cockpit).
These sections were then joined together using 2×1 roof battens.
Finally the whole thing was then covered in old bedsheets and coated in multiple layers of unibond pva / water painted on and left to dry and stiffen.
It worked really well.
Don’t underestimate the size of a full size hurricane cockpit, it took up most of my garage.
Gerry

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Hi Pigsear,
Yes, that must be correct. Thank you.
It ties in perfectly with the rest of the story.
Basically, for a few weeks during and just after the Battle of Britain the Sergeants had to stay in the old vickerage at Oving. They lived very poorly here, sleeping on straw bedding with just one blanket.
The owner of the Hotel felt sorry for them and used to let them sleep overnight for nothing, one at a time.
Gerry