pagen01It went out in Jan 1984 according to this, http://www.eofftv.com/t/thi/this_is_your_life_1969_main.htm
As far as I know he was the only RNLI crew of his standing to have appeared on the show, but could be wrong.
pagen01Thank you Robert, more pictures like that would be hugely appreciated, I’m making some headway in my research but definitely could use more pictures.
In short the Shackletons had a cartoon applied to the port side just forward and below the pilots’ window almost from delivery to the sqn over the 1972-’73 period. These were removed by mid 1982.
This could have been because of the incoming C.O, Wg Cdr D.Greenaway, wishes as mentioned in one book.
I have images showing all the Shacks with cartoons, but in many cases it’s hard to work out the actual character shown.
By chance I found a set of original Magic Roundabout vinyl stickers for sale, these look identical to those on the aircraft, and at 20 inches long seem about the right size, I wonder if the sqn used thsse actual stickers on the aircraft?
Some of the characters seem to fade to a featureless bluey grey which also makes me think that they were stickers.
Also very little evidence of ‘The Herbs’ characters being used so far.
WR963 definitely wore the ‘Emintrude’ cow character in the late ’70s.
WL795, usualy referred to as ‘Rosalie’, is shown with a ‘Zebedee’, which it retired with in ’81 and shown in resto pics.
WR965, usually known as ‘Dill’, seems to have Magic Roundabouts’ ‘Dylan’ applied in that period.
The issue of the characters names being applied was brought up on the WR963 thread.
These were applied just under the windscreen quarter panel in white lettering when the Shacks were being stored at Waddingtonin 1991, after service and pending their final deliveries, photos taken in April show no script, by June they had.
WR963 had ‘Ermintrude’ applied stbd side
WL790 had ‘Mr McHenry’ applied stb’d side, and ‘Flt Lt Coxon’ port side, this was still the case in 1993 while seen at Coventry, since arriving in the ‘States it has had ‘Mr McHenry’ applied both sides, and over the pilots’ name.
WL747 & ‘757 that went to Paphos also had titling applied, but in the pictures I have they’re unreadable.
WL756 had what appears to be the pilots’ name applied port side only.
I’m spending far too much time on this!:)
pagen01That was Matt Lethbridge, coxswain for the St Marys Lifeboat, mainly on the Guy & Claire Hunter Watson boat, before the Robert Edgar Arun class.
he was involved with many couragous rescues including the British airways Sikorsky crash in 1983 that I mentioned earlier.
pagen01That was Matt Lethbridge, coxswain for the St Marys Lifeboat, mainly on the Guy & Claire Hunter Watson boat, before the Robert Edgar Arun class.
he was involved with many couragous rescues including the British airways Sikorsky crash in 1983 that I mentioned earlier.
pagen01Anyone know what’s with the wing from Miss Demeanour? I thought that one was still flying?
It was last Thursday, possibly a paint test panel or replacement wing?
pagen01Thanks for posting that Longshot, have you got the other image with the Wessex?
Have to entirely echo what Rob has said about the bravery of the crews.
I really recommend trying to watch the programe tonight, if it’s the one I have seen befor it is very good, but a tough watch.
Scotavia, Sea King XZ574 is now on display in the main FAA Museum building.
John sorry to hear about your uncle, one of my other interests is the older RNLI Lifeboats, sounds like he had a very interesting career.
Re the main subject, as far as I’m aware the Sea King in question still hasn’t been confirmed as the one used that night, I’ve just checked the history page of XZ574 on the FAAM website and it doesn’t mention this rescue, though interesting to see it was the same A/C that rescued the downed Harrier pilot during the Falklands.
pagen01I think that the basic problem was the concept itself and not the aircraft, I agree that Boulton Paul did a great job in building the turret equiped fighter to the specification by the AM, but the Expansion era idea, already seen on the Hawker Demon, had become outdated by early wartime.
There was also the VS.305 proposal by Supermarine for a remote operated turret armed fighter that was similar in overall look to the Spitfire, and Hawker submitted its Hotspur design to the same spec as the Defiant, this pehaps could be viewed as a ‘turret Hurricane’.
Even the two aircraft that would successfully rule as night fighter anti bomber fighters, the Mosquito and Beaufighter were proposed and trialled with a four gun turret fitment.
Just as a reminder of how clean the original Defiant looked, sits well with the contemporary Hurricane and Spitfre in a some respects, and certainly looks far more adavanced that the Roc & Hotspur.
Both images FlightGlobal
pagen01I think that was the basics of it, though ISTR the operating company balking at potential towage and insurance costs.
The fact that the Captain had his wife and two teenage daughters aboard at the time only adds to the tragedy.
There is no starker illustration of what RNLI crews knowingly face when they launch in such conditions, the Sennen Lifeboat had also launched but couldn’t get around Lands End due to the weather and sea state being against it.
My uncle was with coastguard at the time, but wasn’t on duty, he went to the cliffs near Tater Du and recalls the smell of diesel and oil and the feeling of utter helplessness.
There’s two very sad events that I remember vividly as a child in Cornwall, this and the loss of the S-61N on the way to the Scillies, an operation that my Grandad worked for.
pagen01I think that was the basics of it, though ISTR the operating company balking at potential towage and insurance costs.
The fact that the Captain had his wife and two teenage daughters aboard at the time only adds to the tragedy.
There is no starker illustration of what RNLI crews knowingly face when they launch in such conditions, the Sennen Lifeboat had also launched but couldn’t get around Lands End due to the weather and sea state being against it.
My uncle was with coastguard at the time, but wasn’t on duty, he went to the cliffs near Tater Du and recalls the smell of diesel and oil and the feeling of utter helplessness.
There’s two very sad events that I remember vividly as a child in Cornwall, this and the loss of the S-61N on the way to the Scillies, an operation that my Grandad worked for.
pagen01Lovely (and touching) shots Longshot, would you be prepared to post them on the ‘Sea King 80’ thread in the Historic section?
pagen01Lovely (and touching) shots Longshot, would you be prepared to post them on the ‘Sea King 80’ thread in the Historic section?
pagen01The irony is Boulton Paul had two production lines side by side, the Defiant and the useless Roc; it could so easily have been the Defiant and the Sea Defiant.
I was only thinking that this morning!
The Defiant probably could have been a good naval fighter, certainly better than the Roc (even the Skua!), with the FAA relying on larger and slower two seat fighters and possesing the wide track undercarriage it possibly could have performed well of the carrier decks.
pagen01I think that we’ve been here before – but I don’t have the time to find and post a hyperlink to the earlier thread.
Here, http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=108479, http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=81888
Thankfully the comments are more positive this time, this is a great achievement.
pagen01Incredibly it is 30 years since this terrible tragedy unfolded, litrally to the moment.
The Solomon Browne Watson Class lifeboat was launched from the Penlee slip at 20.12 after the horrendous weather conditions rendered the Sea King rescue attempt of the captain, his family, and crew from the powerless Union Star inefective.
As we now know the Solomon Browne and her brave crew were all lost alonf with the ships crew.
Coxswain Trevelyan Richards
Second Coxswain/Mechanic Stephen Madron,
Assistant Mechanic Nigel Brockman
Emergency Mechanic John Blewett
crewmembers Charlie Greenhaugh
Kevin Smith
Barrie Torrie
Gary Wallis
Captain Henry Morton
Mate James Whittaker,
Engineer George Sedgwick,
Crewman Anghostino Verressimo, and
Crewman Manuel Lopes
Dawn Morton
Sharon Morton
Deanne Morton
Russell Smith the American exchange pilot of ‘Rescue 80’ said this about the crew,
“the greatest act of courage that I have ever seen, and am ever likely to see, was the penultimate courage and dedication shown by the Penlee [crew] when it manoeuvred back alongside the casualty in over 60 ft breakers and rescuing four people shortly after the Penlee had been bashed on top of the casualty’s hatch covers. They were truly the bravest eight men I’ve ever seen who were also totally dedicated to upholding the highest standards of the RNLI”
This link is worth reading through, http://westcoast-news.org/story-penlee.htm
There is a programme on this tomorrow on BBC4 at 22.00.
pagen01Certainly looks right for B-17E framework glazing & MG mount, compare with pic of Swamp Ghost here, http://www.theswampghost.com/photos/2003/int/b17-int-nose.jpg
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