Was the dataplate removed or passed onto the people featured in the following image? Were they UK representatives from the Embassy?

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SEWJjeH4L1w/T5Z4mZ8AmKI/AAAAAAAAAJU/T4oOkjZWdgE/s720/DSC01767.JPG

Whoever they are they obviously don’t want us to know. It’s probably just a pile of scrap to them.

At this rate the RAFM won’t want it anyway. A great opportunity lost.

well the cowling didn’t just detach itself….

My grandfather was stationed in Egypt during the war – he was a bandsman and played the clarinet. I know, its not very glamorous compared to those who fighting, but that was his job, and he entertained many a person doing it, and he paid many a respect playing at the funerals of the dead.

He often used to tell me about a place out in the desert – A big dumping ground, where you could find anything “from a transistor radio to a tank”. I wasn’t interested in transistor radios or tanks, but I was interested in aircraft!! When I asked him about it, he said he could remember aircraft being there (but his memory is very poor these days), but he also said he remember seeing aircraft engines in crates! Much of the stuff was brand new, it just wasn’t needed when the war ended, nor was it coming home.

I know its not directly related to this fantastic P40 story, but it is very interesting to wonder what is still out there waiting to be discovered!

I’m sure Cameron would oblige…

I only quickly read Flypast in Smiths but it sounded like it’d be their hotel. As for land ownership, apparently they’ve bought the runways off the council. In terms of exhibits, they are looking towards the centenary of WW1 and also the centenary of the IWM itself in 2018. The AAM is going to undergo some major changes by the sounds of it. Overall though I think the story of the airfield itself is important and I’m glad they are rectifying this. How many visitors know about its WW1 origins? How many know about the 78th FG? There are certainly lots of stories waiting to be told and no end of material to use.

The flypast article is fairly interesting. Basically, they want to focus more on the airfield’s history with people stories and how the airfield worked. A great idea. this is long overdue. They have also acquired Roger Freeman’s photo archive so that will be used in new exhibits on the USAAF. There were mentions of departures and acquisitions but no concrete details. If they are looking for people stories then the Bush Avenger would fit in nicely. Who knows? There will be a trail round the buildings to explain what they were used for and a lot of money will be spent on the northern side to keep many of the buildings in use. Oh, and they want to build a hotel behind Airspace. Yes, really.

In other news, Mary Alice’s new identity has been revealed. Bad news for B-17 fans like myself as she won’t actually have an identity. It’s an olive drab ‘factory finish’ without any unit markings.

Dobbins -have you seen the state of some of the British aircraft wrecks in this country after our fellow countrymen have finished molesting them !

yes! but this particular one may prove to be extra poignant. Don’t get me wrong, all wrecks have some kind of story attached but the thought of someone being alone in that hostile environment for god knows how long before probably succumbing to heat and dehydration is quite moving.