Manitouzero,

You could apply to the RAF Museum at Hendon for a copy of Form 1180 in respect of the loss of BM467. Go to http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/research-enquiries/contact-collections-division.aspx and use the form there. Simply ask if the Museum holds the F1180 for BM467 which was destroyed in an accident on 27 May 1942 – probably be useful to give the pilot’s name and service number as well. A reply should be forthcoming in about 4 weeks. An F1180 is a brief sumary of the findings of a court of inquiry into accidents.

Brian

Re #32 I’m still far from convinced this is a genuine photo.

1. Had the photographer been panning, the camera lens would have to have been focussed on the aircraft to get such a sharp image. In other words the aircraft should have been in the centre of the lens, and hence the photo. But it isn’t; the centre of the photo is at a point where a vertical line through the small appendage under the tailplane meets a line between the port wingtip and top right corner of the photo – the aircraft is off-centre and in the southwest quadrant. Despite this the image is so sharp even small details, such as the small appendage beneath the port wing, are clearly visible.

2. I suggest that had the photographer been panning the blurring would have looked different, whereas in this case the elements, other than the aircraft, look just out of focus.

3. #32 was not taken at the same time (day?) as #19. In the latter the sun is to the right of the photographer – the buildings on the left are all in full sun (no shadows). Conversely, in #32 the sun is to the left of the photographer and the buildings facing the him are in shade.

4. The appearance of the aircraft, compared with the remainder of the image, looks completely different. Much of the photo has the sepia tinge one often finds with old photos, but this is not apparent on the aircraft.

5. The underside of the port wing should at least be a similar shade as the the fuselage, or possibly darker as it is in greater shadow (see #19 for example), but it is actually lighter.

It just doesn’t look right.

Should anyone have access to the records the Met Flight Hampden referred to in #18 is AT225 (E/1404).

Weather on night of 11-12 December 1940

So far as I can see from the on-line Met Office Daily Weather Report (DWR) (See http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/archive/9348), there was a NW’ly airstream over southern England, with visibility mostly over 6 miles and less than 4/10 of cloud at varying heights, mostly above 2500-3000 ft; in fact there was hardly any cloud over southeast England. At 0100 GMT on the 12th, Calshot, Manston, Croyden and S Farnborough were reporting clear skies; Boscombe Down 3/10 at 3000 ft and Manston 4-6/10 of thin medium cloud. Unfortunately there was no 0100 GMT observation for Birmingham, but at 1800 GMT on the 11th there was 2-3/10 at 1500 ft, and the sky was clear at 0700 GMT the next morning.

The War Graves Photographic Project

Photos of the graves can be obtained from The War Graves Photographic Project at http://www.twgpp.org/ . Simply enter each surname and first name in the relevant boxes; for example a thumbnail of Woodrow’s gave is at http://www.twgpp.org/information.php?id=1484741 . This is an excellent website and each headstone photo is accompanied by a photo of the cemetery; a donation of £3.50 for emailed copies is money well spent.

Brian

There’s a more detailed description of events that day by the Lancashire Aircraft Investigation Team at http://laituk.org/B-24%2042-50291.htm.

As a very young boy (now 72 so work it out) my father served in the Middle East, while my mother and I lived with my grandparents at Hythe in Kent. There was an Anderson shelter in the garden and if I remember correctly it was equipped with bunks. The first ‘person’ to reach the shelter was always the dog (Timmy); it appears he was sensitive to the sound of enemy engines long before the air-raid sirens sounded!

There were also two AA guns in my grandfather’s field behind the house. The old house has long been demolished and the whole area covered in housing.

Brian

Which U-boat?

Out of curiosity, Antoni, do you know either where “off Denmark” was – or the number of the U-boat?

U-boat records from this era have largely disappeared, so any advice you could offer would be of great interest/value.