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NickB1

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April 1, 2020 at 5:45 pm in reply to: Help wanted – tracing a WW2 Mosquito pilot #779433

NickB1
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Andrew – received & replied.

Many thanks

Nick

April 1, 2020 at 10:14 am in reply to: Help wanted – tracing a WW2 Mosquito pilot #779445

NickB1
Participant

@Baz – thanks. O have joined the RAFCommands forum, so will see if that yields anything.

@andrewclark – thanks also. This might be a stupid question, but where did you get those service numbers & years from?

The Ken Clarke I’m looking for definitely stated he served in wartime and was probably de-mobbed in 1945 (but I’m not certain of that). He lived in Cornwall near Falmouth up until his death – now whether he was a Cornishman from birth or moved to the area later in life, I have no idea. Perhaps he had been based at either Predannack, Portreath or one of the other bases and liked what he saw, I don’t know. So many questions I wished I asked, but I was only 13 at the time!

October 29, 2019 at 5:54 pm in reply to: I think mine would be either… #798396

NickB1
Participant

I think mine would be either at St Mawgan or Culdrose… ISTR being at Culdrose when the Sea Princes were being retired – I was only about 6 so the memories are vague to say the least! Oddly I remember not being allowed to go to the 1977 CU airshow as I had suffered concussion after falling off my Raleigh Tomahawk a few days before (no helmets in those days!) so I had to stay at home and sat in the front garden watching anything that flew over! I definitely remember the 1979 or 80 CU airshow as I saw my first A10 – two landed – and I shouted out to the pilot to get his autograph – Lt Col Bob Hill! I also got the autograph of the Shuttleworth Spitfire – an elderly gent called ‘R F “Dickie” Martin’ who was actually a decorated wartime RAF fighter pilot! Hard to believe now that back then, there were wartime pilots still flying!

My elderly father who has been watching aircraft all his life and has so many stories to tell – his earliest airshow memory was at RAF Predannack immediately after the war – his says he remembers a Lancaster ‘on the deck’ beating up the airfield! I’m sure there were lots of other interesting types there too…

November 28, 2018 at 1:34 pm in reply to: Help Wanted – Tracing Facts Of A Downed WW2 Aircrew Family Member For A Friend… #834110

NickB1
Participant

Fantastic results – thank you so much for the contributions so far – really appreciated. 🙂

November 27, 2018 at 1:27 pm in reply to: Help Wanted – Tracing Facts Of A Downed WW2 Aircrew Family Member For A Friend… #834212

NickB1
Participant

Thanks Tony – I’m a complete novice at this type of thing.

Wish I could find out what aircraft (for certain) and serial number he was on board…

July 26, 2018 at 8:58 am in reply to: Mary Ellis ATA has passed away. #798276

NickB1
Participant

HUGE respect for the ATA pilots…

RIP Mary

July 20, 2018 at 3:35 pm in reply to: More sad news. RIP Geoffrey Wellum #801678

NickB1
Participant

Very sad news indeed. I was fortunate to have lunch with him in 2003 and he signed my copy of First Light. Only 3 weeks ago a friend had a few pints with him, so he was enjoying life right to the end.

I really hope the BBMF or someone else provides a Spitfire for a flypast at his funeral – if it is held in Mullion, CU is but a stones through away.

RIP Sqn Ldr G. H. A. Wellum

July 19, 2018 at 4:13 pm in reply to: Spitfire Corner – Barry Wallond has passed away #802367

NickB1
Participant

Read about his passing on FB earlier today – very sad.

I remember Barry as a bird scarer at St Mawgan back in the 80s… always very friendly and helpful to us spotters – on one occasion when there was a rare P-3 in – can’t remember which one now, but it was a test airframe that had 2 A6 drop tanks under each wing – Barry took our cameras on to the camp and took some pics for us!

When at Laarbruch an ATC colleague told me a story about Barry from his days at St Mawgan – he put a Storno radio into SATCOs briefcase and as he walked out, Barry was on the Storno shouting out “help, let me out of here!!!”

I didn’t realise he was a talented artist until the other day when I was in the antiques arcade in Hungerford and happened across a number of prints drawn by Barry – a lovely Barracuda over RNAS St Merryn.

RIP Barry
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