The best baked tatties are done on a real fire (a wood or peat fire of course not coal and preferably outdoors). Method one is to bury the tattie bare naked (the tattie that is, not you!) in the hot embers until cooked. Check if it’s ready by sticking a fork or sharp whittled stick in. If you’re a skin eater then you’ll have to wrap it in foil first but then you lose some of the cooking flavour but it still tastes good. When it’s cooked take it out, squeeze it at either end to make a split and put a good dollop of butter in. Deeeeeeeeeeelicious. Onions, carrots, sweet tatties, neeps or parsnips all cook well like this but are better done in foil.

Still enjoying nice snowy conditions here. Picture taken this afternoon about 40 minutes by xc-ski from my backdoor. All that was missing was a little sunshine – the sun was out when I started but quicky vanished so most of the time during my trip it was snowing. 😎

Well, it sounds as if Mr B. was wrong then. Shame, as this seems to be such a detailed work and it was certain in his record that the 1900lbers stayed at home. 🙁

DS

Not necessarily DS. The fact that there is constant reference in the ORB’s to 1,900 lb bombs being used by XV Sqdn during that period does not preclude the use of other types. My previous post was intended to show that during the time period in question they were not uncommon and thus cannot be dismissed. I have no info to state what the exact bomb load of the a/c in question was on that op but it would likely be found in the Operations Orders for the op which, if a copy still exists, would be held in the National Archives at Kew.

What Mk were the six Lancasters left in Russia after crash landing on Op Paravane in 1944? Anyone any idea what happened to them?

Thanks Roger, that’s the one. According to the entry in RAF Bomber Command Losses by W R Chorley it took off 2100 from Bourn. Believed shot down by a night fighter (Oblt Viktor Buer, III./NJG1) to crash near Bentelo in the commune of Delden. F/Sgt G A Smith RNZAF rests in Ambt-Delden Cemetery.

Steve, if the headstone is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission one then perhaps you could approach them for advice about how best to clean it. Ultimately they are responsible for the care and maintenance of these headstones and I dare say they have cleaned one or two in their time 🙂

Use a dog. If you don’t own a dog then borrow a dog from a friend, relative, or neighbour (nothing too big mind or it won’t work). Fit sticky boots on the dogs paws (double knot on the laces to make sure they are secure) and watch it scale the wall, cross the ceiling and clean up the pancake debris. Obviously I haven’t tried this out myself (total control with the pancake tossing in this house!) but minus the sticky boots this method works well on floors so can’t see why it wouldn’t work just as well on ceilings (just don’t forget the sticky boots, they’re important) 😀