50 😮 Very best wishes Kev, hope you have a great day.

My son finally passing his driving test first time…………it’s been a long wait as his first test date was end of November but that was cancelled due to snow as was the next date he got and so on it went until today!

I’m a very happy redundant taxi driver 😀

Hi PL, don’t have much but a few additional bits to add to what you know:-

Pilot Officer I.B. Cooper, Pilot Royal Air Force
9th June 1941 Age 20
Go well, may our prayers lighten your way. God grant your sacrifice be not in vain.
Ivan Brian Cooper RAFVR (61289) PRU. Son of Brian & Ruth Doris Cooper of Merrivale, Natal, South Africa.
———————————————————————–

1053550 Flight Sergeant R.L.S. Ritchie, Observer Royal Air Force
18th August 1942
Robert Leslie Sinclair Ritchie RAFVR 12 Squadron.

1109186 Sergeant J.A. Sharp Wireless Op/Air Gunner Royal Air Force
18th August 1942 Age 21
They hold the heights they won
John Anthony Sharp RAFVR 12 Squadron. Son of Harold Hodgson Sharp and Nora Farr Sharp of Chester.

*12 Squadron Wellington II Z8538 PH-) Bar took off Binbrook 2035 18th August 1942 on op to Flensburg. Presumed lost over the sea. Three bodies were washed ashore. F/Sgt Ritchie and Sgt Sharp are buried in Ockerö, while Sgt Black, formerly of the Cheshire Regiment, rests in Frederikshaven Cemetery, Denmark. The others have no known grave:
P/O D W Rowe
F/Sgt R L S Ritchie
Sgt L D Graves
Sgt J A Sharp
Sgt C Black
* Source RAF Bomber Command Losses by W R Chorley Vol 3
————————————————————————–
411230 Sergeant J.C. Williams Air Gunner Royal N.Z. Air Force
18th August 1942 Age 21
John Charles RNZAF. Son of Henry James Williams & Lily Eliza Williams of Wellington City, New Zealand.
Also two airmen of the 1939-1945 war, Royal Air Force
Known unto God

Pilot Officer R.P. McLaren, Pilot Royal Canadian Air Force
18th August 1942 Age 22
Calmly and grandly, silently and deep, life joined eternity
Robert Perrin McLaren (J15748) RCAF 57 Squadron. Son of Robert Kennedy McLaren and Clara A McLaren of Princeton, Ontario, Canada.

**Tuesday 18th August 1942. Raid on Flensburg, Germany by 118 aircraft – 4 lost)
57 Squadron RAF Feltwell, Norfolk
Wellington III X3371/G took off at 2040 captained by P/O R P McLaren, RCAF, and lost without trace, the navigator and wireless operator being commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. The body of the captain and rear gunner were later recovered and are buried on the Swedish island of Öckerö. That of the air bomber washed ashore onto the German island of Sylt, at Kampen, and was buried at List but later reinterred at Kiel.
P/O R P McLaren (Captain)
Sgt Hector John Wakeman RNZAF (Air Bomber) – 3rd op
P/O Kivell Harold William Alderton RNZAF (W/Op) – 3rd op
Sft John Charles Williams RNZAF (Rear Gunner) – 3rd op
** Source For Your Tomorrow by Errol W Martyn
NB: the full crew is not listed for Wellington X3371/G

The additonal information provided which does not come from Chorley or Martyn is obtained from a 1955 print of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission register. It notes “In the churchyard 7 airmen are buried in a collective grave. 5 belong to the RAF (two being unidentified by name), 1 to the RCAF and 1 to the RNZAF. There are also in the churchyard the graves of 2 unidentifed naval ratings of the 1914-18 war”

Hope that helps
archieraf

Here in NE Scotland we’ve had almost constant snow cover since 25th November with only a short break after a thaw when the ground came out of hiding for a period of 3 – 4 days at most. There was around 2 feet of snow fell late November/early December so that took a while to go once the thaw started. It started snowing again 15th December and this time brough wind along so lots of drifting. Apart from the few days when we had the brief thaw the temperature has more or less stayed below zero day and night with some nights dropping down to minus 20, but usually somewhere around minus 10.

I have had my rubbish bins emptied once since 12th November.
My daughter has missed 9 days of school due to snow closures and I doubt school will be open tomorrow so that will be 10 days. That’s two full weeks of education.
Heating oil has almost doubled in price and we have no choice but to pay because we have no alternatives ~ that is if you can get a delivery. There is a long waiting list and few windows of opportunity for lorries to be able to deliver.
The post is delivered when the postie is able to get here as her round is taking longer so she can’t always get round everyone every day. The post office don’t give them winter tyres on their vans so they are doing brilliantly under very difficult circumstances. At least they are trying, all other delivery companies have simply baled out.
Can’t comment on public transport because we don’t have any! School transport isn’t operating though.

Travelling around by car is ok (I have winter tyres on the front wheels) but takes longer. In fact, everything takes a bit longer in this weather as there are additional jobs such as snow clearing which take up time.

On a good day I love it and get out for a ski to enjoy it. On a bad day I endure it and get on as best as I can. My biggest problem will be running out of oil as with the temps we’ve been having preventing frozen pipes would be almost impossible.

Motto of the month: Keep calm and carry on 🙂

Countryside looking like a fairytale setting here today.

Schools have now been closed for six days here in north east Scotland, but life goes on. The roads are not too bad, take it easy and you can get where you’re going.

Snow clearing is now the morning ritual after breakfast, we must have well over a foot and a half here at least.

We’ve been skiing 3 miles to the local supermarket a couple of times this week rather than take the car (it has winter tyres and works fine in these conditions) and it’s been great to get out and about and really enjoy this exceptional weather.

The best thing to do with these conditions is make the best of them. Don’t do what you don’t have to do and make the best of what you do have to do 🙂

do you guys have winter tyres for your cars?

Girls do, not sure about the guys :diablo:

It’s all getting a bit repetitive here. Clear the snow, more falls, clear the snow, more falls…………….etc. Schools closed tomorrow for 3rd day. Still managing to have fun at the same time 😀