I’ve met a number of aircrew over the years, and gleaned some fascinating and moving tales from them. One particular elderly man, very diffident, was a Lancaster pilot. He had completed a full tour before moving on to an OCU. I asked him out of curiosity whether he had flown with the same crew for the whole tour. Yes, he said, but when they were due for their last flight, one of them developed a carbuncle on his neck and was taken off flying duties. They survived, he had to complete his last trip with another crew when he recovered, and they were all lost on that last raid. Such is the cruel lottery of life.
Another was a Mosquito navigator, based in East Anglia, who used to fly on night intruder raids over the Luftwaffe airfields, waiting for the flare paths to be turned on briefly for returning night fighters, at which point they would attack. What height did you lurk at, I asked. Oh, at circuit height he said, about 1,000ft! He showed me his log book, with the one Ju88 they got, written in red. And he confirmed that aircraft did come back with branches stuck in the tailwheel.
Also met a Ju88 pilot who was shot down in East Anglia, who told me that he sat under a tree, cradling one of his dying crew. He had settled in the UK after the war.
I also have a copy of Spitfire Legends signed by Johnnie Johnson at Duxford at the Spitfire Anniversary show. It was a long day, I think he’d got caught up in the huge traffic jams in the morning and had to abandon his car to reach the airfield. Understandable that his joie de vivre had run out , but it was still a privilege to meet him.
I don’t recall a touch and go but here’s the Jaguar at the September 1980 day. Cloudy and dull, as you can see, and the Jaguar was always difficult to photograph in monochrome…
Fast pass with vortices
Slow and dirty
Last run
Slight correction…..the Hawker Cygnet took to the air for an air test later on in the gathering gloom, at 18.45pm. And it was a vintage day, after the years mediocre flying weather.
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