zolteg
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by zolteg on Apr 8, 2012 20:01:57 GMT 12
Continuing correspondence... /cc Therese Angelo (Director, RNZAF Museum)
Apologies for the delay in replying but I got caught up in 75th anniversary events. Thanks for your suggestions about how we might honour SqnLdr Lamason in some tangible way. We will certainly take a look at these, but another idea might be to ask the Air Force Museum to consider having a display about his exploits which would ensure public visibility. I'll keep you posted on any developments. In the meantime, thanks for your continued interest in this matter.
Kind regards Pete Stockwell
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Post by lostairmendirector on Apr 10, 2012 17:12:05 GMT 12
Thanks for continuing to follow-up on this, zolteg. A display in the museum is warranted, and we have plenty of photos and other copies of records that could be used to go along with his story.
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zolteg
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by zolteg on Apr 10, 2012 19:17:26 GMT 12
Thanks for continuing to follow-up on this, zolteg. A display in the museum is warranted, and we have plenty of photos and other copies of records that could be used to go along with his story. The latter is interesting to hear. I received an email today from the Museum (which I'll post up in due course), in which they lament that they have nothing physical to display which bears a connection with SQNLDR Lamason. Watch this space....
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Post by oggie2620 on Apr 11, 2012 20:55:02 GMT 12
Any chance of this being aired in UK on the Freeview Yesterday channel anytime soon? I dont have Sky... If not can it like Bomber Boys is now be put on you tube? I couldnt watch it when I was in NZ recently!! Was very frustrated! Dee
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zolteg
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 82
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Post by zolteg on Apr 12, 2012 19:17:24 GMT 12
Next installment...
Your enquiry to the Chief of Air Force about recognising Sqn Ldr Lamason's efforts during WW2 has trickled down to us here at the Air Force Museum. He thought it would be useful if we gave you an idea of how we deal with recognising people such as Lamason here at the Museum. His story is, of course, well known to us as you would expect. We have a History Gallery here at the Museum which amongst other things features cabinets containing personal stories about individuals. Lamason's is, as you state, a fantastic story of leadership and bravery; what makes it a little difficult for us is that we really need to have personal objects from that individual in our collection to illustrate the story. We don't have anything of Lamason's. Personal objects strike a real chord with visitors when they see things like good luck charms, a control column from a crashed aircraft in which the pilot died or survived, letters home, etc. A story without such artefacts tends to be weak.
That said though, we still provide a place for such stories and as you very rightly point out, these need to be told so that they are not forgotten. In the History gallery we periodically change over some of the displays as we quietly gather other candidates through research.
We have been planning (at least in broad outline) a POW exhibition towards the end of the year with the intent of creating the inside of a WW2 POW hut in Europe, providing information panels on captivity, escape in both World Wars, and including the SE Asian theatre of war, etc and a number of personal stories to provide the human factor. Because we don't have any artefacts relating to Lamason, he is a good candidate for this exhibition where we can use graphic panels containing text and photographs to good effect. We do have a recording of him during an interview talking about his experiences as a POW so we can use sound as well.
I hope this sets your mind at rest. Be assured that we are dedicated to ensuring that stories such Lamason's and many, many others are told.
Kind regards David
David Watmuff Collections Manager
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Post by oggie2620 on Apr 14, 2012 2:08:20 GMT 12
Its also commented on in Oliver Clutton-Brocks book about Bomber Command POW's and Escapers "Footprints on the sands of time." Very thick but interesting book that!
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Post by htbrst on May 20, 2012 16:36:11 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 20, 2012 16:49:40 GMT 12
Oh no, that is very sad. RIP to a very brave man.
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Post by fwx on May 20, 2012 16:52:50 GMT 12
That's really sad - just so glad his story emerged in time for him to get some of the recognition he and his group deserved. Nice job by Max Lambert, thanks Max.
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Post by spy007au on May 21, 2012 19:32:18 GMT 12
Rest in Peace Mr Lamason and farewell to a true NZ hero. It was a pleasure to have met you late last year in Wellington. My condolences to all the family.
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Post by oggie2620 on May 23, 2012 1:57:51 GMT 12
RIP Phil. One day I hope they will show the documentary about the Airmen of Buchanwald over here..
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Post by lostairmendirector on May 23, 2012 17:13:13 GMT 12
We have organized some thoughts from the other surviving Buchenwald airmen to be read at Lamason's memorial service this week. Coincidentally, the documentary won Best Feature Documentary at a film festival in the States the day after he passed away. Audiences are always moved and impressed by what he did. I am glad that I had the honor of meeting him on two occasions and I am glad that our film brought him some much deserved recognition before he left us. After the film aired on Prime in NZ, Phil received letters and phone calls from his new "fans." I heard he even received a message from the Queen, thanking him for what he did.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 23, 2012 17:24:52 GMT 12
Congratulations on the award for the documentary, it is well deserevd. it must have been bittersweet knowing that Phil had just passed away.
That is fantastic to hear the Queen sent him a message. That must be as good as any offiical award I reckon, to know she cared that much to write.
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Post by lostairmendirector on May 23, 2012 18:00:49 GMT 12
I have just received word that in honor of Phil Lamason, Prime will do a special re-airing of the film on Friday, June 8th, at 9:30pm.
(Thanks, Dave. It was a bittersweet weekend. I received word of Phil's passing just as I was checking into our hotel for the festival.)
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 23, 2012 18:06:00 GMT 12
That is really nice that Prime are rescreening the film in his honour.
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bobe
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 2
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Post by bobe on Apr 14, 2013 3:08:09 GMT 12
Hello I'm a Newbie to your forum but just watched the film two nights ago. I recalled a good friend of mine (when I was a lad of less than 20) back in the forties who had been a navigator in a Halifax telling me that he had been sent to Buchenwald. I watched the film and there at the end was his name " Ronald Hughes".(He came from Gresford in North Wales) Then yesterday, I found his son's phone number and made contact....His was the 15th number I called! He and his wife were actually in the middle of watching the film which they'd recorded.. Spooky or what! I'd not had any contact since the 1950s... Ronnie's elder brother was also a "Bomber boy" but didn.t come back from a sortie....
Ronnie's eldest son was named after his brother. (Eryll) I'm sure we'd both appreciate any memories of a fine friend and Father...
Cheers Bob E.....
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 14, 2013 9:57:07 GMT 12
Welcome aboard Bob. It's great to hear that this excellent documentary has now aired in the UK.
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ric
Leading Aircraftman
Posts: 1
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Post by ric on May 17, 2013 17:17:42 GMT 12
I very much enjoyed the documentary. My father was one of the American airmen at KLB. (He died before we moved to NZ.) Because the US government denied there were POWs in any concentration camp, and the related records were classified, he did not reconnect with the KLB Club until the 1980s, when some materials were declassified. Over the last 3 years I have been working to reconstruct aspects of his story (from B-17 flights to KLB to SL III to SL VII-A and home) and decipher why the information was buried for decades by all of the Allied governments (especially the US). Had that secrecy not been in place, Cdr Lamason would have been given much more attention and acknowledgment after the war. I am glad he was at least able to see the warm response the documentary received. Regards, Ric Martini, son of S/Sgt Frederic Martini KLB 78299
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Post by ngatimozart on May 17, 2013 17:34:12 GMT 12
Gidday Ric and welcome to the Forum. I would hazard a guess at why the govts hid that our people were in the camps and it could be politics. I personally find it quite depressing that they denied this happened and failed to acknowledge and support those that had ended up in the KZ camps when they should have been in POW camps.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 17, 2013 17:36:35 GMT 12
Welcome to the forum Ric. Thanks for sharing your personal angle on this.
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