|
Post by brucehooper on Jun 19, 2012 22:08:44 GMT 12
FWX Group Captain and Errol Martyn thanks for the replies and additional information. I would be greatfull for any photos that you may have of Mepal, i do not have any as my father while he was still alive donated all his medals and significant photos, silk scarves with the map of Europe on to the RNZAF museum at Ohakea. i will have a look at a copy that i do have of his log book which i will need to find in my boxes of items i was able to get.
|
|
|
Post by oggie2620 on Jun 19, 2012 23:37:34 GMT 12
Bruce I have photos of Mepal but only current not past. There is however a little book about Mepal (Martyn Chorlton's Airfield Focus series (no 47) covers Mepal and nearby Witchford. ISBN 1-870384-90-3 published by GMS Enterprises in Peterborough.) that you might like to get. I would look on Amazon, Alibris and Abebooks to see if you can get a secondhand copy because the new ones seem a bit steep especially when you have to pay extra postage if you are in NZ... Any problems let me know and I will see what I can do from this end. Dee
|
|
|
Post by pjw4118 on Jun 20, 2012 17:09:06 GMT 12
Had lunch with the boys today and all are raring to go. After tomorrows departure I will post photos on the NZBCA page. Unbelievably they had the NZ Herald turn up today , , photographer and all , to be turned away by the PR minder because they had not booked a slot !!!!! and that" the media could come to the departure if they applied" .Hello !! The P R people havent advised any major air mag press " who are they "?? Tell us !! Here NZ is putting up the best Veterans service known and the NZAF/VA PR people just dont have any idea of the great publicity available for VA and the RNZAF, what a great good news story going begging. Please tell John Key , he got this travel package under away after the NZBCA started fund raising and there will be no good spin from it. It makes you wonder about the people they employ ...duh ..and end of rant.
|
|
|
Post by pjw4118 on Jun 20, 2012 19:37:28 GMT 12
Bruce , you are welcome to come over , like Chris /fwx , and look through the BCA archive , there are plenty of 75 Mepal.Just send a pm for details
|
|
|
Post by fwx on Jun 20, 2012 20:06:11 GMT 12
Thanks Peter, will be in touch. Cheers, Chris
By the way Bruce, I asked Douglas if he remembered your Dad, but unfortunately he doesn't. They may have been in different Flights.
|
|
|
Post by brucehooper on Jun 21, 2012 23:01:50 GMT 12
Chris, thank you for asking Douglas if he knew my Dad. When i get to the stuff i have i will post his flight details and that may help.
Dee thank you for the information re small book on Mepal.
Cheers Bruce
|
|
|
Post by 75nzsquadron.com on Jun 22, 2012 22:01:47 GMT 12
Sorry to jump in on this thread....
Hi Bruce I have a very high resolution photo of 'B' flight from the same day as the 'C' flight and Squadron image that Chris has put up - let me know if you want a copy and I'll DropBox it to you - drop me a line at info'at'75nzsquadron'dot'com (swapping for the appropriate symbols of course)
My Father flew his second tour with 75(NZ) from February of 45
cheers
Simon
|
|
|
Post by fwx on Jun 29, 2012 8:58:17 GMT 12
Salute to veterans of bomber crewsBy Wayne Thompson NZ Herald, Friday 29 June 2012 www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10816219A brief ceremony in Auckland has recognised the role of World War II bomber crew members who were excluded from an official New Zealand veterans' memorial trip to London. Seven veterans were special guests at a United Kingdom's Armed Forces Day reception at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Base, Whenuapai. Recognition of their service brought smiles to the faces of the men, now in their late 80s, as they stood and straightened their backs for the toast to the Queen. Aucklanders Doug Williamson and Harry Cammish said they were disappointed when they were turned down for the official party of RNZAF veterans for the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial. The unveiling was held in London at 11 o'clock last night New Zealand time and was attended by 35 RNZAF veterans. Former RAF flight engineers Messrs Williamson and Cammish missed the New Zealand Government-sponsored trip because it was open only to RNZAF members of Bomber Command. It cut no ice that because the RNZAF did not train flight engineers, RAF members were supplied to Kiwi bomber crews in the heavy Stirling and Lancaster aircraft. "I was a bit browned off when I was told," said Mr Cammish. "We've been Kiwis for 50 years and I thought they could find room for half a dozen Poms in that big Air Force 757. "But I thought, I'm 89 and have trouble sitting in a chair for some time let alone sitting in an aircraft for many hours." Mr Williamson joined the RAF as a 19-year-old from Edinburgh and was posted to 75 (NZ) Squadron for 32 missions over Germany. In 1974 he moved to New Zealand and over the years all the three New Zealanders in his crew passed away. "I had hoped to represent them at the memorial but I'd rather be here." Another Aucklander, Harry Furner, an air gunner who lost an eye three days before he turned 20, said he would pay his way to London in August to see the memorial. Representatives of the British Ministry of Defence and British High Commission invited the men to the Whenuapai reception after the British Government refused requests for trip assistance to Commonwealth residents.
|
|
|
Post by fwx on Jun 29, 2012 9:01:35 GMT 12
Nice to see the RAF blokes get some separate recognition (above).
There will also be a (much smaller!) celebration and remembrance lunch happening here in Devonport tomorrow .... lookinging forward to catching up with Douglas again!
Meanwhile I've made contact with JN-Dog Pilot John Wood's daughter, and have sent a pile of material through for her to collect when she returns from overseas. Hope to catch up with her as well in the near future.
|
|
|
Post by fwx on Jul 8, 2012 16:53:03 GMT 12
I've received some photos from my cousin (Gerry's son) from his recent trip to the UK (with his own son), including a visit to the BC Memorial, RAF Museum Hendon, and Mepal. I believe they also attended the 75 Sq reunion. Gerry's grandson in front of Lancaster R5868 S-Sugar at the RAF Museum Hendon. They got a kick out of seeing Gerry in two photos that are part of a display on RAF Mepal and 75 (NZ) Sq at the RAF Witchford Display of Memorabilia, a small museum at Witchford not far from Mepal. This appears to include photos and text referring to W/C Cyril (Mac) Baigent (top left).
|
|
|
Post by oggie2620 on Aug 22, 2012 23:59:50 GMT 12
fwx If you want some more pics of the reunion then pm me with your email addy and I will send you some. Glen got some good pics of it too so might be worth pm to him too. I will send you (and anyone else who lets me know their email addy) a copy of the UK newsletter as well (though it will eventually go on the Assn website) which also has some nice pictures on it... I did get some pics of the memorial but am going to have to go back again as I really need some more.. one good thing about being in the UK!
|
|
|
Post by fwx on Aug 23, 2012 17:23:10 GMT 12
Hi Dee, Thanks for the offer - I have already seen your set on the 75 Assn facebook page, and my cousin Phil has sent me quite a few as well, so I have a pretty good idea of what a great few days you all had! I just wish I could have been there ...
Only a few weeks until the small group of Kiwi ex-RAF vets fly out for London for their own trip - still waiting on the official publicity but 75-er Douglas Williamson (of above and Aimless Wanderings fame) will be among them.
Cheers, Chris
PS. On the original thread topic, I now have contact with daughters of both Pilot (NZ) and MidUpper Gunner (Canada) from the JN Dog crew, and exchange of info is underway!
|
|
|
Post by fwx on Aug 30, 2012 12:53:18 GMT 12
Not sure if this is the most appropriate thread, but it follows on from the above, and I don't think it is officially a NZBCA event: Trip says thanks to bomber veteransBy Amelia Wade NZ Herald, Thursday August 30, 2012 www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10830359Veterans (from left) Harry Cammish, Wally Halliwell, Des Hall, Eddie Leaf and Doug Williamson with a restored Lancaster bomber at Motat. Photo / Brett Phibbs Dressed in smart navy jackets bedecked with pins, grey hair combed and parted, five war veterans stand in front of a restored Lancaster bomber joking about their service during World War II. "Oh, you were a '42 man, were you? You're even older than me," Harry Cammish says in a thick North Yorkshire accent, teasing Eddie Leaf. The men were gathered in a hangar at Auckland's Motat museum yesterday for a briefing on what Mr Cammish said was sure to be one of the highlights of his life. A so-called "fairy godfather" has paid for their trips back to their homeland so they can visit a memorial dear to their hearts. The veterans - Mr Cammish, 89, Wally Halliwell, 91, Des Hall, 88, Doug Williamson, 87, and Mr Leaf, 90 - were excluded from the Government-funded trip to London in June for the official unveiling of the Bomber Command memorial because they did not serve in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The five fought with the Royal Air Force, moving to New Zealand a few years after the Allies' victory and, although all are naturalised Kiwis, were not eligible for the trip. But a couple of weeks ago, Mr Cammish got a call - he was to be one of five veterans going to London at the expense of Auckland entrepreneur and philanthropist Ian Kuperus. The founding director of Tax Management New Zealand said he was inspired to do something special for the men after reading in the Herald that they had missed out. "I was impressed by the spirit of the men and the contribution they'd made to our country, to our freedom. The ability for us, for this generation, to do something to help them and to commemorate their comrades, it seemed like a great thing to do. "It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to do this for them in their lives," Mr Kuperus said. So on September 19, the veterans and their travel partners will fly to London. Mr Cammish is especially looking forward to it as he will celebrate his 90th birthday on the way over. "It'll be the best birthday I've ever had."
|
|
|
Post by fwx on Sept 15, 2012 15:48:43 GMT 12
High flier on a missionEMMA WHITTAKER www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/auckland-city-harbour-news/7668749/High-flier-on-a-missionALL SET: World War II airman Doug Williamson is heading to London next week to visit the Bomber Command Memorial thanks to businessman Ian Kuperus.An act of generosity will see World War II veteran Doug Williamson fly one last mission. He is is one of five former British airmen living in New Zealand who will leave for London next week to visit the Bomber Command Memorial. The men missed out on the Defence Force-funded trip to the memorial's unveiling in June because they were members of the British air force (RAF) and not the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). The upcoming trip is being organised and paid for by businessman Ian Kuperus. "Basically it's just an opportunity to do something for that generation that made a significant contribution to the freedom we all enjoy," Mr Kuperus says. "I'm fortunate enough to be celebrating 10 years of business and we're doing a couple of things to say thank you." Mr Williamson got a huge surprise. "I feel like I've won the lotto without buying a ticket." He joined the RAF in 1943 as a flight engineer. The Scot was 18 when he was attached to New Zealand's 75th Squadron and flew 32 missions over warring Europe. He was forced to bail out over Germany on the last mission when his plane was hit by a bullet fired from the ground. It pierced a tank of cooling fluid which exploded into flames. "At first there was a big bang and when I looked up into the bomb compartment there was this little flicker," he says. "All of a sudden there was this huge woosh of flame coming down the passage like a blowtorch." Mr Williamson was drenched in cooling fluid from the tank and knocked off his feet but was miraculously not burnt. "I was just lying there in a stupor waiting for the rest of the crew to come along and thinking what it might be like to be dead." He wandered around Germany on foot for a couple of days after bailing out and reaching the ground before being picked up and put in the local prison. The Grey Lynn resident was handed back to the allies not long after. The rest of his crew managed to fly their plane back to England, navigating with only a charred corner of map that had survived the fire. Bomber command had the highest allied casualty rate during World War II with 55,593 men killed, including 1851 Kiwis. It wasn't until this year though that New Zealand's contribution was officially honoured with the large memorial in London's Green Park. "It's good it's being recognised. It suffered tremendous losses. After the war it was ignored a little bit - Winston Churchill never mentioned bomber command in his victory speech," Mr Williamson says. The airmen will also get the chance to ride in a Lancaster Bomber as it taxis along a runway. Mr Williamson expects this will be a highlight of the trip. He's already stepped inside one of the planes at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Western Springs. "Going in the one at Motat made me feel really old," he says. "I'd always thought they were quite large, I was amazed how small it was and how confined the blast of the flames must have been." The airmen will travel to London with their families and Mr Kuperus.
|
|
|
Post by pjw4118 on Sept 15, 2012 17:50:10 GMT 12
I m not sure if this should be here or under the NZBCA page , but the five RAF boys are ready to go, and will get together next Wednesday before flying off to the UK via Hong Kong. Based at the RAFClub they will go to the new BC Memorial then in following days to Runnymede, RAF Hendon Museum , East Kirkby where they will have a private spin in the Lancaster then to Conningsby and the RAF Memorial flight. A formal dinner at Woodhall Spa s Pentworth Hotel , mess for 617 will be a highlight. They have gained a lot of recoginition and support from the UK Defence people here and in UK and should have a great trip. Led by an ex RAF S/L ( whose son flies Tor nadoes ) they will have lots of visitors including our Dee. There will be plenty of memories surface , good and bad , but thanks to the benefactor to give the boys a trip of their lives. The tour will have a blog site , which I will post later
|
|
|
Post by fwx on Oct 2, 2012 11:20:56 GMT 12
A fantastic trip, with the highlight no doubt being the taxi in the Lancaster "Just Jane" at East Kirkby: - and just to make a nice symmetry with the preceding story, Douglas back in his old "office": - Beautiful photos courtesy of Simon (bgizmo).
|
|
|
Post by kiwipathfinder89 on Oct 2, 2012 11:42:08 GMT 12
Amazing photos of the Lancaster there!
|
|
|
Post by fwx on Nov 15, 2012 12:18:39 GMT 12
For any interested in reading more about this story and in particular Flight Engineer Douglas Williamson, he has just published a re-telling of his autobiography, spliced together with the autobiography of Lutz Dille, a German Army reconnaissance photographer on the Eastern Front who Doug met and became friends with after the war. The Nazi & The LuftgangsterDetails here: rnzaf.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Books&thread=17454&page=1
|
|
|
Post by oggie2620 on Nov 21, 2012 0:28:27 GMT 12
Hi Doug very kindly brought a copy of the book over to the UK for me and signed it. He wouldnt let me pay for it so I told him I would get Glen to send him a squadron tie...I met Doug aswell as the others and their families at the Memorial and then had a cup of tea with them in the RAF Club! They like the other veterans are a fab bunch of people. Very special.. I have more pics on Facebook from that meeting too if you want to access those. They apparently all had a get together recently hosted by Ian at his house! He's a very special man too!!!
|
|
|
Post by sparrow139 on Oct 27, 2018 9:25:42 GMT 12
I realize this is an old post but just wanted to say I really find it interesting and informative. it has motivated me to find out as much as I can about my grandfathers time in the service.
I am the grandson of Ralph Charles sparrow. I read this a few years back and stumble back to it from time to time to read it over again. very interesting seeing all the information that is out there about the squadron and in particular this mission.
if you have any other photos of the crew and squadron I would love to see them.
I will do some digging and see what my father has in the photo albums at his home as well it has been to long since I have looked through them.
David sparrow
|
|