RAF Lancaster bombers - merged posts

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Can I pedantically point out that the body of water is called just 'Windermere'.

There's only one body of water with Lake in its name in the Lake District. Bassenthwaite Lake. All the rest are meres, tarns or waters, along with a few man made reservoirs.

[TaplowGreen]

Is it possible to travel to Lake Windermere on The Flying Scotsman?

[Red Squirrel]

A little while ago when I put up this post, some people complained that they couldn't see the externally-hosted pictures. Well the biter is bit; I can't see Chris from Nailsea's Dad's friend's picture. Odd, isn't it?

[JayMac]

Is it possible to travel to Lake Windermere on The Flying Scotsman?

Of course. Just get yourself an Advanced Purchase ticket. You may also be able to get an expresso coffee and a panini onboard. Then maybe something sweet for desert.

[grahame]

A little while ago when I put up this post, some people complained that they couldn't see the externally-hosted pictures. Well the biter is bit; I can't see Chris from Nailsea's Dad's friend's picture. Odd, isn't it?

Some (most? all?) of these issues come from image hosting sites which have spam-trap and copyright traps in to avoid visitors hot linking / mirroring / needlessly burning up bandwidth. Members and others report that the Coffee Shop is long in the tooth and for reasons I am aware of gives all sorts of concerning messages about potential viruses, etc ... and there is a distant parallel in the case of missing images where a web page displayed by a member calls for an image and the image host decides "I don't think so ...."

[Clan Line]

Can I pedantically point out that ...........

Could I be another pedant ?

The bombs weren't actually tested at Derwent Reservoir. Derwent was used for the extreme low level night flying training. The bombs themselves were tested at Reculver (Kent) and Loch Striven.

Full story here - with some very interesting film clips.

https://www.manstonhistory.org.uk/dambuster-bouncing-bomb-tests-at-reculver-and-manston/

[Chris from Nailsea]

My father served in the RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force), and flew in Lancasters and their successors, Shackletons.  He was a flight sergeant radio operator and aerial gunner.  (Not doing both at the same time, obviously.  )

Recently, he went over to Lincolnshire, where the Lancasters were based, for a public open day, and where a Lancaster was parked for people to walk around it.  My father introduced himself to the staff, explaining that he used to fly in them, and they very kindly invited him up into the aircraft, to sit at his old desk.



His memory of Morse Code is brilliant - but his hearing now is less so: medically diagnosed as being due to flying in those aircraft without ear protection for so long (no PPE^▸ (Personal Protective Equipment - safety wear) in those days). 

[GBM]

One of our morse code tutors was a bomber rear gunner/radio operator.
Tales of winding in the very long aerial wire when going into attack, and landing.
Just thought, he trained in airSHIPS before moving on to aircraft.......

[Chris from Nailsea]

I noted from our 'On This Day' panel (top right hand corner of the home page) that there are 'No events reported' for today.

However, I have found one - it's not particularly transport related, but very relevant to this ongoing topic. 

From Wikipedia, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade

On the night of 24 March 1944, 21-year-old Alkemade was one of seven crew members in Avro Lancaster B Mk. II, DS664, of No. 115 Squadron RAF^▸ (Royal Air Force). Returning from a 300-bomber-raid on Berlin, east of Schmallenberg, DS664 was attacked by a German Junkers Ju 88 night-fighter flown by Oberleutnant Heinz Rökker of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2, the attack caused the Lancaster to catch fire and began to spiral out of control. As his parachute had caught fire and was unserviceable, Alkemade jumped from the aircraft without it, preferring to die on impact rather than burn to death. He fell 18,000 feet (5,490 m) to the ground.

His fall was broken by fir trees and a soft snow cover on the ground. He was able to move his arms and legs and suffered only a sprained leg. The Lancaster crashed bursting into flames, killing pilot Jack Newman and three other members of the crew. They are buried in the Hanover War Cemetery.

Alkemade was subsequently captured and interviewed by the Gestapo, who were initially suspicious of his claim to have fallen without a parachute. This was until the wreckage of the aircraft was examined and his parachute was found as Alkemade had described it. The Germans gave Alkemade a certificate testifying to the fact. He was a celebrated prisoner of war, before being repatriated in May 1945.

That's the sort of jump you'd only do once.

CfN. 

[grahame]

I noted from our 'On This Day' panel (top right hand corner of the home page) that there are 'No events reported' for today.

However, I have found one - it's not particularly transport related, but very relevant to this ongoing topic. 

From Wikipedia, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Alkemade

Astonishing ...

When I spot an "on this day nothing happened" I too do a bit of a search.  I found a very early USA railroad authorisation, and this gem - https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/t13765.html - from 10 years ago.

Can also bring you three accidents at https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/mirror/rax_otd.pdf - but I try not to use too many of them, like I try to avoid too many closures.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_closed_railway_lines_in_the_United_Kingdom
Keith and Dufftown Railway (GNoSR) - 24 March 1991 (to all traffic)

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, grahame.

There is also a 'local connection' with Nicholas Alkemade:

Alkemade died on 22 June 1987 in Liskeard, Cornwall aged 64.