manston mirror - Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum Manston

RAF Manston Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum
MANSTON MIRROR
November 2013
Z
KH
MAGAZINE
Issue no: 5
Price: £1.50 where sold
…....…………………………….…………………………
REMEMBRANCE DAY
To contact:
RAF MANSTON
SPITFIRE &
HURRICANE
MEMORIAL
TRUST
flypast over Kent skies
includes newly restored
SPITFIRE
THE MUSEUM
THE AIRFIELD
MANSTON ROAD
RAMSGATE
KENT
CT12 5DF
Telephone:
01843 821940
Email:
spitfire752@
btconnect.com
VISIT:
Spitfiremuseum.org.uk
Registered charity
Number: 298229
See pages 3 and 9
Picture: Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar
…....…………………………….…………………………
Rare German aircraft to ‘fly over’
Battle of Britain airfield again
REGISTERED MUSEUM
NUMBER: 1991
………...….
NEWS
PILOT HERO: Flt Lt
Rodney Scrase DFC
Wartime RAF
flying ace on
special ops!
MAJOR talks are underway
to offer our museum visitors
a chance to download an amazing
3D vision of a rare Battle of Britain
aircraft to their Smartphone.
Cutting edge technology means
‘Apparition Dornier 17’ is set to be
available at RAF Manston Spitfire
and Hurricane Memorial Museum
within weeks.
The German-built Dornier 17, the
only one in existence today, was dug
up this year off Goodwin Sands in
Thanet with half a million pounds of
funding from the National Heritage
Memorial Fund, EADS (European
Aeronautic Defence and Space
Company), 328 Support Services,
RAF Historical Society, and RAF
Museum American Foundation.
The new Smart phone app of the
aircraft along with a dramatic Dornier
exhibition at RAF Cosford, Shifnal,
Shropshire, is funded by computer
games developer, Wargaming Ltd.
RAF Manston Spitfire and
Hurricane Memorial Museum
Trustee Sid Farmer said: “Our
museum is the natural place for
this unique new app which means
people can see the Dornier 17
flying over Manston, and Trafalgar
Square just as it did during
World War Two. Thanks to the
technology it will in a sense be
over Manston again too! Indeed the
recent recovery from the sea off
Thanet of the Luftwaffe Dornier,
some seventy years after it was sent
crashing into the Channel was just
amazing. The Trust would be
delighted if the museum with its
Battle of Britain theme is a site for
this important digital display.
“We are now in talks about the
arrival of the app at Manston.
continued on page 2
..
WOW! Dornier 17s fly over
Trafalgar Square. The app is
created by ‘redLoop design’
at Middlesex University.
ONLY INSIDE YOUR
MIRROR
MEET THE RESTORATION MEN
AT MEDWAY AIRCRAFT
PRESERVATION SOCIETY
……………………………………………………...
MANSTON MIRROR
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
MANSTON MIRROR
EDITOR: MELODY FOREMAN MCIJ
If you have a story for us or would
like to advertise please email:
[email protected]
Telephone: 07876 018243
Copyright: Melody Foreman and the RAF Manston
Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Musuem Trust.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, in whole
or part is forbidden without the consent of the publishers.
While every effort is made to ensure accuracy we cannot
acknowledge the requirement to correct any errors.
……………………
CONTENTS
German bomber LATEST 2 & 3
Museum visitors with Smartphone to
see Luftwaffe ‘over Manston’ again
“It seems to me our museum
is the obvious choice for this
and I know our visitors will
love it.
“The original Dornier crew
must have had Manston in
their sights when they set out
on a bombing raid over Kent
to destroy Britain’s most
strategic airfields.
“Field Marshal Goering took
the decision to destroy our
most important RAF bases
from where they took off to
beat back his Luftwaffe.
“We would definitely like to
see the new mobile phone
app made available to visitors
at the museum. We are also
looking at ways the 3D
APPARITION MAN: Museum
images of the Dornier can
be seen on a computer screen.” Trustee Sid Farmer.
‘We think the RAF Manston Spitfire and
Hurricane Memorial Museum would be an
ideal place for Apparition Dornier 17’ RAF Museum spokesman Ajay Srivastava
Wartime pilots’ favourite pub 4
Belgian media visit……………...5
MP’s view on airport sale……..6
A meeting with ATA girl…….. 7
‘Chain Home’ Radar………….....8
Restored Spitfire flies again….9
Restoration Man
……………………… 10,11,12,13,16
Classic Collection………………..14
Letters……………………………….. 15
Spitfire factory boss…………...17
A memoir to relish……..18 & 19
Crossword…………………………...20
MUSEUM INFORMATION
The RAF Manston Spitfire &
Hurricane Memorial Museum at
Manston is open every day (except
Xmas) from 10am to 5pm. Free
coach parking and the Merlin Café.
LUFTWAFFE BOMBER: A Dornier 17 also known as ‘The Flying Pencil’ because of its long
slim body shape. A total of 1,700 Dornier 17s were built during the war. The RAF shot
down 200 of them.
Nazi bomber on show after
surviving ‘remarkably well’
THE original Dornier
Do-17 lifted from Goodwin
Sands in May is being
cared for by a volunteer
restoration crew at RAF
Cosford.
Visitors are welcomed
to this museum at Shifnal,
Shropshire, where the
seventy year old wreckage
is on display.
Having been transported
two hundred miles from
Ramsgate to Shropshire after
the half a million pound dig,
this former Battle of Britain
legend is now undergoing the
best of treatment.
The fuselage and wings have
been placed in purpose-built
hydration tunnels and are
being sprayed with citric acid
solutions to prevent any
further corrosion.
RAF Cosford spokeswoman
Michelle Morgans told your
MIRROR the restoration
work was going well and
much of the marine life once
stuck to the wreckage was
now beginning to fall off.
She said: “I do recommend
our Dornier exhibition as
there is so much to see.
“Since we installed the
wreckage in June we’ve seen
up to 18,000 visitors.
“We have also placed more
viewing panels around the
sides of the tunnel.”
Experts are excited about
the find as it was intact when
lifted from the Goodwin
Sands.
Amazingly the rubber tyres
were still inflated. Only the
propellers were bent from
the heavy landing in 1940.
Luftwaffe
Dornier 17
crash crew
HISTORIANS believe this
particular aircraft took off on
the morning of August 26, 1940,
with eight other Dornier bombers
from St Trond in Germanoccupied Belgium to bomb the
RAF fighter base at Manston
in Kent.
The Luftwaffe lost three of its
Dorniers that day, including this
one. After an attempted
controlled landing, the plane
somersaulted and landed on its
back. Wireless Operator Helmut
Reinhardt and Bomb Aimer
Heinz Huhn died and their bodies
were washed up in Holland and
England respectively, where they
were buried in war cemeteries.
The other two crew members,
Pilot Willi Effmert and Bomb
Aimer Hermann Ritzel survived
and spent the rest of the war in
British prisoner-of-war camps.
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
2
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MANSTON MIRROR
RAF fighter
hero due to
salute flypast
led by ‘Spirit of
Kent’ Spitfire
DORNIER DO-17
FACTBOX
THE aircraft at Goodwin Sands
was discovered by casual divers
in 2008 at a depth of 50ft, lying
on a chalk bed surrounded by
debris. Sonar scans by the RAF
Museum, Wessex Archaeology
and the Port of London Authority
confirmed its identity.
It was meant to be a light
bomber - fast enough to outrun
enemy fighters - but that didn't
stop the RAF destroying more
than 200 of them during the
Battle of Britain and the Blitz.
Two Dorniers flew with the RAF
after fleeing the kingdom of
Yugoslavia in 1941.
They had been part of a batch
ordered from Germany in 1936
The Do 17 carried 2,200lbs of
bombs and had a top speed of
250mph.
It had self-sealing fuel tanks to
reduce the risk of fire, enabling the
aircraft to get back to base despite
being badly shot up.
This summer the world’s only
surviving Dornier 17 was lifted
from the seabed at Goodwin Sands,
near Ramsgate, Kent.
…………………………………………………………….
OUR PILOT’S VIEW
Dakota pilot RAF WARRANT OFFICER RON DEARMAN
is a popular host at the RAF Manston Spitfire and
Hurricane Memorial Museum. During the war he flew over
the jungles of Burma dropping essential supplies
to the Chindits. Today he talks about REMEMBRANCE
SUNDAY, the Dornier 17, and ‘wonderful’ museum visitors.
I
HAVE had a busy month so far
meeting all sorts of interesting
people at the museum.
Now I am ready for Remembrance
Sunday, and on Monday, November
11, I will be with the children and
staff from Minster Primary School to
watch them present their own service
at the museum and lay a wreath in the
Allied Air Forces Memorial Garden.
Every year I attend their events and
every year I am impressed how the
youngsters devote so much care and
attention to honouring the memory of
the fallen of both world wars.
When I see the children take part
in such services it makes me realise
how the sacrifice of so many during
wartime will never ever be forgotten
by future generations. It heartens me
to know the children will have
November 11 etched in their minds as
an important day in the history of the
world. On the actual Remembrance
Sunday I plan to visit the Margate
Memorial at 11am. I think I might be
the only surviving representative of
the Burma Star Association this year
which makes me a little sad. But I
know there will be crowds of people
there that day and representatives
from all of the armed forces will
make sure I am not too lonely.
THE other day a chap came into
the museum when I was on duty
with host, Brian Mayes. This
visitor told us he had flown his
747 in to Manston from
Luxembourg and couldn’t believe
his luck when he chanced upon
the museum.
He told us he was South African
and was thrilled to see the Spitfire
and the Hurricane, and all the
artefacts on show.
This chap talked a lot to us and
we showed him around the
aircraft. He was truly delighted
and said he is going to return soon
and fly his family over to see what
he said was a truly remarkable
place. He asked if I flew during
the war and so I told him I was a
Dakota pilot. He said something
like ‘what a guy!’ and then asked
us what we thought about the
discovery of the Dornier 17.
Our unusual visitor wanted to
know quite a lot about it so we
gave him the details we had and
he went off very satisfied.
I am a true believer in the
rescue and restoration of old
aircraft and the news about the
Dornier is wonderful.
I am also glad the museum is
going to get the mobile phone
app device.
I don’t know much about mobile
phones but someone showed me
what the 3D image looks like on
a phone. I hope the museum crew
can also find a way to project this
image onto a wall or outside the
building in some way so it looks
as if the Dornier 17s are flying
over Manston again.
How incredible!
I AM keen to see the museum
expand to include a Tiger Moth.
We would need to build an
extension of course in which to
house it but I know it would
attract the visitors. The Tiger
Moth is the aircraft we all learned
to fly in. I had ten hours at the
controls before I flew solo. Then
I was sent to Canada for training.
So it’s the Tiger Moth for me it’s where it began for RAF boys.
FLIGHT Lieutenant
Rodney Scrase DFC
(pictured above) is
due to be present at
the Biggin Hill Heritage
Hangar on Sunday
November 10 to launch
the Remembrance Day
Formation Flypast.
The formation is
expected to consist
of four Spitfires, one
Hurricane, a Harvard
trainer and American
Piper Cub.
Flt Lt Scrase flew
Spitfires with Nos. 72
and 1 Squadrons
and was awarded the
Distinguished Flying
Cross in 1944.
During his wartime
career he destroyed
four enemy aircraft
and damaged a further
three. He flew from
Biggin Hill on several
occasions and it is a
fitting tribute to the
fallen that he should
return to watch one of
the largest formations
of warbirds seen over
Kent for many years.
Leaving Biggin Hill at
10.50hrs the formation
plans to overfly St
George’s Chapel on
Biggin Hill Airport at
11.04am before moving
on to the chalk cross set
in the Darenth Valley
just above Shoreham
village at around
11.15am. The aircraft
will then return to
Biggin Hill landing at
around 11.30am.
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
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VISIT the historic Crown Inn
at Sarre and you’ll be where
the allied air crews of World
War Two shared a pint or two
during the war.
And how can we prove it?
Well just go through the back
door of this ancient hostelry
and on the far left is a large
white-framed window covered in
signatures of RAF and USAF
air crews who frequented the
pub from 1939 - 1945.
The window also includes the
names of an RAF crew sent out
to bomb a German warship.
Indeed after heroic endeavours
to keep the Luftwaffe away from
the skies over Manston airfield,
pilots and their crews poured into
The Crown Inn to escape the
stresses of the day.
American airmen used Manston
if they needed to land a stricken
Flying Fortress or a Liberator.
In those days it became a
tradition among air crews seated
by the window of The Crown Inn
to carve their names in the glass.
Landlord Clive Franklyn
explains: “The window is an
important part of our history and
we’re very proud of it. It is
unique and important to us.
“During World War Two we
also had guns positioned on the
roof of the Inn.
“The Crown Inn is 500 years old
MANSTON MIRROR
Memory of wartime air crew lives
on in old window at haunted pub
and began life as three cottages
which then became one in 1598.
“Over the years the Inn has been
called ‘The Turkey’ and ‘The Hare
and Hounds’, and for 300 years it
was the producer of a unique
cherry brandy.”
The recipe was brought to Kent by
16th century French Huguenots
and remains a secret to this day.
It is made and known as Grant’s
Morella Cherry Brandy and Clive
is proud to reveal it carries the
Prince of Wales’s seal. It costs
£20 a bottle at The Crown Inn.
THE CROWN INN
Clive and his wife Penny have
been at the helm of this glorious
Kentish inn for six years and are
well known for providing fine
hospitality and home cooked food.
There are also reasonably priced
and beautiful rooms for guests
starting at £50 per night.
As a Grade I listed building
it’s no surprise to learn it has
welcomed famous guests including
Victorian literary giant Charles
Dickens who mentions the cherry
brandy and the inn in The Pickwick
Papers.
MEIN HOSTS: Penelope and
Clive Franklyn at The Crown.
Author Rudyard Kipling is on
record as visiting Sarre’s famous
pub which also has a history of
being a smugglers’ haunt when
the River Wantsum ran freely
alongside enabling illicit goods
to arrive incognito!
During the 1930s and 1940s the
Inn was owned by a West End
theatre manager called ‘Lindo’
who invited many well known
theatricals to Sarre.
The actor Jack Warner from
television’s Dixon of Dock Green
also called in at this ‘halfway
house’ which is nearest to
Birchington and sits between
historic Canterbury and Margate.
It is charming landlady Penelope
who can tell you about a ghost
which visits the upstairs rooms at
the inn.
She recalls: “Two different
psychic mediums called in at
different times to check out the
‘haunted’ rooms. Both reported on
different occasions of being aware
of a ghost of a woman.”
Penelope says she often hears
loud footsteps walking about
above her when she’s downstairs
and yet when she’s been to check
there’s no one else in the building.
Could this ghost be mourning
the loss of a pilot killed in battle?
Let us know what you think.
Do you have any stories about
wartime clientele at The Crown?
Email the Editor [email protected].
THE FAMOUS CHERRY BRANDY HOUSE
SARRE
HOTEL/RESTAURANT/BAR
IDEAL FOR FUNCTIONS
TRADITIONAL HOME COOKED MEALS
REAL ALES
Telephone: 01843 847808
www.crownsarre.co.uk
HAUNTED:
The back
entrance of
The Crown.
Once
through
the door
go left
into the
restaurant
and the
famous
window is
on the left.
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
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TOP representatives
of the Belgian media
arrived at the museum
as part of a ‘Frontline
Kent’ trip organised
by Visit Kent.
Museum Trustee Sid
Farmer, and MIRROR
Editor Melody Foreman
were introduced to Chris
Vercruysse of Vlaamse
Kampsertoeristen,
Linda De Geest of
Nieuwsblad.be and
PR consultant Jan
Bleyenberg.
The trio arrived at the
museum with Visit Kent
International Press
Manager Julie Edwards,
who explained the trip
was supported by the
sea container company
Seaco, and aimed to
promote the county’s
military history.
The three-day trip
included visits to
the Battle of Britain
Memorial at Capel-leFerne, the secret tunnels
and underground
hospital at Dover Castle,
and the Royal Engineers
Museum at Chatham.
During their visit to
RAF Manston Spitfire
and Hurricane Memorial
MANSTON MIRROR
SPECIAL LINE-UP WITH THE HURRICANE: From left Chris Vercruysse, Linda
De Geest, Sid Farmer, Julie Edwards, and Jan Bleyenberg.
Museum Hurricane is star attraction for
Belgian journalists on Visit Kent trip
Museum the Belgian
visitors learned how the
Hurricane IIc LF751 had
been flown during the
war by Belgian aviator
Squadron Leader Danny
Le Roy du Vivier during
his time with the famous
No: 43 ‘Fighting Cocks’
squadron based at RAF
Tangmere.
Museum Trustee Mr
Farmer also talked to the
guests about du Vivier’s
pilot pal, Flying Officer
Albert van den Hove
d’Ertsenrijck who was shot
down and killed in 1940
just outside of Canterbury.
The daughter of Belgian
hero Albert is Adrienne
Lecoeuvre who is a regular
visitor to the museum.
Mr Farmer said: “We were
delighted to meet Linda,
Jan and Chris who were
tremendously keen to
to know more about our
museum. We presented
them with copies of the
MIRROR which contains
articles about our Hurricane
and its links with the great
Belgian pilot heroes.
“We also showed them a
flying jacket worn by du
Vivier which is on display
in the museum.
“We hope very much to
welcome Linda, Jan and
Chris back to the museum
again soon.”
Journalist Linda from
Flanders was delighted to
be shown a rare World War
One Ordnance Survey map
of the French trenches.
She said: “I am very
interested in World War
One and hope to write
some articles about it
for next year’s 100th
anniversary.”
The old maps were
donated to the museum this
Autumn. The date stamped
on the back of them is
1918.
Linda said: “I often visit
Kent, and have been to the
museum before. It’s a great
place, I shall return!”
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RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
5
…………………………………………………….. MANSTON MIRROR
Airport sale sparks MP’s comments in the Commons
promoting Manston as the place to save UK business
MANSTON is the obvious choice
to help secure important UK business
lost because of congestion at London
airports.
Thanet North MP Sir Roger Gale (above)
was speaking in the House of Commons
during a debate about aviation.
He made his comments last month
shortly after Kent International Airport was
sold to businesswoman Ann Gloag for just
£1. News from the Stock Exchange alleged
£350,000 worth of debts had been accrued
at Manston’s KIA.
The airport was sold by the New Zealand
based company Infratil which put it up for
sale a few years ago.
Sir Roger (Conservative) said: “Frequently
people just change planes but equally
frequently they stop over. Because they
are coming through London they take
the opportunity to take in a show or do
business in the City of London.
“It is not just the thousands of jobs at stake
and which we could lose to mainlaind
Europe; this is about all the other, ancilliary
jobs, and tourism and business that go with
them.
“The cost to the country from the loss of
aviation business in the south-east to
mainland Europe is almost inestimable.”
The MP pointed out how KLM Royal
Dutch Airlines and Air France are now
CAPACITY: Kent International Airport.
Picture by Gerry Abrahams.
Ann Gloag OBE.
New airport
owner invited
to museum
BUSINESS boss
and philanthropist
Ann Gloag has
been offered a
private VIP tour
of the RAF Spitfire
and Hurricane
flying from Manston, twice daily to
Memorial Museum.
airport including a ‘Boris Island’
Schiphol, as they are from a number of would take 20 years.
Mrs Gloag, a
other regional airports.
co-founder of the
The MP said: “Manston has the
“They are not doing that for fun,” said fourth longest runway in the country, Stagecoach bus
Sir Roger, “they are doing it because
it has taken Concorde and wide body company, is due
they can see there is business to be
to sign the deal on
jets and is available now.”
taken, from the south-east of England
Manston airport at
It was also pointed out the rail
in particular to Schiphol to interline and services from Manston to London
the end of this
to go on to all other places in the world were as swift as fifty minutes.
month.
- literally, anywhere that is possible to
Sir Roger added: “Manston has now Museum Trust
fly from Schiphol. We can not afford to been bought and its future is secure.
spokesman Sid
sacrifice that business.”
It is never going to be another London Farmer said Mrs
The MP told the House that Sir
Gloag should have
airport but it can take traffic from
Howard Davies is compiling a report
Gatwick to release capacity. Manston chance to see the
which will not be ready before 2015,
is a national asset and we need to use jewel in the
and any potential expansion or new
it now. We can not afford to waste it.” Manston crown.
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RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
6
……………………………………………………...
I WAS once told that a good
way to meet people was to
have a dog to walk, and I have
certainly met some interesting
people this way, writes museum
fan, Adrian Willson.
For example, I used to walk my
dog in the North Hampshire
village of Sherfield-on-Loddon,
where there are many lovely
walks, views, and attractive
period cottages. While walking
one morning I passed an elderly
woman having problems with
her electric invalid scooter.
Having gone a few yards I
thought she might need some
help so went back. She was
trying to connect the electrical
cable to the scooter and was
struggling owing to irregular
arrangement of pins and sockets.
There’s not much of a practical
nature I can do but I did manage
that without too much trouble.
She asked how I’d done it (for
future reference) and I explained
that you just push the two parts
together till you feel a slight
resistance, then turn the
connectors until the pins and
sockets match up.
She told me I was a very clever
young man (I should say this is
probably the first time I have
been called clever, and certainly
the last time I will be called
MANSTON MIRROR
ATA THIRD OFFICER:
Annette Hill.
Chance encounter with ATA girl reveals a life
‘more interesting’ than many of us ever manage
young, at least without obvious irony)
and that she used to fly Spitfires and
should have been able to work that out.
This led to a very interesting chat
about her time and experiences in the
Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA).
It seems women were not allowed in
combat roles but were allowed to ferry
aircraft about the country e.g. from the
factory to the operational airfield – no
doubt at greater danger to the pilot than
would have been the case had they
been armed. It turned out subsequently
that I had been talking to Annette Hill.
Although I often walked past her
house, and always looked to see if there
was any sign of her, I never saw her
again and noted some time later that the
house had been sold.
It was with some sadness I read in the
local paper last month that Annette Hill
had died – after a life that sounded more
interesting than many of us would ever
really manage.
ATA MEMORIAL
UNVEILING AT
HAMBLE-LE-RICE,
EASTLEIGH,
HAMPSHIRE IN 2010:
From left: Margaret
Frost, Annette Hill in
chair, Tony Bray,
Mary (Wilkins) Ellis,
Peter George,
Joy Lofthouse, and
Peter Garrod.
‘I will never forget my meeting
with a woman who flew Spitfires
during World War Two’
- Adrian Willson
Twice daily flights to Amsterdam where you can enjoy seamless
connections to more than 130 destinations across the world
AVIATION FAN: Adrian at
The Imperial War Museum
at Duxford, Cambridgeshire.
FT
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
7
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MANSTON MIRROR
How vital radio masts helped
our air crews win the war in
troubled skies over Britain
RADAR: A vital ‘Chain Home’ mast.
THE PLOUGHMAN’S CHOICE
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You can find us too at the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum, Manston
MOVING from the M2 onto the
A299 (Thanet Way), visitors
travelling to Manston might notice
a radio mast in the distance, on
their right, writes Dr Julian Brock.
This mast, in the village of Dunkirk,
is a remnant of the "Chain Home"
radar system, which played such a
vital role in the Battle of Britain.
After the air raids on Britain in
World War One, the government
was aware of the need for a system
to detect hostile aircraft at a distance.
Sound detection systems were
developed, but they were not very
successful.
In the mid-1930s, the government
asked Robert Watson-Watt, a radio
scientist at the National Physical
Laboratory, to look into creating a
death-ray (as depicted in comic
books) for bringing down aircraft.
Watson-Watt quickly realised that
such a death ray was not feasible.
Some years earlier, it had been
noticed that passing aircraft caused
variations in the signals received
from short-wave radio transmitters;
based on this observation, WatsonWatt proposed that a system of aircraft detection using radio waves
could be developed.
Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Dowding
wanted to see evidence that this
would work before agreeing that
such a system should be developed;
so a demonstration was carried out
by flying an aircraft over the BBC's
short-wave radio transmitter at
Daventry.
The government set up a team of
scientists to develop Radio Direction
Finding (as it was then called). This
evolved into the "Chain Home" radar
installations, characterised by tall
radio masts around the south and
east coasts of England. Other
countries were also investigating
radar, but the British development
was to incorporate radar into an integrated air defence system; and this is
what gave the RAF an advantage
over the Luftwaffe during the Battle
of Britain. Evidence of the Chain
Home radar stations can still be
found.
One of the two radio masts at
Swingate, to the east of Dover, was
part of a Chain Home installation.
(A wartime photograph of that
installation can be found at http://
www.doversociety.org.uk/historyscrapbook/world-war-ii.) And there
is a Chain Home tower, still with its
cantilever platforms, at Great
Baddow, in Essex, pictured top left.
Radar was also developed to
guide search lights and antiaircraft guns.
When the Luftwaffe switched
to night-time raids, the groundbased radar system could direct
RAF fighters to the area in which
the bombers were operating,
but the RAF pilots then had to
visually identify their targets.
This problem was resolved by the
development of a radar system
small enough to be carried in a
night fighter. (To conceal this
advance, the pilots' night-time
success was attributed to them
eating carrots.)
Radar was also used to detect Uboats in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The early radar systems could
not be used because they suffered
RADIO SCIENTIST: Robert
Watson-Watt at The National
Physical Laboratory.
interference from the sea.
However, a shorter-wavelength
("centimetric") radar, which was
less affected by interference, was
developed and was installed on
British warships in 1941. Further
improvements meant that even
a raised periscope could be
detected, and even more U-boats
were destroyed when these radar
systems were fitted to aircraft.
Radar was also used by bombers
as a navigational aid, because the
difference between sea and land
showed up very clearly, even
through cloud.
To quote a contributor from the
Heroes of World War II television series: "The atomic bomb
ended the war, but radar won it."
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
8
…………………………………...………………….
MANSTON MIRROR
DON’T MISS THIS
TUNE in to
YouTube
when you can
and watch
‘The
Heroes of
Biggin Hill’
This great
programme,
made by
Epiphany
Productions, was shown
again recently on the
Yesterday history channel.
It contains lots of first hand
accounts from the pilots who
flew from Biggin Hill during
the war, and includes the
extraordinary memories of
local residents and those of
Kent author Bob Ogley.
Biggin Hill was under
constant attack, and yet in
1943 it was the first RAF
during August 2013 followed by her
fighter station to claim its
post-restoration flight. Fifteen years
1,000th enemy kill.
after she last flew, RW382 is once
Sgt Pilot Tony Pickering
again back in the air and although now
was just 19 when he joined
privately owned, it is the intention of
the RAF at Biggin Hill.
the owner to keep the aircraft in the
Tony, pictured above, said:
Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar for the
“I remember very well
foreseeable future.
jumping into my Spitfire
Mr Brooks said: “There will be more
and feeling how important it
test flights of this unique aircraft over
was to be in control of
the coming weeks.”
something so powerful. I
Watch this space - Ed
had to respect the aircraft.”
Rare Spitfire reaches for the sky again after
top flight restoration by top Biggin Hill crew
AN HISTORIC Spitfire which was
out of action for fifteen years is now
back in the air again thanks to a
highly skilled team at Biggin Hill.
Spitfire LFXVIe RW382 took her
first test flight with experienced
Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar pilot
Clive Denney in the cockpit.
She was returned to her former
glory this Autumn by the Spitfire
Restoration Company (Biggin Hill)
Ltd.
Built and delivered from Castle
Bromwich to No. 6 MU (Maintenance
Unit) on July 20, 1945, this gorgeous
Spitfire was issued to No. 604
(County of Middlesex) Royal
Auxiliary Air Force Squadron on
April 1, 1947 then based at North
Weald. After serving with the
squadron for three years, RW382
was retired to No. 33 MU at
Lyneham.
Allocated to No. 3 Civilian
Anti-Aircraft Co-Operation Unit
at Exeter on June 11,1950 she was
transferred to the Control and
Reporting School at Middle Wallop
on October 17 before entering final
retirement on July 14, 1953.
Her last flights were to No. 45 MU at
Kinloss before moving on to No. 29
MU at High Ercall in Shropshire
during late July 1953 and being SOC
(Struck Off Charge) on December 14,
1954.
Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar spokesman Robin Brooks said: “Following a
year in store RW382 was allocated to
No. 609 (West Riding) Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadron at Church
Fenton as an instructional airframe on
November 28, 1955 before being
moved to RAF Leconfield to serve as
a gate guardian in 1957. In the interim
she played a part as a static Spitfire in
BIGGIN HILL HERITAGE HANGAR
ACE PILOT: Clive Denney
who flew RW382 after her
restoration by the Spitfire
Restoration Company.
the film ‘Battle of Britain’ during
1967 to 1968 before being returned
to Leconfield during 1969. A
further gate guardian duty was at
RAF Uxbridge from 1973 till 1988
where she was displayed on a pole
at the airfield entrance.”
Then from Uxbridge, RW382 was
collected by Historic Flying Ltd
of Cambridge which sold the
aircraft to David Tallichet of
Military Aircraft Restoration
Corporation in California.
RW382 was involved in an
incident on June 3, 1998 while
taking part in the Carson Valley
Air Show after which she did not
fly again. RW382 was returned to
the UK during 2005 and a rebuild
began at Airframe Assemblies Ltd
on the Isle of Wight. She arrived in
the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar
for further work during 2010 and
was rolled out for engine test runs
We are dedicated to the safe restoration and
continued safe operation of our aircraft.
We are based at the famous World War Two
RAF Aerodrome at Biggin Hill, Kent.
The aircraft we operate comprise several
superb airworthy examples of legendary WW2
Supermarine Spitfire and other fighter aircraft each
with extensive wartime histories.
We aim to provide current and future generations
the chance to see airworthy Spitfires and
Hurricanes up close and in the air. We have open
days and attend air show events.
VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE FOR DETAILS
Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar proudly
supports the RAF Spitfire & Hurricane
Memorial Museum at Manston, Kent.
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
9
……………………………………………………..MANSTON MIRROR
RESTORATION MAN
I
N the first torrential rains
of autumn we draw up in
the car and make ready to
meet a man famed for
rescuing the distressed.
We brace ourselves, then
once out of the vehicle we hunch up
against the downpour and run and
splash most un-damsel-like towards
him. Our umbrellas at full mast are
ineffectual, and our feet dodge ever
expanding puddles and muddy
shingle.
Ah, there’s our knight just ahead of us
sporting a black water-proof jacket.
“Come along, come along!” says
Lewis Deal MBE beckoning us with
some urgency, “let’s get inside!”
If he says this to all the girls then it’s
only natural as he is used to welcoming the weather-ravaged with open
arms. But usually his refugees are of
the vintage aviation kind, beleaguered
RAF station gate guardians mostly,
and not a pair of drowned rats of the
human variety!
Through the door and we’re standing
in the heart of Medway Aircraft
Preservation Society (MAPS) –
a collection of small buildings in a
corner of Rochester Airport.
Lewis, a gallant snowy haired gent
with the quiet air of a wise owl, is
managing director and he introduces
us to a couple of the famous MAPS
CHAPS who are among 40 volunteers
who help run the operation. There’s
publicity director and aviation author,
Robin J Brooks, and MAPS visitor
guide Bill Steer.
Robin scoots off to make coffee and
organise biscuits for MAPS’ new rainsoaked guests. Bill is keen to show us
around the Visitor Centre and its vast
array of photographs.
In front of us though before we go
anywhere within the MAPS complex
is an essential part of a real rare bird –
the wing of a Short Brothers’ Pobjoy
Scion II G-AEZF - the prototype of
which first flew in north Kent in September 1933.
Lewis tells us this girl is now in the
complete care of MAPS at Rochester
Airport and very near to her place of
birth on the Esplanade. She was
built by Shorts and was a float plane
originally.
She was converted to a land plane
in 1941 and the RAF used her as a
communications aircraft.
Over the years she had various
EDITOR MELODY FOREMAN AND
MUSEUM TRUSTEE ROSA SEAR MEET
THE AWESOME ‘CHAP’ AND HIS CREW
WHO BROUGHT OUR SPITFIRE TB752,
OUR HURRICANE LF751 AND MANY
OTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT BACK TO LIFE
MAPS CHAPS: From left, Robin J Brooks, Lewis Deal MBE and Bill Steer in the Visitor Centre.
different owners, and more
recently had sat neglected
and left to perish.
Once this Pobjoy Scion has
been loved and cherished by
MAPS she will then rise like a
phoenix as a flagship for Shorts,
and will represent all of the
amazing restoration projects
achieved by MAPS over almost
four decades.
That total recently reached 33
and includes Lewis’s famous
first victory – the Spitfire Mk
XVI TB752. She was rescued
from the ravages of the weather
in 1977 after her long and gallant stint as gate guardian at
RAF Manston.
Along with keen enthusiasts
from the Medway branch of the
Royal Aeronautical Society and
with permission from the RAF,
Lewis transported TB752 to
Rochester and turned her back
to the beautiful showroom
condition we see her in today
at the RAF Manston Spitfire
and Hurricane Memorial
Museum.
Sporting the colours of No
403 ‘Wolf’ Squadron of the
Royal Canadian Air Force she
returned to Manston on
September 15, 1979, the
anniversary of Battle of
Britain day, and the restoration
project team was presented
with a model of a beautiful
silver Spitfire from an
impressed Air Marshal Sir
Philip Lageson. This model is
now on display at the museum.
It was the same crew making
up the newly-formed Aircraft
Preservation Group which
brought the Hurricane IIc LF751
back to full glory. She had
served as a gate guardian at RAF
Bentley Priory for thirty years
before she was moved to
Rochester for restoration in
1985. Now this former member
of the famous 43 ‘Fighting
Cocks’ Squadron of wartime
RAF Tangmere, sits proudly in
her own Hurricane Hall in the
museum at Manston.
Both aircraft had seen
significant action during World
War Two.
The Hurricane LF751 was
flown by the famous Belgian
aviator, Squadron Leader Danny
Le Roy Du Vivier. The Spitfire
TB752 flown by Fred Town in
1945 and shot down the last
continued on page 11
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
10
…………………………………………………
MANSTON MIRROR
SKILLED: The dedicated MAPS crew work diligently on a Spitfire in need of care and attention.
Continued from page 10
German aircraft of the war.
In a lecture given to the Medway
branch of the Royal Aeronautical
Society at BAE Systems at
Rochester in 2011, MAPS
chairman Malcolm Moulton
and Lewis revealed how a
whole series of important rescue
missions led to the vital evolution
of MAPS.
Malcolm said: “While restoration
of Spitfire TB752 was going on at
Rochester some bright spark in
the Ministry of Defence said the
RAeS Branch should insure the
aircraft. That rankled rather, as
it had originally been in the
inventory as zero value and
was therefore not insured at all.
“But its current value, even
during restoration, had suddenly
run into six figures and we had to
point out, as politely as we could,
that there was no way the Branch
could afford to insure it.
“Fortunately, it dawned on the
powers-that-were, that a good
many other gate guardians were
quietly rotting away outside RAF
stations. If these were also to be
restored, either to static display or
to flying order, then they could be
sold to museums or private flyers
and replaced with fibreglass
replicas that wouldn’t rot.
“So began a whole new regimen
that Lewis’ team helped to bring
about. Restored gate guardians
would henceforth either be
operated or housed indoors.
“I cannot over-emphasize the
importance of this for all aircraft
on public display.
“Displaying aircraft under cover
is recommended by the British
Aviation Preservation Council and
remains MAPS firm policy to this
day. To illustrate the benefits,
when TB752 was restored, there
were only seven Spitfires in flying
order. Today, there are more
than sixty! It is fair to say that
the work of Lewis’s group at
Rochester Airport was something
of a catalyst in this remarkable
development.
“In furtherance of this policy,
in 1980, the Aircraft Preservation
Group run by Lewis, took a
leading role in fundraising for
the present Spitfire and Hurricane
Memorial Museum at Manston,
the first publicly subscribed
building to be erected on MoD
land.”
At the time, Lewis, says the MoD
edict was ‘Fly ‘em or house ‘em!’
Today on a wet Sunday afternoon
in Autumn and now warmed from
cheerful chat with the MAPS crew,
Lewis is happy to answer a few of
our questions.
continued on page 12
LATEST MAPS PROJECT: (Above) The Pobjoy Scion II
which began life as a float plane.
BELOW: Lewis, Bill and Robin check over the wing of the
Scion II which is being restored in the MAPS workshop.
LEFT: Spitfire TB752, the Hurricane LF751 and a rare drone.
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
11
…………………………………………………….
MANSTON MIRROR
continued from page 11
The first of course is exactly
when did he discover his
passion for vintage aviation?
He pauses before answering
then leans over a huge box of
twisted metal pieces dug up
from the crash site of a
1940s’ Handley Page Halifax
aircraft some years back. He
picks up various items as he
talks as if to highlight his
replies.
Then he reveals in this
mannered way of his about
how as a child he was often
‘bombed out’ of the family
home in Sevenoaks in the
September of 1940.
It was the start of a lifelong
interest in the aircraft of
World War Two. He holds up
a piece of the Halifax bomber
now and examines it closely.
He says: “I lived out the rest
of the war in Barham Downs,
near Canterbury, in the
middle of what became
known as ‘bomb alley’ and
was later the flight path of the
VI flying bombs. I also saw
a Hurricane pilot struggle to
control his aircraft after a
dogfight and saw it disappear
from view only to crash in the
far distance.
READY FOR ACTION: A Boulton Paul Defiant ’Nightfighter’ like this has been restored by MAPS
and is now on show at the RAF Museum at Hendon, North London.
“ I remember seeing the cloud
of smoke.”
A former pupil of Sir Joseph
Williamson’s Mathematical
School in Rochester, Lewis did
extended National Service in
the RAF, from 1950-1954,
gaining flying experience on
Lancaster and Lincoln Aircraft.
He says he’ll never forget his
flights in the Lancaster
Bomber. “I usually sat where
the rear gunner would be
during the wartime missions. I
learned a great deal from my
National Service experiences.”
Lewis spent his working life in
the Kent County Council
architects’ department, and
then after retiring from there he
set up a photographic business
in 1987.
It was in the mid-1960s that
he joined an Aviation and
Archaeology Recovery Group
and gained a deep knowledge of
aircraft structures, engines and
design as a result of numerous
excavations. This led him to
undertake research into aircraft
and pilots of the time.
By 1977 he was Project Leader
of the Medway Branch of the
RAeS, and by 1989 the new
Medway Aircraft Preservation
Society (MAPS) was launched
with Lewis as managing
director of an all-volunteer, notfor-profit company, limited by
guarantee which was gaining
an international reputation for
restoring and preserving
historical aircraft.
‘As a boy in 1940 I
recall seeing a
Hurricane pilot
struggle to control
his aircraft after a
dogfight and saw it
disappear from view
only to crash in the
far distance’
continued on page 13
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RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
12
……………………………………………………...
MANSTON MIRROR
continued from page 12
He sees no need for bluster and
egocentric behaviour to achieve
important things in this world.
Just ask him to talk about the
famous ‘Big Wing’ assault during
the wartime air battles with the
Luftwaffe and he’ll be as controversial as you like suggesting the
‘Big Wing’ devised by LeighMallory and led by Douglas
Bader (which involved
scrambling nearly every available
Spitfire and Hurricane during
each attack and thus leaving
Britain’s airfields devoid of any
fighter protection) was a disaster
and nearly lost us the Battle of
Britain.
At this point in our interview
Lewis melts away to check on
the progress with the coffee and
biscuits, and we are guided over
to the Visitor Centre by the
eloquent MAPS guide, Bill Steer.
This building is dedicated to a
county ‘Grassroots’ funding
scheme and on October 6, 2010,
the Lord Lieutenant of Kent,
The Viscount De L’Isle, invited
Manjit Sohal of the Kent
Community Foundation to cut the
ribbon. We also learn the MAPS
crew members were delighted to
meet the Director-General of the
RAF Museum, Air Vice Marshal
Peter Dye OBE.
Our guide Bill then proudly
shows us the time-line presentation on the walls of world events
that coincided with MAPS own
developments.
On the wall by the door we see a
photographic record of a royal
visit to MAPS. There’s a smiling
HRH Duchess of Cornwall at the
ROYAL PATRON: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall with
Lewis at MAPS in 2010.
BELOW: A Handley Page Halifax Bomber. On page 16
we list the full 33 aircraft restored by MAPS to date.
Visitor Centre just weeks after
it opened and along with the
Viscount De L’Isle she is
now an official MAPS CHAP!
Later on Lewis explains how
the Duchess saw a Boulton
Defiant aircraft in the workshop that October day in 2010
and a fly-past by the Spirit of
Kent Spitfire also roared
overhead in honour of the
royal visit.
“We are delighted the Duchess
of Cornwall is so keen to
support us. We are thrilled to
know she is so interested in
our work,” adds Lewis.
That same year MAPS
received HM The Queen’s
Award for Voluntary Service,
and was one of only two
organisations to receive the
special crystal statue which is
signed by HM The Queen.
Lewis says: “It was wonderful
when we discovered the following year that the Duchess of
Cornwall was keen to be our
patron. She is a wonderful lady
and is always keen to know
about our work.”
We’re then taken back into the
‘Nick Grace’ building which is
named after the design engineer
and aviator who restored and
built the now famous two-seater
Spitfire ML407. Nick died in
1988 after a car accident. His
wife Carolyn and son Richard
now fly ML407 and are good
friends of MAPS.
Has Lewis flown in this
Spitfire? “Oh I had a wonderful
day when I got a chance to fly
in her. Carolyn took me over
St Margaret’s at Cliffe, near
Rochester, and we did a loopthe-loop. It was a stunning
experience and so much better
than I expected. Glorious! It is
a wonderful memory!”
I ask Lewis if he ever wanted
to be an RAF pilot? “Oh yes,”
he says, “but when I was in the
National Service they had an
exercise I just couldn’t do. In
those days they wanted to be
sure us trainee pilots could pick
up a flat sixpence from the
floor with our thumb and forefinger. For some reason I
couldn’t do it and that was that.
I urge anyone to try it. It is
more difficult than you think.”
However, making sure that the
Spitfires he restores can once
again do as their designer R J
Mitchell required of them and
‘turn on a sixpence’ mid-air
during battle, is his life’s work.
Lewis is just as keen too for
the precision drawings of a
new Aviation Heritage Centre
for Medway to come to life.
He says MAPS is privileged to
be part of the Rochester Airport
Consultative Committee and
liaises with Rochester Airport
Ltd, Medway Council and
others equally keen to get the
centre built in a bid to celebrate
north Kent’s amazing aviation
history, and of course attract
visitors.
On the subject of future
projects Lewis is keen for the
RAF Manston Spitfire and
Hurricane Memorial Museum
to expand.
“My dream,” he says is to see
another hall built there to house
a German Me109. “We would
need around £315,000 for the
building and the aircraft. We
did it for the Spitfire and the
Hurricane so perhaps it is not
so much of a dream after all
and could very well be
achieved.”
When the time came for us to
leave MAPS that day, and bid
our farewells to the CHAPS,
we had forgotten the black
clouds and wet weather and
drove quite happily east
towards a rainbow hanging
over the horizon.
Melody Foreman
Next month don't miss
our exclusive story of the
Manston Hurricane’s brush
with disaster at the museum.
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
13
……………………………………………………
DURING World War Two
escape devices saved many
lives and we are lucky at
the museum to have a rare
pencil which when split open
reveals a brass compass, under where the ferrule (clip)
was attached.
Some pencil barrels also
concealed tightly rolled up silk
maps which didn’t rustle when
unfurled. A tiny compass was
placed on top inside the metal
clip.
Wartime gadgets were used
by the British Secret Service
including the Special
Operations Executive (SOE).
These objects enabled secret
agents, allied airmen who had
been shot down over Europe,
and escaping Prisoners of War
(POWs) to navigate their way
across occupied Europe. POWs
received pencils in Red Cross
parcels, and drawing
implements were standard
navigation tools used by RAF
crews. Who would suspect
an ordinary looking pencil?
The top-secret task of
producing such a pencil was
given to Charles Fraser-Smith.
During World War Two, FraserSmith was ‘working’ for the
Ministry of Supply Clothing
and Textile Department.
However, in reality he was
secretly ‘working’ underground
CLASSIC COLLECTION
..
with historian Natalie Duwel-Bou Orm
A close-up look at outstanding artefacts at
the RAF Manston Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum
THE REAL ‘Q’ OF WORLD WAR
TWO: Charles Fraser-Smith
The green pencil which saved allied airmen
on escape gadgets and equipment.
Believed by many to have been the
inspiration for the character ‘Q’ in
Ian Fleming’s James Bond stories,
he was passionate about outwitting
the enemy and saving allied lives.
His gadgets were named ‘Q’
devices after World War One
Q-Ships which were warships
disguised as merchant shipping.
The pencils were produced in
utmost secrecy, out of normal
company working hours, at the
Cumberland Pencil Factory in
Keswick. Part of the pencil lead
was left at the writing end for
effect, and for pencils containing
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maps, a cavity was drilled along the
length of pencil where the map
could be placed inside. An eraser
was glued to the top and then a
metal ferrule containing a compass.
The pencils were painted green and
were the only wartime pencil to
have colour owing to paint being
requisitioned for the war effort.
There were four sets of numbered
pencils from 101-104, each of them
containing a specific tiny map.
For instance 101 contained a
general map of Germany. The
others contained escape routes out
of Germany and there was a map of
Switzerland.
Some maps depicted ‘safe houses’.
Owing to the secrecy of such
gadgets, no-one knows how many
pencils were manufactured between
1942 and 1945.
These pencils with both a map
and a compass are considerably
rare. The government recalled
such items after the war and it is
presumed that they were destroyed.
So, if you are rooting around in an
old drawer or bureau, who knows,
you might be harbouring an
extremely valuable, and not so
humble, green pencil!
More news of exciting gadgets
next month. Watch this space!
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RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
14
MANSTON MIRROR
…………………………………………………...
Write to the Editor
[email protected]
Anonymous letters will not be published.
MANSTON MOMENTS
Your Letters
‘Wonderful’ news about
Bell Helicopter at Manston
Big hopes for the future of
our Kent International Airport
I WAS delighted to read in last month’s
MIRROR about the American helicopter
company joining us at Manston.
Heli Charter has done wonders to get
such a prestigious company like Bell
Helicopter from Texas to be part of the
new Sapphire House showroom in
Merlin Way.
Such dynamic business partnerships
help put this country back onto the road
of economic success.
Of course knowing just how much the
USAF was respected and admired during
their time at Manston during the Cold
War I am sure I speak for many when I
say ‘welcome back!’.
Reading the article about Heli Charter
boss Ken Wills was also insightful and I
wish him and his crew every success
with their new aviation venture!
J HARKNESS
Ramsgate
AT last we now know Kent International
Airport at Manston has a new owner in
Stagecoach chief, Ann Gloag.
I must say the news is a welcome relief as
after Infratil first announced it planned to
sell the airport a couple of years ago the time
seemed to drag on and dented the morale
of KIA staff already anxious about the
recession.
What a boost too for KIA to host the KLM
Airline and I’ve heard seats on their flights
to Amsterdam are so reasonably priced they
are being snapped up and must be booked in
advance to avoid disappointment.
All this is great news for Manston. I hope
the new owner of KIA realises what a
wonderful opportunity she now has to be
part of a great Kent enterprise.
Aviation has always been a vital part of the
county. I wonder if she knows how in 1909
the Short Brothers flew the very first aircraft
in British skies from a field in the Isle of
Sheppey in north Kent.
What with the new multi-million pound
Heli Charter and Bell Helicopter showroom
opening recently I’d say Manston is on the
up! Welcome aboard Ann!
RICHARD SIMONS
Minster
CORRECTION
IN last month’s Meet the Pilots column
it should have read: ‘Not Berlin, not
Hamburg, but The Ruhr or ‘Happy Valley’
as crews call it.’
We apologise for any confusion - Ed.
RAF Spitfire & Hurricane
Memorial Museum
DON’T MISS
YOUR
MANSTON
MIRROR
MAGAZINE
EVERY MONTH
Get well soon Audrey
ON behalf of the RAF Spitfire and Hurricane
Memorial Museum Trust I would like to wish our
friend, Trustee and Honorary Secretary Audrey
Twyman all good wishes during her stay in
hospital. Audrey is a long serving friend of the
museum we wish her all the very best. We’re
thinking of you Audrey!
ROSA SEAR
RAF Manston Spitfire and
Hurricane Memorial Museum Trust
Established: 1993
MERLIN
CAFETERIA
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WELCOME! We are situated behind the
RAF Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum
and remain open SEVEN days a week.
All food is freshly prepared to order and served
from 10am to 4pm each day.
Why not try our all day breakfast? We also serve tea, freshly
ground coffee, and filter coffee, and a wide selection of cold
drinks. There is also a children’s menu. Coach parties and large
groups are welcome to the Museum and café.
There’s a great parking area too!
Telephone:
01843 821945
HANGAR 10, KENT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, MANSTON
The objective of Polar Helicopters is to provide an exceptional
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TELEPHONE: 01843 823067
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
15
…………………………………………………….
MANSTON MIRROR
MEDWAY AIRCRAFT PRESERVATION
SOCIETY RESTORED AIRCRAFT
For Manston Memorial Museum
Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI TB752
Hawker Hurricane IIc LF751
For RAF Museum Cosford
Hawker Hurricane IIc LF738
For RAF Museum Hendon
Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb BL614
For RAF Museum Cosford
Fairchild Argus II
Supermarine Spitfire Mk I K9942
For RAF Museum Hendon
Hawker Tempest V - starboard wing
Bristol Sycamore Helicopter
Douglas C-47/DC3 - nose section
MEDWAY AIRCRAFT
PRESERVATION SOCIETY LTD
ORIGINAL GLORY: The Bristol Sycamore Helicopter - the
RAF’s first air-sea rescue helicopter in operation in 1953.
For RAF Museum Cosford
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
For RAF Hendon
Rolls Royce Merlin ex HP Halifax
Fairey Battle
For RAF Cosford
Bristol Pegasus Mk XVIII—engine
For RAF Hendon
Boulton Paul Defiant
The F-84F Thunderstreak
Patron: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall
AFIS Unit, Rochester Airport, Maidstone
Road, Chatham, Kent, ME5 9SD
A Boulton Paul Defiant recently restored by MAPS
now on display at the RAF Museum at Hendon
Our workshop is open to visitors on Monday,
Wednesday and Sunday 9am - 12.30pm.
We also have a Visitor Centre and Shop.
Tel: 01634 204492
www.mapsl.co.uk
Medway Aircraft Preservation Society Ltd
is proud to support the RAF Manston
Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum
For other clients
Supermarine Spitfire Mk XI PL965
North American Havard IIB
Gloster Meteor Mk IV
Short Stirling fuselage section and prop hub
Short Golden Hind flying boat: radio dome
Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV wings
Short Sunderland flying boat: wing float
Northrop Drone (at MAPS)
Piper PA22 tripacer
Trolley ‘ACC’ (3 off)
Short Sherpa SB 4 (sole survivor)
Rolls Royce Merlin 35 engine
Rolls Royce Merline 500 engine
Junkers Jumo 003 engine, ex Me 262
Daimler Benz 603 engine, ex Me 140
Short Sunderland APU
Short Golden Hind flying boat: gouge flap
Bristol Hercules Mk XCII engine
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
16
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MANSTON MIRROR
Test pilot ace was best pals with
my dad who ran Spitfire factory
BILL Leech was just a tot when his
father, Reginald Cooper Leech, proudly
showed him around the Spitfire Factory
at Castle Bromwich, in 1942.
As a top manager with the VickersArmstrong company, it was Reginald
who arrived at the vital aircraft works
near Birmingham in 1939 to kick-start the
production. Its workforce at the time had
experience in car manufacture but were
unable to meet the demands of Britain’s
increasing need for aircraft on a grand
scale.
“Before my father arrived only one
Spitfire was being made every week!
Once Vickers finally took over at Castle
Bromwich things soon changed and the
Supermarine engineers were brought in.
“By 1946 almost 12,000 Spitfires had been
built at the plant,” explained Bill, pictured
top right.
One of his favourite memories is his
father’s great friendship with the famous
Spitfire test pilot, Alex Henshaw.
“Alex was often at our house. He was a
great character and always recognised what
a brilliant concept the Spitfire
was. To me he was a fearless man who
worked tirelessly to make sure the aircraft
was up to the mark.
“Both my father and Alex were brought up
on farms, and got on tremendously well!
In fact during the war they kept a few pigs
in our garden near the factory!
“Alex was the only man I
knew who did a loop-the-loop
in a Lancaster Bomber to find out if the
wings would fall off!”
After receiving commendations for his work
and an MBE, Alex died aged 97, in 2007.
The History TV Channel made an hour long
biographical programme about his life called:
‘The Extraordinary Mister Spitfire’.
Bill said his father Reg died more than twenty
years ago but had remained friends with Alex
long after the war.
Until his own retirement Bill was managing
director of his own telecommunications
company.
MF
TEST PILOT:
Alex Henshaw at
Castle Bromwich
flew up to 10 per
cent of Spitfires
and Seafires, and
often took up 20
per day in foggy
conditions.
ARTWORK: Museum Trustee Sid Farmer,
left, receives the Spitfire pencil drawing
from artist, Paul Hunt.
Artist presents drawing of
a Spitfire to our museum
WHEN artist Paul Hunt arrived at the
RAF Manston Spitfire and Hurricane
Memorial Museum he made a special
presentation.
Paul, from Great Chesterford, Essex,
donated an original drawing of a Spitfire
which he handed over to museum Trustee
Sid Farmer.
During his visit this summer Paul also
met former RAF Lancaster pilot Gerry
Abrahams, and Hurricane pilot Neville
Croucher.
Trustee Mr Farmer said: “We were so
delighted to receive Paul’s framed drawing.
It was wonderful he thought of us when he
decided to donate the artwork.”
Paul said he had now presented his
pictures to four military museums.
“I just love to draw,” he explained.
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The Village Hall has recently been refurbished with
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Mr Pete Mitchell on 01843 821439
before 6pm or email
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RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
17
……………………………………………………..
IF you’re looking for a truly
exceptional memoir to read over
the festive season then I urge you to
grab a copy of Tally Ho! by World
War Two fighter ace, Wing Commander, Bob Foster, DFC AE.
It really is un-put-down-able! Rather
like the steadfast and dutiful Hurricane which carried the gallant young
Ft Lt Foster (as he was then) into battle against the Luftwaffe in 1940.
Page after page is full of admirably
recorded detail. As one of ‘The Few’
his courage is legendary, and yet in
his modest narration there’s an
enigmatic power which keeps the
reader involved in a dramatic journey
into dangerous skies and back again.
He describes the moment he shot
down a Messerschmitt 109 after
hearing the call from his squadron
leader to ‘break’ which meant for
every pilot to disperse to avoid a hail
of bullets. (Seconds after that warning
a teenage Flt Lt Foster had to watch
his number 2, Charles English, who
was flying nearby, bale out as his
Hurricane caught fire, and then die
as his parachute got tangled on the
aircraft’s tail, before plummeting
to the ground).
“So I went curving away as fast
as I could, my head turning in all
directions, expecting any moment to
feel the impact of gunfire upon my
aircraft but nothing happened. Then I
pulled out, and looked around and
there ahead of me for some unearthly
MANSTON MIRROR
Memoirs by one of ‘The Few’ reveal tales
of dramatic encounters with the Luftwaffe
A LIVELY READ: Tally Ho!
reason, was a 109 peacefully going
home quite happily, straight and
level. After checking the sky all
around me, I closed in and sat behind
him, lined his silhouette in my
gun-sight and shot him down. I
don’t know what the pilot was doing.
He must have been one of the bunch
who had attacked us, had taken a
shot and figured he was done.
“Or perhaps he was one of the
bomb-carriers, and having
dropped was going home for his
tea. His mind could not have
been on the job, he just wasn’t
looking around. Inexperience,
perhaps. Anyway, he thought he
was going south towards home
and he didn’t make it. You can
never relax when you are in
action. This chap had and he
paid the price..”
Such torrid recollections come
thick and fast in Tally Ho! and
yet the author is fully respectful
of all those in his Squadron,
paying tribute not only to the
pilots but to essential ground
crew. Each man he mentions
is accompanied by a short
biography, and his own
memories of them. Lots of
pictures add more resonance to
those he knew and respected.
Describing himself as ‘just a lad
from London’ Bob Foster
learned to fly with the RAF
Volunteer Reserve and by 1939
had been called up for war
service. After completing his
training he was posted to 605
Squadron and soon after found
himself in the cockpit of his
dream-fighter aircraft, a
Hurricane.
After lessons from Pilot
Officer Denis ‘Splinters’
Smallwood (later to become Air
Chief Marshal) about which
‘knobs and tits’ to pull he was
off into the skies in the aircraft
Bob described as ‘big, rugged
and powerful’.
Along with a group of eager
young pilots he was based at
Croydon, south London, and
met the call to scramble with
courage and a dedication to
defend his country against the
aggressive Luftwaffe.
He talks in his book of doing
three or four sorties a day,
never resting much, and
sometimes even taking off in
his beloved Hurricane with not
so much as a cup of tea inside
of him, or nursing a slight
hangover from a few beers the
night before. A few ales in
‘The Greyhound’ pub was, he
recalls, all the counselling they
got in those days. It was often
the hair-raising adventures of
those pilots who had baled out,
landed on a flock of sheep, and
continued on page 19
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RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
18
……………………………………………………
MANSTON MIRROR
BIGGIN HILL VETERANS DAY: From
left, Sid Beavor, Wing Co. Bob Foster
DFC AE, Albert Bennett, and veteran
pals including Spitfire pilot Maurice
Macey, second from right.
ABOVE: A handsome Bob in 1940.
continued from page 18
then walked back to base after
being chased by angry Kent
farmers which helped keep up the
spirits of these heroic young men.
Having survived the Battle of
Britain, and in his book he tells you
just how much he believed in luck,
Flt Lt Bob Foster joined 54
Squadron which had Spitfires.
In the final chapters of Tally Ho!
we are taken on a mission to
Darwin, Australia, where along
with 452 and 457 Squadron, he
engaged the Japanese in air warfare
in 1943.
One memorable battle for 54
Squadron was all about beating
off an irritating heat rash which
flared up in the most delicate place
between the legs! Only ointment
and a lot of towel flapping could
help the men against this enemy,
recalls Bob mischievously.
It was during his spell in Darwin
he heard the news he had been
awarded a DFC. His mother had
begun keeping newspaper clippings of his achievements, and
back home in Clapham, he was
fast becoming a local hero. His
return to the UK in 1944 led him
to a top job in the RAF public
relations unit.
Within three weeks of the Normandy invasion he found himself
in Paris, and quite by chance
joined in the cavalcade along the
Champs Elysees with General de
Gaulle celebrating France’s liberation from the Nazis.
The Battle of Britain hero stayed
with the RAF until 1947, and then
returned to Shell-Mex where he
had begun work as a junior office
boy in 1937. He stayed with the
company until 1975.
Tally Ho! was first published in
2008, and written in collaboration
with well established aviation
author, Norman Franks.
Today, Wing Commander Foster,
93, remains as busy as ever. He is
Life Vice-President of the Battle of
Britain Memorial Trust at Capel-leFerne, Kent, and is regularly
invited to give talks about his
experiences, and sign copies of
Tally Ho! As he tells readers in
the final chapter: “I attend RAF
functions, and sign lots of books
and prints for the latest generations
of air enthusiasts and historians.
It is good to know we are
remembered, particularly
my many friends and former
comrades who are no longer
with us. Life goes on.”
Melody Foreman
N.P. Plastering
For all your plastering requirements
www.npplastering.com
Nick Pearshouse
(Proprietor)
37 Augustine Road, Minster,
Ramsgate, Kent CT12 4DQ
SIGNING: Bob autographs Tally Ho! for MIRROR Editor
Melody Foreman. For your copy call: 01323 846877
Telephone: 01843 825949
Mobile: 07969 825085
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
19
……………………………………………………..
CROSSWORD
MANSTON MIRROR
Compiled by Dr Julian Brock
Across
Down
3. US general who vowed to
return (9).
1. German novel and film about
a U-boat (3,4).
5. Norwegian lake containing
unusually-heavy water (7).
2. He led the first US bomber
attack on Tokyo (9).
7. May 1942 battle near New
Guinea (5,3).
3. Decisive battle in the (central?)
Pacific (6).
9. Italian harbour not too shallow for
a torpedo attack (7).
4. This mollusc belongs to me (6,4).
6. Location of Stalag III (5).
12. March 1941 battle with Italian
navy off SW Greece (7).
13. Leading Nazi, went AWOL 10th
May 1941 (6,4).
14. German advocate of mechanised
warfare - aged ruin (anag) (8).
8. The "largest capitulation"
in British miltary history (9).
10. Operation to supply Malta steel pad (anag) (8).
11. Manufacturer of the Zero
fighter (10).
16. Until 1940 this French town was
known only for its thermal baths (5).
12. US long-range escort fighter (7).
17. Kriegsmarine captain, d.1939 in
Buenos Aires (10).
15. They fought in the Battle of
Britain (3,3).
19. U-boats' period of success in the
Atlantic - tame hippy (anag) (5,4).
18. British bomber-guidance
system (4).
20. The 1942 attack on this French
port was a disaster (6).
ANSWERS TO OCTOBER 2013 CROSSWORD
ACROSS - 2. ZHUKOV 5. EL ALAMEIN 6. ANNE FRANK 7.
MOSQUITO 10. RICHARD TODD 12. SOE 14. FUSAG 15.
HEDGEHOG 18. KUKRI 19. CLIFTON JAMES 20. KENLEY
DOWN - 1. ALAN TURING 3. VINEGAR JOE 4. MANSTON
8. ORADOUR-SUR-GLANE 9. WINTER WAR 11. MAGINOT
LINE 13. KURSK 16. DYNAMO 17. TORCH
The RAF Manston Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial
Museum GIFT SHOP is open every day
JUST IN: Don’t miss our
gorgeous range of tasty
jams from the Wooden
Spoon Preserving Co.
SLOGAN MUGS:
Time for tea.
MODELS:
Airfix kits.
CHURCHILL: A wide
range of tea-towels are
on display in the shop.
HATS: These popular baseball
style caps come in three colours
- khaki, black and blue.
They all carry the logo of the
RAF Manston Spitfire and
Hurricane Memorial Museum.
Fab!
BOOKS AND
MAGAZINES:
Huge variety of World
War Two publications.
RAF MANSTON SPITFIRE & HURRICANE MEMORIAL MUSEUM - MANSTON MIRROR November 2013
20