Site Supporter Good Knee Posted November 25, 2020 Site Supporter Share Posted November 25, 2020 Not of the band wagon fame , but the last of the Dam Busters is 99 today . A proper hero and legend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 20 minutes ago, Good Knee said: Not of the band wagon fame , but the last of the Dam Busters is 99 today . A proper hero and legend. Johnnie then set up a successful social housing business https://www.jjhousing.co.uk/proud-of-our-heritage All round good egg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Good Knee Posted November 25, 2020 Author Site Supporter Share Posted November 25, 2020 11 minutes ago, boltondiver said: Johnnie then set up a successful social housing business https://www.jjhousing.co.uk/proud-of-our-heritage All round good egg Yes mate Leonard Cheshire also of Bomber Command as social housing to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mounts Kipper Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 15 hours ago, Good Knee said: Not of the band wagon fame , but the last of the Dam Busters is 99 today . A proper hero and legend. Thanks for posting this, didn’t know about Johnie Johnson so will read up on his life, also just had quick read up on Leonard Cheshire, knew the charity but not his life back story. Very interesting. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youri McAnespie Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 (edited) Real-life heroes with hero-comic book names... R.I.P. Watched something about The Great Escapees a while ago. How, upon their recapture, Hit7ler himself ordered the summary execution of a good number of escapees - once again breaking The Geneva Convention. Captured bombers were treated very badly - as murderers almost. They had a short memory saying they invented the practice with Guernica. An atrocity made even worse as it wasn't even their war - more seen as a 'warm-up' game for The Luftwaffe. Edited November 26, 2020 by Youri McAnespie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickbrown Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 (edited) 17 hours ago, boltondiver said: Johnnie then set up a successful social housing business https://www.jjhousing.co.uk/proud-of-our-heritage All round good egg Different bloke. That one was a fighter pilot Edited November 26, 2020 by mickbrown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Good Knee Posted November 26, 2020 Author Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 5 hours ago, mickbrown said: Different bloke. That one was a fighter pilot Well spotted Mick ,I thought I'd not heard of Johnny the Dambuster being involved in that and I know a bit about because as ive said before my dad was involved. Went to an event in Woodall Spa Lincolnshire a couple of years ago called tea with the heroes and met Johnny and a dozen or so of the ones who are left proper gentlemen and they all still enjoyed a drink . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Good Knee Posted November 26, 2020 Author Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 7 hours ago, Mounts Kipper said: Thanks for posting this, didn’t know about Johnie Johnson so will read up on his life, also just had quick read up on Leonard Cheshire, knew the charity but not his life back story. Very interesting. 👍 No worries mate glad to know people are interested in this stuff lest we forget and all that eh?.Oh and he should be knighted as well before its to late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mounts Kipper Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 1 minute ago, Good Knee said: No worries mate glad to know people are interested in this stuff lest we forget and all that eh?.Oh and he should be knighted as well before its to late. Mad we knight utter shithouses but this chap not knighted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter MickyD Posted November 26, 2020 Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 20 minutes ago, Good Knee said: No worries mate glad to know people are interested in this stuff lest we forget and all that eh?.Oh and he should be knighted as well before its to late. 18 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said: Mad we knight utter shithouses but this chap not knighted. Problem is, Captain Tom has just used up the “let’s thank the old guys for their part in WWII” knighthood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimron Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 23 minutes ago, Good Knee said: Well spotted Mick ,I thought I'd not heard of Johnny the Dambuster being involved in that and I know a bit about because as ive said before my dad was involved. Went to an event in Woodall Spa Lincolnshire a couple of years ago called tea with the heroes and met Johnny and a dozen or so of the ones who are left proper gentlemen and they all still enjoyed a drink . Went to few do's with the veterans as Father in Law flew 50 odd missions in Lancs including from Woodhall/Coningsby... all good blokes and as you said, liked to socialise 🙂 He'll get a fly past today, the Battle of Britain flight used to fly over on Percy's birthdays until we lost him to cancer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breightmet Boy Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 ive got The Dambusters on DVD, my all time favourite film, still get a rush as the pilots announce 'enemy coast ahead', in fact, when Barnes Wallis shakes his fist as the first dam goes and Bomber Harris congratulates him gets me every time. Bloody heroes them lot, nothing but praise for each other. Theres a video on youtube of a street in Germany what they named after Guy Gibson, where hes lay to rest, immaculately kept too for visitors. Never been, just seen it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Good Knee Posted November 26, 2020 Author Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 Funnily enough the one I mentioned at the start was on the radio today and he blamed it all on the pony express ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimron Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Talk to any of them and they'll tell you "we just did our bit" Got a copy of Percy's log book... Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt all in there, also comments like heavy flack, night fighters, and no brakes on landing (hydraulics shot out). He used to delight in telling me that when they corkscrewed to avoid the searchlights the contents of the Elsen used used to go everywhere to the crew's disgust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Good Knee Posted November 26, 2020 Author Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 9 minutes ago, Dimron said: Went to few do's with the veterans as Father in Law flew 50 odd missions in Lancs including from Woodhall/Coningsby... all good blokes and as you said, liked to socialise 🙂 He'll get a fly past today, the Battle of Britain flight used to fly over on Percy's birthdays until we lost him to cancer Good stuff mate Woodhall Spa is a great little place packed with bomber history and some good watering holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimron Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Know it well as I now live that side... we had a do at the Kinema in the Woods where they previewed a film about the Pathfinders... Lanc gave a good display setting off the car alarms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Good Knee Posted November 26, 2020 Author Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 1 minute ago, Dimron said: Talk to any of them and they'll tell you "we just did our bit" Got a copy of Percy's log book... Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt all in there, also comments like heavy flack, night fighters, and no brakes on landing (hydraulics shot out). He used to delight in telling me that when they corkscrewed to avoid the searchlights the contents of the Elsen used used to go everywhere to the crew's disgust. Brilliant Ive got my old mans log book he crashed an Halifax on take off at Linton on Ouse when I visited the base there tracing his history I found our they'd had a big party the previous night ,drink driving eh ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimron Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 2 minutes ago, Good Knee said: Brilliant Ive got my old mans log book he crashed an Halifax on take off at Linton on Ouse when I visited the base there tracing his history I found our they'd had a big party the previous night ,drink driving eh ! I'd need a bloody stiff drink to go out and do what they did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter MickyD Posted November 26, 2020 Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 A little old chap, Ronnie Peters, used to go in Bradshaw Conservative Club and would regale tales of his time as a Lancaster Rear Gunner. He died on the last night of a “lads” holiday to Menorca and his travel insurance refused to pay for his repatriation. I think the story in the Bolton News made National press and the insurers relented. Apparently he,d forgotten to mention a minor heart attack he’d had many years earlier which hadn’t affected his health since. https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/5837254.gunner-remembers-daring-bombing-raids/ https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/3685953.amp/ https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/3691677.airline-agrees-to-fly-raf-hero-home/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Good Knee Posted November 26, 2020 Author Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 5 minutes ago, Dimron said: I'd need a bloody stiff drink to go out and do what they did Absolutely it was no picnic and drinking was a massive release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimron Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Any football manager should look at how these blokes did their business. They formed teams ad hoc by a process of "crewing up" where they all just wandered around and made friends... looking for a little lad with good eyes for the upper turret and a total ice cold headcase for a bomb aimer and so on. Then their skipper went to the Squadron Leader and off they went into a do or (probably with a 46% death rate) die situation. Every player looked out for the other and that was their only chance of getting through the shit sandwich they were presented with. Those crews became friends for life, unfortunately too short. If you ever get the chance to meet and have chat with these lads take it with both hands and enjoy the interaction, they really are heroes, they are friendly but take no shit. I have had the honour of meeting these blokes through family connections and I have fond memories of arguing football and politics and more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Tonge moor green jacket Posted November 26, 2020 Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 Went to Cosford museum a while back, and when we came to leave there was an old boy at the door. He was talking readily about his experiences but I can't remember his name. Cracking fella. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Supporter Good Knee Posted November 26, 2020 Author Site Supporter Share Posted November 26, 2020 31 minutes ago, Dimron said: Any football manager should look at how these blokes did their business. They formed teams ad hoc by a process of "crewing up" where they all just wandered around and made friends... looking for a little lad with good eyes for the upper turret and a total ice cold headcase for a bomb aimer and so on. Then their skipper went to the Squadron Leader and off they went into a do or (probably with a 46% death rate) die situation. Every player looked out for the other and that was their only chance of getting through the shit sandwich they were presented with. Those crews became friends for life, unfortunately too short. If you ever get the chance to meet and have chat with these lads take it with both hands and enjoy the interaction, they really are heroes, they are friendly but take no shit. I have had the honour of meeting these blokes through family connections and I have fond memories of arguing football and politics and more... One of the old boys I met at Woodhall Spa was Jo Lancaster DFC amazing bloke very unassuming yet what a story he told he was born up in Cumbria and became the first man to test pilot an ejection seat . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dimron Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 7 minutes ago, Good Knee said: One of the old boys I met at Woodhall Spa was Jo Lancaster DFC amazing bloke very unassuming yet what a story he told he was born up in Cumbria and became the first man to test pilot an ejection seat . Balls of iron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mounts Kipper Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 On a similar theme, was amazed to read about private Godfrey from Dads army given his screen character, his real army service was incredible surprise and very interesting read. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Ridley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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