Commodore: Ken Sanson Celebration: ‘ Centennial from a Moving Ship’ Trustees of PFBC Poole Flying Boats Celebration V Commodore: Harry Alexander with various Our Event held at Lilliput SC proved to be a resounding success Flight Officers: Bertie Bowman Charity No. 1123274 Invitees to Meetings with another splendid time at this lovely venue greatly enjoyed: Flag Officers: Aimée Alexander PFBC Heartiest Congratulations to all those Friends who volunteered Babs Plumbridge mostly convened on and took the initiative to do such sterling work on the evening; *Also now with* Stephen Macey a bi-monthly basis THE and in setting up the room, and dressing tables the day before ! … and with support from Brian Galpin, Terry Mobley and David Seymour now also with John Gully, David and SallyAnn Wakeford

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ PICK ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Patron: Lady Nadine Cobham Hon. Comm, Air: David Mauleverer A Hon. President: Jeremy Waters Hon. Vice Pres: Leslie Dawson, June Topham, Adrian Borrill, BACK Douglas Cook OBE, Colin Cruddas, Norman Hull,

Mike Phipp, Vic Pitcher, Colin Pomeroy & John Witcomb PAIR also including Ian Andrews (who Represents our HLMs) ©

PFBC Friends Newsletter: Summer 2012

www.pooleflyingboats.com ( THE PICK A BACK PAIR in colour )

The Friends of PFBC, with the Trustees of the Charity thank everyone who supported our Supper held at the Lilliput S.C.

on Thurs. 3rd. May, which marked the Centennial Celebration

s welcome for PFBC’s Office PFBC’s for swelcome of the 1st. Seaplane Flight from moving Ship (HMS Hibernia ).

Our thanks are sent to LSC Commodore and the Committee. The funds raised help towards the rental of our PFBC Office.

The Presentation on the evening comprised background info .; unique photos of the occasion; PFBC’s Tribute to Seaplane

Carriers (esp. those of the Great War); and Local Snippets ! [Within the research for this Presentation, Aimée gratefully acknowledges splendid assistance from Maureen Attwooll .]

PFBC HLMs: Robert Syms MP, Andrew Hawkes and Jeremy Waters, With more requests received for Presentations and with extra at Harbour Heights Hotel on the occasion of Celebratory Book Launch Presenters involved ~ some in preparation for the first time, ‘Local History ~ Local Heritage’ by Berkeleys E.A. of Canford Cliffs, PFBC is delighted to encourage such Volunteers , by making marking 21 years of their successful Estate Agency in South Poole... sure that they have access to material + necessary equipment. * Offers of Volunteers are most welcome to help run our Library These days often venues and host groups are well kitted out,

- or from home to assist with the Friends of PFBC Membership but not always: So PFBC has bought a large projector screen, * and is now urgently seeking funds for a Laptop & Projector !

and please mark clearly In a somewhat uncertain world & challenging times, the role ALL CONTACTS PLEASE who you are contacting… of Local History to mark/celebrate our Local Heritage is most This now includes PFBC’s Poole Flying Boats Celebration Significant: This is particularly so with regards to the Flying Stephen Macey who’s joined For the attention of:------Boats and which basically spanned half-a-century, Parkstone Library Buildings the ranks of our Trustees in the realm of public relations yet have left a profound legacy to stir very strong emotions ! 1 Britannia Road Parkstone and various other capacities PFBC is increasingly prominent in many areas of research... Poole Dorset BH14 8AZ

For membership of Friends… and renewals contact Bertie Bowman. various of which aim to break new ground, For bookings of tickets for PFBC Celebrations contact Ken Sanson, and convey messages to future generations

and all other general enquiries - PFBC’s Office new reg’d. address. - where You can become actively involved !

PFBC Email: [email protected] PFBC Website: www.pooleflyingboats.com And thank you to all those who sent goodwill messages ! A Blue Checker: read on Sponsorship from a Company, or from an Individual i Individual an from or Company, a from Sponsorship Loyal Friends: “For Gallantry... We also Serve” ! Capt. Vic Hodgkinson Besides carrying messages there have also been combat roles,

as a young Flt. Off. at as well as Mascots to represent a Squadron, Ship or Regiment, In December 1943 the Dickin Medal was introduced as an award RAF Mount Batten in significantly with the extra purpose to help keep up morale… (- bronze equivalent to Victoria Cross) for animals serving with WW2 (1942) on RAAF This was the case on 461 Squadron when at RAF Hamworthy: UK’s Armed Forces. The first 3 recipients were carrier pigeons: 10 Squadron, carrying

White Vision , Winkle + Tyke... where these 3 homed in on their his basket and pigeon:

Version: ‘Ten Men + a Dog’: bases with messages alerting that their aircrews were ‘downed’; Once involved in the The Airedale enjoys a cruise urgently requiring to be rescued by boat, and /or ASR aircraft ! RAF Survey of Poole with a 461 Aircrew at Lake ! Recognition of loyal & gallant service through the Dickin Medal Harbour, postwar Vic was initiated by Maria Dickin who had also been the founder of joined BOAC FBs here. the veterinary charity the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals. 28th. April 1941, Flight Officer Vic Hodgkinson was forced to Formed in May 1922 the PDSA had been the culmination of her come down in the Irish Sea when his RAAF Sunderland T9075 charitable work tending to abandoned animals in the Great War. (RB~N) returning from Crossover Patrol off Brest, was close to This Summer is the 90th. Anniversary of that wonderful Charity. running out of fuel. Visibility was so poor, that any attempt to © PFBC reach was too risky ! In taking decisive action, Note: Lake Pier to the right, with a spider-defence placed in front Vic tried to make a landing out in Angle Bay, but T9075 struck an unseen object and began to rapidly break apart. Vic with four Unofficially, when on ‘boat guard’ a dog or other pet, helped crew (all injured) who had survived the impact, were just about to pass the hours of tedium for two NCOs posted on board an able enough to get into their dinghy. Six others had been killed. aircraft on moorings (joined by a pilot in worsening weather). After several dreadful hours they were picked up RN Buziras , a rusty old coaster plying between the Scilly Isles and Liverpool. (Captains were also summoned up by BOAC staff, whenever the occasion arose as signalled by a boat’s Night-watchman.) Vic would remember his pigeon ‘Shagles’ , The RAF Hamworthy Celebratory Booklet is proving to be so popular that another ‘print-run’ will have to be ordered soon ! where despite being water-logged like the The 70th. Anniversary commemorating the loss in 1942 of the other crew members, Free French Sub-Cruiser Surcouf , with the mystery + rumours Left: Maria Dickin CBE travelling with her PDSA Caravan Dispensary once upon the dinghy, surrounding this, is being marked by another PFBC Booklet: tried again and again Mystère Nautique , which also focuses on the Seaplane Petrel It is noted that the use of carrier pigeons extends from ancient eras to take-off but in vain. based at Sandbanks (June 1941) when Surcouf left UK waters. ~ and that in both World Wars this was extensive & significant: Details of this fascinating publication will be circulated soon. In the trenchwarfare of the Great War homing success was 95%. Eventually Vic coaxed

him back so as to take Sadly, on board Surcouf when lost on the 18th./19th. February Whereas, in WW2 action against U-boats by Coastal Command refuge in a comrade’s was the ship’s mascot Kim (~ last photographed in Bermuda). via RAAF - RAF Squadrons from bases such as RAF Hamworthy flying jacket, and to be [PFBC Archive is grateful to Colin Pomeroy & his contacts using Sunderlands & Catalinas (with also Wellingtons, Whitleys saved with the others ! for providing confirmation of this poignant & relevant fact !] and Hudsons etc. from airfields e.g. RAF St. Eval in Cornwall), saw the conflict, and pigeon deployment out into the Atlantic... Sadly, this pigeon however soon developed pneumonia and was Marcel Besson MB 411 not expected to live ~ but made a good recovery with lots of tlc ! Seaplane (~ aka Petrel) The challenges so + wings off for stowing, profound, were not ‘Shagles’ certainly had a charmed life for in due course this was with hangar door open: only for aircrews the only survivor when the pigeon loft was lost in an air raid ! Fr. Sub-cruiser Surcouf with their aircraft - but also pigeons ! 250,000 pigeons were used by the Armed Forces during WW2,

Training was key… but after the war the decision was taken to end this deployment.

Poole was a prime A majority of those awarded the Dickin Medal had been pigeons spot for training whilst other recipients have been horses, a cat and various dogs: with Leigh Lights and also Radar ~ Indeed, this fine tradition continues today...the latest award was whilst RAF during 2011to Treo, a black Labrador serving in Afghanistan as primed the pigeons. a sniffer-dog gallantly searching out deadly explosive devices...