Winter 2005 City of Norwich Aviation Museum, Old
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Winter 2005 City of Norwich Aviation Museum, Old Norwich Road, Horsham St Faith, Norwich, Norfolk NR10 3JF Telephone: 01603 893080 Future items for the Newsletter should be sent to the Editors: Janine Harrington & Ian Kirk 59 Finch, Cayton Bay Park, Mill Lane, Cayton Bay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire Y011 3NJ Telephone: 07789 935021 Email: [email protected] 2 Editors Page Welcome to our new-look Newsletter. When we accepted in May this year the challenge of creating and producing the Newsletter we had little idea of what that presented at the time. However, we have persevered, and look forward to receiving your comments in due course. We have deliberately kept the format in an A4 size for those like ourselves who find difficulty in reading small print. Please take note of the new address to which to send all future items direct to us. We have already begun work on the Spring Newsletter and would welcome anything to be included. This is YOUR newsletter, acting as YOUR voice. We do look forward to hearing from you, and to receiving items for it soon. Please start sending to us now so that YOUR voice can be heard! Given that it is the Newsletter of RAF 100 Group Association, we would like to actively involve you right from the start and ask your help in suggesting a name for Newsletters to come. All suggestions and contributions are welcome! We believe in the work of the Museum and are committed to doing whatever we can to help the memory of those who are gone live on. We speak about our membership of the Association with pride. Within it I feel the spirit of my mother Nina lives on, together with her fiancé Vic Vinnell who went missing while on a mission in mosquito DK292 with pilot Jack Fisher in 1944. It has been a joy to share with those who knew them. And we continue to share memories and experiences. This Newsletter is just one way in which we can all work together and bring our pictures, stories, work and experiences to a place where everyone can read about them, to share and enjoy. We need also to make mention of the Annual Subscription which is now due and should be sent to the Museum direct. We take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas, and every happiness for the New Year ahead - 2006. May it prove to be a peaceful year for us all. Janine & Ian 3 News from the City of Norwich Aviation Museum With the busy summer season behind us, we are already preparing for 2006. Over the coming winter months, we intend to improve our facilities for less able visitors and further extend the internal display area. We have been given two portakabin buildings by Norwich Airport operator Eastern Airways that, with a little adaptation, will provide some of the additional space we need. Also, we may gain some further additional buildings from two other sources in the near future. New exhibits continue to arrive almost every day we are open. Our archive library has grown by donations from both members and visitors and many other small items have arrived. A much large exhibit we expect to arrive before the end of 2005, is an English Electric Canberra cockpit section the Museum has purchased from the Ministry of Defence. Derek Waters and Robert Walden traveled to RAF St Athan in deepest Wales to prepare this for transport in November. We intend to mount the Canberra cockpit on a trailer so it can be taken to events as a traveling exhibit to promote the Museum. Restoration and maintenance of our aircraft exhibits has made stunning progress in 2005. The Gloster Meteor has been completely resprayed by a team from RAF Coltishall. Our Westland Whirlwind helicopter has received considerable attention and repainting of this aircraft should be completed in the Spring. The Lightning has continued to progress with further polishing and the application of its correct Royal Saudi Air Force markings. The cockpit of the Vulcan has been painted and work has now moved on to the rebuilding of the jet pipes that have become badly corroded. Our fundraising and publicity stand has attended events at Duxford, Old Buckenham, Rougham and RAF Coltishall in 2005. Although only five venues have been attended, the stand has operated for ten days, five of which were at Duxford as we have attended three of the four major air displays at the Imperial War Museum. Sales at these events have made a major contribution to our fundraising and we have had the opportunity to encourage more visitors to the Museum. At many events we have enjoyed meeting RAF 100 Group Association members. In 2006, we intend to be at shows at Duxford, Rougham and Lowestoft and any events at RAF Coltishall we are fortunate enough to be invited to. 4 The Museum’s Annual General Meeting was held in late October. This meeting was very well attended, the Friendship Tea Room was packed and as more and more CNAM members arrived, tables had to be removed from the room to fit everyone in. The large attendance is an indication of the interest in the Museum at present and the keenest to face the challenges that the coming years will bring. After the Annual General Meeting, the Museum’s board of trustees was reorganized. Steph Church has been appointed the new Secretary in succession to Dale Curson whose recent change of career keeps him out of Norfolk for long periods. Trevor Digby has also stood down from the Board. The new Board of Directors are: Derek Waters, Chairman Robert Walden, Curator Matthew Taylor, Keeper of Exhibits Kelvin Sloper, Treasurer Glen Ambler, Web Site and IT Len Bradfield Kim Barwick Until 1 st April 2006, the Museum is operating its reduced winter opening times. These are from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Wednesday and Saturday and from 12,00pm to 4.00pm on Sundays. Please bear this in mind should you want to contact the Museum by telephone on 01603 893080. 5 RAF 100 (Bomber Support) Group Memorial Museum Association Reunion 2005 It was wonderful to come together again and meet old friends and new at our 2005 Reunion in May. This year there were special events put in place to commemorate the 60 th Anniversary of the ending of World War Two. Members were invited to Bylaugh Hall, Headquarters of RAF 100 Group A vast amount of restoration work has been carried out on the Hall and grounds and the Vincent family made it possible for members to see around the house and grounds, providing a wonderful spread of light refreshments. Following our visit within Bylaugh Hall, members joined to plant a tree in the grounds to commemorate the 60 th Anniversary of the ending of WWII. On Saturday of the weekend of the Reunion, a coach went from the Museum heading for Foulsham where we visited the village church and the airfield, stopping to place a wreath beneath the sign there. We then continued on to Oulton where villagers once more did us proud with a home-cooked spread for afternoon tea. 6 At Oulton, as at Foulsham, floral tributes were laid in memory of those who lost their lives operating from the two airfields, together with those we have subsequently lost during the peace they fought so hard for. At each of these memorial sites Adam White played the bugle. Adam is the youngest member of the Association and is also part of the band of 231 (Norwich) ATC Squadron. Saturday evening we came together at Aylsham Lodge Hotel for the 60 th Anniversary of VE Day Dinner with a truly wonderful display of table decorations to mark the theme. Mr Mick Jennings, MBE, Community Relations Officer, RAF Coltishall was our after-dinner Speaker. Then on Sunday, we joined for the Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance at Horsham St Faith church. 7 100 Group Mosquito Found off Norfolk Coast A De Havilland Mosquito, operated by 85 Squadron, RAF 100 Group flying from Swannington was recovered from the Wash, west of King’s Lynn by the Royal Air Force in late summer 2004. The Mosquito FB.MkVI, NS998 crashed into the sea during an air to air gunnery training flight on 20 th March 1945. The crew of Flight Lt Gabriel Hitch Ellis, from Norwich and Sgt William Reidy (seen right) who came from Bournmouth had lain in the wreckage of their aircraft for nearly sixty years. Their remains were recovered and the Royal Air Force made private funereal arrangements with their families. The Mosquito was found after strong tides shifted sand in the Wash in Spring 2004. The deputy harbour master of Kings Lynn port noticed a propeller standing clear of the mud at low tide starting the process of identification and recovery. The Royal Air Force undertook recovery of the wreckage, which thankfully had been left undisturbed since articles appeared in the Norfolk press giving the aircraft’s location. The Mosquito’s engines propellers, landing gear and parts of the fuselage and wings were taken to RAF Marham, Norfolk from where its future will be decided. Prior to the removal of the crew and their aircraft from the silt, a Royal Navy bomb disposal tam had recovered the Mosquito’s cannons and made them safe. The Royal Air Force’s Central Casualty Section had traced the families of the crew. As the salvage operation was being completed, the son and daughter of Flight Lt Ellis travelled to King’s Lynn to see the wreckage of their father’s aircraft.