A Nice Man

[Gardian]

We heard this afternoon from his daughter, that an old friend of ours died a few days ago having just reached the age of 90.

In itself, nothing particularly important to the world at large, except of course to his family. To us, he and his wife were our first neighbours. Over 42 years ago, we used to travel up to our new home in the months preceding our wedding and they used to generally look after us: he with advice and practical help, she with food & drink!

We always knew that he had been in Bomber Command during WWII.  It was only when corresponding with his daughter over her Mother's death a year or so ago that I did a bit of internet research on his war record.

Flt Engineer on Lancasters (RNZAF sqdn, but he was British) from a base in Yorkshire: twice-mentioned in despatches (I think that he may have got a DFM) for going down in to the bomb bay to release a bomb that had got stuck. Self preservation maybe, but somebody had to do it. At least one full tour of 25 or so missions.

RIP Fred: a nice man.  

[NormanH]

People like him make me think of the ending to Middlemarch

The growing good of

the world is partly dependent on unhistorical acts; and that things are

not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the

number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.

Except that your friend was rather more important.

[Hoddy]

My father, a civilian, worked on a bomber station in Derbyshire during the war. As a result of his unreserved admiration for their bravery I was brought up to hero worship these men. I just don't understand how they had the nerve to go out night after night in the way they did.

Hoddy

[Pickles]

[quote user="Hoddy"]I just don't understand how they had the nerve to go out night after night in the way they did.

Hoddy[/quote]

Especially when you look at the level of losses that they sustained and the probability of not coming back ...

[Hoddy]

Quite. My father was witnessing this virtually every day. They were so young too and behaving with such style. Not much complaining and grumbling I think just ordinary decent men doing their duty.

I have a vivid recollection of being taken to the 'drome' to look at the planes. They had bombs painted on the sides to show how many sorties they had flown and quite a few of them had naughty ladies painted on the side too. It was before I could read and there was one where I didn't understand the words or the picture. My father, who never swore in front of me, had to explain that it said "The S**tpan". Apparently the Lancasters were fitted with Elsan toilets and they used to empty them over Germany. Unfortunately on one occasion someone misjudged something and the plane came back covered in the Elsan's contents hence the name.

Hoddy

[Chancer]

Now thats what I call largage [:D]

[Lou]

I've just recently read the book "Under an English heaven" by Robert Radcliffe, which seemed to me to be a fairly "true-to-life" story of the real feelings of bomber crews (in this particular case, Americans) - none thinking of themselves as heroes at all, just ordinary men doing extraordinary things in extraordinary circumstances.

The vast majority of us now don't know (and hopefully, won't know) what those circumstances are like, nor how we'd react to them.

My husband's uncle, who died a few years ago now, was a navigator in Bomber Command, and despite having flown many missions and having been given several awards, was unfailing modest about what he did and what he was part of.

Lou

[PaulT]

Yes, I think the aircrew of bomber command during the war must have had nerves of steel.

Just think, they were in a very large machine so a nice large target, that was very slow so easily caught and a good chance of being shot down.

The disgusting thing is that only very recently was a memorial erected to them.