A cup of tea and a pipe, or flying the Short Sunderland

[JDK]

Are they running #3? The prop looks blurry compared to #4.

Three engines are running, and it's tied down for engine runs.

DHFan - that's why I don't go on about colours, rather than schemes - colour is very mutable, subjective and majorly influence by minor factors. Cave canem...

[needle]

James,

Great Photos. It's a pity my dad isn't still around. He flew Mk III's and Mk V's out of Pembroke Dock during the war.

I have his Air Ministry (Air Publication 1566E) Pilot's & Flight Engineer's Notes, for the Sunderland V, published in March 1945. He kept such good care of it, that it looks like it is brand new.

I don't know what squadron or aircraft he was flying with at the time, but my brother sent me an extract taken from my dads log book which reads as follows:

4th June 1944. Boring trip up and down English Channel.
5th June 1944. Another boring trip up and down English Channel
6th June 1944. Never seen so many **** ships in my life!

He stayed with Coastal Command after the war, and flew Shacks. (In fact the one that recently went from Midland to Pima was one of his old birds).

Julian

[JDK]

I don't know what squadron or aircraft he was flying with at the time, but my brother sent me an extract taken from my dads log book which reads as follows:

4th June 1944. Boring trip up and down English Channel.
5th June 1944. Another boring trip up and down English Channel
6th June 1944. Never seen so many **** ships in my life!

G'day Julian,
Glad you liked it. The Sunderland men are getting very few.

Those patrols would have been 'CORK' to keep the Channel clear of German ships, E Boats and U Boats to protect some event or other. One of the many unsung operations that made D Day work.

Allan King covers that in our feature; if you have a few more details by PM, I can see if Allan can point you to the right Squadron?

Cheers