Life on the edge - the Diary of a C5

[superloopy]

My Great Uncle (also my Godfather, whom I am named after) flew in 85 Squadron. I have just bought the book "Fighter Squadron at War", which is about 85 Squadron. Flight Lieutenant James Robert Maitland Boothby. When he started his own car company (Jim Boothby Motors, JBM for short) he used the squadron hexagon symbol on the badge.

Fantastic bit of history James

Facts like that will go 'missing in action' unfortunately the longer time goes on ... you've preserved it

[Stickyfinger]

My Great Uncle (also my Godfather, whom I am named after) flew in 85 Squadron. I have just bought the book "Fighter Squadron at War", which is about 85 Squadron. Flight Lieutenant James Robert Maitland Boothby. When he started his own car company (Jim Boothby Motors, JBM for short) he used the squadron hexagon symbol on the badge.

Rough and harsh times....they saw a lot of things

SA Pilot AG Lewis, BoB @ Castle Camps July 40 (Temp Airfield)

[Hell Razor5543]

I challenge any normal person not to feel that way when they are holding a dying child in their arms, surrounded by the dead bodies of 40 children. When I knew Uncle Jim he was one of the gentlest men you would want to meet.

[Stickyfinger]

Today he lost 2 friends

31/05/1940:, UK

Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: ?, VY-?
Operation: ?
Lost: 31/05/1940
Sergeant (Pilot) Lionel R. Butler, RAFVR 742521, 85 Sqdn., age 19, 31/05/1940, Cambridge Crematorium, UK

Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: , VY-?
Operation: ?
Lost: 31/05/1940
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Peter L. Gossage, RAFVR 74703, 85 Sqdn., age unknown, 31/05/1940, Buxted (St. Margaret the Queen) Churchyard, UK

, tomorrow he will loose another

tough to keep at it knowing what was ahead so soon before Dunkirk.

[Xantianut]

Ay up!

They were tough times indeed and, for the RAF, things got worse before they started to get better. I have the greatest respect for thse lads who fought against huge odds.

Let's not forget the bomber boys who suffered losses as high as the fighter squadrons. My highest admiration to the US 8th Air Firce daylight bombing raids that, for 18 months, suffered 33% losses. Goring reckoned sustained 15% losses made an aerial campaign unsustainable and German losses only approached that in the last month of the Battle of Britain.

My paternal grandmother was Jewish so who knows how many of my realtives had one way trips to the Death Camps? Maybe some day I shall do the research? An uncle on my mum's side was one of the 1st British troops into Belsen camp. I always remember seeing 2 veterans laughing happily in a Jeep, one British, one German. If these lads can forgive, then maybe we should.

Incidentally I'd love to see an FW190 in the sky!

Fifi's Daddy

[Stickyfinger]

[Xantianut]

Wow, thanks, Stickyfinger!!

Was that the 109G formating with it? Interesting....

[Stickyfinger]

Far side left

@ at Lille-Seclin, at 9am on the first day of the German invasion of France

[Hell Razor5543]

Thanks for that picture. He was also a friend of Stephen Allard (in the same Squadron), who also started making cars after WWII. The Automobile magazine did a 2 edition article on him and his JBM car company (Vol 25 No 2 and 3), and he also owned (for a while) a record breaking Jaguar 'D' type (TNG959). I wish he had lived longer. His son, Robert, was only 18 months old when Jim died (if my memory is correct). Sergeant Stephen Allard is third from right, standing.

[Xantianut]

Seclin was one the bases frequented by the Richtofen Circus during WW1.

[Stickyfinger]

Some Wall Paper for your PC



http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/s ... quadron=73

[Xantianut]

I have a jigsaw of this!

Wonderful image......

[Xantianut]

Hello

Well, Daddy has finally bought a Lexia. Now he can't install it on his computer.

He's an idiot......

[Hell Razor5543]

No, he isn't. The Lexia installation has caused many people to have a headache, as it is not the most well thought of piece of software written. However, saying that, it was never developed for the general public to use (just the PSA engineers!).

[daviemck2006]

Is there such a thing as a PSA "engineer" [emoji48] [emoji23] [emoji23]