I just got off the 'phone after talking at great length to a WWII Lancaster pilot who owned a 1932 Minor saloon, along with four other bomber pilots based at Skipton-on-Swale near Thirsk in Yorkshire.
What an honour!
Their fascinating story, together with some unique photographs of their Minor, is slated for M 134.
How often these days can you talk to those who drove our cars in those far-off years gone by?
Minors at War
Moderators: Ian Grace, Will Grace
-
prharris25
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:02 pm
- Location: Liss, Hampshire.
Re: Minors at War
A rare privilege indeed Ian.
These old boys are getting fewer and fewer and the tragedy is that few people were that interested in their stories back in the 50's and 60's when there were so more of them about. These pilots, the bravest of the brave, very often couldn't even drive a car and it is a film makers myth that red MG's and vintage Bentleys abounded. They didn't. For every Douglas Bader with his MG TA, there were many, many others who, if they did have a car, had something like a Ford Ten or Morris 8 saloon. Look at any original WW2 airfield photo, you will see the odd Lagonda or Alvis but far more Hillman Minxes and Austin Lichfields ! The Minor would not have been at all out of place.
Mention of Douglas Bader reminds me of one of the most inspiring sights of the 1960's.....of him steaming at some speed through the main gates of RAF White Waltham in a very tasty Alvis on his way to collect his Shell Aviation aircraft for some business trip or other. Take off equally Bader'ish......wheels up at about one foot (max) off the ground.
All great men come to earth eventually though and he ended his days with an Allegro Equippe !!!
Paul.
These old boys are getting fewer and fewer and the tragedy is that few people were that interested in their stories back in the 50's and 60's when there were so more of them about. These pilots, the bravest of the brave, very often couldn't even drive a car and it is a film makers myth that red MG's and vintage Bentleys abounded. They didn't. For every Douglas Bader with his MG TA, there were many, many others who, if they did have a car, had something like a Ford Ten or Morris 8 saloon. Look at any original WW2 airfield photo, you will see the odd Lagonda or Alvis but far more Hillman Minxes and Austin Lichfields ! The Minor would not have been at all out of place.
Mention of Douglas Bader reminds me of one of the most inspiring sights of the 1960's.....of him steaming at some speed through the main gates of RAF White Waltham in a very tasty Alvis on his way to collect his Shell Aviation aircraft for some business trip or other. Take off equally Bader'ish......wheels up at about one foot (max) off the ground.
All great men come to earth eventually though and he ended his days with an Allegro Equippe !!!
Paul.
Re: Minors at War
Paul, what were you doing at White Waltham? I used to glide/fly there with the ATC in the late sixties. Wonderful summer days lazing out on the grass waiting for my flight, the mingling sounds of skylarks and Gipsy engines on the breeze.
I one had a flight in a T21 glider - side-by-side open cockpit. My older brother was sitting in his Spitfire (Triumph, not Supermarine) with hood down, on the edge of the airfield, watching us - with his latest girlfriend. When I pointed this out to my instructor, he grabbed a good-sized clump of turf which he used to dive-bomb the car from about 50 feet on short finals!
Those were the days!
I one had a flight in a T21 glider - side-by-side open cockpit. My older brother was sitting in his Spitfire (Triumph, not Supermarine) with hood down, on the edge of the airfield, watching us - with his latest girlfriend. When I pointed this out to my instructor, he grabbed a good-sized clump of turf which he used to dive-bomb the car from about 50 feet on short finals!
Those were the days!
-
prharris25
- Posts: 108
- Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:02 pm
- Location: Liss, Hampshire.
Re: Minors at War
Ian,
In those days I worked for the Government Department resposible for maintaining all the RAF Stations (and other MoD establishments) in Southern England. I used to visit all them on a regular basis and the big perk was always a decent lunch in the Officers Mess. The one at White Waltham was a very large old manor house just on the left before you turned in to the Station. Best of all was RAF Halton......Halton House.....one of the Rothschilds seven mansions set high in the Chiltern Hills...utterly glorious...but I digress ..!!!!
Paul.
In those days I worked for the Government Department resposible for maintaining all the RAF Stations (and other MoD establishments) in Southern England. I used to visit all them on a regular basis and the big perk was always a decent lunch in the Officers Mess. The one at White Waltham was a very large old manor house just on the left before you turned in to the Station. Best of all was RAF Halton......Halton House.....one of the Rothschilds seven mansions set high in the Chiltern Hills...utterly glorious...but I digress ..!!!!
Paul.
-
Highlander
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 12:52 am
Re: Minors at War
Paul, I always thought you were a cut above the rest of us!!!! All this talk of The Officers Mess - time for another lunch? Yours, Aye, Highlander.
-
David Whittle
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:08 am
- Location: Wantage, Oxon, UK
Re: Minors at War
Just down the road from me is a chap who's proud to own a £100 Minor, well he bought it for his Wife 45 years ago. He has a rather nice airplane as well, a Battle of Britain Hurricane which he flies from his little airfield! Funny old world!
OHC 1929 Tourer WE6554
Re: Minors at War
Peter and Polly no doubt - known them for about 25 years! 
-
David Whittle
- Posts: 102
- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:08 am
- Location: Wantage, Oxon, UK
Re: Minors at War
IanIan Grace wrote:Peter and Polly no doubt - known them for about 25 years!
Yes, Peter was very pleased to see my Minor a few months back, and called Polly over to see it. He was parked next to me in his immaculate 1920's Rolls which is ex-Maharajah and is polished alluminium from head to toe, and has a cow catcher on the front! He sometimes does a display and fly-over in his Hurricane at the local Fete, pure magic!
OHC 1929 Tourer WE6554
Re: Minors at War
Just posted a superb photo of a Series E on the home page last night - it came to light during research for the Skipton-on-Swale article slated for M 134.
Series E's are not really my cup of tea, but previously-unpublished photos like this really deserve to be publicized when they surface. They also serve to once again to underline that not every wartime pilot owned a red MG, or was that just the fighter pilots?
A little more info on 6 Gp's last op - there were 3 collisions, invovling 6 aircraft. 2 collisions invovled 6 Group aircraft. Some crews witnessed the collisions and there were opened parachutes seen going down, but we believe they died of exposure in the cold North Sea...
Series E's are not really my cup of tea, but previously-unpublished photos like this really deserve to be publicized when they surface. They also serve to once again to underline that not every wartime pilot owned a red MG, or was that just the fighter pilots?
A little more info on 6 Gp's last op - there were 3 collisions, invovling 6 aircraft. 2 collisions invovled 6 Group aircraft. Some crews witnessed the collisions and there were opened parachutes seen going down, but we believe they died of exposure in the cold North Sea...
Re: Minors at War
I seem to be accumulating photograps of our cars at war, including the superb photo of the late '31 Minor saloon currently displayed on the home page, which is one of a set of three. If anyone else has any similar photos of cars serving those who served, I would be interest to see them.
I'd like to put pictures like this one in front of the VSCC committe and hear them tell me that these cars are beneath their purview.
I'd like to put pictures like this one in front of the VSCC committe and hear them tell me that these cars are beneath their purview.