Later Flight - Sepia Saturday

I couldn't resist putting up a second flight when Little Nell had Albert Ball VC in her post.

A Hero's Salute - Andrew Mynarski VC

The statue of Andrew Mynarski VC stands outside the former Officers' Mess of RAF Middleton St George, now the Durham Tees Valley Airport. I've written about how this Canadian officer won his posthumous VC during WWII here.

There are several planes in flight in my brothers war photos.

WWII Action

Meanwhile Eden Camp in North Yorkshire has replica planes on show.

Eden Camp - entrance

No matter how we try we still can't match what is strictly for the birds.

Turkey Vulture

In flight we are nowhere near as elegant.

Just don't miss Sepia Saturday 121

Eden Camp

A-Z Challenge  - ‘E’

This Eden was no garden in which to bite an apple. From May 1942 to April 1948 Eden Camp near Malton, North Yorkshire housed Italian and German prisoners of war, 64 to a hut.

 These days Eden Camp is a top visitor attraction, a museum covering the events leading up to and those during and after WWII. The 29 huts and three mess halls each hold exhibits related to a particular theme from the rise of Hitler to post war conflicts. Spitfire, hurricane and V1 rocket replicas have prominent positions outside together with a large collection of military vehicles – tanks trucks, half-tracks, Green Goddess fire engines and bren gun carriers. One of the mess halls contains a comprehensive display of human torpedoes.

 The photos, exhibits, sounds and smell take you back to wartime Britain. There is so much to see and read about that you make come away punch drunk with information. The Camp brochure suggests you allow 3-4 hours for a visit. The last time I went I hadn’t had enough after 6!

Eden Camp boasts that it is the only modern history theme museum of its type in the world. No idle boast.

You can find out more at Eden Camp

January Ghosts

Battlefields, castles and old houses have ghost stories told about them. Old airports are no exception.

Biggin Hill was one of the most important airfields during the Battle of Britain and also later in the war. Ghost Spitfires are quite common and the one at Biggin Hill is probably the most well known.

On 19^th January the Merlin engines of a Spitfire may be heard approaching the airfield. The radio presenter, Patrick Muirhead reported seeing a Spitfire when he was flying a light aircraft over Biggin Hill. Investigations showed no such aircraft in the vicinity at the time.

Replica Spitfire (Eden Camp - North Yorkshire)

Also on the 19^th horses hooves may be heard near the site of the 1643 Battle of Braddock Down in Cornwall. Royalist forces led by Sir Ralph Hopton defeated Cromwell’s army led by General Ruthvin on that day.

Huddington Court

The avenue of oak trees, “Lady Winter’s Walk,” at the old manor house at Huddington, Worcestershire is the place to see the headless ghost of the wife of Thomas Winter on 31^st January. It was Thomas Winter who brought Guy Fawkes into the Gunpowder Plot conspiracy. Huddington was the Winter’s family home. Thomas was executed for his part in the plot on 31 January 1606.

 Entrance to Huddington Court

Yarm Writers Group

I have been a member of Yarm Writers Group (YWG) for just over 3 years.

 The group meets once a fortnight in the library at Yarm, in the North East of England. The group aims to be fun and I can vouch for the friendly atmosphere. It has been in existence for over 25 years

Doris Perley, who writes family and local history,chairs each meeting. Doris says we may not be the most talented writing group, we write because we enjoy it.

At each session a topic is set for members to write about and read  at the next meeting - it's not compulsory. Criticism is rarely harsh as the aim is to provide support and build confidence in what we write. If one person in the group enjoys the writing then that's a successful piece.

People visiting the library have been heard to say, "I go on a Thursday because of the laughter from the meeting room.

Each year there is an outing - my first visit was to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland.Later  we visited Eden Camp which claims to be the only modern history theme museum of its type in the world covering WWII and military history of the 20th century. The camp held Italian and German POWs during the war.

 

I intend to post pieces I have written for presentation to the group so look out for them in future posts. There are around 75 so far. Hope you will like some of them.