War Work -Sepia Saturday

I've waited a time before showing some more of my brother's photos from WWII on board aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean.

Aircraft Recovery

I believe this is a Swordfish but will stand correcting if anyone knows better.

Two planes in a collision

It is difficult to imagine how they finished up like this.

Finally one on its nose.

Precarious position

This is a post in which I am lost for words other than I'm glad my brother came home safely.

For different types of work you should visit Sepia-saturday-119

My Brother's War

One of my earliest memories is what my elder brother told me to say if anyone should ask where he had gone.

At the start of WWII I was only two and Arthur would have been eighteen or nineteen. He had signed up for 22 years service in the Fleet Air Arm.

I don’t know which year it was, but probably 1940, when I told the wife of Air Vice Marshal Sir John Baldwin what Arthur said. At the age of three it would have been difficult for me to see over the top of the gate to the drive of our cottage. But I did as I was told and explained to the lady, “Arthur has gone to stick a bayonet up Hitler’s arse.”

***

My niece recently sent me a video containing over 120 frames of Arthur’s wartime photographs. I am converting them back to individual photos. This is the first:

George Arthur Scotney

Amongst the rest are a series of photos of planes which I think meet this week’s theme.

Landing on Aircraft Carrier(My sepia effect)

 No problem apparently with this one’s engine, but perhaps the engine of the next was too heavy for the plane.

Nose Down

The engine on the flying boat below is plain to see, but perhaps the aircraft should have landed on the sea.

Flying Boat 'grounded'

***

I am still trying to identify the type of planes and the name of the aircraft carrier. What follows is at this stage conjecture on my part.

Another of Arthur's photos is an aerial view of a port under attack from the air. I’m reasonably sure that it is the Italian port of Taranto which was attacked by Swordfish aircraft from HMS Illustrious on the night of 11 November 1940. This successful attack is said to have been used as a model for the later Japanese attack on the US fleet at Pearl Harbour.

I know that Arthur served on the Illustrious and visited Malta as part of his service when the carrier protected convoys supplying the island. Was he aboard when the Illustrious was bombed by German planes?  On 10 January 1941 HMS Illustrious made it to Valetta’s Grand Harbour with 196 of its crew killed and 91 injured – the convoy arrived safely.

I have a lot more detective work to do.

Arthur died in 1977, aged just 56.

This is a Sepia Saturday post; there's more at Sepia Saturday 80

Mundane Planes - Sepia Saturday

Just back after a week away in Cornwall. Route was from Leed/Bradford airport with Airsouthwest to Newquay with a short stop at Bristol on the way. The aircraft was a Dash 8-300; sorry Airsouthwest but the only photo I could find is from Japan:

All Nippon Airways Bombadier Dash 8 Q300, JA805K on Memanbetsu Airport.

Otherwise the only planes I could find are on postcards that I sent to my daughter back in the 1980s.

Postcard from a trip to Saarbrucken from Norway.

On this occasion I was routed via Amsterdam where I found this card of Schipol:

You'll find many more planes at Sepia Saturday 74

Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Sunday Stamps

First an apology. As I will be without internet access until next Saturday, I will be unable to comment on any more posts until then. I will check out all your posts next weekend.

I find my albums are inundated with planes. I don't have any commemorating the Wright brothers but I can cover the first non-stop Atlantic flight:

 

This first day cover for the Postal Union has planes, a ship and a PO van:

I like this next stamp in particular for its clarity and colour:

But my favourite plane has to be the supersonic Concorde, alas now defunct:

The plane may be British, but the colourful stamp is from Malawi:

I spent a number of years working in Norway and that accounts for my final plane(s):

For trains I have to start with Stephenson's Locomotion:

 

The meeting that established the world's first railway was held in my local town. Yarm Town Hall boasts this plaque:

Trains would not be complete for me without the Flying Scotsman (shame about the postmark):

From abroad there are trains from Mexico and New Zealand:

I was very disappointed when I looked for automobiles and only came up with this First Class stamp:

I had to resort to stamps combining the theme from USA:

And from Romania:

There's not even a car on here.

If I haven't put you off there are more on view at: Viridian's Sunday Stamps 18.