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| Chris Hayward |
April Newsletter
Several things to go through in this issue but first I would like to pass on our best wishes to Mike Eastman and his family.
Mike has just undergone a tripple heart bypass and is on the road to recovery. Mike as you all know is our Chairman and is responsible for putting together the metal for P7056 hence part of the reason for the delay in the build, hopefully he will be back in the workshop soon.
Secondly this will be the last of the monthy newsletters we will be going quarterly as from the 1st of July.
AGM
This is where P7056 will be constructed and you will be able to look around the workshop and visit the other aircraft that will be on site there, hopefully Mike will be fit enough to tell us a little about the Airfield and the plans that he has for the museum that will form there.
The meeting will start at 11:00 and break for tea and sandwiches at 12:30.
I know that it is a bit further North than the last meeting but hopefully we will see as many of you as possible.
I will send out monthly updates and reminders for the AGM.
A short story from Rob Bowater about a contact that he had from France during the preparation of his book.
I received the
enclosed from Gildas Saouzanet during the research for my book. Not strictly of
use for the build, but gives some background.
Hi Rob,
Please find the following :
A long time ago, there’s been an exchange of information about P/O David Stein. I’d like now to share with you the following.
Here’s the translation I tried to make from a French book
October 30, 1941
Kermebel, around 11:30 am, clear weather; suddenly, I hear
the Flak. Some aircraft are attacking Ploujean airfield. Looking at the
sky toward this direction, we suddenly see flames from one of them. I
still
remember Mrs Prigent crying (in Breton language)« O va Doué, an tan zo
ebarzh » what means « Oh my god, it’s in fire » In flames, it tries to
go toward the channel, while the Flak fires more and more. it’s close to
its end and is going to crash.
For a few seconds, it disappears to our sight, and a dark column of fume arises in the sky.
It seems not to be so far away. Two of us take our
bicycles and ride toward this fume. It’s at Kerdiny, on the left when
going to Mesgouez between Kerhervé and the Guernevez., in a beetroot
field, that the crash
happened. The flaming wreck of the aircraft is here sunk into the Breton
ground. A few people from the neighbouring are here, but we can do
nothing for the pilot, whose a part of his body we can see, awfully
burnt in the destroyed cockpit.
Suddenly, sound of engines, the Germans arrive ;
Immediately they are hollering « Raus und schnell… schwein (Get out and
hurry, …pigs), and under their arms threaten. We have to, la mort dans
l’âme (french expression
I’m unable to translate), leave the field under the Jerries’ smiles and
jokes : « Tommy kapout ».
What a requiem…Not even any respect for a dead enemy.
I must say that the first to arrive where from the
Whermacht. Later on will come a group from the « Landeuscchützen
Kompanie der Luftwaffe » that will take the dead body with more respect.
He was for a time buried with honours at Plougean Cemetery.
The wreck didn’t stay long. Flowers were rapidly laid in
the field, that the irritated Jerries’ crushed under their boots. Then, a
wood cross was discreetly erected, and at its base, new flowers were
laid, moreover
on November first.
It was the twin engine fighter « Whirlwind n° P7015 from
263 RAF Fighter Squadron , whose pilot was Flying Officer David Stein,
aged 26, who took off this morning from Ibsley, near Bournemouth in the
Dorsetshire
for a « Rhubarb » mission. These low altitude attacks, with such fast
aircraft fitted with four 20 mm cannons, were very deadly.
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| Copyright Gildas Saouzanet |
From the book: « Plougasnou, de l’occupation à la
Libération », Jean Le Gros Collection Section Patrimoine du foyer rural
de Plougasnou. (18 juin 2001) ISBN : 2-9508369-3-3
Unfortunately, the author has already passed away. I don’t
know how he was able to say it was D. Stein aircraft, but it seems he
made some research to complete what he witnessed.
Cheers
Gildas Saouzanet
Rob continues the story
A bit about David Stein
He scored the Whirlwinds first kill,
a Ju.88 on 12 January 1941 but it was not confirmed until after P/O
Grahams victory on 8 Feb was celebrated as the first.
Rhubarb 35 on the 30th
October 1941 by F/O Stein P7015 and Sgt Ridley P6994
failed to locate the aerodrome and were forced to make two circuits over
the town of Morlaix before they identified it. Sgt Ridley saw no
aircraft on the aerodrome, but described the area as ‘so well
camouflaged, that it would have been easy to miss them!’
He did see one unidentified aircraft in a Bessoneau type hanger which he
attacked, but while firing he heard and felt a ‘woof’ and something
struck his starboard main plane. He pulled up sharply and saw F/O Stein
nearby with one engine on fire and climbing
as if preparing to bail out. He then lost him in cloud as he headed for
the coast with oil and glycol streaming from his own starboard engine.
As he crossed the Channel he was able to climb to 400 feet before the
glycol temperature reached 150°, the oil pressure
reached zero, and he was forced to shut it down. He transmitted a
‘Maidez’ but managed to reach Predannack where he overshot his landing
and stopped in the barbed wire perimeter fence. Unfortunately, F/O David
Stein did not return and was listed as missing.
The ORB noted that, ‘His loss to the Squadron was inestimably great, as a
pilot, humourist or friend.’ He had in fact crashed in flames at
Kerdiny near the aerodrome and although his body was seen in the
wreckage he has no known grave.
Rob
Rob
These are the pictures of parts found of what is believed to be P7015's crash site in Brittany.
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| copyrightWFP2011/2016 |
Mr. Saouzanet asked, if we can, to
identify (as the most knowledgeable group of Whirlwind experts) one or
many of the parts they have found. It is clear between him and I that we would do our best to assist
with the parts ID but that we cannot offer guarantees.
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| copyrightWFP2011/2016 |
Gunnar was able to quickly identify the above part as being from a Whirlwind thus confirming that the parts found were from P7015.
Matt Bearman said that it's a very distinctive shape, for a purpose pretty much unique to the Whirlwind - a diagonal cross member providing part of a 'Warren Girder' mainspar with a streamlined cross section as it sits in front of the radiator. Not a form you'd find on anything else operational. Possibly the most distinctively Whirlwind small item it's possible to find.
Matt Bearman said that it's a very distinctive shape, for a purpose pretty much unique to the Whirlwind - a diagonal cross member providing part of a 'Warren Girder' mainspar with a streamlined cross section as it sits in front of the radiator. Not a form you'd find on anything else operational. Possibly the most distinctively Whirlwind small item it's possible to find.
“What did you do in the war Daddy”? by Dave Gibbings
Derek James the author
has died at the age of 92. Derek was a prolific writer and a top Rank
aviation author, he is well known in this area, having produced
‘Westland Aircraft since 1915’, generally accepted
as the definitive reference book on Westland
Derek joined Gloster
Aircraft Company as an apprentice early in World War II, and as such
found himself to be in a ‘Reserved Occupation’. Intent on doing his bit
he became a member of the Royal Observer Corps.
In 1944 he was 20 years old when he volunteered to be an aircraft
spotter and part of the Seabourne unit on D-Day, with the ships of the invasion fleet, identifying
aircraft in an attempt to avoid friendly fire incidents. He went in to
Sword Beach three times, while on board the ‘Empire
Cutlass’, setting foot on the beachhead on the third occasion.
He was one of the
recipients of the ‘Legion d’ Honneur’ recently awarded by France to
D-Day veterans. As a result of his service on D-Day he was also
‘Mentioned in Dispatches’ a distinction that often understates
the true merit of its award.
Dave Gibbings
If you want to know more about the Royal Obeserver Corps from its conception to it's stand down in 1991 then I can recomend Derek's own book on the Corps called " Attack Warning Red" and if you get the second edition there is a picture of me( Chris hayward ) as part of the Banner Party at the laying up ceremony at the RAF Church on the final page ( just scraped in).
Found
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| Copyright WFP2011/2016 |
We are very lucky to have found this de Havilland
prop Spider for £100. As the 'heart' of a DH bracket propeller assembly,
similar spiders have recently changed hands for several thousands.
While not the exact type (this is 3,000 series - Hunting Provost etc)
and so fractions of an inch different from the 4,000 series of the
Whirlwind), it is close as we can get - original 4,000 series DH spiders
just aren't available any more. From this basis we can build an
externally identical prop.
It
shows that it is possible to find propeller parts that the project can
afford. Please everyone keep their eyes peeled. There will be de
Havilland or Hamilton standard cylinders, brackets and shells out there,
just as this spider was! Any leads or information, please contact Matt
Bearman on bearmat81@hotmail.com
Bomb Carrier
Here are some snaps of our newly purchased Mk.III universal bomb carrier currently
residing in my parents garage.
My shed is too full at the moment but it's perfectly safe there for the moment as a
temporary home. I'll want to take some measurements first before sending it
up to Mike.
Many thanks to Colin Smithson for finding the ebay listing and contributing some
cash for the acquisition.
cheers
Matt Painter.
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| copyrightWFP2011/2016 |
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| copyrightWFP2011/2016 |
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Copyright WFP 2011/2016
