Bomber Command Museum Archived Newsletters
About one hundred ex-air gunners, who served during WWII, were amongst an audience of about 600 people that attended our special event on August 14, 2004. The Avro Lancaster, Bristol Blenheim, and the North American Harvard, were rolled out on the tarmac to make space for a luncheon that was served to 400 guests. The three aircraft made a great and unusual display for motorists traveling past on highway #2, many of whom stopped to view and photograph the trio. Following the luncheon, the museum's collection of five gun turrets served as the backdrop as tributes were made to the sacrifices and contributions of the air gunners. Special mention was made of the RCAF team of Peter Engbrecht CGM and Gordon Gillanders DFM who shot down eleven enemy fighters while serving with No. 424 Squadron. These outstanding air gunners were well represented by members of their families. Charles Bazalgette participated in the ceremonies by dedicating the museum's operational rear turret to the memory of Douglas Cameron DFM. Cameron was S/L Ian Bazalgette VC, DFC's rear gunner. The museum's Lancaster was dedicated to S/L Bazalgette in 1990. |
![]() Father Harry Schmuck, a retired priest and former WWII air gunner, spoke at the August 14 event about his experiences as an air gunner during WWII. |
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![]() Former Air Gunner Doug Penny and volunteer Charlie Cobb unveil the restored Bristol gun turret on August 14. |
![]() The photo above shows some of the 400 people who attended the noon luncheon at the August 14, Air Gunners event. Another 200 attended the afternoon ceremonies where theh museum's newly restored Bristol gun turret was unveiled. |
![]() Longtime NLS member Alvin Berger, made four wooden machine guns for the turret in the photos above and right. Our thanks to Alvin for helping to finish this project. |
![]() Charlie Cobb shown with the restored Frazer Nash rear gun turret. Charlie worked many hours on this project, making numerous trips from his home in Calgary to get this project completed before the August event. Another Calgary volunteer, John Maze, and our summer shop student James Sorensen, assisted. Thanks to Charlie and his helpers. |
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The Society contracted master cabinet maker, John Morel, to build a replica of the Tallboy bomb which was used to sink the German battleship Tirpitz. This project was funded by John and Dorothy Birrell, parents of NLS director Dave Birrell. John Morel proved he was not only a master woodworker. The metal tail section is an example of some of his other talents. Andy Lockhart assisted John in completing the project in time for the Tirpitz event. Both John and Andy donated extra hours in building this special museum display. We extend a grateful THANKS to them for their efforts. Also a very special THANKS goes out to John and Dorothy Birrell for their funding of this project. The Lancaster display now has a whole new dimension, because of their generosity. John Birrell has said for years that the museum needed a mock-up of one of the large bombs to emphasize the carrying capacity of the Lancaster. |
![]() Standing beside the newly unveiled Tallboy bomb replica from L to R: John Tweddle, John Birrell, Maggie Tweddle, Dorothy Birrell, and Dan Fox. |
![]() The Tallboy replica under the Lancaster in the museum. It looks real! |
![]() John Morel in the museum attaching the metal tail section to the mockup bomb. |
![]() The "bomb" in one of its construction phases. This replica of one of the bombs carried by Lancasters during WWII is made of wood with a sheet aluminium tail section. |
![]() Photo of the front section of a "REAL" Tallboy bomb taken at The Brooklands Aviation Museum (near London), England. |
![]() In the Ailes Anciennes museum where the French Lancaster is being restored, L to R.: Philippe Uziel, Francois Bardet, Guillaume Uziel, Jean Michel Danielle, and Bob Evans. [ Photo by Carol Evans ] |
![]() Francois Bardet and Jean Michel Danielle stand in front of the immaculately restored cockpit of France's Lancaster NX664 |
The fifth annual NLS fly-in was held at the A J Flying Ranch airport, 7 miles north of Nanton on July 19 with some 76 aircraft attending. This was eleven more than last year, and the largest number of aircraft to attend our annual fly-in. Many of those flying in were repeat visitors to this social event sponsored by the NLS Air Museum. The Nanton & District Lions Club served a pancake breakfast to the flyers and the large number of visitors who drove to the airstrip to see the "airplanes." The High River-Okotoks Air Cadet Squadron served hamburgers and all the trimmings at lunch time. Aircraft varied from antique (three vintage Stearman, a Tiger Moth, a twin engine Beech Expeditor, etc.), to immaculate home-builts and modern two and four place single engine aircraft. Society volunteers supplied transportation to and from the museum. |
![]() The museum's Lancaster cockpit mock-up was on hand at the fly-in. |
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Our Society donated a Bolingbroke cockpit section to the Manx Military and Aviation Museum on the Isle of Man. The all-volunteer group there will be restoring this to its original wartime configuration and dedicating it to the memory of the 28 Canadian airmen who perished while serving on the Isle of Man during WWII. It will also be dedicated to the late Jonathon Spinks, who had originally found it. This Bolingbroke cockpit and many other components were donated to the Nanton Lancaster Society by Jonathonās parents, after his untimely death in 1995. The NLS is proud to be able to help the Manx museum by adding this cockpit section to their collection. ![]() on the Isle of Man. Manx volunteers shown here. |
![]() John Phillips stands beside his truck (above) after loading the Bolingbroke cockpit. The cockpit was shipped to the Manx Military & Aviation Museum, Isle of Man. |
Clarence Simonsen is a great supporter of our Society and many samples of his reproduced WWII nose art are on display in the museum. Most of this nose art is painted on original aircraft skin. The nose art illustrated in the photo above is being painted on a wing panel from a scrapped Lancaster. As a renowned expert in this art form, Clarence was invited this past summer to speak on the subject of nose art, to a gathering at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington. D.C.. The audience was so enthralled with Clarence's presentation that he was allowed to speak for an additional half hour! We congratulate Clarence on being recognized by one of the world's most respected preservationist institutions. |
![]() Aviation Nose Art expert and author, Clarence Simonsen, finishing a reproduction of WWII nose art. |
In the formative years of our museum we acquired the remains of Lancaster FM-118. It had been used for target practice on the Army gunnery range at Shilo, Manitoba, for 20 years, so was hardly recognizable as a former WWII bomber. FM118 did however serve our Society well, as the remains of the cockpit section were traded to Bernie Salter in England for wartime radio equipment, instruments, etc. The only problem with this trade was that Bernie never managed to arrange the transportation to England, so it remained in our storage yard until this summer. Andrew Walz, of the Toronto Aero Space Museum (TASM), at Toronto, Ontario, arranged purchase of the cockpit section from Bernie. TASM is the custodian of Lancaster FM104, which was on exhibit for many years at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds. In recent years it was moved and now resides inside. Ź Andrew and his fellow volunteers intend to use part of the FM118 cabin floor to repair the portion of FM104 floor that was originally cut out in fitting it to the concrete plinth at the CNE grounds. NLS wishes the Toronto group all the best in their efforts to restore FM104. |
![]() Lanc FM118 cockpit on the road again! |
The adventure I relate here commenced with a letter from "Joel" at the University of Manitoba History Department. He introduced a scenario that Don Young, a freelance documentary filmmaker for CBC and History Channel, wished to carry out. Don wanted to take seven young men of today and put them through a shortened version of the extensive training that my crew and I had in the war-time BCATP - from joining up through to graduating and receiving their wings. In his search for a Lancaster bomber aircrew that had survived WWII, Don Young contacted me and my crew. Also chosen were seven young fellows, including three grandsons of former aircrew and four other lads (one from Australia, one from Memphis, Tennessee) who had answered Don's challenge to take part in his documentary. The plan for the crew of seven 19-20 year olds was to put them through a genuine, but speeded up (ten days) version of the early training that air crew had during WWII. At Picton, Ontario, (former RCAF base) the boys received blue uniforms and a complete kit. Here they lived and studied to pass exams in airmanship, meteorology, navigation, etc., and made flights in a Tiger Moth trainer plane. At the end of ground school the older crew were to inspect and take part in their graduation/wings parade. At this time everyone is rewarded with a trip in Canada's Hamilton Lancaster Bomber. As in years gone by Don Young wanted to recall "going overseas" to the war area. Nineteen people departed Toronto for a dawn arrival in Manchester, England, and took a tour bus to Grimsby, Lincolnshire. We visited the former 625 Squadron base of Kelstern (near Looth), where the monument is found commemorating 625 Squadron's wartime years. There was another brief stop at Cairn, where one of the boy's grandfather's bomber had crashed, then on to Scampton (Dam Buster) station, where my crew and I moved in the spring of 1945. Next, on to Brighton to check into the "Old Ship Hotel," old but beautifully historic. Here we met up with my former wireless air gunner, Michael Chalk, whom some had not seen in sixty years. All had a beautiful reunion in Peace Haven, with a pub crawl to Mike's favorite "Dew Drop Inn." for a brown ale and even a sing song! The group then flew from Gatwick to Amsterdam and were bused overland to Rotterdam to visit the "Manna" food drop site. The Dutch people at the museum treated us as "old friends." From Rotterdam we crossed the Belgian border near Ghent, to pay a visit to fallen comrades at the Canadian cemetery at Adegem. My wife Claire's brother and crew are buried there. All had a beautiful afternoon at a museum/restaurant near Adegem built to honour all Canadian service men. From there our group would start their trip home and back to Canada. Sincerely, Joe English |
![]() Joe English and his crew "back then." ![]() Joe English's crew in 2004 standing beside the tail of Canadian Worplane Heritage Museum's Lancaster VR-A, at Hamilton, Ontario. (L to R) Joe English, Len Bawtree, Ernie Croteau, Jack Munday, Burke Thomas, Harvey Gottfried. (Michael Chalk is missing - he was unable to come to Canada - but the rest of the crew met with him in England.) |
The museum is pleased to display a very special suitcase that has been donated by George Oliver of Liverpool, Nova Scotia. George Oliver painted the "Zombie" nose art on Lancaster LL725 on April 7, 1944, after the crew had completed an air-test. Later he painted a smaller version on his suitcase. On July 20, 1944, George completed his tour of 30 operations, 22 of which were flown in "Zombie." Eight days later LL725 was shot down on a raid to Hamburg. ![]() |
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A number of people from other museums and aviation groups, from both near and far away, visited the NLS Museum this past summer. Some were: - Roy Flack, editor of UK Air Crew Assoc., publication, "INTERCOM," and his wife Jackie, accompanied by Bill Baxter, President of the Calgary, Alberta, Air Crew Association and wife Joan. - Calgary artist George Pendlebury and his father (also George) stopped by July. Don Subritzky and Kevin Jackson from Auckland, New Zealand, who were interested in possible trades of a Boly "package" for an Airspeed Oxford fuselage and other components. Phil Furner and his dad, Harry, a former WWII air gunner, from New Zealand, stopped en-route to Hamilton, Ontario, where they were to ride in Canada's only airworthy Lancaster. They both had a go at operating the Frazer Nash rear turret in our museum. |
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Harry Furner (above) familiarizing himself with the rear turret 60 years later.
His son Phil also operated the turret. It seemed like "we made their day too!" The ANZAC group in the photo at left visited our museum it July. The New Zealand and Australian group were all former aircrew who had trained in Canada. |
The late Douglas Tweddle piloted one of the Lancasters that finally sank the battleship Tirpitz November 12, 1944. His daughter Maggie from Edmonton, AB, and his son John Tweddle and his wife Jenny, from the UK, attended a special "mini" event in the museum on July 31, 2004, commemorating this event. John and Maggie presented the museum with a very special print showing Douglas Tweddle's Lancaster WSY LM220 being "bombed-up" for the Tirpitz operation. In addition they donated a copy of their father's log book, which documents the actual sinking. These items will become part of the Tirpitz display. In August, Maggie Tweddle brought her sister, Anne, and mother, Margaret, (visiting from England) to the museum. Curator, Bob Evans, was on hand to greet and show them around. The Society wishes to extend a very grateful THANK YOU to the Tweddle family for again adding to the Tirpitz display and for their on-going support. |
![]() and her daughters, (L-R) Anne and Maggie. |
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About 40 tourists from the UK arrived at the museum on August 29. This group was sponsored by the prestigious, "Aeroplane Monthly" magazine. They were on a 22 day tour of Canadian aviation museums, which had started on Vancouver Island. The Society had some light refreshments on hand and several volunteers were there to greet the visitors. This was also an opportunity to meet the magazineās editor, Michael Oakey, with whom we have had communications in the past. Many of these visitors indicated they would like to have had more than a one-hour stop at our museum. Possibly the organizers did not realize that the Nanton Lancaster Museum had much more to offer than just the Lancaster bomber. In spite of this there were lots of positive compliments about the displays. Hopefully if "Aeroplane Monthly" magazine were to contemplate another tour, a longer stop would be arranged. |
![]() who stopped by on August 29 on their cross Canada tour. |
The Canadian Aeronautical Preservation Association is the national organization that represents aviation museums from across the country. This year CAPA's annual conference was held at the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa during October. During the wind-up banquet, Nanton Lancaster Air Museum curator Bob Evans was presented with the 2004 CAPA Outstanding Achievement Award in the preservation and restoration of Canadian Aviation History and Heritage. This award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions in aviation by volunteering of his time to help ensure that our rich Canadian aviation heritage is preserved for generations to come. I'm sure all members will join our directors in congratulating Bob on this well-deserved accolade. |
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Progress continues with the restoration of old Annie. Between Harry Volk, Charles Logie, and myself we are almost ready to mount the window frames, side rails, parachute stowage bins, bomb bay access doors, machine gun access panel, and the crew entrance door. We will then see many small components added, which will give Anson 7481 a totally new-looking fuselage. Most of these parts consist of entirely original materials or in the case of wood parts, original material with new wood spliced or added as needed. By doing this latter type construction, at least some of the former Avro Anson will still exist in her final restoration. This winter should see the restoration of the cockpit floor completed. Currently we have a solid plywood floor in place, which will be removed and replaced with a floor made to original specifications. We are working towards making the Anson look a whole lot different come the spring of 2005. |
![]() checking fuselage formers for proper fit. |
![]() The Commemorative Air Forces's B-17, Sentimental Journey, flying over the museum in July. Flown by Jack Van Norman, ex-RCMP officer, who had flown the NLS Beech 18 when it was in service. |
![]() Greg Morrison operates the tractor on loan from Farmway Machinery, High River Alberta, to move FM159 outside on August 13. The Society extends a grateful thanks to Farmway Machinery for the use of this tractor. |
![]() Shop volunteer John Maze shown here making a mold for forming Plexiglas. Shop volunteers have molded several pieces over the summer and will be doing more soon - some for other museums. |
![]() NLSAM Curator, Bob Evans, and Steve Poole, curator of the Manx Military and Aviation Museum, visit with Margaret Dove, the daughter of Lancaster designer Roy Chadwick, in her home on the Isle of Man. Margaret is the Honourary President of both museums. |
![]() Volunteer Gordon Neu stands beside the Jacobs engine he has restored to Running Condition. It will be installed on the Avro Anson Mk. II sometime in 2005. Gordon is a heavy duty mechanic by trade. Our grateful thanks to Gordon! |
![]() The Jacobs engine displa in the photo above was completed over the past year, by NLS member Doug Holt, Coaldale, Alberta. While this engine is not "runnable," it makes an excellent addition to the lineup of engines to be see in the museum. A grateful thanks to Doug! |
![]() The family of the late S/L Ken Brown, have donated a large number of prints to the NLS museum. These are prints from an original painting by aviation artist John Rutherford. All the prints are signed by the artist and S/L Ken Brown. A limited number are signed by S/L Ken Brown, L/Gen. Reg Lane and three DFC recipients. |
![]() BCATP desk donated by Calgary resident, Don Lywood. No documents exist to indicate its history. Previous owners were informed that the desk was originally used on a BCATP base in Ontario. Plans are to use it as part of the base radio display. |