AnswerID: 212866 Submitted: Tuesday, Jan 02, 2007 at 15:20
Bilbo
replied:
Doug,
There's a pub in my home town named after "The Memphis Belle" near where my brother lives in the UK.
His house is built on a new housing estate, located at what was the end of the runway #1 at the now buried USAAF Air Base, Burtonwood.
This base was the first place that Memphis Belle landed when ferried over from the USA in WW2. Burtonwood was the biggest American air base in the world outside of the USA until about 1965.
We used to think the world of those boys. My Dad used to work on the base as a civvie and we had bomber crews and other airmen at our house a few times. As a youngster we used to sit in a farmer's field at the end of the runway and saw just about every aircraft from P51 Mustangs, F100 Super Sabres to B17s, B29, B66, B52 bombers to Boeing Transports and Doglas DC3s and DC4s and even RAF planes such as Vulcan Bombers and Meteor fighters. We saw the lot - and its' where I learned to smoke ciggies!. By the age of twelve I could recognise just about any US or UK militray plane thae ever flew.
During the Berlin Airlift we had aircraft noise 24/7 with huge fleets of transports and converted bombers flying night and day.
I used to love the place. The film brought back a lot of childhood memories.
Take care,
Bilbo
| Remember - "Tomorrow is todays best labour saving device!" |
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FollowupID: 474206 Submitted:
Sunday, Jan 07, 2007 at 21:06
Member - Doug T (W.A) posted:
Bilbo
Yeh thanks for reply post , Just thought i would let you know I did read yours with great interest, Seems you had a interesting life as a
young fellow , many boys would have killed to have been in your shoes then .So your a Pom eh , so is my Son in Law , he was in the British Army for 12 years , now lives in
Orange NSW , just moved there from
Jimboomba Qld but he won't mind the crappy
cold weather, barracks for Manchester City . As you mentioned P51s they were in a Steven Spielberg movie I just bought called "Empire of the Sun " is a good movie .
Thanks
Doug
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FollowupID: 474218 Submitted:
Sunday, Jan 07, 2007 at 21:51
Bilbo posted:
Doug,
It was indeed an 'interesting" life as a
young bloke but geez mate, it was also a poverty stricken one. We never had a pot to phiss in. I was on the bones of my arriss until I came to WA in 1974.
I have fond memories of being a race mechanic in the UK when my mates race bike and all our expenses were paid by my mate's 'ladyfriend'. He was 23 years old an Elvis lookalike (when Elvis wasn't fat) and she was 45 years old and the wife of a prominent surgeon in Harley Street in London!! He was giving her one regularly and we got money to race on!! Not much, but it paid for a new bike and expenses for 2 seasons!! Mind you, we used to sleep in the truck!!
Bilbo
| Remember - "Tomorrow is todays best labour saving device!" |
FollowUp 2 of 2
