THE BOMBER AND THE WEATHERVANE
BOOK LAUNCH AND AUTHOR SIGNING - SATURDAY 27TH JULY 2024 - 10.30AM-2.30PM - INTERNATIONAL BOMBER COMMAND CENTRE, LINCOLN
This is a compelling story of wartime bravery, unbridled passion and eternal remembrance. Capturing the drive, emotion and fervency of husband and wife, Helen and John, their story of commemorating the crew of a WWII Lancaster bomber shot down in 1944 with all souls lost, then drawing together, nearly 80 years later and for the first time, family descendants of the crew in an emotional and poignant war memorial dedication, all as a result of the finding of an old, beaten up, metal weathervane, fashioned in the shape of a Lancaster, buried amongst a myriad of items for sale at a salvage yard in leafy Surrey.
In putting this story together, the author has had access to huge volumes of information from Helen, elicited countless official records from military archives and obtained original letters sent between crew members and their families during that turbulent time.
He examines how the Lancaster became the heavy bomber of choice for the RAF, the enormous, yet understated, role played by ground crews, the controversial Bombing of Berlin campaign, and what it’s like to fly in the famous “Lanc” today. He was truly humbled, in 2023, to find and interview a former Pathfinder Lancaster flight engineer, aged 99, in north Devon, who had served in the 83 Pathfinder Squadron at the same time as the JB453 crew and who was able to give very clear recollections about day-to-day life at RAF Wyton during both mission and non-mission days.
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REDDITCH - From the Chip Shop to the Batchley
Tony grew up in Redditch, a short bus ride from Birmingham, during the 1950s and 60s at a time when the town, like hundreds of other towns and cities throughout the UK, were striving to repair, rebuild and re-invent themselves after World War II. He was born in 1953 when Winston Churchill was Prime Minister, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II had taken place and Mount Everest had been conquered for the first time.Tony recalls day to day life in Redditch, a small, 25,000 population town, globally famous for its needles and fishing tackle, before much of it was demolished to make way for Redditch Development Corporation to build a New Town.He talks about his personal recollections of friends and family, high days and holidays, Christmas, food and drink, incidents and accidents, the big freeze of 1962/63, radio and television, all intertwined with significant national and international events.
SIGNED COPIES ARE AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE AUTHOR AT A COST OF £13.95 PLUS £2.80 POSTAGE.CLICK HERE
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