Words could never quite cover the visit
to 1355 of “ 57 RESCUE”. The artefacts were there along with one of the
engineers who had recovered these from the depths of a fresh water loch and the
remoter Western Isles.
Widely used by the RCAF who have a
Halifax at their Trenton base being rebuilt as a memorial to their colleagues
lost in WWII. Missing a body section our speaker told how he found a mid section
being used by a farmer. Same Model from the same jig it was a perfect fit and
allowed the Canadians to proceed with their project.
A second ‘composite’ Halifax is to be
seen at Elvington whilst a nose section is on disply at the Imperial Museum and
a wreck at the RAF Hendon Museum. These four aircraft are all that is left of
the 6,178 aircraft built.
As an additional treat we also had a
short presentation from “WW2 Living History” who do re-enactments
countrywide over the summer months where 57Rescue can also be seen.
Our thanks go to Ian Foster of
57-Rescue and Brian Coppin for a fascinating and well evidenced evening
presentation.
Do visit their web-site at <
www.57rescue.org >
