26 – The Death of a Melton WW1 ‘Ally Sloper’
The men of the Army Service Corps (ASC) were jokingly referred to as Ally Sloper’s Cavalry, after the scruffy, vulgar, gin-swilling loafer Victorian comic strip superstar famous for sloping off down…
27 – Melton prepares ‘George’ for trip down under!
One of Meltons’ claim to fame during World War 2 was the despatch of a famous war veteran to Australia in the form of a Lancaster bomber known as G…
28 – First fatal accident involving a Saro Lerwick flying boat
The first fatal accident involving a Saro Lerwick flying boat occurred on 20th Feb 1940 when the pilot of L7253 ‘WQ-G’ of 209 Squadron attempted to land off Lismore Island near…
29 – Coastal Command pilot from Barkby dies in tragic flying accident
Leonard Ashby Court was born in Leicestershire in 1919, his father was also called Leonard Ashby Court and his mother was Kate (May) Eagle. Sgt Leonard Ashby Court According to…
30 – Melton Airmen killed in Mediterranean bomber crash.
For those who are not familiar with the role of RAF Melton Mowbray during World War Two, it was a base within Transport Command and was used for ferrying aircraft…
31 – A Last Goodbye at Melton
In my last blog 30 – Melton Airmen killed in Mediterranean bomber crash we looked at the story of a New Zealand airman who was tragically killed when his Wellington…
32 – The Death of a Royal Navy WW2 Chaplain
Christ Church in Wesham Lancashire is the Church where my parents married back in 1956 and also where there is a memorial to my Uncle, Frank Coulburn who was killed…
35 – Meltons ‘Barnstormer’ and Pioneer Aviator.
Samuel Summerfield was born in Osmaston in South Derbyshire in 1894. Records show by his sixth birthday his parents Samuel and Alice Summerfield had arrived and were living in the…
33 – George Medal Award for Cottesmore Blazing Bomber Rescue
During my RAF career, I had the pleasure of being posted to RAF Cottesmore twice, once in the 90’s on the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment, and 10 years later as…