Greg From WW2 Recon

Joining the Podcast this week is Greg, who walks in the footsteps of heroes, those who served discovering stories that need to be told and remembered and his drive to visiting memorials and uncovering what happened.

Also you'll find that we have crossed paths many times before including standing mere meters from each other in Normandy in 2022.

Follow Greg and his page on Instagram and Facebook by searching @ww2recon

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I say good evening. Um, welcome to the We Happy For You History and your Doorstep podcast. I'm Layton. Thank you for joining me for another episode. And what I've wanted to do for a while, got World War II Recon, aka Greg, joining us. And love his posts, love sharing them, love tagging them in here, and love seeing him share my posts. So I thought let's get him on and uh started chatting with him and had a few things in common. And yeah, Greg, hey, how are you?

SPEAKER_02 0:27

I'm good, mate. Um, thanks for having me on.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Um, thanks for joining me, mate. Thanks for absolutely joining me.

SPEAKER_02 0:32

Yeah, really honored. Like um, we were just chatting before we came on, listening to the podcasts. Um, quite an honor. You've had Ben Main, um, Adam Berry, John McManus, and then for me to get invited on, it's a privilege, mate. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

That's right. It was do I slip in Kevin Heimel in next or do we put you know Greg in? Uh I haven't got Kevin Heimel by the way. Um, but no. Uh no, no, thank you, mate. No, I just I see you know you're sort of really positive on our posts, and I I you know we follow each other, and I think we just I you know I love it, and I just see that you've started doing then and nows and and just just and then just chatting with you. I think I just I think we came across some common, you know, um what you call it, you know, common what's what's what's what's the word I'm thinking of like sort of like there's a lot of crossover, I want to say, with just yeah, even personal lives or former, you know, say professional lives, yeah, you know, and and where we've you know what we've done or what we used to do, etc. And and just yeah, just and just seeing you do the then and now's I think man, I love that. And you're always sharing hours and you know, you've you know your your feedback's been amazing, and it's always like you sort of always question yourself, Sam, in terms of like the stuff I do is like or stuff you know you may do, you know, is is it is it interesting enough to engage, and when people are sort of giving you that positive feedback, I think it's quite it it sort of drives you on, doesn't it? And you sort of it does mate, yeah, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

But obviously you see it, and then as soon as, like you say, you get a positive comment that someone who can't make it or has been there and didn't realise, and then you've sort of linked that past to what they experience, and you know, to get then like positive comments thanking you for just sharing a comparison of a photo, I know, basically. And and it's always so my interesting started way before um like World War II, then and now so when I was a kid, there were some books that existed of my hometown, and by the time I'd grown up, the town had was like so reconstructed, I make it sound like I'm like quite young, but I'm not. Um, and like a railway line used to run, like it used to be quite a major railway line, but then to see it as I knew it, I couldn't imagine it. So it's it was always good to then tie. Oh, I recognise that house, that house is still there, but that railway embankment isn't there anymore. So now to uh obviously fast forward and seeing everyone on socials that we'll find her then and now and share them, it's just fascinating. Find it fascinating.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

No, I I couldn't agree more, mate, and and from movies, you know, and uh I think somebody made a comment on it on uh the Facebook Banda Brothers, you know, on the you know page when I put a Banda Brothers one up saying, Well, you're just copying everyone else, that's a TV show or movie, and I'm like, it's not exclusive to one particular thing, you know. And and I've like like what you just said then, I've you know, I've seen so many people doing it. I want to say uh my friend San, my friend Sander. I I that's I I I saw them before I even met Sander and you know Jan from D Day History, and and I I I met Jan in Normandy for you know World War II Foundation event. I couldn't believe I was meeting this guy, you know, and it was just like, oh my god, I love your content. It's so amazing. I wish I could do that. And you can, I think that's the thing, though. I think anyone can do it. Um, you know, I'm always quite nervous about putting myself in front of the camera. I'm still dragging out an edit because I think I'm just probably just nervous. If I just want to make it right as best I can, but I think the then and now is I think for somebody who has a histing history, like, and they sort of you know suppose nervous about putting themselves in front of the camera, I think it's just an easy way of like creating content.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

Yeah, absolutely, mate. It is, yeah. But I I have to say, I'm exactly the same. I'd uh I've done a couple of videos um like the back end of last year because I live up um in the walls now, and I've got wood all spar on the doorstep, and I've been filmed on the old airfield there. Not now in nature reserve, mate. If you're ever up this way, come up and uh give us a shout. But I've filmed on the runway and it's gated, so like it's not just a free-for-all, and just talking to yourself is actually a bit more nerve-wracking than like us chatting now, yeah. Um or you know, chatting it like you say our professional lives we've both probably talked in front of hundreds of people, like just on your own, and you're comfortable. But as soon as you get in front of that camera, it's a different kettle of fish.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

I know, I know. I I I I can actually um man somebody just pet with, you know, uh chat pet with you, but yeah, no, I know exactly what you mean. Um, I I did what like the video I did, you know, did a few weeks ago. I say a few years, it probably has come up to a few weeks ago now, and like I said, I'm in this common land, thankfully it's not gated, and I've got to do it, probably gotta get back down there again before it gets too overgrown um you know for the summer. And yeah, weirdly, it's like I keep chatting to myself, cut, do it again. I sort of do this little cut in front of my face, you know, moving my hand on as if I'm just so I can when I'm editing, I think that's more of it, you know, but still I'm like, nope, don't like that, do it again, cut. You know, it is it's it's weird. And I feel like I'm I'm taking lessons learned, it's not about you, like how to improve it next time. And um, yeah, absolutely. And and maybe next time I'll I'll have trying to have some prom cards, or I started building up like I don't know how you know how you go about things, but but you feel you feel like I you've got to go prepared, and I think if you wing it, I it's I think I winged mind a little bit, I think I had enough of a base knowledge to get me over the finish line. Also felt like if I better prepared myself, I think I'd have been a lot more smoother with what I wanted to talk about.

SPEAKER_02 6:36

Yeah, I think I I've done it both ways. I've tried making a script, but then it's like the retention of trying to keep that script in. There's like you find yourself stopping and starting and stopping, and so yeah, well, tomorrow I'm um stopping by um as we'll chat memorials later on and just document like a couple of memorials in short, short videos but in sort of long form. Yeah. And do them. Um yeah, it's I I've had a bit of research into uh memorials at the minute, and like because the amount of crash sites up and around Bomber County is just unreal.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

Oh, so they bomber so the bomber crash site memorials.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

No, so I just used like village memorial, they're actually individual like aircraft crashes, yeah. They're this there's there's more more than I can name that I've seen, and and it's good to see that like they're being honored, like even in such tragic circumstances.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Well, and and that's from a from a British perspective that they're being honored, because I I feel like the Americans get more mention than the Brits without offending the Americans on this, but certainly in even in the e the UK, um I went to Downton Abbey or where they filmed Downton Abbey, they're the big house, um, and there's a B-17 crash site. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and uh there's there's a B-17 Crash site memorial. Oh, is there? Yeah, there's yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

Um I used to live around there, I never knew that.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Yeah, there's right, it's it's sort of in a garden area. Um I forget which bomb grouper is, I'll have to look at my um photos. And um if I vaguely remember, I again apologies if I get this wrong, but it's sort of towards the end of the war, which makes it even worse. Like sort of like you're not even killed in action, that you're killed now. Again, I probably have to look at a little bit of research on on that particular aircraft and why it you know how it crashed, but just you're over like friendly land, you know, you're over sort of you know friendly territory. Sorry, so it's but yeah, I'm just trying to think. Now you've got me thinking. I know there's one uh um wind rush near sort of um in the Cotwalls towards Oxfordshire, yeah. Um Spitfire pilot, trainee, because there's again there's so much, yeah. I I don't know if you've ever been around this area, it's incredible for like airfields.

SPEAKER_02 9:11

I I spent four and a half years living in Hampshire, um, and there's some mental like like you've got all the D-Day stuff around there, but then like there's one um now just outside I want to say Portsmouth. Plymouth is the one further down, in it. So it's yeah, it's just like in between Basingstoke and uh like Portsmouth way on, and during Exercise Dream uh D-R-E-M-E, if you want to have a look into that. Um there's a glider being towed by a Sterling uh in April 44, just before D-Day, and as it was flying over the hills, there's like an iron four around there. Um, I can't for the life of me remember exactly the point, but I can send you the link as to where it is. Yeah, please do. And it's flying low level, low altitude, um, and being towed by Sterling, and as it comes in over this iron 4, it clips the tree line. Uh it must have released the glider because both are damaged. Glider lands, crashing in the field, and that killed all 27 men. And it was like carrying 25 from the uh seventh airborne, the King's own Scottish Borderers. Yeah. And yeah, so all 25 of them died. I think it was the platoon A company. Uh they all perished, and uh the two glider pilots. So that particular memorial that's now in the fields where where it crashed, it went uh unacknowledged for 78 years, I think it was. Oh wow. Yeah, and the the memorial uh was only unveiled in 2022.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

So wow, that's incredible.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Just makes you think how many have gone, crashed. And I know there's one that we'll talk about a bit later on. It's got a bit more of a story to it as well. Um that as far as I know doesn't have a memorial for it. So, but and that story is just fascinating. But yeah, the the Sterling from that incident went on another 18 miles and crashed just outside Ronsey, which unfortunately also killed all six air crew in that as well. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

So what caused that crash? Do you know what caused it?

SPEAKER_02 11:45

Yeah, so it was fine low level, but it was um thick fog, like oh like low-level fog. But I I'm assuming they must have been trying to get low you know beneath the fog. But yeah, just clipped a tree on a hill and unfortunately crashed.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

Oh wow, so so wow, okay. I'm sorry, that sounded good. I'm trying to think of my head around like first of all, why would you take off in in fog? Or I take it when it flew into fog, or that's really interesting.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

I've not really found like the the circumstances of how it came to be in that, whether the fog came in off it's quite close to the sea. So if you know what the weather's like coming in off the sea, whether it just moved in quite quickly, or yeah, but yeah, yeah, it's quite quite a sad.

SPEAKER_01 12:37

Where do they fly from? Do you know where they flew from? Uh I don't, mate, to be honest. Seventh April and after. Look at that. Oh, actually, I think there is a I have a great book. Um I picked it up from this this jet age museum uh just outside Gloucester. Yeah and it's like three pounds and it was the history of gliders. Um, and it's just got so much information in there, you know, from you know the early conception, and then obviously D-Day, Market Garden, Varsity, I believe. I need to double check that. And it's just it documents like you know who flew from where and what times and what dates, and it's just you know, stats, and that's from the British, and that's from the American as well. So that'd be really interesting. Wow, that's a really fascinating story. Um, that's incredible, and and uh you're right. I think and there's a memorial there now, though.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

You say there is for the glider, yeah. I didn't go to I saw I know where the impact point is of the sterling crash, but I I never went to that area. But yeah, there is uh one for the glider now with a glider. Wow, I and that just like takes back to the you know the honouring of memorials, like the poppy reefs there, you know, crosses from the year before, you know, as they do, they then get refreshed. So there is some societies out there that are still honouring our own memorials, like even yeah, 81, 82 years on.

SPEAKER_01 14:07

There's one I'd have to look up my friend Luke, he's in the same line of work as you are. Um, we met you know, overseas, and I was asking about something, and I want to oh yeah, um, I wanted I want to ask him about a question. I can't remember what it was now, it was a bit quite random. Well, if he could help me saying because of his where he, you know, what's anything to do with it what he works with or who for. I was just looking for a phone number. And he goes, Hey, I just been to Normandy, oh you know, uh about meeting about going to Normandy with my guys, and um I was just thinking about years like, oh, thanks, you know, and but not just that though, it's just he goes, Oh, there's a memorial that happens near where he is around Salisbury, I want to say. I'd have to have a look now, and I think that's all to do with it's the airborne, but I think it's for market garden. Let me just have a look now. I yeah, what you've just said and about that really sort of and it it's it's um like there is great it is great to see that these things are popping up because there is I I hate to say it, there is quite a few American things, even now, certainly Suffolk Way, but I think there's so much more I think there's a lot of crash sites even away from Suffolk and all over the UK, obviously Bomber County. I mean, I hate myself for not going up there enough. I mean, I was very lucky to go up there last year of work and do a little a one-day yeah, I don't want to say a battlefield talk because it wasn't really just visiting a couple of sites and we finished off at Petwood, which was incredible to visit and go in the bar. Yeah, that was incredible. That was um, and I mean, how was if you live in that area because you are surrounded by history?

SPEAKER_02 15:56

Honestly, it's fascinating, but it as you know, um, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, Lincolnshire or this area of Lincolnshire doesn't feel like it's moved on from the Second World War.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_02 16:09

And I and I mean it in like such a positive way. The villages are so beautiful, quaint, still have that old feel about um driving through them as you drive into East Kirk, be the little villages up uh that way on, you know, it's just stunning. Um, and yeah, thankfully the modern type of building hasn't caught up, and you know, I I feel that sometimes spoils the lovely quaint villages like that. So yeah, it's stunning. I'm I'm so happy I moved up here.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

And that's um obviously I had to go via I think this is where we started talking more. I had to go via Lincolnshire a few weeks ago um to pick up something, and picked up something from this guy in in Boston, and he said, Oh, this is first airborne division area, like yeah, wow. And I'm just like, and part of me's like, man, you know, it's something's just in my head, it's like, well, I need to read up about that now, I need to find something on that now. And and I think when somebody says something to you and you're traveling through that area, and you're absolutely right. I mean, that was probably my second visit to Lincolnshire, I mean, in in a year, but even going from last year, first time in such a long time, I can't remember the last time I went to Lincolnshire. Um, I don't think I ever did really, other than briefly with work yeah, years and years ago. And um, so I suppose yeah, it's the first time I've really, really gone there. Um I need to come back because you're absolutely right, it's absolutely stunning. So, from I was gonna do some aviation photography, but I had to skip that because the chap I was with, we were having a really good chat, and I sort of extended my stay longer than I thought I or I'd planned to. Um and so I carried on to what I what I wanted to do or where I was gonna go afterwards was Binbrook. So it's a road, it's really just a straight road from you know, um from where he was in the in the Boston area. Um, and there's a church outside his house, which he pointed out some graves to me, which is friggin' fascinating. Um and then just the just the drive to to to Binbrook, where that's if you took away the the the fencing uh around from around the buildings, that would look like a still a working RAF camp. It's it's insane how many buildings are still in barrack blocks, although they're not slam or anything like that, super blocks. Um, but it was just absolutely phenomenal. You're gonna use two massive one, two, no, three hangers. I'm sorry, so maybe there's a couple more, but and it's just honestly, it's incredible. It it's I mean the control towers have gone. Um, the one from the movie, I believe, was a prop. There's two control towers there. If you watch the opening of Memphis bell, you see two control towers, you see one in the middle of um, or sort of one that sits in front of uh the fangers, and then it sort of pants past that, and you see the actual another control tower, which is the prop one, where's what obviously they're watching you know, um John Lithgow when um the colonel watching the aircraft come in. And uh it's but still regardless of that, it's it's just phenomenal. I highly recommend, I say highly recommend. Um, if you're a Memphis Bell fan, you've got to go and see some of the places because you will see some things from Memphis Bell that's still there, you know, some things you might need to go and speak to someone for access. I think I was very, very lucky that by the time I got there, um I wouldn't say they were getting ready to close shop, but they were they weren't far off. And the chap I just said who I was, or not who I was, sorry, that makes me sound like this absolutely arrogant rock star. I just said, I'm a Memphis Bell fan in that sense. That's who I am, and I'm doing these little things for the internet. Can I you know go and find them and would that be okay? And he's again hard problem. And he showed me around, and it was just I think just being polite just gets you so far.

SPEAKER_02 20:05

I think not only that as well, obviously, yeah, manners go a long way, don't they? But yeah, you you then highlight that museum as well, like your content getting out like that, and like me, I you know what, see Memphis Bell who knows how many times, but I never actually realized it was filmed at Binbrook.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

Yeah, I think I've known for a few years I've wanted to go for a few years, but I've just never gotten it because I never go to Lincolnshire.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

And it's just up the road from you.

SPEAKER_02 20:36

Yeah, I know, yeah. I mean, yeah, I mean, there's uh a lot of things I need to tick off now. I've been here for too long and I've still got um yeah, a lot, a lot on the list that I need to tick off.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

And there is, I think sometimes when you're working, you sort of forget where you are. Um, I think I said this to you the other day, where I was, you know, God knows 15 years ago now makes me sound you you know old, but I was in the sort of um I worked around Huntingdon, but I was there for three years, and don't get I'm a massive, I love B-17s, I love the 8th Air Force, love B-17s, and I didn't go to Duxford until the end of you know my stay at um of my three years before I moved to the West Midlands. But not only that, but where I was, I was close to Alkenbury, Holbrook, Kim Bolton, Chilveston, Grafton Underwood. Um and there's one by St. Neat's where the SOE flew from. I forget the name of that every time. Um, and I need to go there before they that turns into a housing estate. Um, because apparently there's plans to do that. And I'm like, I'm just thinking to myself, because I was reading World War II history or certainly history, but I wasn't necessarily a There Force. I think I was still on this Bander Brothers high of reading about Airborne and other units, and although, like what you just said, any amount of times I've watched Memphis Bell. I'll probably I mean probably the gateway. I say not the gateway, but certainly started me enjoying military hardware. Um that was when I was when I came up, was I was 1991, I want to say, '91, 1990. You know. But that was just that just started the process, you know, and then obviously pin red line, saying private Ryan, Band of Brothers, you know, and I think it was probably just after Band of Brothers, I started reading and sort of kicked myself. Like I don't know about you, but I suppose maybe at an age now where where you are, where you're living, Petwood, Bourmer County, or Bomber Country, sorry, it's it's yeah, yeah. How is it? How is that? Like just all these places on your doorstep.

SPEAKER_02 22:41

But I'm I'm much the same, mate, and I'm sure there's many, many throughout throughout the world that like Banda Brothers, like that Banda Brothers High. Well, I think you could probably even rewind a little bit. It started when Saving Private Ryan came out, yeah. And we all know that saving private rhyming's got its flaws in history, but it's a movie. Um Banda Brothers again, the book and the actual TV series stray from each other, um, and I think history, but yeah, I think that then sent like even though the the ultimate foundations go back to like the black and white films as we were growing up as kids, we know watching it with dad with granddad, yeah. But then started reading Stephen Ambrose as Bander Brothers came out, realized that there's more, you know, and then yeah, it just goes from there, doesn't it? And then you then start to see like more and more or notice more and more um museums. Um I mean another fantastic museum down your way, and now I've moved is the tank museum. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I've I haven't been there yet. I'd need to go there. You definitely need to go just to see the tiger running is is something.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

Um I'd love to go. It's it's on the list. It it's again, don't know why I haven't. Um and there's there's so more, I'm I'm finding out so more sort of I don't know about you where you live, the um the county regiment museums as well.

SPEAKER_02 24:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

I mean, there's one in Gloucester. I didn't even know they fought in Korea, you know, and it it's the uh I think it was the Battle of uh or River Imgen. Something like that. Like it was the Battle of Imgen or the River Imgen. And again, apologies if I've got that wrong. Um and I know the base outside Gloucester is and I don't know if you know Innsworth. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's now called Imgen Barracks, and I just thought, what an unusual name that is. And it was only maybe last week or the week before that I realized it's based on you know the the the Korean War, the battle of the Korean War.

SPEAKER_02 24:52

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

And oh yeah, I didn't know that. It's just like wow. I always found that quite random, you know, you're in the you know, you're you're sort of in Gloucestershire and you've got quite an unusual name, which isn't English um or British, but what is it? And and I just I never you know thought about Googling or anything like that, because I just thought, okay, they just grabbed the name out of a hat. But it's it's relating back to a Gloucester and the Gloucestershire and the regiment and the Korean War. And that's like that's a rabbit hole I need to go down now.

SPEAKER_02 25:24

Yeah, I mean, yeah, there's a lot, there's a lot of things that are based on like battles and battle honors for various units, isn't there?

SPEAKER_01 25:31

Yeah, there is, and and there's there's a museum up at Worcestershire and the Worcestershire Regiment, then you go another direction, you've got the Ox and Bucks Museum, and you know, it's just like it's just and then if I go a little bit further, you've got Brecon, which is the Royal Welsh Museum, which I guess well, you know, if you're you know is a fan of the movie Zulu, yeah, it's got a lot of stuff there. And I remember going there as a kid. Um, I'm just I was more interested in the Zulu stuff, the rock, you know, the Rock's Drift stuff, because what you just said earlier, you know, as you're a kid, you know, your father, your grandfather, you're watching all these war movies. Um, so to see stuff from Rock's Drift is what caught my attention and nothing else.

SPEAKER_03 26:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:08

Um, but I still can't remember where I saw from Rock's Drift because it's been that long ago since I went to that museum. But you're right though, it it's I think you can just pick up on something and you can just flick a switch of of what you look into. And and and I think, God, I'm trying to think now. I think you know, going back, you know, we saw with now and then's or then and now's I it's like seeing the content online from um my friend Sander from Jan D Day and and all the other pages and even the movie ones, which I still find, you know, even though probably nothing's changed, I still find it fascinating to see where a movie was filmed or a TV show. Um, you know, and and and if I'm able to go there, go there or not, just you know, it's just wow, that's pretty cool to see. Um but it just it can it can feed something, it can go, well, you know, seeing local history, and uh, and I don't know about you and if this has sort of been on your wavelength, certainly with up, you know, with being up in Bomber Command country and and and doing more there is just something different um with then and now is it's all great seeing the world where you know sorry the the battles um over on mainland Europe. Um but I I don't know why I just like the idea of the British-based stuff, you know, in the build in the build-up, the training, or just a day in a life of servicemen, you know, walking in town. I really like that.

SPEAKER_02 27:33

Yeah, is it something a bit more like of a romantic feel of that warside, isn't it? The real life feel like say you go back to Petwood, there's many photos of you know, like just two two air crew just on the balcony, you know, having a laugh, having a pint, having a a cigarette, um, and then you've got Guy Gibson um posing with the the group captain, uh his name escapes me. Like, you know, just like nothing's wrong. You don't know if they've just flown back from a mission, they're just about to go on a mission, are some of them gonna come back? You know, and it's just that that normal side of the military life, and they're at war as well.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

I know it's mental, isn't it? It's and you can sort of look at that with um the the eighth Air Force. I think you know, Master Severe shows it, uh 12 o'clock high, the war lever with Steve McQueen. Um, you you see that, and there's a British version of it as well. There's a um, I don't know if you've seen it, I think they're flying mosquitoes. Um, what was it called? There's a British version, and it was filmed. A little bit of done account say Catrick and used to be RAF Catrick. It was black and white. I was looking for something to watch the other week, and I came across um this movie. I was thinking um Stars Above, or I think something like that. Uh again, excuse me if I get that wrong. I've only watched it once, but I thought it was utterly brilliant. I'll have to have a look for that. And um, yeah, and it was very much like 12 o'clock high. It was it's it's the British version of 12 o'clock high. And and I think it was released before 12 o'clock high as well, but obviously they haven't got a Clark Abel. And not Clark Abel, sorry, a Gregory Peck, uh, you know, uh, you know, in um in that role, that megastar role. Um, oh, what is it? It's gonna bother me now. And uh hopefully I can find it while we're still you know uh chatting. If not, I'll have to sort of send it to you. Um but no, it it it is you're right. It it's the Americans are coming in, so you've got British uh bomb squadron operating from this airfield, and then they they're sort of getting told, oh, the Americans are coming in, so you know, get ready to hand over the base, which which happens quite a lot. And so they're just getting ready to do that handover. And as I as you just said, then you know, they go into dances, they go into the movies, they're meeting people, getting married, and then they're going on missions, and then it's they're sort of seeing you're sort of seeing like you know, people, cast members just drop off and off and off. Uh, and then obviously you've got the American crew who come in and they're a little bit cocky, and I don't think they realize what they're letting themselves in for. And at that point, I think the Americans were I've only just watched this one, so I'm just trying to remember as well. But you've got the Americans coming in, you know, and and I don't think you know they're not doing combat missions just yet, they're still embedding in training, getting ready. And I don't think they it they're realizing the seriousness of it immediately, you know. But I think they're slowly starting to see it, so it's slowly creeping in. It's really good. It it was excellent, and I think it was on ITB4 if you have that, or not ITV4, sorry, ITBX. Uh yeah, but I think we just said then it's you know, looking at a photo of Petwood, and you don't know what has just happened or where they've come from or what they're about to do.

SPEAKER_02 31:11

Yeah, it's yeah, it's just just mental. And then like you you step and Wood or Spar is like honestly, the the way they honour the military from the Second World War, and even to this day. Um it in the square. I don't know if you noticed, uh, there's all the memorials, certainly to 617. I saw it by visiting when I went through it last year. Well, there's the big one, it's like the modern obelisk, and the big ones it's in the shape of one of the dams. I think it's the Mona Dam. Um, and the roll of honour for like the squadron personnel on there. But that square itself was actually um it was the Royal Hotel. And I know I've covered this in the then and now because the picture exists. Um I think it was 1941, he's actually hit by a German um parachute mine and destroyed. Um, and now in the sort of footprint of where that hotel was is the Memorial Square. Wow. Yeah, so like the and there's a trail around, and like many of the houses that's still there. Um the the bookshop was like the local volunteer kitchen. Um there's the hotel, I can't remember the name of it, round on the back road, in which round by the Kinema in the woods, there's the famous cinema in the woods. Um uh around there, there's like a hotel, but there's a trail, and they've got boards up that give you all the information of what happened in this building. Um, and you know, and there's just a walk around the village, and it's fantastic. That's amazing. But then you can you go down onto the airfield, uh it's nature reserved now, but the gate has got like um signs on. You can see the old brick foundations of the main gate where you drive on. Wow, as you go through there, there's now like a sign, a cast iron sign with like a silhouette of Lancasters and mosquitoes, and then the Airfields of Britain uh obelisk is at the top. But if you go uh through Woodhall and round the back, you can walk through what's called an Osless plantation now, and that is the old um spectacles where the Lancasters would have been parked, but then also they've got the bays for where the tall boy bombs were kept. Wow, yeah, so all that's still there, all the foundations of the the bomb dump, bomb dump buildings. Um I actually um have TikTok. I I said I'd never do it. I went on TikTok and I was on a TikTok live walking down to show the bomb dump and uh casually walking past the family with the little dog, and I actually got bit by the dog whilst I was on. So yeah, but that's another uh tangent, but yeah, the the buildings are still all intact. Wow, yeah, the um air raid shelters are in there, and nature's just taking over, but they say everything's still around the bund all all the bunding for where the bombs would have been kept.

SPEAKER_00 34:33

Yeah, it's it's fascinating to walk around. That's amazing. That is absolutely phenomenal. Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:41

The history's um it's pretty mental, but I know we spoke about it uh earlier today when um when we're on, but the another interest, whether I believe or I don't believe is the paranormal. Yeah, but the woods around there are so eerie. Um like there are tales of dog walkers walking through there at night and you know hearing uh the Lancaster engines still roaring, uh hearing voices of like people in and around the trees. I mean, the voices could be locals, but yeah, it just it's got that eerie vibe to it, like whilst nature's still taking over, yeah it's it's still going.

SPEAKER_01 35:27

Yeah, I know you mean. Oh man, that'd be incredible. Again, that's like very like the Lancaster, like it's it's weird we just said then about um like hearing the engines of the Lancaster still going. And um that movie I just mentioned, um Above in the Stars, or I I'll find the name for that one before that, and and 12 o'clock high. That's you know, I think it starts off with certain they literally mirror each other, these two movies, certainly with the intro, where they go to former airfield, and then they just you know, it I think it's the XO, isn't it, for 12 o'clock high, um, or the adjutant, or the XO or adjutant, and he just hears singing, the noise, the people, the engines, and we just see the grass just moving, you know, as if the the engines were oh I love that scene, and to do that would be incredible. Wow, yeah, yeah. So I've tempting to get there now. I'm trying to think when next time it's gonna go up to Lincolnshire. But that that's that is it, you know. And do you have plans to do more of then now content around that area and obviously you know, well, around Bomber Country, Bomber Commander Country while you're there?

SPEAKER_02 36:39

Yeah, so again, Woodall spot um first airborne were there just before Arnhem. So I need to I want to try and go and have a look in the cottage museum that's in Woodall and see if they have any photos of um of like any of the airborne pictures because or try and at least locate the ones that I have got. Um because there's behind that high street in between and in the woods in between Petwood and the actual village itself, there's what look like foundations of old like um accommodation huts. So uh trying to figure out whether still doing research on that and trying to find out more about like the airborne side of things there.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

With that, have you it's funny you should say that. Have you got the Airfield site plan and sort of if if if if a you know a building's been identified, I think we may trade secrets here. Um building's been identified in a photo, so oh it's you know, you see the sign above somebody's head or on the back of it might say, Oh, this is you know, HQ, and then but sort of correlating that then to a site plan, which obviously highlights it through through its um well, obviously, you know, they have a square on the map and then look to the the legend, oh yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_02 38:03

Um I I mean the the airfield itself, the buildings that still remain are actually uh property of the the local actual base. So I can't get up there unfortunately to see the buildings. Oh uh but the airborne um photos are in and around Woodall itself, they were billeted within the village rather than on the earth. Rather than on the airfield. Oh, sorry, oh wow, okay. I think oh wow, that's incredible. Yeah, I'm sure these photos of uh I want to say potentially Eisenhower and Montgomery there at some point as well.

SPEAKER_01 38:39

Wow, that's that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_02 38:41

Yeah, inspecting the troops.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

Yes, because they were doing their owns. I think there's I know Churchill and Eisenhower did a lot of that in the build-up to D Day. Um, but again, you know, yeah, I Monty would have done the same as well. Um man, that'd be incredible. That'd be a hell of a then and now. I always think like together's like rock star, I say rock star, like these iconic individuals. Not to take anything away from anyone else, but I don't know, it's just it's just something different, isn't it? Where you've got Eisenhower there in that photo that he stood there. Um I think I did two Eisenhower ones in a space of I want to say a week, a week and a half, you know, and one was the Greenham Common one, which took a little bit of work, but I'm not gonna lie, you know, and after the you know, after the battle, book helped. Um, you know, and there was that one where it's just a matter of looking, you know, making sure I've gone to the right spot and just again looking what's there, looking at video footage, looking again at the then and now book. Because things have changed even in I think that's 30 years, things had changed. So it's sort of it was yeah, and then but I think it was either the week before or week after, um, when he's in South Wales uh addressing troops. I think it's the 109th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division, uh, and I've been meaning to do that one for about two years, and I thought, you know, I was yeah, just went and did it. Uh so I did like two Eisenhowers in in in a space of I think it's just something different about it though. I just can't put my finger on it. It's I think it's because like I said, it's these iconic uh individuals, and I just it's just something I don't know. I just I don't want to be disrespectful to anyone else, you know, who served you know in in in in that time, but it's just it's and I love doing my then and nows, and I and I'm sure you're the same. It's just iconic people, it's just it's just hits differently. Yeah, and you think it's gonna be like you know hundreds of thousands of views and it's like 50 people, and it's like, oh, not that good done.

SPEAKER_02 40:50

Yeah, I think the the social media algorithms pop pop the bubble sometimes, don't they?

SPEAKER_01 40:56

Yeah, it is. It it's it's hard, it's hard to gauge sometimes. And have I put the right hashtag in, or is it you know, have I said enough, or do I say too much? It's it's it's hard sometimes. Like one will just hit and do really well, and others. I don't know if you found the same and just yeah, pet her off.

SPEAKER_02 41:14

I've also found that like posting just five minutes later than you normally would sometimes affects it as well.

SPEAKER_01 41:20

I think it's consistency, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, yes, I've noticed that by the way. Um and I think it I think it's we're we're sort of slaves to social media in a way that we have to keep consistent in posting and timing is yeah, bizarre. Absolutely bizarre. I've noticed that actually, I've I've really noticed that. Um so yeah, I think I might need to address like I've noticed a dip off in some of the things I've posted just because of the the timings. I never really thought of that. Yeah, you just said that.

SPEAKER_02 41:53

Yeah, I I I I I had a quick Google of like what's the best time, and I've just been away with um like a work trip for a few months. So like while I'm busy, I just had to then figure out the time difference and just like schedule posts. So whilst it looks like I've been posting, it's sitting down for an hour or two, you know, and sorting out a few days, and then once I've got more days, then getting more scheduled. So it it's managed to keep it going whilst I've I've been busy out the country.

SPEAKER_01 42:29

That's a really good idea, and I think that that saves on time consumption, you know. I think for me, I think I've fallen foul. So that's actually a really good way, even though it's the most simplest one, um, is it them on the day, which then has an effect we've just said then about time-ins, uh, you know, being inconsistent, but if you've got them scheduled that's taken away from you, and I think what I think the I think the reason I haven't done the scheduling part is like is because I can't tag anyone in there. Yeah, you can't tag people in if you've um yeah, you can't um you can't schedule posts if you've tagged people in, which sort of I don't understand why they've sort of put that control in. Yeah, but maybe it's just sort of you know, if if I if I do the scheduling bit and I haven't tagged anyone in, you know, apologies to anyone who's listening, that's the reason why I haven't tagged you in there because I'm doing the scheduling bit, but then maybe tagging them after the fact or something and doing it that way. Because I think you know tagging people in there, I think helps with growth. It's silly that you know we're I'm in my mid-40s and I'm concerned about social media growth. And uh it's weird. I never thought I'd ever hear myself say that.

SPEAKER_02 43:45

Yeah, I know what you mean though, mate. Um, I'm about to t tip over into 40 very soon. Um I feel exactly the same.

SPEAKER_01 43:55

Yeah, it it's like I've avoided TikTok, but I'm too. For TikTok. But yeah, it's I never thought I'd see myself as this person. And I don't again don't know about you, it's just I mean so going back to you then actually and World War II a recon your Instagram page and your Facebook page, by the way, which is excellent. What inspired you to do it?

SPEAKER_02 44:16

Um I think I'd I'd been to an air show and I'd posted like I'd I'd got like a separate Instagram page from my my normal one anyway. Um in fact it might have been a YouTube account actually that I'd never used. I think it was YouTube where it started. And the views like people started getting interested, and you know, and then as you you then go onto social media, I'll post it there as well. And then again on Instagram, like just views of a Spitfire taking off. Um yeah, there was just gained a lot of interest. So I think if you go right back to the start of my where when my account started, it's just aircraft at air shows and then um went to Normandy. Uh I lived down on the South Coast, so uh I was lucky that the group of friends that I had there um that I lived around were also heavily interested in Second World War. So we'd you know go around to each other's houses or whatnot and you know watch war films, but I think it'd be remiss of me not to mention like what probably is the main catalyst for a lot of us now is we have ways of making you talk, yeah. Um like when their podcast came out during COVID, um I mean, yeah, you know, become it it just became sort of a family. And then everyone um banded together like back in the early days of Twitter and or X now as it is, you know, and then going to them, the festivals after COVID unlocked, get to see the veterans, and then yeah, it's just I think that was probably the big catalyst for like social media.

SPEAKER_01 46:20

Yeah, I think um I know exactly what you mean. I think I I wasn't really big into podcasts, um, and and I seen that James Holland and Al Murray were doing them, and and I thought that'd be a really cool combination because I started getting getting you know, you know, really like in Al Murray from when he did his um oh, what was it from you know, uh from Landod. No, it's oh right, yeah. Sorry, yeah, the Normandy to Berlin Normandy to Berlin documentary. And I I sort of I think I wasn't really a big fan of his pub landlord stuff. Um, but it's amazing how intelligent and how well done that is as well. Yeah, um, if you really think it's incredible by going from Normandy to Berlin, I thought, wow, I really like it, you know, Al Murray like World War II. Wow, okay, let's watch this. And I remember watching and thinking, man, this is excellent. And I think that was a couple of years before we have ways of making a talk podcast, and then seeing that he was doing it with James Holland, who was probably one at the time, you know, one of my favourite World War II historians, yeah, thinking that'd be quite interesting. And just listening to, I think I didn't get into it for you know, started to listen to it for a while, but like what you just said, then it's just listening to it and you you you buy into what they're talking about. They already know they talk about their Patreon, and you turn the Patreon and they've got it really well done. I think they've got even got more slicker with how they they operate. Um you just felt like you were part of a community, didn't you? And and I think I don't know, yeah, it's just you just felt like you're part of a community. I'm in like two WhatsApp groups of IC platoons, um, one from you know Gloucestershire and one for South Wales, and you know, they they still it's still going. I've been in them for about three years, I want to say. I feel like I've been in there for about three years, and they still chat. People still chat. I'm sure there's some you know people who just sit by the sidelines and don't say and think I can be like us sometimes because you just you don't know if you can, I suppose, compete. Let's say compete the word compete, but you don't want to say the wrong thing and make a fool of yourself, yeah. Um but I remember somebody got introduced into the you know the West Midlands IC chat and they put a joke in there uh that did not go well at all. Yeah, you know, they do not like I don't know about you if you're in any of them, but they do not like it's it's World War II stuff or history, yeah. Like that's not a place for them, like for you know, like the guy deleted it, you know, to be fair. I don't think I can't even think it was offensive, it was just it's just a joke. Um I think he was new to the chat as well. I think he just gauged the audience wrong because I suppose in some sense they don't know each other. I think platoons hate to say it, they have meetups. I don't know about your one if you're in, you know, they have social meetups, and yeah, for the West Midlands one, I think the South Wales, I'm not sure the South Wales ones do it. Um, but the West Midlands they meet just outside Wolverhampton in Codsall. Um and I I think I just said, you know, um, you know, anybody in Gloucestershire or Cheltenham, you know, anybody meetups and I think no, I'm in Cheltenham, but yeah, I wouldn't mind meeting up. And I think you know, three or four of us, the first one, um, and then we created a set, we sort of splinted off and created a squad. Um we call ourselves the Cotwalls squad, you know, the the I guess the Cotwalls IC squad or something like that. Um and you know, I've met up with one of the guys a couple of times, and was it last year? Uh Doug. Is it Doug? Yeah, Doug, Doug, we um we we went for a walk around the old GCHQ, uh, Benel Hall, which is where um it's housing the state now, but it's where the you know, which was uh it was a World War II site as well. It was the ETO SOS were um were based. Yeah, ETO, yeah, ETO ETO SOS.

SPEAKER_02 50:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:17

That's where they sort of were operating from us with it, you know, when they're you know, and and you can still see the old fence line, but I think that came in like later down the line, like down the years. I don't think I was World War II.

SPEAKER_00 50:28

Right.

SPEAKER_01 50:29

Um and but you can still see the outline of it and it still matches the old site from from when it was created, but obviously, yeah, I think it was in the mid-90s, I want to say that it got knocked down or even early noughts and moved obviously into the big donut. Yeah, but just you know, it's just it's weird how you can just do that with people. And and Doug Doug is like probably 20 years older than me as well, so it's it's it's it's a weird little community, and I know what you mean.

SPEAKER_02 50:54

It's it's yeah, it's it's I think it gets fast. Well, if anyone's listening when uh this goes on and they're in the Lincolnshire-Nottinghamshire area, send me a message and uh add me to uh the IC. Oh, you're not in one, you're not in one again. No, I'd like because obviously I've moved around over the past few years, but I intend to settle around this sort of way on now. So if any of the Nottinghamshire or Lincolnshire ones are around, give me a shout.

SPEAKER_01 51:21

Are you in are you in the Discord at all? Uh no, I've not got Discord. Oh, I think if you I hate to ask us open, you know, the Patreon. Are you signed up to the Patreon? For theirs, yeah. Uh no. No, I I was and I wasn't because I just I hate to say, you know, it's just for me, it's just I don't know, it's just there's so much going on with what they do, and it can be quite you know consumer. But if you know, first when they had a Discord page, I think it's called, um which I think it's just a way of like different little channels, I think. Um and it's just another social media thing as well, you could say. But they obviously, you know, introduction page, blah blah blah, you know, you introduce yourself if you're new to it. Yeah, and then if you say you're from a particular area, they say, Well, hey, join this WhatsApp chat, you know, you and then that's the IC chat for that particular uh region, and then yeah, you sort of that's how you sort of get into it.

SPEAKER_02 52:16

I'll have to uh get Discord then and uh learn learn a new social platform. Yeah, I know, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:24

It it's there's a lot, and I think it it's people are really helpful on there as well. Like, really helpful. If you've got a question, um, people are really helpful. Yeah, I think that's why it's such a good community. Like it's insane what they've done. Like, yeah, this podcast. I don't know what has um, I don't know how it happened. It'd be interesting to know how that like was that their intent? Or is this sort of I don't know, like something organic has just happened that way. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 52:57

I I don't know how yeah, it's it just sort of took off, didn't it? Because I think it started in did it start in 2019, and then I seem to remember I didn't pick up on it until like b like the end of it was after COVID. Um and yeah, I had sort of picked up on it, then drive get back to driving. It was my driving lesson, and then caught up to COVID when it happened, but yeah, it took me a few few months to a year to to pick up on it, and then um yeah, I joined the Patreon, but then like you say, I just couldn't keep up with it, and yeah, so signed off from that, and I think Twitter just wasn't for me, yeah. So apart from going to like the the the meetings when work doesn't interfere, it's been my only thing for the past three three years or so.

SPEAKER_01 53:53

Yeah, and and and you have you gone to you know we have ways fest as well.

SPEAKER_02 53:58

Yeah, I did uh the first one, third one, and then the one last year.

SPEAKER_01 54:04

Yeah, so I think I I think I missed the first one, I think second, which for half a day. So I was by myself and I just I think I was a little bit overwhelmed by it in a way, but it was still growing though. You still picked up box, cheap books. Um I met Paul Woodage for you know the first time, yeah, John McManus for the first time.

SPEAKER_02 54:23

Um I randomly met Woody for the first time, not that it'll remember me, but um it was the end of like the D-Day commemorations, but it was in Carantan um and Matt Leach was there, uh Nick Aaron, he was performing yeah, so in the square by the the harbour. Yeah, I was there and I was there. Yeah, I was I was there um No way Yeah. I was there as well. Yeah, it was in the rain. I was there for that. Um chatting to Woody, I was chatting to Woody then. Oh wait, I was there as well. That's mental. I would have been yards away from Woody. Yeah, yeah, it it would have been there's a group, there's a group of you there, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:16

I was with um gosh, I was with my best mate Pete and uh my mate Andy, who was in the Falklands with, we were on the same shift, um and didn't even know he was into World War II until I saw him in when he messaged. I w I was in I went to Normandy in 2019 and he messaged, You're in Normandy, where are you? I'm there in a couple of days, like, oh man, I've just gone home. Oh man, and then I saw him in Bathstone six months later, and then he was like, Oh, you're going to Normie next year. Yeah, yeah, you know. And sorry, excuse me, and spumped into him, you know, and we went for drinks and all that. But um, so I was with Andy, and yeah, I was with the band guys. Uh Nick was on stage, yeah. Um, in the rain, you know, it was raining. Yeah, Woody's got, you know, so yeah, that's insane. Like, so you were literally yards from me at that point. So it was nice mental.

SPEAKER_02 56:08

Yeah, you can't chat into it. We were only stood what 10, 5, 10 metres behind, so yeah. Two inventory.

SPEAKER_01 56:17

That's literally four years on. We're just yeah, I don't think I've got photos. I'll see if I got photos of it, but that is absolutely freaky. That we were like literally that's insane, yeah. But it's like, yeah, I was in and that was a good weekend. I that was um I got that's a trip. I don't know about you, but I was with my best, and like that's like a trip I've been speaking about for years.

SPEAKER_02 56:38

Did you get the uh ferry back that year with with Matt Leach?

SPEAKER_01 56:41

Yeah, while we were on that ferry. I was on that ferry, yeah. I was on that ferry.

SPEAKER_02 56:45

Yeah, and that's again, it's just thought in my head. I was like, I remember being on that ferry ferry home when Matt Leach was there. No way, so we would have been on the same ferry back to England as well.

SPEAKER_01 56:55

Yeah, that's crazy. That is absolutely crazy, yeah. Because obviously we were sitting, like I think he slept, and well, because we went out, I can't remember. Yeah, I just we just plonked ourselves in a corner somewhere, and that's insane. Yeah. Small world, very small world. That's a very small world, mate. I've had you over an hour, mate. It's been class. Um you've got to meet up, yeah, absolutely. And and if you're ever done this way, um, you know, I swear that we've got to sort of you know hook up. And I don't think we've even depthed into like you know, the you know, the the you know, the you know, actually, you know, tell me about the aircraft you're researching, actually. This this bowfighter. So, yeah, tell me about this aircraft you're researching.

SPEAKER_02 57:33

Yeah, so the bowfighter is um one that I've seen since growing up, and it's just a simple memorial on a stone wall, like about five minutes from where I grew up. And um yeah, I'd not really thought of like the ways to get the information. I tried Googling it, um, and I went to the air historical branch, and they literally gave me everything. Um so the two air crew, the American uh flying officer Kenneth Warner and Flight Sergeant Herbal Pendleton, who's from Croydon 41, like the good old good old boys. Um yeah, and like I sent you the records across, and the record reads that um the engine must have vibrated to a point that it caught fire. Um and the reports of it like rolling on its back. But as you read in that report, the air investigation blamed pilot error, yeah. That it didn't switch off his uh fuel pump or switch his fuel pump to the the the good engine, which I don't know, may have kept him up, but yeah, that came plummeting to the ground at what's now called Polter Park. But the fascinating thing, well it's not fascinating, it's quite quite sad, is that where this crash site is not 50 metres away during the first world war was actually his majesty's explosive factory in Langworth. And they manufactured uh because there was a shortage of the chemicals for sea mines, they actually manufactured uh that chemical, and in 2016 there was a fire which killed three people, and 2017 another three people died in a separate fire, but then like to fast forward to have like another accident happen not 50 metres away from where this like explosive factory stood, and it's honoured like the the people put crosses on there every year, but it's just a simple stone wall with a blue plaque that gives you the details. Um, and I need to because I'm just down the road from Digby, and both the this aircraft, a Canadian bowfighter left from Digby, so they're buried in like Digby village in the in the graveyard there. So I need to go over actually and uh just pay my my respects to them.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:08

Wow, yeah, that's incredible. Yeah, I mean I didn't even know Digby was a flying unit. Um but that's incredible. That's really wow, it's really interesting. I mean, have you used Ancestry.com? Because they have some ear records on there.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:25

Yeah, I should do really. Um, but I I found a local record from the village, Langworth. So, like the modern, that would have been where the local pit was on that hill. So it's had a lot of history, and now it's just this gorgeous country park. Um, and yeah, so like the cinema, what was the cinema during 1942? Um, the queue was outside the cinema, and there's actually reports of him seeing and like you know, saying that this plane was in distress and it was on fire, and just saw it spiraling out of control, only for it to come crashing down in the field.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:03

That's incredible. Yeah, absolutely incredible. No, that's a really nice thing that you know to to research things like that. Um, so I think it's it's interesting, I think it's it's weird, isn't it? I I think it's it's keeping history alive, isn't it? And it's not on our doorstep, it's it's there. And instead of looking afar at say Normandy or Belgium or Netherlands um or wherever, it's there, you know, and and we don't need to go to these places to remember these people either. Because things happen in the UK, as as you've just shown, I mean, you know, the bowfighter, it's okay, it's not the sexy stuff of you know, but there's a story there, yeah. It's not the battles and uh storming a trench or whatever. It it's there's still a story with these guys.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:59

100%, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:00

And and and these guys were doing something to do something bigger than themselves as well. So I think that's really really admirable what you do. I think that's incredible actually in fact in fact.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:10

And there's there's another unit in the area, like the 80 second operational training unit. They flow out of uh Osington, which is just outside Newark, in between Newark and Tuxford, and Ollaton, it's in that sort of triangle. And um the there was a Wellington that crashed under similar circumstances. It was reported that like the right-hand engine was like feathering, so there just wasn't enough power, and that turned on its back. Um and this was from a um a farmer, Jack Ragsdale, who'd seen it come down, but there's also a local sergeant, um Ernest Flinders, and he wasn't a military sergeant, he was a police sergeant. By the time Jack had raced to it, uh Ernest had got two of the aircrew out of the burning wreckage. Wow, and by they were out, and by the time Jack had got to the aircraft, he was back in getting the third out. Um but unfortunately, uh, from what I can find in the record so far, I'm assuming that the aircrew were like lost uh to the wreckage, uh to the pilots, sorry, the front front enders. Um but the sad thing is the the only thing I can find of this crash in that area is just like a simple notice board. And yeah, so someone's wrote a report on it, and I'll send I'll send you a link across to read me. It's fascinating. Um, and I've also discovered that there's another memorial to another crash from that same airfield and that same unit four days before the end of the air war in Europe. Oh my god. And then as soon as that ended, Osington was like disbanded and closed. Oh, the sorry eight 82nd OTU was disbanded.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:07

That's always the tragic thing, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:09

There's always four days before the end of the air war, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:12

Yeah, that is utterly tragic. It's that's it's amazing that you're researching this, and I think that's absolutely phenomenal. And it can be, you know, the fact you've got these focuses as well of it's so hard to get distracted by all the different things around us. The fact that you're focused on on these things, I think it's just it's I think it's excellent, and I think it's a great way of remembering them. And I look forward to seeing really what you put on on social media as well with all of this. Because I think it's absolutely fascinating and oh it's incredible, yeah. Looking forward to you know seeing more because I think if it's one thing is we can't go there, so let's let's see it, and I think that's the great thing about social media. There's negative aspects of social media has, but I think this is like one of the great things is if you can't go with it, at least you can see that somebody has gone there and they have done that, and I think that's a great thing with going back to the then and now's as well. Is A, it could inspire you to go to that place and see it for yourself, or if you you know it's you're completely unaware of it, you live near there, and you're like, oh my god, I didn't realise that happened there. Absolutely, mate. Yeah, yeah. Go back to what you said about your hometown. I was looking at photos of my hometown on eBay to buy like these postcards, you know, and and going down you know, from the 1800s or 1900s just to do you know, then and nows. Um, not World War II, but it's just something of looking at what was there. Yeah. And I think that's what these then and now's can do is they can inspire a lot of people to research that particular site to you know go there themselves, or hey, I can't go there, but wow, you know, I this is what it was, and that's just what it looks like. And if you can put a little bit of detail on it as well, I think they can, you know, provides a little context of you know, so I think it's there's so many benefits. Benefits these Zen and Nows. It it's and I love seeing them. I love seeing all the different people who do them as well, because I think they're incredible. Um, and I love the UK ones as well. And and I look forward to seeing you know the ones that you do as well. And I I hope you do root more and more bomber command ones. I really, really do.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:16

Like likewise, yeah, it's fascinating seeing yours.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:20

Oh no, I was gonna say it's fascinating to see yours, but um, but it's all I mean bomber commanders. I think we need to see more of it, you know. When yeah, I don't maybe I'm just not looking in the right places, but I just feel like it's it needs to be more of it because I want to see more of it. And not just me in general, but I just I feel like because bomber command were there as well, and we sort of I don't know. I I don't know if I'm just you know being you know given you know RAF and disservice here, but I don't know. I just feel like it's very American like we all the B17s, B24s around all the sexy stuff, but let's see some Lancaster bombers, you know, on the hard stand or the spectacles, you know. Yeah, I think it'd be awesome. I think you're in a great place to do it as well. I think, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:04

I I have fell in love with the area, but then I I know obviously time's getting on, mate. But I just want to say as well that next time you're up, you need to give me a shout. We'll go and look at some of these memorials, I'll take you around. But we've got to got to show you on Freedom's Wings, yes, the Lancaster night memorial that's on the A46 driving into Lincolnshire. It is absolutely fantastic. I'd love to see that. Yeah, honestly, mate, it's brilliant. It's such a tribute, and the team and you know the the charity that sorted that out deserve so much praise for what they've done.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:40

Oh, it's incredible. I it's I've seen I'm dying to see that. And I went to the Bomber Commands um museum. Museum, would you call it the centre? Yeah, the Bob Bomber Command Center, yeah. And um, that's when they had the poppies set out, which was amazing.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:58

Yeah, I made sure to get myself a couple of them.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:01

Oh, did you? Yeah, uh, I need to get one of those if I still got them. And that's such another beautiful place. And again, I love the the wings where um the the the the what do you call it, the um the sculpture outside, which is the size of a wing, if I'm correct, you know, the size of a Lancaster bomber wing. Yeah, I think so. But obviously, in between it, obviously there's an archway and it looks straight towards Lincoln Cathedral.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:29

Yeah, it's about dropping it.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:31

Yeah, it's incredible. Absolutely incredible. Yeah, I think it it's more bomber command stuff, I say.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:37

Yeah, absolutely, mate. And uh you'll have to get yourself up here and we'll uh we'll go for a tour around.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:43

Oh, look forward to it, mate. Look forward to it. Um, is there anything you want to promote before you sign off?

SPEAKER_02 1:08:47

Anything you want to say or um no, not really, mate. If anyone wants to uh just come across, follow me. Um I'm quite receptive and sending messages and like when I can. Um but yeah, it's fantastic all the support everyone gives. Um I said at the start, mate, I'm absolutely truly honoured that you've had me on here to have a chat.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:10

Um honour's all mine, honestly, all mine. Really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:13

Ben Main, John McManus, Joe Mucia, Adam Berry, they've been fantastic, fantastic listens. Um I look forward to more, mate, and hopefully we can meet up in the near future and do something together.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:25

I hope so, mate. And I hope, you know, if you know we have a very fest hope to see you there as well. And yeah, absolutely. Definitely catch up there, definitely. But no, mate, Greg, thanks for coming on. I know we've sort of had to do some jiggery pokery with you know accommodation, you know, and no, it's been an absolute pleasure. I really really enjoyed it, mate. And uh no, I look forward to seeing you know more from you and you know, hopefully we can jump on again and chat more as well. I'd love it, mate.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:48

Anytime, just give me a shout. I'll be on anytime.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:50

No, excellent, mate. And I'll dig out that film name as well. Got S V D the British 12 o'clock high. But no, uh, thank you for listening. And hopefully someone else else, uh hopefully someone else on soon. I've got a couple lined up, but you know, the German Great Escape, um, you know, which is incredible in itself. But yeah, I hope I can get him on soon. And yeah, Joe Muchi's coming back on as well and Penn Main, funny enough, together. So I'm really excited about that one. Um, but no, no, thanks very much, and uh thank you for tuning in. Cheers, mate.