The Forgotten Pilots of WW 2.

[Fouro]

Getting away from Politics enjoy this interesting post and the video contained in it.

Lettice Curtis - obituary - Telegraph

FOURO.

[Captain Kong]

The forgotten ladies, amazing.
Cheers
Brian

[John F Collier]

I've always thought that the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary are among the unsung heroes of the war
with very little "if any" recognition for their contribution to the war effort, a number of them died in in crashes
as they flew in all conditions, being wartime they were sadly taken for granted and most people didn't even
know they existed. Today a footballer on £150,000 a week scores a winning goal and is proclaimed to be a
hero and honours are thrown around like confetti or can be purchased with a hefty donation to a political party,
it seems to me that the values we once knew have now, all but disappeared. Cheers JC

[Fouro]

Besides the Forgotten Pilots of the ATA, this country is also indebted to the thousands of ordinary British women, who, after taking care of their children during the day had to work in factories at night. My mother in law worked on nights at the Napiers factory in Acton, London, making engine parts for aero engines. Whilst doing this invaluable work they were always under the threat of being bombed out during Blitz raids. These super working class women were in my opinion the backbone of the War Effort, and when the war was over and when they were no longer required, all they got was a pat on the head before returning to being housewives again.
Everything they had achieved in helping with the War Effort- " Completely Forgotten ".

FOURO.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Fouro
My wife's pet HATE. Rugby League, cricket, soccer , Olympic athletes etc heroes.?. Today's youth don't know what it entails to become a Hero
Cheers Des

[Doc Vernon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwKLL0TklxU

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transport_Auxiliary

ATA Articles

Gallery | ATA Museum

[Captain Kong]

My mother was a Bus driver during the war,
One night in October 1941 , she and others were in the transport café having a break, and the air raid started, the rest of us kids were in the Air Raid Shelter, She heard the bombs whistling down, and dashed out into the street just as the bomb hit and she was blown across the road and hit the railing round Trinity Church, nearly went through like sliced bread, and then covered in rubble. Every one in the Café were Killed,
The shock waves of the bomb were like an earth quake, and knocked us out of our bunks in the shelter.
we looked for her next day, The emergency services were pulling out the bodies out of the rubble and out of the houses nearby, we looked at the bodies but mother wasn't there and we eventually found her in the rubble across the road. she was taken to hospital and survived.

And these nutters want us to live, work and be nice to germans and europeans.
Brian

[gray_marian]

#7, Thank you for your post Brian, you must be very proud of your mum and rightly so, just can't agree with the last sentence.

[John F Collier]

#6, Watching the youtube videos was emotive for me and brought back memories, such as standing with a label
tied to my coat and standing with my sisters among other children waiting to get on buses, we were taken to a
village in Derbyshire and I was sent to a farm. The farmer and his wife had no children and they made a fuss of
me, I can recall being put on a horse and led along the fields also sitting on a tractor and watching the harvest
with men shooting rabbits as they ran from the corn as it was being cut, I have nothing but very happy memories
of that short time. My sisters stayed in the village and because one was such a cow someone complained about her
and the authorities sent us home as a family, shortly afterwards our house was bombed, I was 5 years old and my
hearing was damaged and for the last 20 years I've been totally deaf with tinnitus so, for me a lasting reminder
of how war can affect lives at least I was able to lead a relatively normal life sadly many others didn't get that chance and there are many more far worse off than me. Cheers JC

[Captain Kong]

Sorry Marian,
still do not like them, they killed too many British civilians, seeing dead bodies of friends and neighbours in the street and the demolition of homes for what?? so they change tactics and have now taken over via Brussels.`
Can Never forget.
Cheers
Brian.