NASAM Update as of the 27th Jul 2022

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From the Chairman

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Family Fun Day Update

The museum was crowded on Sunday 24th July for our annual family fun day (see Family Fun Day 2022 01 thru 12).

Visitors had the chance to try several activities from the traditional bowling for a pig (possibly a smaller, less noisy prize), making a stomp rocket and sitting in various cockpits to helping to rig and de-rig a microlight aircraft (a museum exhibit, not one still in use).

One visitor who was offered the chance to help replied that he had rigged and de-rigged it several times when he owned it in the 1980s. Bob Adams was delighted that his old aircraft was still in use and giving people pleasure, albeit whilst remaining firmly on the ground (see Family Fun Day 2022 04).

Meanwhile, it was noted that not all of the children making stomp rockets were as young as the average…. (see Family Fun Day 2022 13).

One slightly late visitor was nonetheless very welcome. High winds earlier in the day at Coningsby meant that the scheduled time had to slip from 13:45 to 15:45, and rather than a Spitfire, it was a Hurricane from the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight that came along (see Hurricane Flypast 01 thru 08).

Our friends, the 1940s dancers and DJ were also there providing entertainment for the visitors.

A very hot day, but we hope that all the families who came along did indeed have fun.

Steve

(Photos) Family Fun Day 2022

(Video) Stomp Rockets Lift Off.

General Updates

A mixed bag of updates again in this edition.

Steve gave us an update on the Family Fun Day at the Museum, along with a number of photos of the event and of the RAF BBMF Flypast. I’m sorry, but I did not get sent her name, but our thanks go to the lady who ran the Stomp Rockets Stall for providing the short video clip of two delighted rocket enthusiasts (above).

The “Rogues Gallery” photo, originally posted by the Archives, continues to attract comments and the updating of names. Ian H had a word with Huby, who supplied a set of names for the photo. I’m sure most museum members will remember Huby, as he was employed as the Museum Keeper from 1999 to 2020 and acted as Volunteer Curator for much of that time. Huby does not have a computer, so Ian H keeps him up-to-date by sending him copies of the updates. Ian and Huby’s update is below “The Rogues gallery Photo Continued”.

Speaking of Archives, we have another publication dusted off by Graham and published below. This time it is “Customs of the Service” and touches on the demon drink !!

John S in the Engineering Workshops Update penned a piece about the workshops themselves instead of being about repairs to various aircraft or new projects. This is about the perennial problem of dampness affecting the workshops and main hangar and how a local Saxmundham-based company has donated product and time to helping the Museum.

John also put me in touch with HMP Wayland, who had some pictures of the unveiling of a memorial on the site of the old RAF Watton in Norfolk. The memorial was constructed with the help of the Flixton Museum as we donated a propellor blade which forms part of the memorial today. The pictures will be in the next edition of the Online Flier. The donation of the prop can be found @ Prison Prop

The Model Maintenance Unit continues to repair and build models for the Museum. Malcolm G’s update touches on models of a Halifax B.III and a B-29 both being brought back to life. Also, further updates on the Stuka mentioned in the last Online Flier update.

We also had an email from Michael F, who spotted an interesting article in the Guardian Online newspaper in which one of their reporters, Sarah Perry, penned an article about the Buck Inn and the Museum on a visit with her father. The article can be found @ Guardian Article

Coming Soon

The next Special Event day will be on Sunday the 7th of Aug 2022, when we will be open from 1000 until 1600 as normal. This will be a chance to meet members of the Royal Air Forces Association and other military Veterans. More detail coming up shortly in a blog later this week.

Pete S

The Rogues Gallery Photo Continued

From the Archives

Huby has completed the names in the “Me109” photo, and fleshed out the full story:

LtoR: David Blythe, Peter Frost, Roger Bullen (then Secretary), Ivan Last, Jonathan Reeve, John Constable Reeve, Arthur Lain – pilot Barry Lain. Children LtoR: Barry’s son Jason and daughter, and Fred (“Darkie”) White’s son. No names for these. (Huby says that Jason now lives next to the museum in the cottage – wonder if he has memories?)

Huby and his daughter Beverley were standing next to the photographer from the Beccles & Bungay Journal when the “Me109” photo was taken in July 1979.

Huby confirms that the “a/c” was a modified 3-wheeler bubble car, with a rope attached for pulling it along. It appeared in the Bungay Carnival and the Hog Fayre on the Maltings Meadow, Ditchingham.

The “a/c” was then repainted as a crop-sprayer (registration G-LAIN) and became the centre of a combined emergency services exercise. Purporting to have crash-landed on a camp site with the pilot trapped in the cockpit, the area was “foamed” in order for the pilot to be cut-free, and when this was achieved it was set alight, aided by some containers of petrol/oil. Whilst “injured” campers were attended to by St John Ambulance members and Cadets, a tank of chemicals and aircraft fuel had to be dealt with by the swift arrival of the Bungay Fire Service. Police were in attendance as well.

Sounds like a major undertaking by the museum, with considerable participation by the various local Services, museum members and the general public. No doubt a huge amount of publicity was gained. I have a feeling that it will not likely be repeated in the near future, although the Pucara has developed some problems of late!

Ian H

Engineering Update

We’ve had local company Grafotherm giving the workshop extension their anti-condensation treatment – all for free. They have previously carried out the treatment in the main hangar, again free. Manager Glen says he just wants to support the museum.

As a result, we have agreed to them putting a small advert on the workshop window, and a larger one in the main hangar. Their silicon carbonate-based product can absorb and prevent from dripping up to a litre of water per square meter, releasing it when the temperature/humidity allows. This is especially effective in our single-skin buildings.

John S

(Photos) Engineering Update

(Ed – I am reliably informed by Ian H that the company first started treating the buildings, free of charge, back in 2003. They have treated the main hangar, Boulton & Paul hangar, Link Room, Workshop, Ken Wallis Hall, 446, Bomber Command and the toilet block.)

Model Maintenance Unit

Tuesday 19th of July 2022 – Being too hot to do any responsible jobs at home, MMU work seems the only sensible thing to do.

Following on from my research on 192 Sqn, work is progressing on a Halifax B.III and B-29 (see Model Halifax B.III and B-29). I found a photo of Halifax DT-A, which flew with the unit from Foulsham; unfortunately, no aircraft serial number was given. Further research found details of similar aircraft LV955 DT-G which was lost on a sortie in the latter period of the war. Using the photo of DT-A, I have managed to find red letters and numbers to recreate DT-G. As can be seen, it is minus a fin at the moment, the model had obviously been repaired in the past with the fin placed lopsided, so I managed to remove it to be attached ASAP. One of the engines was also missing the props; however, my large stock of spare propellers produced a reasonably good replacement. It is interesting that the squadron codes DT were originally used by the Hurricanes of 257 Sqn during the Battle of Britain.

The B-29 is having major surgery, the turrets have been removed, and a lot of filler is being used to repair it. Having major problems with the nose wheel. This was broken off in the past, and even with superglue is refusing to stay in place. Needs some thinking over.

Finally, update on Stuka, wings now in place, needed a bit of filler underneath where the bottom of the wings form the lower fuselage but apart from that, it is progressing steadily (see Model Ju-87B-2 03 and 04).

Malcolm G

(Photos) MMU

From the Archives

Customs of the Services

So far, the rummage through the Magazine Archives has identified over 500 previously unrecorded items out of nearly 1000 magazines, books, booklets, pamphlets and leaflets that have been reviewed. It would be an optimistic estimate to put progress so far at 20% of everything that exists in the building and, on that basis, the Archives Team will still be chewing through the shelves into the early part of 2023. Woohoo!!

The gems do keep coming though, this week’s selection is a small book that came to us in 2009, but that was written, as a second edition, back in 1962. Its author, Gp Capt A H Stradling OBE, fought in the First World War as a private soldier and, later, as a Regular Officer in the 51^st (Highland) Division in France and Belgium. He ended his career in the RAF as Commandant and Chief Instructor at the School of Administration.

His subject for the book was ‘the guidance to young officers in leadership, service customs and the relationship between the Services’, although this particular copy was the property of Air Cdre J Goodman RAF, who parted with 10/6 for the privilege of owning it. It was simply called ‘Customs of the Services’.

Gp Capt Stradling notes that ‘Every officer is expected to obey certain unwritten laws, but there are no regulations or written instructions to assist the newly commissioned officer in most of these matters. If he seeks guidance from those in authority over him, he usually receives the unsatisfactory reply that this is “done” or “not done” because it is the “Custom of the Service.”

This small book is intended to assist officers who have had little experience of, or opportunity of studying, “Customs of the Service.”

While covering most of the more esoteric aspects of living with and in the Services, we will concentrate on a subject that is dear to all of us – the usage and abusage of alcohol…

Alcoholic Drinks.

Be wise in your selection and moderate in your consumption. There is nothing which benefits a man more, or is more enjoyable, than the right kind of drink in the right place at the right time.
Choose your drink with at least the same care that you would your food. Do not, unless you wish to appear uneducated in these matters, spoil your palate by consuming too many short drinks before dinner.
There is no traditional custom that an officer must be a heavy drinker, and there never has been, Excessive consumption of alcohol, mainly brought about by the pernicious habit of ” treating” or ” standing drinks,” has been the millstone round the neck of many promising officers, and their careers abruptly ended for no other reason.
There is NO Service custom which calls upon officers to offer brother officers a drink every time they enter the Mess; not only is there no such custom, but you are deliberately breaking a Queen Regulation by so doing.
” Standing drinks” to fellow-members of the Mess at any time is forbidden. This does not prevent your offering a drink to a Mess guest, but to overdo hospitality by pressing additional drinks upon him, which he in nine cases out of ten does not want, is the worst form of ” boorishness” and lacking in good manners.
To summarize this advice, enjoy your drink by selecting each one with care, and be moderate.
The majority of officers who take a keen interest in their profession do not take any alcoholic drink until their day’s duty has ended, Young officers would do well to form this habit at the commencement of their career; those who do are likely to go farther than the remainder.

Public Bars.

For much the same reasons as those given above, officers are forbidden to drink with their non-commissioned officers and men. The spirit of the order is clear, and is so important to the maintenance of good order and discipline, that it should be upheld both on and off Service stations.
Never remain in a public bar if other ranks are present or enter.
Preferably take your drinks in the lounge of a reputable hotel. You may achieve cheap popularity by drinking in a pub with your men, but you will lose respect, if nothing more regrettable happens, when drink loosens tongues.
During the last war inexperienced officers drank in public bars with the rank and file ; this was an undesirable practice and had many unfortunate results. Let the men enjoy their liquor in their own company; don’t gate crash,” it cramps their style, and it is unsuitable for you to do so. It is one of the things that are ‘not done’.

It is intriguing to think that it had become necessary to write down the unwritten rules of the Services – how much better to let young officers find out for themselves what was ‘done’ and what was ‘not done’ as they always had – the hard way…

Graham

The Repeat Info

The repeat information is still here I’m afraid, and I make no apologies for keeping his section in our blog. We are a charitable organisation relying on monies from the public to keep us going. Any help we receive is gratefully accepted and enables the museum to continue in our mission “To conserve, preserve and promote the history of aviation in East Anglia, whilst providing a fun, family-friendly and interactive museum, promoting education and remembrance of the events of the past“.

Are you thinking of helping ??

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