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Either of your suggested venues would make a good day of it Jeremy, Graham has given us the heads up on the Morgan event at Castle Combe so we can have a think about where to go and maybe casting the net wider re participants as you suggested earlier.

Regards

What's with the chocks behind the wheels? Dodgy handbrake or is it out of respect for your father's Spitfire flying heritage ?

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Extract from Gdansk 318 Squadron logs

F/Lt Preihs describes how he obtained two 'hacks' for the unit:-
It was after the ceasefire and we were stationed at Risano. Our OC, S/Ldr Berezecki asked me to fly him to Bologna for a briefing at the HQ. We took our unit’s Fairchild (light plane). After landing I taxied to the nearby hangar where the staff car was waiting for Wolodia (Berezecki). The was supposed to be a short one and I decide to stay by the plane, look over the refueling and read a book. Soon two American GI came with in a browser and filled up the Fairchild’s tank. They were very friendly. It looked like except us, the airfield absolutely deserted. Two Americans approached me and asked whether I have a spare bottle of Whisky with me. Surprised I posed a stupid question: What do you need it for? I learned that they were left there alone to refuel aircraft if in need. Day the before, some unit brought two German planes and left in another hangar. Nobody have any orders as what to do with them, my two newly acquainted friends wanted to swap these planes for whisky. They led to the place where to my surprise, I saw a Messerschnidt 109 standing in a corner, and quickly acclaim that. –Yes sir! That’s what it is! Two GIs approved of mine enthusiasm. I approach it for a closer look and again I was surprised, for the fighter looked like spanking new. Even the paint looked fresh. The other plane was a rather worn-off Bucker-Youngman light plane…
… I decided to make a deal with Americans and went to see Wolodia. The moment the briefing was over, I took him aside and outlined my plans. After some persuasive talk he agreed to help me out. Once that was decided he acted quickly. We went to a radio room and Wolodia called Risano and talked to F/Lt Gadomski who was in charge. He asked him to find a volunteer for flying a Messerschmidt from Bologna to out unit. Right after this, he went somewhere and quite remarkably, produced a two bottles of Bourbon…
…Before long I flew back to Risano, and during the flight we discussed details of this unusual transaction. From a small group of pilots available, P/O Stramik was the one to ferry in our trophy…
…At Bologna we didn’t waste any time. We paid off the Americans and with their help, started to roll the planes out. Stramik was full of doubts whether he would be able to take off in the Messerschmidt, but they soon vanished as we found a flight manual in its cockpit. It was in German and it took us some time before we figured out whats and wheres…
…The day was ending and we had get going. We refueled out three planes and were ready to fly: Stramik in the Messerschmidt, me in the Bucker and Wolodia in our Fairchild. To our joy, the Messer’s engine started immediately, and with clouds of dark smoke bellowing from its exhaust stacks. We were full of praise for Stramik to see him speeding down the runway and taking off with ease. He immediately started to climb trailing impressive amount of smoke. According to Wolodia, the reason for this smoke was 100-octane fuel we used, instead German synthetic one. We sincerely hoped that Stramik would make it to Risano.
My Bucker behaved normally and in the flight Wolodia kept close to me. As we approached Risano, I noticed a great deal of commotion on a main runway. There was quite a crowd down there, together with our Messerschmidt, ambulances, fire truck and other vehicles. We had to land on a grass strip, and soon joined the crowd. The first we met was F/Lt Gadomski. He described to us Stramik’s landing and absolute astonishments of the airfield’s crew. Luckily for him, AA defenses were already withdrawn. Even before Stramik ended his taxiing, our Wing’s staff car cut him off and whole bunch officers jumped out. To their farther surprise, the emerging pilot appeared to be a young Polish officer. After a short moment of consternation, they consulted the King’s Regulations, and having not to found appropriate one to the situation, they congratulated Stramik his flight. (WR. free translation)

Father in the repainted "hack" Me 109 Bf






Fathers is 3rd in LHD side LW-B.

These boys (19yoa) had fun in amongst the serious bits.

I was curious about Risano so I checked it out in Google maps. The runway still exists.

Risano (Udine)

Check this out in street view http://goo.gl/maps/iEkw7

Campoformido is not far away

Campoformido (Udine)

Interesting maps - it appears that Squadron 250 based at Risano is now an Aeromodelling club unless I lost something in translation. That tower looks fairly complete maybe it has become a museum.

318 Squadron was based at Treviso in early May,
1945May-August 1945: Tissano
August 1945-January 1946: Lavariano
January-March 1946: Tissano
March-August 1946: Treviso
August 1946: Coltishall and he was demobbed from here and gained his Instructors rating and became CFI at three Flying Groups Little Snoring, Seething and Felthorpe obviously different flying days during the week.
He taught Barry Tempest as in Head of General Aviation - Operations at Civil Aviation Aurthority - SRG, and the late Jimmy Hoseason of Marine holiday fame - both of whom were real gentlemen.

It seems that during the last period of service 250 Squadron and 318 Squadron shared the airfield. The current 250 Squadron is indeed a model aero club.

Risano, Tissano and Lavariano are all within a triangle and probably were the towns in which the squadrons were based. The airfield itself was, at the end of the war two strips, Risano and Lavariana, that were joined in a V by the Germans. I can't see any trace of the second strip now, it probably ran parallel to the A23. Apparently this has led to the combined airfield being called both Risano and Lavariana at the same time.

The model club uses the western part of the strip and the eastern part is used as a drag racing strip. A manufacturer of ultralight aircraft was based there but has now moved. I can't quite work out if it is still in use as a private airfield.

I must say I find this historical research quite interesting.

Agreed - and the comparison of "then and now" photos and maps is always interesting. Thanks all for sharing the history and the updates.

Regards,

John

Nelida, Sorry for the delay re: extension tubes. I'll post a photo soon. My car is 89 so it will be different to yours . I have been pondering a third brake light attached to my roll bar so haven't been up to date with TM.

I don't see the appreciation of Malvern's finest as being incompatible with hen husbandry. The thing I most regret about living in a suburban house with a small garden is not having enough room to keep poultry. I used to raise Buff Orpingtons - a beautiful traditional heavy bird. Not very prolific layers, but they are excellent mothers and are broody twice a year. There are few finer things than a freshly laid free range egg from your own chickens.

This is the Forum at it's best.

Thanks for the research Peter it is a bit addictive at times as well as enjoyable.
The Control Tower as viewed on Google Earth looks very complete and possibly still in Service or at least preserved as a Museum, I feel that your suggestion that it is still in use could well be right as the runway appears to be in good condition also.

The research I have been doing recently into my wifes Family tree revealed that her great Grandfather was a Journeyman Shoemaker living in East Street Newton Abbot which is about 20mls from our home here in Devon. This information gleaned from the Birth Certificate Registering his Son in 1866, his wife had no writing skills and is entered as "the mark" of Sarah Ridgway this would have been the norm for the day for the average citizen.
The strange thing about this discovery is that during all our years of working overseas and UK she never seemed to have a sense of belonging until we moved to South Hams. Here she threw herself into organisations that she feels deeply about with total selflesness and it would seem that she has come back home now.
I'm just happy she "belongs", my Fathers ancestry is half Polish and 1/4 Russia, 1/4 French (my English Mother chose to run away when I was 18mths old and I'm quite happy to never sight her again) so I'm Happy wherever she is as I have no yearnings to live in either of the other options and feel comfortable wherever I am simple soul that I am.

This was the highlight of the weekend at No1 Daughters in Gt Cambourne with Grandaughters first trip in the Morgan - and she loved it laughing all the way and wiggling her feet in and out of the glovebox on the way to lunch in St Neots.