Good Day Lads,

Thanks for posting those pix JRT, for the record the smile is still on my face. Besides acknowledging Mrs. C51 for organizing the excursion, I thought I should credit the establishments who were responsible in case anyone was interested. The Stearman flight took place at Vintage Wings of Canada in Gatineau Quebec. This organization is devoted to maintaining and flying vintage aircraft, their story is worth a look at their website: http://www.vintagewings.ca/
The snapshot with the BF109 was taken at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum a short drive across the river in Ottawa, Ontario:
http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/
The Toronto Lanc project itself is just on hold for the moment while a new location is found, it was actually the museum that housed this project that has been terminated to make way for a hockey arena. The collection has been dispersed to unknown locations. Sadly, the building itself was the old DeHavilland Canada Hangar #1 which had seen the construction of many Tiger Moths and Mosquitoes, the development and testing of the Chipmunk and the Beaver, and the beginnings of the Canadian Space Program etc. http://www.heritagetoronto.org/news/story/2011/11/10/story-plant-1-downsview
For this reason the building had been designated a heritage building, which ironically prevented us from performing upgrades on the structure while we were housed there. Mysteriously however, the documentation for this designation managed to disappear from the City of Toronto files during the museum’s fight for survival, paving the way for its demise. It has been a difficult time for the hundreds of volunteers, and a slap in the face in particular for the host of iconic aviation veterans who worked very hard trying to keep it going. This the site for the former Downsview Lanc:
http://avrolancasterfm104.com/
Dux, did I hear you say that JRT was picking up the tab this time? That in itself is well worth celebrating, make mine a double.

C51,

Great to have you drop in!

The position re the Lancaster is clarified. The documentation has disappeared, you say? When it comes to large scale property developments (I prefer to use the word encroachments) you will get telephone meetings before official meetings which decide the agenda and the result. This is the way the politician works when it comes to protecting vested interests and their lucrative backhanders from big business. To prove the extent of their self- interest and chicanery is usually impossible - and the greater the truth the greater the libel.

I have no time for the b******s and don't vote any more. 'If you don't vote you can't complain', they say. Well, the reason I don't vote is because I am complaining.

Folks,

Welcome back C51. Everyone should rush right out and buy a lottery ticket. This kind of good luck won't last long. You've clarified the story of the Lanc.

Dux:

In spite of the lives lost on so many battlefields to preserve the right to do so; no doubt there are many reasons why so many of us fail to cast our ballot. It seems that no matter who is elected, no matter what they promise, the people still get more deeply screwed with each new election, there are more and more scandals and all the news we see on TV or the newspapers is filled with dread, pain and suffering and an apparent lack of effectiveness by our deadlocked governments to do anything substantial about it. .

In truth it may be that governments can do only so much good and a very great deal of bad. Good is not always what we want either and there are times when we should take our foul tasting medicine. Trouble is we no longer trust the doctor to have our best interest in mind. When a politician offers us something disagreeable that he or she is somehow exempt from we have reason to doubt. Over here Congress is exempt from many statutes, prohibitions and laws. Yes there is a reason for that but it can be abused. As an example, up until recently our lawmakers could legally take advantage of "inside" information and play the stock market for great profit. Politicians preach economy when jobs are scarce and costs are high. They then turn around and vote a pay rise for themselves. We have reason to be tired of double standards.

There has been government scandal after scandal here and abroad. Why not? The government is made up from people and people are corruptible. One could ask what then do we, should wee expect? These elected people are human just like us and humans are very good at just looking after themselves. That parsimonious thought aside, shouldn't our elected officials, from the top down, be held to a different standard we might also ask? I thought they were you say. Well, how is this possible when they have such power and they are in charge of overseeing themselves? Governments would crash and change if the people ever really got onto the racket. Sacrifice is harder to take when you don't trust the fellow offering us the heaping spoonful of cure.

To begin with our choices in any election are limited. Take away the party and campaign rhetoric. Remove the worthless promises and the choices are all very similar. The best candidates sincerely want to make a difference and do great good for their constituents. These are statesmen. and the worst just want the same but only for themselves and their pals. These are just politicians doing what they are told. Power corrupts. Those well meaning folk who are swept into office on a ground swell of hope often seem to change soon or over time. Perhaps reality is too much for their previous zeal? They probably had to secretly be in someone's pocket just to get elected in the first place. Even running for the post of dog catcher is now an expensive proposition. The most well meaning Pollyanna soon finds that the powers within the government force them to fall into lock step or else doom them to insignificance.

Have you ever watched the old Brit program "Yes Minister"? I do not claim to be an expert on anything and certainly not the inner mechanizations of the British Parliament. Therefore no one should pay any attention to me period. Having cleared that up I'd bet there is a good bit of truth hidden in all that 'Right Honorable' foolishness.

In the final analysis we have too many politicians and not enough statesmen. It takes a politician to get elected and a statesman to do the job right. I'd be better satisfied with just a good blend of both in each one.

Ok, I heard that uncharitable comment C51. Yes, even without a hurricane brewing off the Carolina coast there is definitely a lot of hot air down here in the South.

Chaps,

While Jimmy's generous applause continues, here is a sight guaranteed to drive even the most ardent RoF Camelite back to SoW.

Colour stock was usually unavailable in the earlier austerity years of WWII and it is therefore surprising that a Spitfire pilot would have a personal or official camera containing such film. This very unusual colour photograph purports to show 19 Squadron Spitfires on Channel patrol in April 1940 - weeks before the German drive on May 10th. The fuselage roundel is the pre-war type and the fin flash has not yet been applied.

Folks,

Dux:

I'll have to take your word for it mate. All I see is a box. I have it! That photo must have been taken on Boxing Day.

Lads,

thanks for the welcome, it is good to be back.

I'm with you Dux, quite often there simply are no good alternatives for whom to vote. A disinterested electorate should be a strong message that things need to change.
I hope you can get that picture to work, I'm interested in seeing it.

Very funny JRT, does boxing day happen in April in NC?

JRT, C51,

Shouldn't be a problem. I've got it on screen right now

I'll do some tinkering though and see what happens....

5 minutes later...That should be OK now. My fault. I had doubled up in the PB album , omitted the first image but didn't change the address for the replacement.

Interesting to see if we could dig out some more 1940 France/Battle of Britain RAF fighter colour pics worthy of comment? The grainy texture of the above doesn't make it possible to identify the aircraft by serial number although the code would probably fix it due to low Spit wastage for that period. Throughout the Battle of Britain, several aircraft of 19 Squadron could have been allotted the individual letter due to losses and replacement as was common with all squadrons.

Chaps,

Dug out more info on above pic.

Stevenson was in K, Watson - O and F/O M D Lynn with camera. One source states Watson was killed over Dunkirk on 26th June but no record of that.

Chaps,

More rummaging...

Unless there were two Watsons with 19 Sqdn around this time, it looks like a date error. Should be May 26 - DOW two days later. Watson not necessarily shot down in the Spit above but quite likely.