....history over time can stitch itself together in most unexpected ways?

I a have feel-good piece of synchronicity to share with you good people.

Whilst cleaning up some colour slides for the new 56th FG Museum, I was approached by a completely separate individual asking about a small cleaning job. Whilst emailing and working at the same time, this person went on to say that he had some B&W images he would like cleaned, taken by his Uncle.....who was with the 56thFG. Now I thought that was odd itself (considering what I was working on), but thought nothing more if it than that. Then he went on to explain that his Uncle's collection did not include any picture of him in uniform taken anywhere during the war....and this was topic of disappointment to his family. I explained that it was normal that photographers rarely get their picture taken, because they are the ones normally behind the camera.

....Then I got halted in my tracks! When (in offering to some of the images through for my consideration) he pointed out that one the images he was looking at his end, was of a 56th 'Jug' called 'Belle of Belmount'. This kinda freaked me out! I was actually working on and cleaning an image of that exact plane whilst this email conversation was taking place. It was quite odd. I told him of the coincidence, and asked that he send his Uncles image of the plane through. When it arrived I took a sharp intake of breathe! I couldn't believe my eyes!

Not only were both these images taken on the same day, but in the same sequence, in the same place, at the very same moment! See here :



If you look at the ground, you will see a piece of ammo' box ply laying by the edge of the runway, and a large stone just in front of the shadow of the port wing.

But look at the guy crouched down with the camera!

So, in the weirdest of circumstances, this person 'just happened' to choose to contact me, on the same day of my working on an image, that seems to be the only view and image of his dead Uncle in uniform, shot on the same day, at the same time, in the same moment, for us to bump into each online (decades later) at the precise point for me to allow him to see his Uncle!

Just thought I had to share this gem with you all!

Col.

Outstanding M8!!


You should by a lotto ticket ... because the odds of that ever happening would be close to the same!

Cheers

Great Pics Col.

I guess the plane is not moving, because the clouds are slightly different between the two pictures. Iooks like they set up the shot and took several.

The clouds ARE the same, Col. Look at the two over the pitot tube. The difference is the angle of attack...

Thanks for sharing this great story!

CJ

You're welcome CJ...as you can imagine, the hair on the back of the neck went up big time!

Now that's just amazing. I know that this story will be included with the photos in the 56th's history (Littlefriends.com?).

And, look at how red the cowl is. I used the 56th Fighter Groups pages at Littlefriends for my rendition of the 61st F.S. So, we actually have Col Landers to thank for his contribution to that site and the painting of the P-47's of the 61st. Please keep up the great work Col. Thank you!

As CJ pointed out, these were 'in motion' pictures.

Here's another from the sequence as the plane passed by.





Thanks for the kind words Mike. I know Peter Randall of 'LittleFriends' very well, and he is the very best in people. His resource and website is one of the foundations of every 8th AAF historian's and enthusiast's work, and the man deserves a medal for keeping those valuable pages going for everyone! The work that I'm doing is for the new 56thFG museum that is being opened at Boxted in the Spring of this year. It was an honour to be asked.

Yup! Time of day, angle of photos, images in both the foreground and background.
That's an amazing coincidence Nate.

Also the directors of this 56th.FG. Boxted Museum choose the best guy for this work to be done.
Congrats on your new assignment mate

Cheers mate
David

Thanks for share it!

These are the stories I love this community for. Thanks for sharing!