An Old WWII Soviet Tank Blocked My Drive.

We were coming home from Kings Lynn shopping center today and my drive was obstructed by a lorry and trailer carrying a huge old Soviet T-34 type tank. Like one of those used at the Battle of Kursk in 1943.

The Lorry had just pulled out of a driveway that runs along the railway line. It goes out into the fields by the River Nene. There is a yard there with several tanks. The work that occurs here involves renovating old pre-War vehicles. When finished they are taken away to various collectors here there and everywhere. Perhaps even drama studios. 

The lorry finally moved passed and I was able to go into my drive as my wife, Carole, quickly photographed the tank. It looked splendid and very retro. 

Winged Escort by Douglas Reeman (My Goodreads Review)

Winged Escort by Douglas Reeman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A BIG WOW! For this Douglas Reeman story. I always enjoy most of his War stories, but this one was exceptional. I think it is because I always feel compelled by aircraft carriers and have a particular interest in HMS Ark Royal and her Fairy Swordfish (Stringbags) during World War II. Therefore, I was seduced by the front cover. I know this is wrong but the story is even more exciting than the lavish and dramatic front cover.

In this tale, we go aboard an American made aircraft carrier, called HMS Growler, as she prepares for her mission to protect a convoy on route to Murmansk in the Soviet Union. We are introduced to various characters. The main man for the reader is twenty-six years old RNR pilot Tim Rowan.

HMS Growler uses the famed Fairy Swordfish and Seafires. Seafires are Fleet air arm marine version spitfires. The action throughout the story is splendid and very gripping indeed. There are submarine attacks, attacks in the Norwegian Fjords, head to head, cruiser and destroyer action. And this is just in the first half of the story on the Barent sea run. We then go to the Pacific where HMS Growler is with another battle group facing Japanese Kamikaze attacks.

If you love seafaring stories, this one is an absolute must. One of the most dynamic war stories I've ever read. Heroes, Villains, wet behind the ears boys coming of age and some not getting the chance. Plus a backdrop of winning the lady of his dreams. GREAT STUFF!

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Old War Planes in the Market Place - Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, England, UK.

There she stood. A World War One Bristol Scout. It was Sunday morning in the Market square at Wisbech. Everything was closed but there was a group of people making preparations for a daily county fair of some sort. 

As I looked around this old aeroplane, I realised how flimsy everything was. Imagine going up into the sky in such a contraption. Knowing that a few bullets could tear the machine apart and you, the pilot, would be plunging down to the ground in such a thing.  

I walked around the Bristol scout for a few moments and took a few photo shots on my mobile phone. The more I looked the more I shuddered at the thought for the men who flew such machines during the Great War. 

On the other side of the square, I was surprised to see a Spitfire World War II plane. Like those from the Battle of Britain. This looked a little more sturdy than the Bristol Scout of WWI. However, not much more robust. It still had a look of vulnerability if hit by a few well-placed bullets. And when one imagines a short burst of machine gun fire letting off several at a time, the mind begins to shake at the dreadful prospect of air to air combat.

I got back to emptying the town squares litter bins. And was rather glad of it. 

A British Actor's Narrow Escape During World War I - A Red Baron Story.

Actor Ronald Adam

A Little Known Event of a Person's Past Life.

Some people survive incredible encounters and stay modestly quiet about such things. I don’t mean that the event is kept secret, but sometimes old war veterans keep silent about moments of interest. If asked they may speak of such things. Yet if one does not know; interesting questions are not asked in the first place. The following person is a man I would love to have had a coffee or tea with. This is because he achieved many things. Yet one of his remarkable achievements was a fluke as opposed to design. The rest of his life seemed to be well planned and coordinated. He seemed to be good at controlling events. I wonder if the fluke event was dismissed by actor Ronald Adam or kept in an alcove of his memory. Perhaps it played a minor part in shaping his life.

During the late 1920s and through the 1930s Ronald George Hinings Adams was making a name for himself in the world of theatre. He managed several theatres and began to act in many of the stage productions. After the First World War, he trained as an accountant but found the lure of the stage far more compelling. His organisational skills in the theatre industry must have been considerable because he was employed by numerous playhouses at the same time. Like many people in the industry of acting and production, he changed his name. He chose to be called Ronald Adam. He dropped his two middle names and the S on the end of Adams.

In 1938 he made his screen debut. The acting and production of plays and film entertainment was the passion of life for Ronald Adam. He seems to have been a very enthusiastic man who devoted himself to his profession. A way of life he also enjoyed. When the Second World War began he was back in uniform. He had done so in the First Great War. He had been a pilot in Sopwith Camels during this time. Therefore he was back in the Air force. He was the Flight Controller at Hornchurch Airfield in Essex during the Battle of Britain.

My Grandparents’ house was the last house before one entered the old airfield of Hornchurch. It closed in about 1964. During the Battle of Britain, it was a hive of activity as the squadron scrambled for the conflict of 1940.

After the Second World War ended, Ronald Adam resumed his career in the world of entertainment. He would be in numerous plays and a multitude of films and TV productions. He had diverse skills in this industry. Most of his acting in movies was supporting minor parts and I assume he was more into production and direction. Yet his portfolio of movies and TV acting is extraordinary alongside the 'behind scene' things that are integral for a good television or movie production.

I remember seeing him in various screen adaptations. In a movie titled Zeppelin, Ronald Adam played the Prime Minister. It starred Michael York, Elke Sommer, Anton Diffring and Andrew Keir. This movie was made in 1971. I have often seen this war film and I’m sure it may have had some special significance to Ronald Adam.

Actor Ronald Adam as Air ViceMarshal LeighMallory on the left with Kenneth More as Douglas Bader in the Middle.

Hidden Past of WWI.

I’m now going to take the reader on a time trip back to Ronald Adam’s younger life during the First World War and some similar things to what the actor may have had much knowledge on from the movie of Zeppelin. In one episode of the story, our German Zeppelin crew are attacked by home defence biplane fighters. It is a very dramatic moment for the crew who need to gain height to escape the attack of the British Royal Flying Corps’ planes. In real life, Ronald Adams was trained in the RFC home defence group. He actually attacked Zeppelin raiders that came over during the night. I wonder if the story brought back memories of these fearsome times. Much of what was reconstructed in the movie had been witnessed by Ronald Adam for real.

Ronald Adam passed away in 1979. He had lived a long and disguised life. In his obituary, there was another surprise in store for many who would read the article in the papers. It certainly surprised me. Not only did Ronald Adam live a colourful life of theatre and movie production for many decades, he also had another remarkable tale to tell from his younger days of World War One.

Sopwith Camel - the plane Ronald Adam Flew in During WWI

A Number On An Iconic Celebrity's List.

In 1918, he was transferred from the Home Defence. The interception of Zeppelins was to be replaced. Now he would fight over the battlefields of France and Belgium against the German fighter squadrons. The Navel section of the Airforce and the Royal Flying Corps were amalgamated to form the Royal Air Force.

The RAF was born on April 1^st, 1918. Young Ronald Adam had been one of the new RAF pilots for seven days. He got into a dogfight over the northern part of France. During this encounter, his Sopwith Camel was hit and he was badly wounded. He managed to control and crash land the burning plane behind enemy lines. He was severely injured and pulled out of the wrecked craft by German military personnel.

As the young Ronald Adam was coming around during the evening, in a field hospital, he was visited by a young German aide-de-camp. The visiting officer's presence was for the German pilot credited with shooting Ronald down. The pilot could not be there in person but had politely sent the aide on his behalf. This was to offer respectable condolences for being shot down and congratulations for surviving the crash. The German pilot’s name was Manfred von Richthofen – the infamous Red Baron. In actual fact, another pilot also claimed to have shot Ronald Adam down but Richthofen was credited with the kill. Ronald Adam was the ace's 78^th kill.

Ronald Adam had been shot down by the famous Red Baron of Germany and had lived to tell the remarkable tale. Perhaps he did not feel very special at the time. He saw out the last few months of the War in captivity and was realised in December 1918. The Red Barron would die two weeks after shooting Ronald down on 21^st April 1918. He would crash land his plane like Ronald Adam. However, Manfred von Richthofen would die seconds later from his wound to become iconic as a famous fighting ace.

The modest Ronald Adam would go on to become a celebrity of the stage and cinema. Hardly anyone would know of his exploits during both world wars until after his death at the age of 82. He seemed to have been a modest man in some ways, but also a man who liked the limelight of stage and cinema.

Ronald Adam Talks about his Days as The Flight Controller During WWII Battle of Britain.

In this radio narrative, Ronald Adam speaks of his days during the Battle of Britain. I wonder if he spoke of his experience with the Red Barron on occasion. Perhaps he did among selected friends. I wonder what went through his mind when he received the news from the German messenger. Did he know he was shot down by the Red Baron's distinct looking red aircraft? Or did he find out in the hospital?

The opening credits for Ronald Adam in his first movie as Major Gregoff in The Drum (1938)

© 2017 colin powell

Grandfather on Mother's Side of Family.

This is a photograph of my Grandfather on my Mother's side. He died in December 1960 and I was born in February 1961. Therefore, I never knew him.

However, my Nan, Mother, Aunts and Uncles all spoke fondly of him.

His name was Freddie Hayward and he worked on the docks in East London. Both my Grandfathers worked on the docks as did many who lived in London's East End.

He was only in his mid to late fifties when he died from lung cancer. This is the only photo I have of him, so I thought it would be a good idea to blog the picture and say a few things about Freddie Hayward, my Grandfather. Once on the web, his photo will always be about and not lost.

He was working the docks all during the blitz of WWII and must have seen a great many things. I also heard a story of him rescuing many horses from a fire when he was young. I think he got some sort of civil award for doing this and he received it from a member of the Royal Family. This is what I once heard. I imagine it took place in the early 1920s.