Annual Luncheon At Leonda

Today’s luncheon at Leonda was enjoyed by a range of Odd Bods, Affiliates and their family members. It was the first luncheon under the guidance of the Friends of the Odd Bods Association and President Bruce Waxman recognised the significance of the event in his welcome.

We were treated to excellent food, great company, and the usual surprise or two with some wonderful jokes from Walter Eacott, a song from Terry Maher, a poem from Weston Bate and a surprise presentation of a Life Membership to Odd Bods Treasurer Doug Parry. Walter Eacott and George Smith emphasised that Doug’s award was overdue after 15 wonderful years of service.

A feature of this year’s luncheon was a series of portraits taken for the Reflections Project by AIPP photographer Robert Anderson. Images taken under the project will be archived with the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Here are some of our own photographs from the luncheon. Simply click on a photo for a larger version.

If you have some of your own photos from the event please email them to us for inclusion on the website. Email to gregandsuesmith@iinet.net.au

Great Escape Tunnel Unearthed

On 11th September we published an article about Australian airman, Paul Royle, who was involved in the "Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III in 1944. Untouched for almost seven decades, the tunnel used in the Great Escape has finally been unearthed.
The  111-yard passage nicknamed 'Harry' by Allied prisoners was sealed by  the Germans after the audacious break-out from the POW camp Stalag Luft III in western Poland .
Despite huge interest in the subject, encouraged by the film starring Steve McQueen, the tunnel remained  undisturbed over the decades because it was behind the Iron Curtain  and the Soviet authorities had no interest in its  significance.

But at last British  archaeologists have excavated it, and discovered its remarkable  secrets.

Many of the bed boards which had been joined together  to stop it collapsing were still in

position. And the ventilation  shaft, ingeniously crafted from used powdered milk containers known as  Klim Tins, remained in working order. Scattered throughout the  tunnel, which is 30ft below ground, were bits of old metal buckets,  hammers and crowbars which were used to hollow out the route.

A  total of 600 prisoners worked on three tunnels at the same time. They  were nicknamed Tom, Dick and Harry and were just 2 ft square for most  of their length. It was on the night of March 24 and 25,  1944, that 76 Allied airmen escaped through Harry. Barely a third  of the 200 prisoners - many in fake German uniforms and civilian outfits and carrying false identity papers - who were meant to slip  away managed to leave before the alarm was raised when escapee number  77 was spotted.

Only  three made it back to Britain . Another 50 were executed by firing  squad on the orders of Adolf Hitler, who was furious after learning of  the breach of security. In all, 90 boards from bunk beds, 62  tables, 34 chairs and 76 benches, as well as thousands of items  including knives, spoons, forks, towels and blankets, were squirrelled  away by the Allied prisoners to aid the escape plan under the noses of  their captors.

Although the Hollywood movie suggested otherwise, reports suggest that NO Americans were involved in the actual escape. Most were British, and  the others were from Canada , (all  the tunnellers were Canadian  personnel with backgrounds in mining) Poland , New Zealand , Australia , and South Africa.

Thank you to Terry Maher for this story.

Congratulations To Gerald McPherson

We reported back in September that Gerald McPherson was the latest Odd Bods recipient of The Legion of Honour, or in full, the National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur).

Our photo shows Gerald proudly wearing the medal following a recent presentation ceremony.

Remembrance Day At Repat Heidelberg

The original Odd Bods banner was designed and made in the laundry of the Repatriation Hospital in Heidelberg Victoria back in the 1950's. It now proudly hangs at the hospital suitably protected in a large frame and features, along with an Odd Bods plaque in the hospital's annual Remembrance Day service. This year the service included the dedication of a 460 squadron plaque and a flyover by a Pilatus PC9.

Ryder Cheshire Gift Cards For Christmas

Friends Of The Odd Bods are supporters of the Ryder Cheshire Foundation and we are pleased to pass on the following communication about their gift cards.

The Perfect Gift

A RYDER-CHESHIRE GIFT CARD

Supporting Klibur Domin East Timor

We offer four different cards ( 2 shown below) each with five different insert options indicating that:

A Donation has been Made in Your Name for:

. The cost of the care of one patient for one day ($10)

. The cost of electricity for the home for one day ($20)

. The cost of the purchase of a set of crutches ($30)

. The cost of educating a disabled child for one month ($50)

. The cast of the purchase of a wheelchair ($100)

Order your Gift Cards for Christmas from-  

Peter and Helen Newton

50 Myrtle Grove

BLACKBURN Vic 3130

Or contact 03 9894 3191 or email phnewton@bigpond.com

Aussie Mossie Newsletter

The Mosquito Aircraft Association of Australia (MAAA) is offering to put interested Friends Of The Odd Bods Association Inc members on their complimentary email list. This will ensure that you receive emailed copies of their “Aussie Mossie” newsletters.

Let us know if you would like to receive the email and we will pass on your address to the MAAA. You can respond by clicking on the comment tag below this post or by emailing gregandsuesmith@iinet.net.au

More To The Vulcan Story

Last week we reported on the last flight of the Vulcan. The magnificent vision of this aircraft performing a faultless take-off and landing display was very impressive but on one flight out of Prestwick in Scotland XH558 needed a bit of help from a friend.

Apparently the nose gear failed to extend on the aircraft’s final descent and it took a slightly older aircraft, a Spitfire, to assist. The Spitfire flew close to the Vulcan’s right wing and confirmed that the wheel was only half extended. A few climbing tight turns for the Vulcan did the job and the wheel extended to allow a safe landing as it followed in after the Spitfire.

Bomber Command Interview Request

George Smith received the following email from a Mr.Adam Purcell seeking contact with Bomber Command veterans - 

The IBCC Bomber Command Digital Archive

The International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC), currently under development in Lincolnshire in the UK, aims to become a world-class facility to serve as a point of recognition, remembrance and reconciliation for Bomber Command. The completed Centre, cheduled to open in 2016, will consist of:

  . a Memorial Spire (recently erected) and walls of names of those who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command;

  . an Interpretation Centre to house exhibition, information and education facilities; and

  . Peace Gardens and sculpture parks

The Lincolnshire Bomber Command Memorial Trust, which is developing the Centre, is also establishing a Bomber Command Digital Archive. This aims to become the most comprehensive source for Bomber Command information in the world.

As part of the Digital Archive a large-scale oral history project is underway, in conjunction with the University of Lincoln, to try and collect as many different Bomber Command voices as possible. The resulting interviews will be used to tell the stories that will feature in the Centre’s

exhibitions and displays, as well as forming a valuable resource in its own right for future research.

I am a volunteer interviewer for the IBCC’s Digital Archive and I would like to invite you to be

interviewed about your Bomber Command experiences as part of the project. Your voice would be recorded and the recording would become part of the Archive in perpetuity.

The Digital Archive is also interested in collecting photographs, scrap books, log books, letters

and any other associated memorabilia. Original documents will be scanned and returned to their

owner and the resulting digital copies will be made available in the Archive.

You can find more information about the International Bomber Command Centre on the website: www.internationalbcc.co.uk

While the statistics and the overall Bomber Command narrative are reasonably well known, it’s

personal stories that will ensure that the memories of the people who contributed to it live on.

The Bomber Command Digital Archive will be a very significant record of the personal stories

behind the Bomber Command experience, and your contribution would be a valuable addition to

it.

If you would like to be involved, please get in touch:  

. Email: adam@somethingverybig.com

. Mobile: 0405 003 312

. Post: 4/16-18 Goble St Niddrie, VIC 3042

                                  

I’d love to hear your story!

Best wishes,

Adam Purcell

for

Bomber Command Digital Archive

International Bomber Command Centre

Last Flight of the Vulcan

By Odd Bods standards the Vulcan is a modern aircraft and not one that would normally grace these pages but the video below records a special event and in a very memorable way. It is difficult not to be impressed by the beauty and power of this aircraft.

The Avro Vulcan first entered service in 1957 and the subject of this article, Vulcan XH558, has just completed its final flight. Modern air worthiness regulations have made it very difficult for the aircraft to keep flying.

Leonda Luncheon Looms

Our annual luncheon at Leonda By The Yarra  comes up on Friday 20th November 2015 and bookings are open.

A booking form and comprehensive details are available by clicking here - "Leonda Luncheon". We urge you to let us know your intentions as soon as possible. Simply print out the form and send off your remittance preferably by Electronic Fund Transfer, although cheques can be mailed as well. The form includes a parking permit for the day which you will need to print out and bring with you.

As usual, feel free to make up a party of friends/family - the more who get to enjoy this great social occasion, the better.

A photographer from the Reflections Project will be attending the luncheon and taking photos of veterans. If you would like to participate in this national record we suggest you bring your medals along. 

PS - If you have any difficulties obtaining the booking form please give Greg Smith  a call on 0406 222 020.