MG Owners Club Memorial Run

  • OK - now You are curious.

    Today we took the Mustang out on a 80+ mile navigational run around some of the many wartime airfields in Norfolk.

    We live in East Anglia, an area literaly peppered with airfields from WW2, some of which survive being used as airstrips, gliding clubs or museums.

    The MGOC organise a run every year following a different route that you have to follow using a tulip route book. It is open to all.

    The start and finish this year was from Tibenham Airfield, B24 Liberators.

    This year Memorials were not easy to access, some being on industrial areas locked for the weekend. There are many in the country side, sometimes under a big shady oak at the side of the road, all are beautiful.

    The route comprised mainly tiny single track lanes with grass tufts in the middle in places. The idea being to find some space and be alone with your navigator pointing the way.

    We had an annoying chap in a green Triumph GT6 who seemed to think he could save fuel by slipstreaming us, a brief spell on the A11 to Snetterton came along, the K went thru the gears, I leveled off at around 110, looked in the mirror and he was a distant speck, very satisfying.

    A great day, couple of pics from Old Buckenham. B24 Liberators. James Stewart and Walter Mattau were stationed there.

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  • Excellent post, Mark. Thanks for the nice pictures of one of the monuments. Probably some of you know that many of the B-24's were built by Ford at the massive Willow Run Assembly Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan. According to my source, Willow Run built 6,792 B-24's. Three other assembly plants, the Convair Plant in Fort Worth Texas, the Douglas Tulsa Plant in Oklahoma, and Consolidated Aircraft Corp in San Diego built the rest, for a total production of around 18,000.


    I've had a chance to tour the inside of a restored, operational B-24, and to see it in action recently. Click Here to visit the Collings Foundation for more information about their restored B-24, as well as many other historic aircraft including an operational B-17 and a P-51 Mustang.


    Edited by - SixT5HiPo on 09/05/2010 23:40:46

  • Great post Mark and you must have been very satisfied when you

    left that Triumph in the dust. We all, in Europe and the US have these WWII soldiers to thank for our freedoms today. Just think how bad it would have been with Hitlers or Stalins henchmen running the show. No K cars and no Shelbys.

    /Bo

  • Thank you for the positive comments.

    There are many memorials to US flyers here. All are lovingly tended by locals unkmown.

    Last week on a charity run for the local childrens hospices we called in at Seething Airfield B24 Liberators.

    A lady there recounted stories of her life a small child playing around near the base.

    She is now a curator of the control tower museum and has amassed a vast collection of memorabilia and has organised trips over for the flyers and ground crews to their old airfield. Her knowledge of individuals and events was staggering.

    A quick aside - in 2000 I had the privilage to fly with Carolyn Grace in her Spitfire MK 1X ML407, converted to a two seat trainer after the war.

    We flew over Madingly American Cemetary Cambridgshire to say Hi and Thanks to the Guys there - it brought tears to my eyes.

    Mark


    Edited by - cobraboy on 09/06/2010 13:49:00

  • <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>


    A quick aside - in 2000 I had the privilage to fly with Carolyn Grace in her Spitfire MK 1X ML407, converted to a two seat trainer after the war.

    We flew over Madingly American Cemetary Cambridgshire to say Hi and Thanks to the Guys there - it brought tears to my eyes.

    Mark


    Edited by - cobraboy on 09/06/2010 13:49:00

    <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana" size=2 id=quote>


    <font face='Comic Sans MS'>As a private pilot myself, your Spifire ride has turned my eyes green.</font id='Comic Sans MS'>


    [Blocked Image: http://s4.tinypic.com/30w2jyw_th.jpg]

  • Mark, thanks for sharing this!

    I'm sorry I missed this post when it was first done last year.....Even more, I wish I could have been on this jaunt to relive a little of the history my Grandfather, Maj. Col. Edwin S. Day, 8th Air Force, 398th Bomb Group, helped to establish.

    He was attending UCLA on scholarship in 1942-43 at age 20 when he fealt the need to better serve his country, so he joined the USAF. He qualified for OCS and then went on to Flight School as an Officer. He was trained to Pilot the B-17 Flying Fortress and sent on to the UK where he was stationed at a small Air Base in North Central England called Nuthampstead - later to be called Royston. He was there from late 1943 until the war ended in 1945.

    If you survived 25 bombing runs, it was considered heroic and you were able to head home. My Grandfather re-signed not once, but twice! He flew a total of 52 Bombing Runs in the B-17 to help liberate Europe from the Nazi strong hold. He was never shot down but went thru 3 or 4 planes over the 2 years in action due to unrepairable damage.

    He retired in 1963 at Eglin AFB after 20 years of commendable service. He even flew non-combat during the Korean War to deliver supplies and troops where they needed to go. It was there that my Mom (he was my Mothers Father)met my Dad, who was an Airman at Eglin AFB from '60-'64. The rest is history.....

    He was always my hero growing up, because he was my Grandfather. He was also a true American Hero by any standards, just as every one of our US troops were back then as well as any and all still serving as well as retired today. May God Bless.....

    He passed away 10 years ago in May at the age of 78, in Sunny Niceville, Florida. May he forever rest in peace.


    Thanks again Mark for reminding us what our families before us endured so that the rest of us can live the fruitful lives we now live today. If your ever in that area of Nuthampstead, and there's a memorial, please forward a pic or two. It would mean a lot.


    Mark

  • Mark

    Thank you for your reply

    I have the following for you.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/harlowi…57612823492730/


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Nuthampstead


    If you google RAF Nuthampstead you will find more info.

    I have this years Memorial run entry form in front of me. It is on the 4th September. As this has prompted such a response from you guys I will try to do a report again this year.


    PS if you look to the right of the memorial photo there is a tab to access more photos.


    PPS

    My sig pic is a shot of my car with Spitfire ML407 taken last year when Carolyn Grace invited me to have another flight.

    I have asked her if I can have another flight for my 60th in 2020.


    Mark


    Edited by - cobraboy on 05/07/2011 04:43:25


    Edited by - cobraboy on 05/07/2011 04:46:11

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