I Think I Prefer the Tinned Variety

Thanks for reading my blog in 2015. Hope you have a very Happy Christmas.

I was searching the internet the other day for any new information about HMS Spurwing and found these images released into the public domain by the Imperial War Museum. The photograph above is a Fairey Fulmar aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm about to take off from HMS Spurwing on a coastal reconnaissance. This photograph shows two of the naval station's Boulton Paul Defiant aircraft in flight after taking off from HMS Spurwing. On Wednesday 5th April 1944, my dad wrote in his diary: "Went in H.S. 599 on Radar test with Dick doing a W/T [Wireless Telegraphy] test at the same time. Felt some nasty quakes when the pilot went into a corkscrew dive over the harbour but otherwise unimportant. Pleased to write that I am no longer troubled by air sickness." I particularly like this photo because I can imagine my dad up there in the clouds. I don't think this would have been the plane he went in but it gives something tangible to the diary extract. Protect

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Photo credit: Malindine, E G (Capt), War Office official photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons A couple of months ago I discovered some fantastic drawings by official war artist Antony Gross. They are a record of a voyage he made on a troop ship in 1942. ( Read my earlier blogpost here for more information .) I've been looking at the drawings again today and am really impressed by them. You can see all the drawings on the Wikicommons website as the Imperial War Museum has placed the series in the public domain. I think some of Gross' drawings enhance the comments my dad wrote in his diary. Monday 25 th October 1943 "Arrived at Casablanca about 10.00. Stayed two hours while our escort destroyers re-fuelled. Continued to sea. Changed to tropical rig in afternoon – khaki shirt and shorts. Many comments at this from R.N. chaps as the Fleet Air Arm is the only branch of Navy allowed khaki in the tropics. The nights are extremely