G'day, I thought a contributor from the land 'down under' might not go astray. I am relatively new to the world of forums, but over recent weeks I have discovered some great resources across a spectrum of historical, military and aviation forums. Your forum seems to be very much along these lines. For my part, I have a particular interest in the stories of aircrew from WWII and have been honoured to interview a number of them over the years. My main goal is to record their stories for their families, whilst some find their way to print. Most notably I came to know an RAF fighter pilot SQNLDR K.B. McGlashan AFC who quite literally flew from Dunkirk to D-Day. The story of this remarkable Scot ultimately became my first book, "Down to Earth". I look forward finding my way around your forum. Cheers Owen www.owenzupp.com
Owen You are most welcome to the forum. I have to admit that, as a Mod, I did a little checking (as we do on all potential members) and was very excited to find out who you were. I've been raving about your book to another member. There are a number of us who are very interested in aviation, and your contributions will be very welcome. Right, that's the pleasantries over with :becky: Now for the nitty gritty - do you happen to know what on earth is happening to P2902 - any news on the restoration.
Boy, you blokes are quick! Thanks very much for the kind words and warm welcome. Hawker Hurricane P2902 is currently undergoing restoration at Hawker Restorations in Suffolk, UK. It is one of a number of projects underway by this VERY highly regarded restoration company. The latest word I have on its progress is actually via the public domain in the form of the November edition of FlyPast. They published a feature on Hawker Restorations and P2902 seems to be number 2 or 3 in line after another Hurricane project which I seem to recall was aiming for completion late in 2008. I gather P2902 will be some time after that. (I could dig up a picture of it if you're interested and post it.) Once again, thanks for the welcome. Cheers Owen
Welcome, Owen! An absolute pleasure to have you here. Your book has very recently been added to my wishlist! I hope you enjoy it here, we're a friendly bunch. I may even harass you for tips on book writing as I have a lot of interviews I need to transcribe and make sense of! Would love to see a pic of P2902 in progress. Be awe-inspiring to see a genuine Dunkirk veteran.
Welcome to our new forum Owen. (Just 3 months old) Good to have another Australian on board as well. Look forward to a few of your posts. I am presently working on a project cataloguing photos of the headstones and memorials of the 10,836 RAAF pilots and crew who died 1939-1945. Our RAAF boys and girls are buried/memorialised in 1066 cemeteries in 65 countries. I have nearly concluded the addition of posting at death one by one on the spreadsheet to compliment the CWGC entries so all can be cross referenced by name, rank, date of death, posting at death, age, service number, cemetery, country & locality. Hope you enjoy it here.
Hi again, Here's a shot of P2902 prior to moving to Hawker Restorations. (Circa late 2005) Cheers Owen View attachment 949
Thanks Owen. Excellent HR work as always by the looks. Never ceases to amaze me the quality of work done with these restorations.
I'll have to apologise for Kitty, Owen, the power goes to her head on regular occasions. On that matter, though, would we be able to order a signed copy directly from you or are they readily available from Grub Street?
Hi Andy. I have some copies on hand which I can probably get to Aussie members at a comparative price, including postage. Overseas members are probably best going through the regular channels. Grub Street do have signed copies on hand and if stocks are still available they had some also signed two of "The Few". Ken Lusty and Derek Yapp. The former served with Kenneth on Mosquitos and Derek with 245 Squadron in the Battles of France and Britain. Feel free to PM me with any questions. Cheers Owen
Hi Pathfinder, Yes I am a member of that forum. My posts generally involve Squadron Leader K.B. McGlashan AFC and the subsequent restoration of Kenneth's Hurricane as related in my book 'Down to Earth'. However, you could say that this forum is my 'Home Base'. Cheers Owen
