Better Duck
New in Town
- Messages
- 39
- Location
- Vries, The Netherlands
OK guys,
Tonight I gave the green light for a great undertaking, celebrating (albeit a bit early) my 50th birthday coming October 17.
I will order a ELC size 46 Star Sportswear and collect it in July, than have it fitted with a 751st BS, 457th BG Squadron Patch made by Robin Mott, then, on the way home, will deliver the jacket to have in painted by Robin with the "Home James" motto and Elvgren pinup "Kneeding a lift" . This design is after a real jacket, that existed back then and is pictured in "Vintage Nose Art" by Gary Valent as shown here, together wit the original pinup by Elvgren:
I'm very much looking forward to working with Robin to create this work of (jacket) art - and I'll keep you guys posted.
Peter
For those of you who are really interested, I here provide the considerations and reasoning through which I came to the choises I made. The following text is part of an e-mail to Robin Mott, explaining things:
Now about my decision to go for the combination of this art, squadron patch with the 457th / 751st. My reasoning (deductive and inductive reasoning, my dear Watson) is as follows:
¬?In Vintage Nose Art underneath the photograph it says "457 BS 401 BG"
¬?But the 401st BG didn't have a squadron with that number, so something in this caption is not right.
¬?There is however the 457th BG, and, lo and behold, if you visit the website of the 457th, you'll find they had a B17 named "Home James" in the 751st BS. There is a picture of the plane in the nose art section.
¬?Also interesting to find there is the fact that this plane was probably first alloted to a lieutenant James (surname!) and crew, which explains the Home James pun.
¬?I have not been able to find any reference to a "Home James" plane in the 401st BG (their website is being renewed now).
¬?On the B&W photo of the Home James jacket, you can see it is a jacket without a collarstand (as per Star) and it appears quite dark - as per Star.
Then away from some facts and into the realm of emotion:
I feel as if I've known the 457th a long time, as it was in 1977 that I bought a small book by Ken Blakebrough about the 457th BG called "The Fireball Outfit" (the booklet is integrally copied on the website, but I have an original and, as it seems, something of a collectorsitem)
The "Home James" motto has been around in my head for a number of years, don't know why.
I don't know if for you Brits it has any special meaning, but for me, it calls up the image of an rich / aristocratic (the two don't necessarily go together) person who, after a day/evening of pleasure or work, says "Home James" to his trusted valet, butler, chauffeur.
Now two years ago I was in Rotterdam, visiting a friend. In the evening, as I sat on my bike (i.e. motorbike, BMW K1200RS)to make the 220 km return journey again, I suddenly found myself thinking and almost saying out loud "Home James" to the black, 130 hp trusted steed - and rode off north-eastward into the twilight, feeling quite content. Home James, to the girls back home.
This so struck me and stuck with me so intensely, that a couple of months later I had "Home James" put on my bike on both sides of the tank, in elegant blue lettering. I'll send you a picture, but I'll have to resize it first!
Another, more prosaic consideration is, that in my position (townclerk in a rural municipality and thus being one of the dignitaries of the village I live in) I can hardly afford to walk around sporting a more risqu?© picture or even naked lady on the back of a jacket! "kneeding a lift" is as risqu?© as I am prepared to account for!
Well so much as to reasoning and my deeper musings that led me to this project!"[/
Tonight I gave the green light for a great undertaking, celebrating (albeit a bit early) my 50th birthday coming October 17.
I will order a ELC size 46 Star Sportswear and collect it in July, than have it fitted with a 751st BS, 457th BG Squadron Patch made by Robin Mott, then, on the way home, will deliver the jacket to have in painted by Robin with the "Home James" motto and Elvgren pinup "Kneeding a lift" . This design is after a real jacket, that existed back then and is pictured in "Vintage Nose Art" by Gary Valent as shown here, together wit the original pinup by Elvgren:
I'm very much looking forward to working with Robin to create this work of (jacket) art - and I'll keep you guys posted.
Peter
For those of you who are really interested, I here provide the considerations and reasoning through which I came to the choises I made. The following text is part of an e-mail to Robin Mott, explaining things:
Now about my decision to go for the combination of this art, squadron patch with the 457th / 751st. My reasoning (deductive and inductive reasoning, my dear Watson) is as follows:
¬?In Vintage Nose Art underneath the photograph it says "457 BS 401 BG"
¬?But the 401st BG didn't have a squadron with that number, so something in this caption is not right.
¬?There is however the 457th BG, and, lo and behold, if you visit the website of the 457th, you'll find they had a B17 named "Home James" in the 751st BS. There is a picture of the plane in the nose art section.
¬?Also interesting to find there is the fact that this plane was probably first alloted to a lieutenant James (surname!) and crew, which explains the Home James pun.
¬?I have not been able to find any reference to a "Home James" plane in the 401st BG (their website is being renewed now).
¬?On the B&W photo of the Home James jacket, you can see it is a jacket without a collarstand (as per Star) and it appears quite dark - as per Star.
Then away from some facts and into the realm of emotion:
I feel as if I've known the 457th a long time, as it was in 1977 that I bought a small book by Ken Blakebrough about the 457th BG called "The Fireball Outfit" (the booklet is integrally copied on the website, but I have an original and, as it seems, something of a collectorsitem)
The "Home James" motto has been around in my head for a number of years, don't know why.
I don't know if for you Brits it has any special meaning, but for me, it calls up the image of an rich / aristocratic (the two don't necessarily go together) person who, after a day/evening of pleasure or work, says "Home James" to his trusted valet, butler, chauffeur.
Now two years ago I was in Rotterdam, visiting a friend. In the evening, as I sat on my bike (i.e. motorbike, BMW K1200RS)to make the 220 km return journey again, I suddenly found myself thinking and almost saying out loud "Home James" to the black, 130 hp trusted steed - and rode off north-eastward into the twilight, feeling quite content. Home James, to the girls back home.
This so struck me and stuck with me so intensely, that a couple of months later I had "Home James" put on my bike on both sides of the tank, in elegant blue lettering. I'll send you a picture, but I'll have to resize it first!
Another, more prosaic consideration is, that in my position (townclerk in a rural municipality and thus being one of the dignitaries of the village I live in) I can hardly afford to walk around sporting a more risqu?© picture or even naked lady on the back of a jacket! "kneeding a lift" is as risqu?© as I am prepared to account for!
Well so much as to reasoning and my deeper musings that led me to this project!"[/
