Kiwi Spitfire Ace

[Smithy]

Lovely TVNZ report from '94 when New Zealand Spitfire pilot Johnnie Houlton is reunited with the aircraft he flew 50 years before (although now she's been converted to a 2 seater). Johnnie also talks about his experiences and what it was like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf5DzwfA-iU&NR=1

By the way, Johnnie's memoirs "Spitfire Strikes" are excellent if you can hunt them down.

 

[Marv]

Excellent, do we know if Johnnie Houlton is still alive after the 13 years since that was filmed or has be passed on like so many of the aces.

 

[Marv]

Forget the last, just googled it and found that Johnnie Houlton died in Auckland, New Zealand on 16 April 1996 only a couple of years after the footage was taken.
At least he got to see his old mates one last time before he departed.

 

[Smithy]

At least he got to see his old mates one last time before he departed.

Exactly Marv.

I loved the bit about 485's pilots peeing on the tailplane before sorties for good luck much to the annoyance of the groundcrew!

My Dad back home plays golf with a former 485 pilot (he's still a fit old bugger!) who has been kind enough to invite me around to his home to talk to me about the War and show me his things from those days. I loved our chats and after about 5 minutes he'd be slipping back into RAF slang and using a lot of colourful language. I feel honoured as he was kind enough to sign a number of books that I have on 485 and they are some of the most treasured things I own.

 

[Marv]

You're a lucky man Spitty

 

[dhermann1]

We who care must make every effort to get these guys to leave their memories with us. My girlfrend's dad was at Anzio and Montecassino. He doesn't like to talk about the horrible stuff, but he's told me stories of his other adventures as a behind the lines roving radio station operator. They're dying at a rate if 1,500 a day! I think most of them really appreciate knowing that people still remember.
Is there anybody out there involved in living history projects, where veterans can just talk into a microphone or into a camcorder? (I think that deserves to be a new thread, actually.)

 

[Smithy]

Small world dhermann, one of my great uncles was at Cassino.

In terms of preserving the past, I have made a made a ton of notes from the chats I have had with the 485 Spitfire pilot I mentioned earlier in the thread.