Dad's A-2 then and now

[capt71]

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[TankBuster]

Very cool! You must feel very lucky to have your fathers A-2 jacket. This jacket looks familiar. By any chance, is there a story about yourself and the jacket on oldnautibits?
Jeff

 

[capt71]

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[greyhound52]

Very cool. You are very lucky to have this. Hey what maker is the jacket??

 

[capt71]

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[bseal]

Now this is what the forum is all about!

 

[jacketimp]

welcome to the forum.........

 

[deeb7]

By any chance, is there a story about yourself and the jacket on oldnautibits?

I'm not posting a link, but it's a great story ... and a nice gesture by the collector who returned the jacket home.

 

[Roughwear]

Certainly a great story, which people can read about here. http://www.oldnautibits.com/features/aerofeature6.shtml

Welcome to the forum, Bill.

 

[dujardin]

geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee you father's jacket in your hand today greaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat

by the way, welcome aboard.

friendship from Belgium


marcel

 

[Andrew]

Hey Bill, thanks for posting the shots of your Dad's jacket. That must be one of the extemely few examples of this sort of thing ever happening (I dream of someone contacting me about my Great Uncles WWI medals). You probably saw I love reading stuff about the 380th. Here's a little snippet which you'd be familiar with;

http://www.oldcmp.net/b_shek_1.html

Just this afternoon I was on the phone to Ed Crabtree (ex 530thSq), who you have possibly spoken to. If you have anything else you'd like to share I'm sure we'd love to see it.

I see you contributed these shots but for others...;

http://380th.org/HISTORY/PARTV/Dauntles ... htm#Photos
http://380th.org/HISTORY/PARTV/MR/MR42-40495-012.htm

Also, thanks for posting your PPshow on the 380th website, it contains some fantastic shots and it's an excellent summary. I hope you enjoyed your trip to the Top End.

 

[capt71]

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[Andrew]

Hi again Andrew,
Thanks for the kind words and links. I'd forgotten that I posted photos at oldcmp. This is a little off topic for this forum, but I also wrote an article (with photos) for the association about my 2005 visit to Fenton field in Northern Australia. For anyone interested in the 380th BG and where they flew from in Australia in 1943-44, it's at:

http://380th.org/NEWS/News26/Shek.html

If you want to visit the 380th BG Association website in general:

http://380th.org (if you Google it, you will get an address for an older, out of date version of the website--use the link I listed here).

Ed Crabtree's name is very familiar and if he attended any of the last three 380th BG Association reunions, I know I must have met and spoken with him. I'll be attending the next--and possibly their last--reunion in Savannah, Georgia (USA) in October 2009.

Bill

Hey Bill, not off topic at all, it's exactly what should be discussed. The PTO may not be as popular at the ETO or even CBI but it is more relevant to me personally for obvious reasons. This is what I wrote about Ed in another thread- he's been to some reuinions but not anymore. Thanks for the links, your old man did some significant service.

Hey Jeff, spoke with Ed Crabtree yesterday. He's the Vet who flew with 530thBS/ 380BG for 9 months in 1943. Great guy and really interesting discussion.

A bit of history. He was a Flt Lt in the RAAF and was posted in 1943 to Fenton Field Northern Territory to fly with the 380th after they arrived in Australia. The idea was that he and initially four others would be trained and later become B-24 Instructors. He started as a co-Pilot and later became a Commander (The only Australian to become a Command Pilot in the USAAF during the War).

Whilst he was in the Top End with the 530BS the RAAF lost him so he wasn't able to get re-supplied with RAAF uniforms etc, no service pay and the Americans felt he needed better gear anyway so he was issued an A-2, uniform. boots, crusher and sidearm in shoulder holster (they wouldn't let him take his hip holstered Webley up as they said it could get snagged and go off). Eventually the RAAF authorities remembered him and was ordered to report to the local Air Vice Marshall who reprimanded him for being out of uniform! He had to give everyrthing back in the end (incl the jacket) but he did keep the .45.

Anyhow, he's now helping with the rebuild of the only Lib in Australia, and he was the last to fly this particular A/C before it ended up becoming a temporary house for many years. He's looking forward to seeing your work and he's very appreciative. He's not contactable by email, only snail mail and i'll pm you his address. The 530th is a cool image of Buggs on a bomb. I'm sure he'd love a 5th patch as well. Shame he doesn't haven an A-2 to stick them on but they will most likely go straight to the Museum they are putting together- so there you go- immortalized!

Here's some links to some of his old shots and another of the rebuild;

http://www.oldcmp.net/lib1.html

http://www.oldcmp.net/B24_1.html

http://b24australia.org.au/home.html

 

[Grant]

Hey Bill,
Thanks for posting the story of your father's A-2 and the history of the 380th. It's guys like you that reminds us all what this forum is really about.

Grant

 

[Peter Graham]

It's guys like you that reminds us all what this forum is really about.

Indeed. We are all part of a very unique and valuable resourse here. Welcome Bill, and I hope you stick around. It's great to have a member with such a direct link to the subject of this forum.

 

[capt71]

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