Col Robert Morgan, pilot B-17 Memphis Belle & B-29 Dauntless Dotty.

[Micawber]

Due to my connection and eventual curatorship of the museum where Bob Morgan flew Memphis Belle from, I was fortunate enough to meet the man and spend one to one time with him on more than one occasion. Back in 1997 as part of his 80th birthday celebration amongst other things he returned to the base with his wife Linda and two sons and attended the opening of the AAM at Duxford, be presented to HM Queen Elizabeth II & the late HM the Queen Mother.

.

The British Army hosted us all in the original officers mess on the camp as per the first photo which shows Bob presenting me on behalf of the museum with a piece of panel from the "Belle" while the then commanding officer of the base looks on. After this I took Bob and his sons for a ride around the place in the Jeep I had at the time, stopping off at the house where he was billeted and a number of other places before going out onto what's left of the runways and hardstands.

Later in the week we hosted a private birthday party in the Eagle pub, Cambridge. This place is famous for having preserved a ceiling that is covered in names and details of servicemen during WW2. They used matches, candles, pencils you name it. The son of one of my fellow directors made a birthday cake complete with a representation of the base on the top. Happy Days.

Photos from 1997.

 

[Micawber]

Further to the above here are a couple of items and photos relating to repro jackets as used in the 1990 Memphis Belle movie and correspondence from Bob's co-pilot Jim Verinis about having jackets painted around the same time. Apologies for the poor phone photos but no time to fire up the scanner for this and the above.

 

[Edward]

amazing to be able to spend time with him like you did and be in the presence of such a man and the history!

 

[Micawber]

amazing to be able to spend time with him like you did and be in the presence of such a man and the history!

Thank you, yes it was. TBH It was amazing to spend untold hours and days with so many many veterans, RAF, USAAF & Luftwaffe both in connection with the museum and personally.

 

[B-Man2]

Steve
What a thrill it must have been to participate it all of that. Great photos.
Keep posting them , I think we’re all enjoying them immensely.

 

[Micawber]

Steve
What a thrill it must have been to participate it all of that. Great photos.
Keep posting them , I think we’re all enjoying them immensely.

Thanks Burt. I'll have to dig out my prints and scan them and go back to my early digital images. I think I got my first digital camera around 1998

 

[B-Man2]

Thanks Burt. I'll have to dig out my prints and scan them and go back to my early digital images. I think I got my first digital camera around 1998

I can only begin to imagine what’s on them .

 

[Kennyz]

Very cool Steve. Thanks for sharing.

Ken

 

[Stony]

Very cool! One of these days I need to get across the pond and visit some of the airfields.

On another note, when I worked at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Bob Morgan came twice and spoke at symposiums. During one of the symposiums, we had a fire alarm go off and everyone had to exit out to the parking lot. I was talking to him and asked him about the making of the movie "Memphis Belle". He said they flew him over to England for two weeks as an advisor and that "they didn't listen to a f**king thing I told them". How can you not like him after that quote.

He also signed my "Memphis Belle" movie poster which I still have.

 

[Bombing IP]

I wonder why his A2 has a 20th airforce patch on it ?.

BIP

 

[Micawber]

I wonder why his A2 has a 20th airforce patch on it ?.

BIP

He did a second tour and flew B-29 missions over Japan.

 

[Bombing IP]

I did not know that !.

BIP

 

[Stony]

He led the first B-29 raid on Tokyo and I believe he flew more missions in B-29s than B-17s.

 

[Edward]

thats amazing! I also didn't know he did a second tour and lead the first B-29 raids on Japan... wow! that added a whole new level of balls to the guy!

 

[Edward]

Very cool! One of these days I need to get across the pond and visit some of the airfields.

On another note, when I worked at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Bob Morgan came twice and spoke at symposiums. During one of the symposiums, we had a fire alarm go off and everyone had to exit out to the parking lot. I was talking to him and asked him about the making of the movie "Memphis Belle". He said they flew him over to England for two weeks as an advisor and that "they didn't listen to a f**king thing I told them". How can you not like him after that quote.

He also signed my "Memphis Belle" movie poster which I still have.

LOL! AND here the movie would have everyone else believe he raced home to get back to building furniture.... and then selling it.

 

[Dover]

I found this picture of Col Robert Morgan and the crew of the B-29 Dauntless Dotty at an auction in Asheville NC a few years back. The Morgan Manufacturing Co. was a family run company that was
justifiably proud of the famous pilot. I've seen many pictures of the Memphis Belle but had never seen the Dauntless Dotty and her crew until I found this. One of the people running the auction grew up
just down the street from Morgan and said he was a colorful figure and continued to fly right up until his death at age 85.

 

[taikonaut]

The A2 jackets used in this film is made by "Wested Leather" own by Peter Botwright who were also responsible for the first 3 Indian Jones film jackets. They still sell them but have tripled in price in the last 15 years.