Well done. The aircraft shown at about 5:05 with the Sgt in the berth, was flown by my Uncle: Captain Richard Rolwyn Gray of Adelaide, South Australia. (Home of RAAF 10 Squadron.) He did 3 "tours of duty" during the war, and skippered 3 different Sunderlands. He flew Churchill to Lisbon, Portugal for a vital summit. Landed on the Tagus. Against Capt. Gray's express wishes, Churchill pulled rank, and insisted on briefly taking the controls of this monster!
Well done Abigail... My Grandad was a pilot on Sunderland DD848 which crashed into Mt Brandon in bad weather killing him and most of the crew. Nice to see someone putting something on about a much forgotten aircraft that did so much for our freedom. Well done.
Well done Abigail. I'm part of the 13.3% of people who know about the Sunderland and I'm delighted that you've done this. There's plenty more if you want to keep going!
One of my favourite aircraft. I was so happy one Christmas in the 60's to get an Airfix model to make. I love the RAF museum and love to walk around their Sunderland.
I grew up in Sydney Australia watching & listening to the Sunderlands taking off and returning to Rose Bay in Sydney Harbor, flying domestic routes to the island groups on the north coast of NSW and Southern QLD until the 1970's. Respect to your Dad.
I live in Plymouth, what was RAF Mount Batten used to be a Sunderland and Catalina base, there is a plaque and a cast of one of the propellers, the cafe in between the two large hangers (now part of the boatyard but are the original hangers from the RAF days, there is quite a few lovely photos of the Sunderland and Catalina based there more than I’ve ever seen anywhere else. Incidentally T E Lawrence “Lawrence of Arabia “ was also based at RAF Mount Batten during his RAF career and specialised in the RAF fast search patrol and sea rescue boats also based at Mount Batten
The Short Sunderland was an awesome aircraft and accounted for the sinking of 26 U-Boats between 1939 and 1945. What I didn't know is that at the end of the war they were coming off the production line just to be sunk... What a sad end for such an iconic aircraft.
Very enjoyable thank you Abigail. My Dad was a pilot in RAAF 10 Squadron. He'd be glad to see that there was still interest in the magnificent Short Sunderland. He spent many hours out over the Bay of Biscay trying to work out where they were and stay awake. He didn't tell me the other bits.
I commend you for doing this. I only have one critic I'm 77 and like I some young people of today who speed talk and less precise articulated I found it very hard to understand. In contrast, the other young man you interviewed I understood every word he said.
G'day, Well done...! I'm one of the people who know why the Germans called Sunderlands "The Flying Porcupine..." & why the RAF called Sunderlands with early Air/Sea Vessel Search Radar "Sticklebacks". And I know that the RNZAF Sunderlands were the Second last Sunderlands to retire... Ansett National Airways was still flying Sunderlands from Rose Bay in Sydney to Lord Howe Island until about 1975 or '77... Such is life, Have a good one... Stay safe. ;-p Ciao !
When I was a child my mother went out with a guy called Jimmy Hamilton, Lovely guy despite the Alcholism, He'd been stationed in Burma as a rear gunner on a Sunderland. Back then you'd often meet old WW2 vetrans who'd regale you with tales of daring do, Jimmy was the kind that didn't tell stories, Jimmy had been captured by the Japanese, Worked on the railroad of Death, less than 80 survived out his camp of 800, disease starvation, beheadings. The only story he did tell was when I asked him about the scars on his fists, He said when sometimes a Browning would seize and he'd beat them till they started again, i got the feeling he'd used those Browning quite frequently.
thank you so much for this its been hard to find anything on these planes nowadays my great grandfather flew them from the start to the end of the war and ive been trying to find out alot about them i even have his jacket to this day
Thank you for the interesting video. My father spent most of his career in the RAF flying in these aircraft as a flight engineer he retired just before they finished in service last posting was Singapore.
Castle Archdale, Lough Erne, Northern Ireland was the most western base in the UK - ideal for the Western Approaches, submarine/warship hunting; but what very few people know, and many people in the Irish Republic deny, is that the Irish and British Governments reached a very secret agreement - an air corridor over the Irish Border - to enable Sunderlands and Catalina's to reach the Western Approaches within a few miles. Previously, they had to fly north from Lough Neagh to avoid the neutral Republic, then west, which added hundreds of miles to their patrols. All along the western coast of Ireland, large signs were placed to advise the enemy that this was a neutral country. The signs simply stated "EIRE" in large letters, but also had a number that was issued to Allied Pilots. This gave them a very basic navigational aid to fly the corridor, with the more technical aid - a radio homing beacon sysytem called BABS (Blind Approach Beacon System) that led them straight to/from Castle Archdale. Today, Castle Archdale still is probably the best survivng base for Sunderlands, with its parking ramps, refuelling jetties, mooring blocks, and a fine museum. The site is now a favourite haunt for sailing and boating, to say nothing of a beautiful countryside and lake - well worth a visit. Sadly, there are quite a few graves and memorials in and around the area, where many young pilots and crews perished - some 140. The bridge over the river in Beleek was the border/customs point, and contains a plaque dedicated to those airmen.
I've only just found this video (can't think how I missed it!) but thank you for posting it, Abigail - you are to be commended for your work and your interest, as these things fade further into history. My father flew Sunderlands during the Battle of the Atlantic, and they were tough times.
Aw thank you so much, I am now studying at uni and am looking at staying with documentary making. Thank you for your lovely comment. Huge thanks to your Father too. These war heroes should be appreciated and without my great grandfather I doubt I would've ever heard about the Sunderlands. Truly a great piece of lost history.
well done , nice vid ,, i seem to recall the germans nicknamed the sunderland as the flying porcupine ,, as it was well armed and tricky to deal with :))
A lovely Video Abigail. My farther flew Sunderland's during the war, he also flew Liberators, Hudsons, Boston's and Catalinas. We think it was when he was posted in Ireland.
Nice video. Very informative. Just one thing, if you have photos followed by a caption, leave the caption on screen long enough for it to be read. Can't believe they just took these great planes out to sea and sank them!
Flying porcupine one was on anti sub patrol over the bay of Biscay. It was jumped by a number of ju 88s well the pilot gets down to point where they couldn't rake its belly. By, dint of phenomenal gunnery, the planes that weren't dropped whe were damaged called it off, it was, so shot up, the plane the made it, back, just, the crew deserved something great a DFC VC, sod!!!!!!
Dose somebody know what happened to the Sunderland flying boat on the land stranded in Ryde town between the hoses on a street mite be Melville street was there in 1958 ?
My late father was a huge fan of the sunderland and passed on to me his his love of aviation and engineering. I'm trying to connect with him by understanding his love for this particular plane but information is hard to come by. Thank you for sharing it.
I was RNZAF Navigator on last military Sunderland flight April 1967.
Well done.
The aircraft shown at about 5:05 with the Sgt in the berth, was flown by my Uncle: Captain Richard Rolwyn Gray of Adelaide, South Australia. (Home of RAAF 10 Squadron.)
He did 3 "tours of duty" during the war, and skippered 3 different Sunderlands.
He flew Churchill to Lisbon, Portugal for a vital summit. Landed on the Tagus.
Against Capt. Gray's express wishes, Churchill pulled rank, and insisted on briefly taking the controls of this monster!
Well done Abigail... My Grandad was a pilot on Sunderland DD848 which crashed into Mt Brandon in bad weather killing him and most of the crew. Nice to see someone putting something on about a much forgotten aircraft that did so much for our freedom. Well done.
Well done Abigail. I'm part of the 13.3% of people who know about the Sunderland and I'm delighted that you've done this. There's plenty more if you want to keep going!
Well done Abigail introducing a most majestic aeroplane to a new generation
Well done Abigail, a really good and badly needed documentary on one of our great and almost forgotten aircraft designs.
Kevo Morego Thank you
One of my favourite aircraft.
I was so happy one Christmas in the 60's to get an Airfix model to make.
I love the RAF museum and love to walk around their Sunderland.
I grew up in Sydney Australia watching & listening to the Sunderlands taking off and returning to Rose Bay in Sydney Harbor, flying domestic routes to the island groups on the north coast of NSW and Southern QLD until the 1970's. Respect to your Dad.
ua-cam.com/video/BQYGqt3x9s8/v-deo.html
I live in Plymouth, what was RAF Mount Batten used to be a Sunderland and Catalina base, there is a plaque and a cast of one of the propellers, the cafe in between the two large hangers (now part of the boatyard but are the original hangers from the RAF days, there is quite a few lovely photos of the Sunderland and Catalina based there more than I’ve ever seen anywhere else. Incidentally T E Lawrence “Lawrence of Arabia “ was also based at RAF Mount Batten during his RAF career and specialised in the RAF fast search patrol and sea rescue boats also based at Mount Batten
The Short Sunderland was an awesome aircraft and accounted for the sinking of 26 U-Boats between 1939 and 1945. What I didn't know is that at the end of the war they were coming off the production line just to be sunk... What a sad end for such an iconic aircraft.
a lot of the new aircraft were converted to civil passenger/ cargo use and renamed the Sandringham
Very nicely put together. Thank you
Very enjoyable thank you Abigail. My Dad was a pilot in RAAF 10 Squadron. He'd be glad to see that there was still interest in the magnificent Short Sunderland. He spent many hours out over the Bay of Biscay trying to work out where they were and stay awake. He didn't tell me the other bits.
I commend you for doing this. I only have one critic I'm 77 and like I some young people of today who speed talk and less precise articulated I found it very hard to understand. In contrast, the other young man you interviewed I understood every word he said.
G'day,
Well done...!
I'm one of the people who know why the Germans called Sunderlands
"The Flying Porcupine..."
& why the RAF called
Sunderlands with early
Air/Sea Vessel Search Radar
"Sticklebacks".
And I know that the
RNZAF Sunderlands were the
Second last Sunderlands to retire...
Ansett National Airways was still flying Sunderlands from Rose Bay in Sydney to Lord Howe Island until about 1975 or '77...
Such is life,
Have a good one...
Stay safe.
;-p
Ciao !
Lovely! Well done. My dad flew occasionally on Sunderland's during the Berlin airlift.
When I was a child my mother went out with a guy called Jimmy Hamilton, Lovely guy despite the Alcholism, He'd been stationed in Burma as a rear gunner on a Sunderland. Back then you'd often meet old WW2 vetrans who'd regale you with tales of daring do, Jimmy was the kind that didn't tell stories, Jimmy had been captured by the Japanese, Worked on the railroad of Death, less than 80 survived out his camp of 800, disease starvation, beheadings. The only story he did tell was when I asked him about the scars on his fists, He said when sometimes a Browning would seize and he'd beat them till they started again, i got the feeling he'd used those Browning quite frequently.
thank you so much for this its been hard to find anything on these planes nowadays my great grandfather flew them from the start to the end of the war and ive been trying to find out alot about them i even have his jacket to this day
Thank you for the interesting video. My father spent most of his career in the RAF flying in these aircraft as a flight engineer he retired just before they finished in service last posting was Singapore.
Castle Archdale, Lough Erne, Northern Ireland was the most western base in the UK - ideal for the Western Approaches, submarine/warship hunting; but what very few people know, and many people in the Irish Republic deny, is that the Irish and British Governments reached a very secret agreement - an air corridor over the Irish Border - to enable Sunderlands and Catalina's to reach the Western Approaches within a few miles. Previously, they had to fly north from Lough Neagh to avoid the neutral Republic, then west, which added hundreds of miles to their patrols. All along the western coast of Ireland, large signs were placed to advise the enemy that this was a neutral country. The signs simply stated "EIRE" in large letters, but also had a number that was issued to Allied Pilots. This gave them a very basic navigational aid to fly the corridor, with the more technical aid - a radio homing beacon sysytem called BABS (Blind Approach Beacon System) that led them straight to/from Castle Archdale.
Today, Castle Archdale still is probably the best survivng base for Sunderlands, with its parking ramps, refuelling jetties, mooring blocks, and a fine museum. The site is now a favourite haunt for sailing and boating, to say nothing of a beautiful countryside and lake - well worth a visit.
Sadly, there are quite a few graves and memorials in and around the area, where many young pilots and crews perished - some 140. The bridge over the river in Beleek was the border/customs point, and contains a plaque dedicated to those airmen.
I've only just found this video (can't think how I missed it!) but thank you for posting it, Abigail - you are to be commended for your work and your interest, as these things fade further into history. My father flew Sunderlands during the Battle of the Atlantic, and they were tough times.
Aw thank you so much, I am now studying at uni and am looking at staying with documentary making. Thank you for your lovely comment. Huge thanks to your Father too. These war heroes should be appreciated and without my great grandfather I doubt I would've ever heard about the Sunderlands. Truly a great piece of lost history.
well done , nice vid ,, i seem to recall the germans nicknamed the sunderland as the flying porcupine ,, as it was well armed and tricky to deal with :))
A lovely Video Abigail. My farther flew Sunderland's during the war, he also flew Liberators, Hudsons, Boston's and Catalinas. We think it was when he was posted in Ireland.
Thats interesting. Thank you for your comment, I really appreciate all the positive feedback :)
So did my grandfather
There were no allied aircraft based in Ireland as it was a neutral country that took no part in the war.
I'm sometimes a bit lazy, so thanks for doing the leg work and providing information of Shorts early years. Cheers.
Congrats Abgail, good job !
Good work, my Grandfather flew in them in WW2.
So did mine and uncles, so proud
My Dad flew these during WW2 and after with BOAC.There is still one flying in Florida.
Thank you
Nice video of the "Flying Porcupine"
Also known as the flying bomb
They were based in Seletar, Singapore in the mid-1950s, when I lived there.
Nice video. Very informative. Just one thing, if you have photos followed by a caption, leave the caption on screen long enough for it to be read. Can't believe they just took these great planes out to sea and sank them!
Often ignored is how long some 'wartime' types lasted. I remember the last ones being retired at Seletar in 1960.
Flying porcupine one was on anti sub patrol over the bay of Biscay. It was jumped by a number of ju 88s well the pilot gets down to point where they couldn't rake its belly. By, dint of phenomenal gunnery, the planes that weren't dropped whe were damaged called it off, it was, so shot up, the plane the made it, back, just, the crew deserved something great a DFC VC, sod!!!!!!
Dose somebody know what happened to the Sunderland flying boat on the land stranded in Ryde town between the hoses on a street mite be Melville street was there in 1958 ?
Sunderlands provided transport from England to Australia because they did not need Airfields.
My late father was a huge fan of the sunderland and passed on to me his his love of aviation and engineering. I'm trying to connect with him by understanding his love for this particular plane but information is hard to come by. Thank you for sharing it.
looking for one fantasy of flight in Florida has a flyable one seen it fly at Oshkosh WI airshow.
Sad to hear they were sunk cause deemed not useful !!
My great grandfather worked on them at shorts in Belfast the slipways are still at the factory to put them into the water
Travolta are you or your people listening ?..hope so..-