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Topics - stockman fred

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1
World War Two / Missing airman in Burma, Ken Orton. Can we find his family?
« on: Sunday 07 January 18 15:49 GMT (UK)  »
Good afternoon, I was looking at a Facebook page I frequent (Aircraft of the Cold War) and came across this message from a gentleman named Tom Leone, from North Carolina, USA. I was wondering whether we might be able to help as it seems a very worthwhile request: :) Mr Leone is aware of my posting.
 Hi fellas, during WW2 my dad was an Instructor pilot under the Arnold Scheme at A place called Darr aerotech in Albany
Ga. He instructed British flight cadets how to fly in American aircraft. He had one Cadet, Ken T Orton, who left a photo of himself and his address at the time(Twickenham) he later went KIA in 1944 in Burma flying P-47’s. I came upon his photo and would like to send it to his family. Have not been able to find them. Anyone help?

2
World War One / First World War database
« on: Monday 03 March 08 23:48 GMT (UK)  »
Hi, I read on the BBC text news that "The University of Oxford" are going to start an online website of First World War documents, letters or artifacts in order to create a free resource for researchers. They said that everyone is welcome to send in scans of anything that might be of interest, and the website will open on the 11th of November.
I thought it might be of interest if it takes off.  :)
Fred
added link:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_stories/2008/080303.html

3
The Lighter Side / Does anyone know their lighthouses?
« on: Friday 09 November 07 19:34 GMT (UK)  »
Hi, I've found some of Great Uncle's wartime photos showing a flight he made in a Fairey Swordfish biplane.( I think he was doing tests for the Air Ministry.)
One photo shows a very low pass round a lighthouse while another shows them flying away from a harbour- I wondered if anyone might recognise their local lighthouse and solve the mystery of its location. Any ideas would be most welcome. I'm pretty sure it is in the UK. :)
Thanks, Fred

4
Occupation Interests / Water Meadow drowners.
« on: Sunday 16 September 07 22:07 BST (UK)  »
The subject of drowning water meadows came up on another thread, so I thought I should start a new thread here with some pics of the restoration work going on in the Avon Valley at the moment (in Hampshire.)
The feeder channels were cut across a river bend with the flow controlled by hatches from the main river. The first pic shows the top hatches where the brickwork has been restored but the new oak gates have not yet been inserted. All the brickwork is being built on the original footings, which have been excavated from the overgrown banks.
The second pic shows the new hatches in place further down stream. The hatches tended to get smaller down the channel as the amount of water decreased. It was possible to control the flow precisely to flood the meadows on either side above the hatch.
Fred

5
The Lighter Side / War memorial found on beach.
« on: Saturday 28 July 07 13:34 BST (UK)  »
I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but I saw an interesting story on the Southern teletext news this morning.
It says that cleaners working on the beach at Mudeford near Christchurch have found a plaque, apparantly taken from the wall of a church. The plaque was under a bin and names four soldiers who were killed and says that "31 young men associated with this church...joined the colours." Investigations have so far indicated that the men came from Branksome near Poole, but no missing plaque has ever been noticed, so its origins are a mystery.
The report can be seen at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/6919228.stm
Fred

6
The Lighter Side / Memorial for Jack the Ripper Detective.
« on: Friday 06 July 07 00:04 BST (UK)  »
There was an interesting story on the Southern news concerning Det Insp. Abberline, who led the hunt for Jack the Ripper in the 1880s.
The detective was born in Blandford and died in Bournemouth in 1929, but had no close relatives to pay for a gravestone. Following some investigations, a local stonemason has donated a stone and present day officers will attend a memorial service in his memory this week. He was buried alongside his wife in an unmarked grave.
Abberline was played by Johnny Depp in the film about the Ripper.
Fred

7
Occupation Interests / Old hand tool- any ideas?
« on: Friday 04 May 07 14:49 BST (UK)  »
A chap called in at the farm this morning with an old item that he thought might be a farm tool. It didn't ring any bells, but I thought it might be worth posting a pic in case anyone recognises it.
It has two wooden handles which are permanently hinged in the middle (they don't come apart) and can be held in the open or closed position with a pin. On the ends of the handles are stubby metal forks. It is about 18inches long and is not neccessarily agricultural, the owner has been curious about it for many years.
If it looks familiar, I would love to hear what it was for:)
Fred

8
Dorset / Bell Street, Shaftesbury in Telegraph article
« on: Sunday 29 April 07 18:44 BST (UK)  »
Hi, while looking through the property section of the Saturday Daily Telegraph, I came across an article about a house in Bell St. Shaftesbury,and its involvement in the dodgy political dealings in the town in the 19th century. I thought it might be worth putting a link here as several RCers had ancestors in the area.
Fred

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2007/04/28/pshaf128.xml

9
The Lighter Side / Pleasure Beach bomb, 1942
« on: Tuesday 20 March 07 22:54 GMT (UK)  »
I've been going through Uncle's wartime photos and found a series showing a German bomb which has landed on a pleasure beach "somewhere in England."
I wondered if anyone recognised the amusement park.
He took the photos in July or August 1942 and I wonder if they were taken on the East Coast.
The first shows the entrance to the park with the "Pleasure Beach" sign. The RAF are steaming out the bomb.
If it stirred any memories, I would be most grateful.
Fred :)

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