Quote:
Originally Posted by adrian roberts 
- The Pilot of N6189 was P/O Lightoller. I think he must have been the son of Charles Lightoller, the senior surviving officer of Titanic - his CWGC ref shows his father as Cdr Charles Lightoller RNR. Do you know this for certain?
- Why would F/O Emden's aircraft be carrying four crew? Not much space in a Blenheim, and in a small aircraft weight would be critical as well.
- A Whitley was lost on 4/9/39, with the crew POW: it was apparently on a "Nickel" operation - what did this mean? Leaflet dropping?
- I remember reading that two of the gunners on a Wellington lost on the first day of the war were members of the British Union of Fascists. If this is true, do you know which of the men listed they were?
Adrian |
Blimey Adrian, it's nice to see you exercising those 48 year old brain cells
As to your questions:
- A Nickel or Nickling operation was indeed dropping leaflets. A Nickel was the codename for propaganda leaflets and somewhere on this forum someone once posted a link to the different types (shall look for it later)
- Emden's crew (N6199) had, as an extra navigator, Sgt
Grossey who had been attached from 42 Squadron, Coastal Command. However, it seems that extra passengers were not that uncommon. I found out on another forum about the number of cases of passengers (both new pilots along for "acclimitisation" and even erks given a reward for good work) on Beaufighter missions. And they were even more cramped than Blenheims.
- And yes you are right about Lightoller's father being on the Titanic:
Quote:
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The Lightollers youngest son, Brian, was in the RAF as a pilot. On the first night of World War II, he was killed in a bombing raid on Wilhelmshaven. Their eldest son, Roger, went on to join the Royal Navy where he commanded Motor Gun Boats*. During the final months of the war, he was killed during a German Commando raid on Granville on the North French Coast.
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Mr Charles Herbert*Lightoller
*
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) Officers 1940-1945
- I don't know about te BUF connection but I'll check out the interweb.