Month: March 2017

Treasure from the deep

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Pic: Lisa Clayton

Lisa Clayton, who lives in Herne Bay on the north coast of Kent, got a surprise when out for a walk at Reculver beach on Wednesday. She came across a complete endcap from one of the test ‘bouncing bombs’ dropped there during training for the Dams Raid in May 1943.
[Report and pictures: Kent Live]
Other parts of the concrete-filled bombs have turned up over the years since, but it is unusual to find such a large piece.
Reculver was used by the crews of 617 Squadron for low-level test drops of the bombs, including a full scale dress rehearsal on Friday 14 May 1943. Some of the test bombs were half-size but this would seem to be a full-size version. The photograph below shows a still from the film made of one of the test drops. Barnes Wallis, the inventor of the bomb, is the bareheaded man on the left of the group, with his arms outstretched.

Pic: IWM FLM 2343

It would be nice to think that the endcap will be recovered and put on display somewhere! Any suggestions?
[Hat tip: Susan Paxton]

 

Dam Busters in six sheets

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Pic: Ray Hepner Collection

A giant six-sheet size poster for the 1955 film The Dam Busters recently came onto the market, and was bought by our old friend, the collector Ray Hepner. He is now having it professionally mounted on linen so that it can be displayed.
Although the size (approx 81 inches square) is known in the poster trade as a ‘six sheet’, the poster was in fact printed in four parts with overlaps (which you can see in the picture above). Because most posters this size were displayed on outside hoardings, and then pasted over the following week, they are quite rare and much sought after by collectors. You do, however, need a pretty big wall on which to display something this size. Clear that space, Jeeves!