Ghandi's Flip Flops
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 14 Aug 2009
- Messages
- 1,383
Thanks, he never really talked about it, but the main thing he survived. I would of loved to of known some stories though. Grandad are cool!. My nana worked in a factory making percussion caps for the bullets.
Rear gunner on a Lancaster was probably the worst position on the plane. Most likely to be killed or injured and the whole crew relying on you to spot the German night fighters.
Before my grandad was called up for the RAOC, he did war-work at Trafford Park on the Lancasters. Told me there was a major design flaw on the early Lancaster's rear turrets, in that if the rear gunner was badly wounded while inside it, there was no way for a crew member in the fuselage to turn the turret to get them out.
They rectified it by adding control valves in the fuselage, but on the first batch that was due them fitted, the valves disappeared somewhere on site, and they were nearly sent out without them. After scouring the site they were eventually found; someone had delivered them to the works canteen by mistake.