Lancaster Bomber 514 Squadron

Damn, my eyes have sprung a leak...Going to blame the wine.
Thanks for everything MrC.

 

Well Skipper it was no surprise when you told us you were on tour again on July 29/15.
I'm sure you made good use of your time. That is a great posting remembering Bob Giffin
and Bruce Johnston. There are many memories brought back from those times.
All the best to you and yours from the Skipper of Lancaster A2 C

 

Hello alieneyes, thanks for posting that article. It was brought so nicely together
by a reporter from Brantford. He is interested in his work and especially the air war.
Glad that he included Hazel who helped me throughout the war and in my recovery
afterward.
Hope you continue to enjoy this thread.
Cheers Alex Campbell Skipper of Lancaster A2 C

 

While driving back from Britanny a few days ago, we drove through Saint Cloud and made a short stop there to pay a triubtue to Robert Giffin. As it was unexpected, we had no flowers , sorry. Some nice pictures were taken though and note that behind Bob Giffin's grave is a 1944 with aman nam named "Visage". His name is on the monument too, so I suspect he was one of the civilian victims of the delayed bomb explosion .

 

Again Skipper the thoughtful visit and photos are typical of you. Glad to see another
victim of that era is remembered.
Would that tall young man be my friend Neils? Good luck to you sir.
Thanks Skipper and all the best to you and your family.
Alex Campbell Skipper of Lancaster A2 C

 

Yes, that's him, he's probably the most devoted of our family and would not have missed the opportunity to salute a WW2 grave. While in Britanny, we visited a WW2 museum and when he read that one veteran lived nearby, he asked the director to call the person. When she showed up he was delighted an we had a great chat with the lady who was a radio operator for ground crews during the war.

 

Our local library created an entry on the Memory Project featuring Dad's story. The site includes an audio interview with Dad about the events of July 28/29 1944.

Select "Listen to this story." at this site:

http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/2863:alex-campbell/

Wayne

 

Image broken Skipper! Could you please repair it?
- Actually... ALL your excellent and so, so relevant photos you posted earlier in this thread.
This thread was really livened with that input and would be blessed with the re-establishment of that part of the record of this event.

Quoting Otto: "Pictures in this thread alone could fill a book."
(So, so many all gone now... sad to say... lets make this "repair central" K folks?)

It is such a shame that we lost all our picture galleries when we moved to this new Invision Power based forum...

Tnx! Fried Ed. <===<-:
(A Smiley that has Tied One On!)

 

Moderators! Pleading plea, plea, plea, please, pretty please here...

Could you please repair the avatar for E.Cambell and E.A.Cambell's sig including the image [sigpic][/sigpic] that were created for them from this picture?
Thank you from one and all!

 

Only four 5 Star Votes for this page? (Top of the page...) Sheesh guys and gals!

No one seems to be using this feature. Pump it up. K?
I am interested in seeing what results. i.e. If this Invision Power based forum has a way of letting visitors (and members)
know that this particular thread is SPECTACULAR.

This thread now has 39 pages of posts (and counting) including 966 replies and 116,052 views to date (Jan 18th 2016)
- all about our favorite veteran E.A.Campbell whose thread was started by / and is ± managed by his son: E. Campbell



Repair of earlier link to Nose art: 514 Squadron - E.A. Campbell and Jack Chapman, Lancaster A2-C

 

That picture you previously posted of Ju88G1 4R+AK is another one I would really like to see back up here Skipper!
Was this it? If not, any chance? - Martin Bull said: "here's an image of the type of nightfighter."

 

Mr Campbells back porch and yard is total Canadian. ..love that picture, love that man.

 

Hi Alex,

I am so glad to hear you are doing well and very interested to hear that you also worked for de Havilland after the war, fitting out Lancasters for post-war duties. I wonder if you worked on our Lancaster, FM212. We are currently restoring her in Windsor to wartime configuration after she spent 40 years on a pedestal in Jackson Park, Windsor. I have been a volunteer at the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association there for the last 5 years where we are also building a Mosquito Bomber.

I thought of you the other day when I was giving a tour at our hangar and telling the story of Lancaster LM178. When I got to the part about Pilot Bill Robinson and Navigator Jo Forman being blown out of the cockpit when the wing exploded, one of the gentlemen said, "Wait! Jo Forman who lived and taught in Sault Ste. Marie after the war?? He was my teacher and football coach!" Life is full of such amazing coincidences and I told them some of the story of Freteval Forest.. We talked for over an hour more after the tour and he will be seeing Jo's wife when he returns to the Soo.

Anyway, this made me think of you and I had to check in here to see how you were doing. Stay well. sir.

Cheers,
Don Christopher

 

Well here is a weird posting. The gremlins from the bomber days have been following me.
As usual I did not get a glimpse of him but he slipped in here and took off with 1&1/2 hours
of my strenuous efforts which were about to be posted world wide.

Anyway Cheers to Don, Fred, grasshopper, and all
Alex Campbell Skipper of Lancaster A2 C

 

Take a look in your Browser's "history"
The entirety of your work my be there. Just open a new page from it.

Cheers. Glad to hear from you again!

 

I concur. Good to see you commenting Mr. Campbell. Be well, Sir.

 

The efforts of all those who fought to liberate the World and keep us free are appreciated by all of us here and so many more, Mr. Campbell, rest assured. My children will learn of men such as yourself!

 

Thank you all for keeping this great thread alive. Good to see Alex is doing well ( Btw : Niels says hi) .

 

Very well said, buddy!!

 

A website in France for E Alex Cambells Lancaster LL692 loss report.
http://www.cometeline.org/ficheD032.html

Any "new" light added there?

It says the people who found you offered you a few cigarettes. I can't allow that image to creep in!

Then, shortly into your evasion
"They think they find water in a tub for sheep, but discover a liquid coated greenish foam.
They skim the foam to dive in a bottle "water" there put four tablets halizone (four times the normal dose for the amount),
shake the mixture for twenty seconds (instead of "let stand 20 minutes") and share..."