HMS
Implacable - 813 Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet
(continued)
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"THE
MED CRUISE"
Landings in
the Bay
Firebrands and Sea Hornets
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He just can't miss |
Steady as she goes |
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Be-doiing! |
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The Cleopatra (Dido-class AA cruiser) on the Gib
"Coalsheds" |
HMS Vanguard (battleship) in Algericas Bay |
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Coalsheds again - Implacable, Vengeance, Bulawayo
(ex-German oiler, now fleet auxiliary) |
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IN
GIBRALTAR |
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Off Europa Point - Freddie Wilcox, Dapper Berrill
Jock Tofts, Allan Griggs, Pete Harvey
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Our very smart bandmaster - "Bandy Ough" |
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Jim |
Admiral Sir Philip Vian in the distance
Freddie Wilcox & Dapper Berrill (with the very
famous Admiral in the palm of their hands) |
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The Rock from the S.E. |
Operation Pinwheel |
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BOTH
WERE ALWAYS TOGETHER |
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Mr "Danny" Kaye, The Blackburn Rep & 813
Squadron concert pianist
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The hangar for the Firebrands of 813 in HMS Implacable |
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VILLEFRANCHE
BAY, S. of FRANCE
March 1950 |
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Showpiece - Lt (E) Bannister poses |
Dog (Duty) destroyer - HMS Alamein |
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HMS Implacable and HMS Alamein |
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What price she flies??? |
Waiting for the boat - (sitting) Danny Kaye, Jim,
Freddie Wilcox, Duncan Lang, Jack Hayster, (standing)
Staff Type |
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TRIPS
TO MONTE CARLO and FRENCH ALPS, OVER TO MERS-EL-KEBIR
& ORAN |
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Just one of a number of photos in Valberg with the Ski
Club de Nice
right
- Lord Louis Mountbatten prepares to
leave Mers-el-Kebir in HMS Liverpool (light
cruiser). We left later - watched by Lady M
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AROUND
THIS TIME ON IMPLACABLE |
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Smokey - "Attention on the F' Deck, Face to Port."
Smokey did
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A flamer - Allan Harding |
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TARIFA,
NORTH AFRICA, GIBRALTAR and HOME |
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Re-entering Gib - Band on flight deck, work on
hangar deck
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Goodbye to Gibraltar
Pete Harvey, Mr D Kaye, Jock Tofts on the flight
deck
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"Mousing"
(training batsmen) in the UK and on any
available carrier |
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FIRELFY
1 - ILLUSTRIOUS - TEN LANDINGS AT A TIME |
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PROFESSOR
HAWLEY, "FLASHMAN" and THE RANGE |
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BRAKES
RUN UP
THEY ARE PUPPETS IN MY HANDS!
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OF
MEN AND MICE |
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Don Radford, Junior Turnbull (M for Mouse),
Willie Lawrence (M), Doug Baker (M), Colin Hook,
Pincher Martin (M), Al Hickling (M), Bill
Hawley (M & B for Batsman) - (Dope),
Sleepy Wigg
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"Old Prof" does not miss a trick |
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Flashman Hawley the Demon Batsman
Jock Hamilton smoking behind |
CUT!! YOU ?!!?xx
Junior, Mike Stanley, Senior Prof Algy Groombridge |
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MICE
(carrier-borne this time - on HMS Vengeance) |
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Shoot Son. James Tuttle & Dick Bates, Lt's USN
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How do you do? Shaggers & Sheepy (Lamb)
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Jock Lowe, Jim, Shorty Hamilton, Al Hickling |
Our popular C.O.
{El Baroni de la Contre Conception de la Lina}
Lt. Cdr C.K. (Chicko) Roberts |
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Now where can I stow MY B...... Gear
Johnny Mortimer & Joe Honeywill |
Mice or Men Again
Jock Lowe (smiles nervously), Shorty Hamilton
(reaching for a gun), Al Hickling (flogging his
shoes back)
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CAPTAINS
OF THE CLOUDS |
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Algy Groombridge & Doc Tom Boy Wade
Aces - all |
Bill Hawley & Johnny (Curly) Blunden
Devil Dogs of the Air |
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Sunday morning stroll - Sheepy Lamb, Norman
Sharrock
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My Deayah! The D.L.'s & the Batsmen! I just
couldn't see a thing for this blawsted sun!
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LA.PM Daniels & Electrician Lunness |
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Repairs? Preparing to leave Vengeance
(Jim standing, in whaler) |
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More
Mousing Ashore? |
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standing - Aussie, Shorty, Chiefy, Pip Powell
sitting - Jim, Johnny Scotney, Boris Morriss (?), Jack
(ashore - but not known when or where) |
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1
9 5 2 ? 1 9 5 6
HELICOPTERS, INCLUDING KOREA and SUEZ
After an accident in the mess, transferred to RNAS
Gosport on 17 April 1952 for training on Sikorsky S51
helicopters. First posting was to HMS Vulture, RNAS St
Merryn, Cornwall, as a SAR (Search and Rescue) pilot
for 4 or 5 months.
On the 9 Nov 1953, he was loaned to the Royal
Australian Navy and served on HMAS Sydney in the
Korean War theatre on SAR. He flew out in a
Constellation, joined Sydney in Singapore, and
returned home at the end of hostilities from Singapore
to Stanstead in Essex in an Avro York. While out in
the Far East, he travelled by boat from Kure, Japan to
visit Hiroshima.
After leave, posted to HMS Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose in
June 1954 as search & rescue pilot. Following
a quick conversion course to Sikorsky S55's at
HMS Daedalus, RNAS Lee-on-Solent, he was posted
to fleet carrier HMS Eagle on 6 February 1956 as
Commanding Officer of the Search & Rescue unit.
During this time, Eagle took part in the Suez
Campaign, and Jim received two Commendations. One, to
the whole crew was from the Commander-in-Chief for
rescuing Lt. Lyn Middleton (who commanded carrier HMS
Hermes in the 1982 Falklands War and later went on to
become an admiral). The second was a Mention in
Despatches for flying in and out of the War Zone at
Suez, taking in medical supplies and bringing out the
wounded. Jim lifted out Lyn Middleton on a second
occasion, and narrowly missed doing so on a third.
This was off the south coast of Malta when the
resident crew at Halfar did the job.
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HMAS
Sydney and Korea |
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HMAS Sydney underway |
presumably taken from her SAR helicopter hovering
ahead
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SAR Unit and helicopter on Sydney, in Kobe, Japan |
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return to UK in an Avro York |
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.......
HMS Eagle, including Suez |
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Eagle - speed trials |
"Big J", working a full flight deck |
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Rear Admiral Power, F.O.A.C. - "A Man we all Admired"
(Sir Manley, KCB, CBE, DSO*, commanded 26th
Destroyer Flotilla which sank Japanese heavy cruiser
Haguro in May 1945, promoted Rear Admiral 1953, Flag
Officer Aircraft Carriers 1956-57)
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(unidentified), G.O.C. Cyprus, Rear Admiral Power |
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G.O.C. Cyprus and the Captain, The Maclean of Maclean,
(unidentified)
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Jim ranging a helo at Malta, Captain Maclean on lift |
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HMS Eagle, undated - Lift off |
Eagle and rest of "our Carrier Air Group"
(possibly Albion and Bulwark) |
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Fleet Auxiliary Wave Conqueror. Val took passage in
her Gib to Malta. Here, outbound again, Gib to
Malta, preparing for Suez
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HMS Eagle, dated 14 June 1956.
Piloted by Jim Summerlee, with crewmen Mitchell and
Hazel (testing winch) off Cyprus. Note side arms.
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HMS Eagle, Beirut |
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HM Minelayer Manxman as we turn in Bosphorus |
HMS Manxman, Turkey (?) |
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HMS Eagle, dated 28 August 1956, The Helicopter Rescue
Unit.
seated centre - Pete Ragley, Jim, and Chief "Duff
Cooper" |
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Following a Wyvern
bombing attack on the fortified Coastguard Station
at Port Said during the Suez campaign:
"Lt Cdr Bill Cowling,
recognising that his aircraft had been hit (by
flak), climbed to 1200 feet but had to throttle
back. Eagle having acknowledged his Mayday call,
Cowling ejected from his Wyvern some five or six
miles from Port Said. As he landed in the sea, a
Whirlwind helicopter, flown by Lt Cdr Jim Summerlee,
was nearby transporting wounded soldeirs back to the
carrier. Cowling was quickly hauled aboard and,
although he had to stand up for the journey, was
soon back aboard Eagle." (page 31)
"Crises Do
Happen: the Royal Navy and Operation Musketeer,
Suez, 1956" by Geoffrey Carter, Maritime Books,
2006
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1
9 5 7 ? 1 9 5 8
WEAPONS TEST FIRING
Returned to the UK in Jan 1957 and was posted to HMS
Seahawk, RNAS Culdrose. Then on 19 Feb 1958, joined
the RAF?s Air Torpedo Development Unit (ATDU) dropping
experimental torpedoes in a deep water range off the
Isles of Scilly. His last flight before leaving the
Royal Navy on 7 Aug 1958 was in a Whirlwind V11 for
ATDU.
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1
9 5 8 ? 1 9 8 2
CIVILIAN
HELICOPTER FLYING
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General Flying 1958-64
Did a Civil Licence course at Air Service Training
(AST) Hamble (at his own expense, which ate up most of
his gratuity), and joined Helicopter Services Ltd on 3
Nov 1958. Started in South Wales flying Bell 47G's
with concrete skips slung underneath for the
construction of an offshore cooling caisson for
Aberthaw Power Station. Then various charter work,
before joining BEA Helicopter Experimental Unit based
at the Beehive, Gatwick on 2 Jun 1959. Next five years
was also on general charter work, mostly crop-spraying
in Scotland during the summer months, but also
providing engineering assistance during the building
of the M1, Britain's first motorway. Some of the more
interesting flying work in this time included:
1959 - ITV Anglia (including 19 Aug & 10
Sep), flying Lady Mountbatten from the Paraplegic
Games at Stoke Mandeville to her home at Broadlands on
the River Hamble, working with Rank Films (22 Sep)
1960 - BBC TV interviews (31 Mar & 6 Jun)
1961 - Hammer Films
1963 - BBC, Anglia TV (19-20 April), Pathé (14-16 Aug,
20 & 25 Sep), World Wide Photo?s (17 & 26
Aug), MGM (including 21 and 22 Aug) and National
Geographic (12 Oct)
1964 - Beatle?s in their first film at Gatwick (13
Mar)
Penzance to Scillies ?Bus Service? 1964-82
Transferred to Cornwall on 18 April 1964, where BEA
started the first civilian passenger service using
helicopters. Initially flying from the grass airfield
at St Just in Penwith to the Isles of Scilly then
moved to a purpose built heliport at Penzance. During
the winter months, sometimes went to Beccles in
Suffolk and Aberdeen, Scotland flying out to the North
Sea gas and oil rigs respectively. Back on the
Penzance-Scilly run in 1967, Jim was the first person
to spot oil tanker Torrey Canyon fast aground on the
Seven Stones Reef during his early morning flight on
18 March. Other points of interest in this period
included:
1966 - Penzance Film Charter (11 Jul)
1967 - photo charters for Torrey Canyon (21, 25 (2
charters), 27 (2), 29 (2+2) & 30 (3) Mar). On 8
Aug, and accompanied by his wife on what happened to
be their 18th wedding anniversary, met the Queen &
Prince Phillip on the Isles of Scilly and later on
board the Royal Yacht Britannia for a cocktail party,
where they also met Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
1969-71 - flying from Beccles to oil rigs (14-24 Feb
1969), Aberdeen to oil rigs (10-14 Nov 1969, 30 Dec-3
Jan 1970, 18 Dec-8 Jan 1971, 27 Jan-10 Feb 1971)
1973 - started training on the new S58T helicopter (1
Oct)
1974 - flying from Beccles to oil rigs (21 Feb-4 Mar)
1978 - received Queen?s Commendation for Services to
Aviation in the New Year Honours List (1 Jan)
1982 - retired after completing 30,000 crossings to
the Isles of Scilly (28 May)
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Bristol 171 at Gatwick - with the Jackson family. Mrs
Jackson was the sister of Val's Divisional Officer in
the WRNS
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Jim with Ron Digg, Manager Penzance |
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Jim made
the first sighting of the stranded tanker and
reported her on the outbound trip from Penzance
to Scilly ....
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.... the photograph was taken on
the return to Penzance. Val and Jim subsequently
helped with the clean-up of oil-damaged sea birds |
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Val and Jim at Lands
End in 1982 |
..... inevitably with their dogs |
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In
retirement Jim continued his love of fishing as a very
keen fly fisherman as well as bass beach fishing. He
also started a long association with the Sennen Cove
Lifeboat, located near Lands End, Cornwall as a
Committee member, Chairman, and Honorary Secretary for
ten and a half years, retiring at age 70.
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Defence
Medal
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1939-45
War Medal
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UN Korea
Medal
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Naval
General Service Medal
with clasp
Mention in Despatches
(Suez)
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Queen's
Commendation for Services to Aviation
awarded 31
December 1977
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and
Wren
Valerie Summerlee (née Smith)
Defence
Medal |
1939-45
War Medal |
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