Gift within a Gift.

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ArcEye
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Gift within a Gift.

Post by ArcEye » Thu Dec 24, 2020 10:53 pm

So a few years back my mum bought me this book from a charity shop.

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Opened it up and inside was some Hand written letters and stuff inside of a newspaper clipping.

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Turns out these are the real gift. On the paper was written all the serial numbers of Spitfires flown by the owner of the book.
Within the book was also Handwritten notes such as these.

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Sat on it for a bit tried researching the pilot but to no avail.

Tonight though after a couple of JD honey and lemonades I decided to do some digging. Went on to the national archives and found the Operational data for the date of 21 of may 1944 as the writing above shows this was a mission that was traceable. I found the name of the Pilot, Flying Officer J.D McCarthy.

Did a google search on his name and the mission dated in book actually features on this site here https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-hist ... 55931.html
and has a note written by his son who's name is on the Reciept in the book.
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Konaber
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Re: Gift within a Gift.

Post by Konaber » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:00 pm

Very cool stuff Arc :)

Cule
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Re: Gift within a Gift.

Post by Cule » Fri Dec 25, 2020 12:50 pm

great stuff!
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Paddy
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Re: Gift within a Gift.

Post by Paddy » Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:05 am

Holy shit that’s amazing!
Cheers,

Paddy
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Group Captain John 'Paddy' Hemingway, we salute you

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ArcEye
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Re: Gift within a Gift.

Post by ArcEye » Sat Dec 26, 2020 4:07 pm

With a bit more research managed to find these details about " Mac" on the 41st Squadron website researched by Steve Brew.

Name: McCARTHY, John Dudley ‘Mac’
Number: 147196
Rank: Flight Lieutenant
Nationality: British
Born: Unknown location, Norfolk, 25 March 1918
Arrived: 3 September 1945
Departed: 4 January 1946
Notes: Died Redbridge, Essex, July 1994

He left the RAF on the 4th of January 1946. 41 Squadon where flying Mk V Tempests at that time so he had flown most Mk's of Spit's and Mk V Tempests in his service.

Look's like he did his operational training with 53 OTU, before being moved to 186 squadron which was later renamed 130 "Punjab" squadron. After war's end he was posted to 41 Squadron.

I'm Guessing by the date I got the book in roughly 2016 that Either his son has unfortunately passed away as well or someone has just cleared his stuff out as I couldn't imagine him giving this slice of his fathers history away.

Will do some more digging in the new year and try to piece together this a bit more.
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ArcEye
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Re: Gift within a Gift.

Post by ArcEye » Thu Dec 31, 2020 3:27 pm

So on the 24th I bought another book recommended by Mac's son on the internet site I linked above it arrived today.
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Inside another cool suprise a Signature from a Pilot that served in the same three Squadrons as Mac.

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The more I looked at it the more familiar the writing looked. I grabbed some of the notes from the other book to compare.

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The notes are written in 1971 on the top paper and the signature was written in 1994. There is a bit of variance but also some similarities. No other pilot with the initials J.D M flew with 186, 130 and 41 squadrons from what I can see in my records from the Archive or my previous sources. Plus J.D McBarthy doesn't make much sense and in this piece of the notes he has written RAF Coltishall but the C is almost B shaped here as well.

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I don't know if its because I feel like I want it to be his signature or it Actually is that i'm finding similarities.

If not what a coincidence that I have two Spitfire Books both with writing by the same Pilot.

More digging required again.
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Kurse
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Re: Gift within a Gift.

Post by Kurse » Sat Jan 02, 2021 5:57 pm

This is really cool stuff Arc!
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Re: Gift within a Gift.

Post by Whisky » Wed Jan 06, 2021 3:24 am

AMAZING!
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"Elevate caudae nos venatores sumus!"

Quinn
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Re: Gift within a Gift.

Post by Quinn » Thu Jan 07, 2021 12:16 am

Really excited to see where this goes! If you want any help ArcEye, I have a subscription to ancestry, I can help search records if you would like :)

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ArcEye
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Re: Gift within a Gift.

Post by ArcEye » Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:50 pm

That might be handy Quinn I will pm you if I need anything and thanks for the offer.
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