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February
Can You
Help?
I run a small
publishing company specialising in pictorial
books about the Fleet Air Arm, and the
object is to preserve a bit of FAA history
and at the same time involve the experts,
the 'men who were there'. Two of these books
are already published, on the Wyvern and the
Scimitar, and both are crammed with
anecdotes, etc., -- mainly by pilots! I'd
like to get many more people with first-hand
knowledge involved, and I wonder if I can
tempt you.
At the moment I'm working on books about the
Sea Hornet and the Firefly, but there are
plans for, eventually, books on practically
ALL the front-line FAA aircraft of the post
war era.
I'd be most appreciative if you could
contact me. I cannot run to paying fees
(it's a ship with a one-man crew here!), but
of course everybody who takes part gets a
free copy of 'their' book, with full credits
and effusive compliments!
You can see details of these books at
http://www.adhocpublications.com click
'From the Cockpit' on the menu on the left.
Hope to hear from You!
Kind Regards
Roger Chesneau
AD HOC PUBLICATIONS
Cedars
Wattisham Road
Ringshall
Stowmarket
Suffolk
IP14 2HX
E-Mail.
adhocpub@aol.com
Tel. 07776 134277
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Lt (A) David G Ffiske RNVR
-
Lt (A)
Robert M “Stumpy” Gunther RNVR
On the 9th February 2007, David
Ffiske of New Zealand wrote to an address in
Nottingham, United Kingdom, this address was
the last know address of Robert Gunther who
was believed to be living there with his
sister Miss K M Gunther in 1945, in the hope
that he would be able to discover anything
about his fellow officer and good friend.
Both David and Robert were FAA Observers
serving with 810 Squadron (Barracuda
Aircraft) on HMS Illustrious during
WWII.
Problem was that this Nottingham address was
over 60 years old!
On the 13th February 2007 the
current resident at this address contacted
the FAAA Webmaster via the Fleet Air Arm Web
Site (
http://www.faaa.org.uk ) asking if
anything could be done to help.
The Search was ON!
The FAAA Webmaster started to trawl the
internet and finally found a photograph of
Sub.
Lt. Robert M. Gunther, (Observer) RNVR (first
left) on his rescue from the Aomori
(correctly
Omori) POW Camp,
in the Tokyo area of Japan in September 1945
also shown in the picture is Lt Basil W.
Aldwell, (Pilot) RNVR (second left).
see
http://www.npswapa.org/gallery/album79/78_JP_britpows
David Ffiske had mentioned in his original
letter that Lt (A) Robert M
“Stumpy”Gunther RNVR had been held by
the Japanese in a POW Camp.
The FAAA Webmaster then contacted Jim
Kimpton, a friend and ex-shipmate who has a
web site called Gentracers Family History
Group at
http://www.gentracers.co.uk using his
expert knowledge and facilities Jim came up
with an address in Hampshire.
The FAAA Webmaster armed with this
information, contacted the address to
discover that Robert Gunther had, but no
longer lived at that address. Thankfully the
new owner of the Hampshire address had the
contact information of the previous owner
who was Robert Gunther’s sister, and
provided a telephone number for Robert
Gunther.
On the 16th February 2007 the
FAAA Webmaster called the telephone number
of this Robert Gunther to discover that this
was Ex-Lt (A) Robert M “Stumpy”
Gunther RNVR and Ex-Lt
(A) David G Ffiske RNVR was informed.
The Search was OVER!
David Ffiske and Robert Gunther (both aged
84) are once again in touch after more than
60 years.
The
Gurkhas Petition
The Government
promised citizenship rights to retired
Gurkhas following a major campaign in 2004,
but hundreds of retired Gurkhas who should
have the right to citizenship are having
their applications unfairly held up by the
Home Office.
The
Gurkhas are also fighting the Government
decision to only allow Gurkhas who retired
after 1st July 1997 to become citizens -
discriminating against hundreds of Gurkhas
who served loyally but retired before this
artificial cut-off date.
Gurkha
campaigners are also calling for a fairer
deal on pensions - Gurkha pensions are
currently between 1/8th and 1/6th of the
equivalent UK Service person.
Sign the
Petition at
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/gurkha/
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