Amazing saga of "G for George"
Title
Amazing saga of "G for George"
Description
Covers the men maintaining the Lancaster 'G for George' as well as some of the aircrew. here are photographs of various crew members and the aircraft. 'The Daily Sketch', 17 March 1944.
Date
1944-03-17
Spatial Coverage
Language
Format
One newspaper cutting
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
NDorricottLW150708-03
Transcription
[underlined] THE DAILY SKETCH, FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 1944 Page 5 [/underlined]
HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME IS THE …
Amazing Saga of “G for George”
Flight-Sergeant Harry Tickle, one of the ground maintenance experts whose tireless work behind the scenes keeps the R.A.F. flying, has his own special baby, “George.” For 18 months now, Harry has been a “father” to this bomber
[photograph of Sergeant Harry Tickle]
Flight Sergeant Tickle watches “G” for George take the air. He will be back to see George return – a duty he has done on every flight.
SERGEANT KEEPS IT FLYING
By HERBERT J. MUGGERIDGE
Since the outbreak of war I have visited aerodromes throughout the country, and photographed hundreds of pilots with their crews and mechanics. I have seen many examples of “perfect partnerships” – some of them between men who have been flying together till each seems to know instinctively what the other is thinking; some of them between pilot and ‘plane.
Now, on a North Country station, I have discovered a rather different kind of “perfect partnership,” which is, in some ways, the most remarkable of all – the partnership of Harry and George.
[photograph of Sergt. Martindale]
One of George’s stout defenders, Sergt. Martindale, mid-upper gunner, comes from Wigan.
Harry is a young Australian flight-sergeant from Adelaide, and George is a sleek, black Lancaster night bomber. Between them they have caused Hitler quite a few headaches.
The partnership started in October, 1942. George, a new boy, was drafted to an Australian squadron, and became a member of the select little army of bombers under the care of maintenance expert Flight-Sergeant Harry Tickle.
A few days, or rather nights ago, George set off for Berlin. This was his 83rd operational trip. Harry saw him away and welcomed him home – as he has never failed to do during George’s career.
When George has come back wounded – that has happened 18 times, night fighters being responsible on three occasions and flak on 15 – Harry has attended to his wounds with loving care.
Also, Harry has seen that George gets his petrol rations regularly. George, let me say, is a thirsty soul – he as swallowed over a hundred thousand gallons of petrol already.
In return for these little drinks, George has presented the enemy with 400 tons of bombs.
[photograph of flight log]
An extract from the log in which are entered details of every flight. Comments by the various pilots are also recorded in this unique log.
[photograph of flights on nose of the bomber]
On the nose of the bomber the 83 flights are recorded. Flight-Sergt. Saint Smith, know as “The Saint” was the first pilot, which explains the drawings.
[photographs of Flight Lieutenant A. F. McKinnon and Pilot-Officer R. Douglas]
One of the pilots who served in George - Flight-Lieutenant A. F. McKinnon (left), of Australia. Right: Pilot-Officer R. Douglas, who has taken George twice to Berlin and once to Leipzig.
[photograph of Lancaster night bomber]
And here is the Old War Horse itself
HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME IS THE …
Amazing Saga of “G for George”
Flight-Sergeant Harry Tickle, one of the ground maintenance experts whose tireless work behind the scenes keeps the R.A.F. flying, has his own special baby, “George.” For 18 months now, Harry has been a “father” to this bomber
[photograph of Sergeant Harry Tickle]
Flight Sergeant Tickle watches “G” for George take the air. He will be back to see George return – a duty he has done on every flight.
SERGEANT KEEPS IT FLYING
By HERBERT J. MUGGERIDGE
Since the outbreak of war I have visited aerodromes throughout the country, and photographed hundreds of pilots with their crews and mechanics. I have seen many examples of “perfect partnerships” – some of them between men who have been flying together till each seems to know instinctively what the other is thinking; some of them between pilot and ‘plane.
Now, on a North Country station, I have discovered a rather different kind of “perfect partnership,” which is, in some ways, the most remarkable of all – the partnership of Harry and George.
[photograph of Sergt. Martindale]
One of George’s stout defenders, Sergt. Martindale, mid-upper gunner, comes from Wigan.
Harry is a young Australian flight-sergeant from Adelaide, and George is a sleek, black Lancaster night bomber. Between them they have caused Hitler quite a few headaches.
The partnership started in October, 1942. George, a new boy, was drafted to an Australian squadron, and became a member of the select little army of bombers under the care of maintenance expert Flight-Sergeant Harry Tickle.
A few days, or rather nights ago, George set off for Berlin. This was his 83rd operational trip. Harry saw him away and welcomed him home – as he has never failed to do during George’s career.
When George has come back wounded – that has happened 18 times, night fighters being responsible on three occasions and flak on 15 – Harry has attended to his wounds with loving care.
Also, Harry has seen that George gets his petrol rations regularly. George, let me say, is a thirsty soul – he as swallowed over a hundred thousand gallons of petrol already.
In return for these little drinks, George has presented the enemy with 400 tons of bombs.
[photograph of flight log]
An extract from the log in which are entered details of every flight. Comments by the various pilots are also recorded in this unique log.
[photograph of flights on nose of the bomber]
On the nose of the bomber the 83 flights are recorded. Flight-Sergt. Saint Smith, know as “The Saint” was the first pilot, which explains the drawings.
[photographs of Flight Lieutenant A. F. McKinnon and Pilot-Officer R. Douglas]
One of the pilots who served in George - Flight-Lieutenant A. F. McKinnon (left), of Australia. Right: Pilot-Officer R. Douglas, who has taken George twice to Berlin and once to Leipzig.
[photograph of Lancaster night bomber]
And here is the Old War Horse itself
Collection
Citation
“Amazing saga of "G for George",” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed July 27, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/7264.
Item Relations
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