Richard Broom Photography

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Posts from the ‘World War 2’ category

The Groundbreaking Women

An Air Transport Auxiliary veteran. This woman and many women like her were pilots during WW2 and receive the equal amount of pay as male pilots – an all time first for the British Government. But, it is interesting to note that the UK politicians didn’t manage to bring in the Equal Pay Act until 1970 – 25 years after the end of World War 2. Politicians? Who needs them!?

These very brave women pilots were so very impressive on many levels. This lady had flown just about every allied aircraft there was to fly during WW2. She is seen here standing next to a Spitfire Mk1 which was her favourite aircraft to fly.

The Groundbreaking Women - Richard Broom Photography
The Groundbreaking Women – Richard Broom Photography

The Lysander Cockpit

Very brave men flew these Lysander aircraft during WW2. The RAF pilots who flew these aircraft behind enemy lines, landed and either picked up or dropped off resistance fighters. The pilots would land in the dead of night in out of the way fields guided by only three people on the ground who held torches. No GPS or navigational aids in those days. The aircraft were unarmed.

The Lysander Cockpit - Richard Broom Photography
The Lysander Cockpit – Richard Broom Photography

The Printing Press (not just any printing press).

Not just any printing press. This press was used by the Dutch Resistance during World War 2 to print leaflets. More than 20,000 Dutch people were arrested because of their work with the Dutch Resistance. 2,000 Resistance workers were executed. Many Resistance workers were sent to concentration camps. So many brave people.

The Printing Press - Richard Broom Photography
The Printing Press – Richard Broom Photography

The Defender of London

Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park, GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC was a New Zealand soldier, First World War flying ace and Second World War Royal Air Force commander. He was in operational command during two of the most significant air battles in the European theatre in the Second World War, helping to win the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Malta. In Germany, he was supposedly known as “the Defender of London”.

Sir Keith Park - Richard Broom Photography
Sir Keith Park – Richard Broom Photography

The T1154 and R1155

The T1154 transmitter and the R1155 receiver were the first radios I used to transmit and receive signals (in my teens in the 1960s). These transmitters and receivers were used in Royal Air Force heavy bombers and other aircraft during World War 2. These transmitters and receivers used Morse code and the morse code signal used to ‘chirp’ (sounded a bit like a demented bird on drugs!). Some ‘chirping’ Morse code here.

Transmitter (top), receiver (bottom) – Richard Broom Photography
Courtesy Wikipedia and the Imperial War Museum

The Great Evil

The letter ‘J’ stands for Jewish on identity cards like the one below.  It was a death sentence for untold number of Jewish people during World War 2.  It is what happens when great evil finds itself in a position of power.  In today’s world, we should do everything we possibly can to prevent evil taking hold.  We only have to look to history to see what happens when evil people do take control. I fear that our politicians are so utterly distracted by their own (often pointless) agendas, they cannot see that we’re in danger of sleepwalking towards a huge global catastrophe – and this time, Mr Trump, it might final.

The Greatest Evil

The Greatest Evil

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