The South East Echo |
Website News |
New Year's Day is the first day of
the year and is an occasion that witnesses the biggest annual
celebration across all countries of the world. It is the time when we
ring out the old year and welcome the present year with open arms, with
eyes filled with new dreams and hearts replete with new expectations.
This year we have the F.A. Cup and the 2012 Olympics, but don't be too disheartened; there are still pubs to be found that don't have Sky TV. |
A new book is being written to coincide with the 100th Anniversary of the start of the First World War, and will be a commemoration of the Servicemen who were born in Southend and the surrounding area, and who fell between 1914 and 1921. The book has a provisional submission date of September 2012.
We would be pleased to hear from anybody with information or photographs that can be included.
Please email us at : spitsortiesites@yahoo.co.uk.
Thank you |
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| "RAF Southend" Release Date |
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"R.A.F. Southend, 1940-1944 " focuses on the airport between 1941 and 1944, when it became a Fighter Station in its own right. It details the various Squadrons and their activities while they were based there, and traces the day-to-day running of the Station, from being a forward fighter base for R.A.F. Hornchurch at the beginning of the hostilities, to becoming an Armament Practice Camp in the final months of the war.
Through interviews with people "who were there" and the consultation and meticulous cross-referencing between the Station Log and Squadrons Logs, and other published and non-published material, it makes for a very accurate and interesting read for people with an interest in local history and aviation/military history. |
The contents read in diary-type format, describing the manning and maintenance of a forward Fighter Station, often under attack, and follows the varying fortunes of the staff and personnel who were posted there. Containing previously unpublished photographs, the book also illustrates just how important R.A.F. Southend was at the time the war was taken back to Europe, and the highs and lows (and often tragic) events that occurred at and around the aerodrome. |
The book is scheduled for release on 1st June 2012 by The History Press.
Paperback, 160 pages with photo section.
Pre-order available through Waterstones, W.H. Smith and Amazon |
We shall be adding more pilot's dossiers onto the website over the next few weeks, with a large number of them being from the Canadian, Czech and Polish squadrons. Thanks to the kind donations and help from family descendants, Squadron Associations, and Aviation/Military historians, we have been able to build up a good amount of information, often supported by photographs which we will adapt and include on the pages within 'RAF Squadrons'. |
You might remember the report in the Southend Echo about the graves that were vandalised in October 2009. Among the many headstones that were pushed over and broken, one war grave in particular, that of Private J. J. Deane (J. J. Hanson) of the East Surrey Regiment, was smashed to pieces.
True to their word, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission were informed and placed an order for a replacement headstone to be made. The process takes up to fifteen months; they are all produced in France.
The Burial Ground itself has had a massive make-over, and S.A.V.S. now operate from the reconstructed Chapel.
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