An Upkeep update and some other matters

The 1943 diary begins at Chesil with the early 'bouncing bomb" trials which were organised by the Royal Navy (DMWD) and Vickers. It includes details of timber, hardware etc. which were purchased locally to make the various marker floats.

While going over the diaries I always have a copy of "Bouncing-Bomb Man" by Iain Murray (with its calendar of Upkeep/Highball trials) to understand what is going on and where.

According to Lane the "stores" were dropped in the Fleet and not to the seaward. The stores needed to be retrieved if possible to check their condition. See draft note in response to Lord Ilchester's complaint concerning the trials and their effect on the swans!

John wrote:

The 1943 diary begins at Chesil with the early 'bouncing bomb" trials which were organised by the Royal Navy (DMWD) and Vickers. It includes details of timber, hardware etc. which were purchased locally to make the various marker floats.

FOR DISCUSSION:
Page 1/22 Preprod: Pre- Production

Page 4/22 Anophlese Code for Mosquito?

Page 10/22 Boughey Peter Boughey from SOE? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Boughey


Very interesting read John; thank you.

It looks like "Preprod" on the entry for Friday 1 January 1943. Refers to Vickers section who made the early prototype stores and would have sent them down from Weybridge/Foxwarren?

Anglophelese does I believe refer to the use of Mosquito aircraft for the trialling of Highball at Reculver and elsewhere. A RN Wellington was as far as I am aware used for all the Chesil trials. The final Chesil trials took place 8-9 March 1943 and the stores were dropped on the open sea (so Peter you were right about about some drops outside the Fleet).

It looks like Brughey in the diary (perhaps Lane got the spelling wrong?). It seems he was part of the trials party for Hellensborough so could have been security. Overall responsibility for security of the projects lay with Major Boddington of MI5. Interestingly there was a Antiques Roadshow prog. a few months ago where Boddington's grandson appeared with his medals and an original copy of a Barnes Wallis's plan/paper concerning Upkeep.

17 Jan 1945

Refers to Tallboy: Gypsum Jet Factory. Is this reference to storage at RAF Fauld ?

No RN Wellingtons were involved in the tests. Apart from one Wellington (an early Mk 1 model based in Scotland, at Donibristle, all RN Wellingtons were TOC after the Chesil Beach trials. Only BJ895 (Vickers “own”
aircraft) was used.

The Invader flown by Col. Haugen was 41-39231. Bob Handasyde flew with Haugen on 17 February 1945, in the UK. The aircraft which crashed in America during the “Speedee” trials was 43-22644, which crashed on 28 April 1945

IanDDavidson wrote:

17 Jan 1945

Refers to Tallboy: Gypsum Jet Factory. Is this reference to storage at RAF Fauld ?

I've checked Nick McCamley's excellent book on FAULD, and there is no ref to anything larger than 4000 lb being stored there.

The maps show a pretty random honeycomb of storage that would not lend itself to the underground storage of a large munition. I checked the external areas and there is no sign of any storage with traverses suitable for anything as large as a Tallboy.

Going back to post no.16 and Shorty Longbottom's death. I am puzzled that he is not commemorated on the CWGC site?

He died in a crash while landing a Warwick at Brooklands on 7 January 1945, cremated at St John's Crematorium, Woking on 14 January 1945 attended by Vickers staff inc. Barnes Wallis and many military personnel.

Certainly in the early part of the war he was "resting" from the RAF.