Spitfire Fighter Memorial

[Mad Aussie]

I ducked down the road this morning to a memorial for a couple of Spitfire Fighter pilots who died here during WW2. I'll include the maps I put in another thread in order to keep it all together and my photos below.

Tonight I'll go back and light paint the memorial and add those in this thread later.


This is a Story Board that tells what happened that day


These two are shots from each end of the memorial




This is a shot of the depression the Spitfire made, still evident after over 60 years and all the leaf litter etc that has gathered in it. That's my Tripod (Michaelaw and AntZ will recognize it easily as they have the same), a full sized Manfrotto but with the legs collapsed in. So the depression is probably only about 400mm ( around 1/2 a yard) deep now.
There are stories that the engine block is still in the bush behind this somewhere but I've never found it. Probably found and taken many years ago.


A closer shot of the Rock and Plaque


And finally the Plaque itself



Here's a couple of maps to show the airfields that were here back in those days ... A1 is where these pilots took off from that day in April 1944.

This is off some guys website ozatwar.com, a fella called Peter Dunn


This a modern map of the area. In the top left hand corner is where I live. (Green circle and blue marker). The airfields are A1,2 and 3 where I put those green strips. A2 is now a suburban street ... Runway Street.
The crash site is just out of view on this map just above where I live.

[QuietOne]

Mike really appreciated this thread. In the American Army Air Force fully 50% of their losses were in training or stateside flying.

His favorite WWII plane is the Spitfire. I'll have to go looking for the scans we did of the pictures from when he flew in a Spitfire. They're terrible, because they were taken with a little 110, but I'll see what I can do with them.

[Mad Aussie]

Mike really appreciated this thread.

That's nice to know. Thanks.

We had a huge American influence over here during WW2. There was a major army presence here in Brisbane complete with ammunition bunkers etc.

Further north though in Townsville a huge contingent of army and navy were stationed up there fighting in the pacific theatre I believe.

Apparently we even have some wild cougars loose in Victoria due to American servicemen releasing their mascots! It's more legend than fact though but many people claim to have seen the cats.

[Mad Aussie]

In an hours time (sunset) I'll go down and do a light painting shot or two on that Memorial. Won't be posted until morning though I suspect.

[QuietOne]

Since it's past my bedtime, I wouldn't see them tonight anyway. Have fun.

[Hillbillygirl]

Thanks for sharing this with us MA. Glad to see them remembered forever.
Really hits home as we just lost a local young man over in Afghanistan. My husband followed a trail of yellow ribbons halfway home from work. Nice to see all the support.

[Mad Aussie]

Thanks for sharing this with us MA. Glad to see them remembered forever.
Really hits home as we just lost a local young man over in Afghanistan. My husband followed a trail of yellow ribbons halfway home from work. Nice to see all the support.

We must always remember what our servicemen and women do for us.

I think I got some nice shots tonight and hopefully when I get a chance tomorrow morning I can do this memorial some real justice.

[Mad Aussie]

Here's my Light Painting efforts ...

[QuietOne]

I did see your light painting the day after you posted them, just didn't get a chance to comment on them. I think the 3rd one is particularly effective - the blacks, grays, shadows interplay with each other, and the green of the leaves just above the plaque adds a nice touch of color. Mike came in to look when I told him that you'd posted them, and said, "Those are neat".

[Bambi]

I quite like the light painted ones. they add an another dimension that is quite interesting.