Ron Chapman climbing into the cockpit of a Hurricane Mk IIc. Note the long distance fuel tanks under the wings. photograph probably taken at Takoradi, Ghana early 1942.

NEW YEAR – WITH AN UNWELCOME CRASH

Posted on December 31, 2023January 2, 2024 by Neil Chapman

January 1, 1942 was a normal working Thursday for my grandparents, John and Jane Chapman. No Bank Holiday.

There was a war on, and my grandfather worked for nearby De Havilland that made vital aircraft such as the Mosquito for the RAF.

But New Year’s Day 1942 was when they received the news – in an official telegram, delivered to their semi-detached house home at 35, Napsbury Avenue, London Colney, Herts.

Their son, Flt Sgt Ron Chapman had been in a plane crash.

Only weeks before they had said goodbye to him as he headed overseas to West Africa.

Now he was recovering from his injuries in a hospital in Palestine (today’s Israel.) Concussion, leg wounds, a smashed jaw and no teeth, but he was alive. Thankfully he’d received medical attention soon after the crash in northern Sudan the day after Boxing Day, 1941.

British surgeons fixed him up so that he was back flying by March, 1942.

The picture shows him climbing into the cockpit of a Hurricane Mk IIc – one of the first planes he flew on his return to piloting fighter planes from West to North Africa.

NEW YEAR NUMBER BUMP
by Neil Chapman
Thanks to historical author Jessie Childs mentioning ‘Blighty Thank God’ during one of the UK’s leading history podcasts there was a holiday season jump in downloads to over 2000.
WORLDWIDE INTEREST
by Neil Chapman
Without the internet, ‘Blighty Thank God’ couldn’t have happened. When the podcast series was first published in 2023, anyone, anywhere could access it via the web.
RON CHAPMAN REMEMBERED IN HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER
by Geoff Paddock
The Northern Echo newspaper featured the diaries of Ron Chapman in a feature article for its "Echo Memories" column by Chris Lloyd this week, part of Remembrance Day coverage.
REMEMBRANCE MEMORIES
by Malcolm Parker
A dear friend kindly wrote about his memories of Ron from our school days, as well as his thoughts on Remembrance Day.
SEX, SPIES & LIES
by Neil Chapman
What a joy when award-winning historical author Jessie Childs (pictured) contacted me via this website. She found ‘Blighty Thank God’, published one year ago, when delving into the fascinating life of her diplomat grandfather, Stephen Childs.
D-DAY AT LAST
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80 years ago, on June 6, 1944, Flt Sgt Ron Chapman was 5,000+km from the Normandy D-Day landings. Stationed in Egypt, he was probably ‘cheesed off’.
ENSA TRIBUTE
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In my father’s war diary, ENSA - the Entertainments National Service Association - features regularly.
PAYING THE PRICE FOR FLYING THE ‘GRISLY BISLEY’
by Neil Chapman
One ‘Blighty Thank God’ episode highlights the Bristol Blenheim V plane - or as pilots dubbed it - the ‘Grisly Bisley’. Through research into my late father’s (Flt/Sgt. Ron Chapman) 1943 war diary I learned how it earned its macabre reputation.
TESTING THE MIGHTY HURRICANE
by Neil Chapman
Visit this website to see pictures of British Hawker Hurricane Mark IIb fighter - BE208. To my surprise my father - Flt Sgt. Ron Chapman of (xxx)- played a 6,000km part in its long journey from the UK to Asia.
SOMETHING BORROWED
by Neil Chapman
This wedding photograph of my late parents - Ron and Monica Chapman - at St. Stephen’s Church, St. Albans, October 1946, was familiar to me growing up. After researching my father’s WW2 diary, discovered after both had died, it threw up a number of questions.