Jack Currie 'Lancaster Target'

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24 years 2 months

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A lifelong favourite book of mine, I was wondering if anyone had any info regarding the rest of Jack's main crew? I know that Jack himself sadly passed away in 1996, but what became of the other boys in his book? Are any still with us, do we know?

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20 years 1 month

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Slightly off topic - I am currently trawling through my VHS tape collection and came across a documentary on RAF Scampton produced by BBC North in 1983 and introduced by Jack Currie. "Micky" Martin was one of those 1nterviewed in the programme.

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I wish I could see whatever the 'BBC documentary The Lancaster Legend' is; it's been mentioned on the cover of just about every reprint of 'Lancaster Target' for years, and I've never seen the blasted thing!

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20 years 5 months

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I wish I could see whatever the 'BBC documentary The Lancaster Legend' is; it's been mentioned on the cover of just about every reprint of 'Lancaster Target' for years, and I've never seen the blasted thing!

Ahhh I've lost count the amount of times I've read that book. I would love to see The Lancaster Legend and I've trawled high and low for references to that doc but have come up nought so far.

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18 years 4 months

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Jack Currie Items

With reference to Lancman's obviously frustrated remark, I have a copy of this somewhere! However, it's a while since I've seen it myself and I've moved house since and actually not watched any videos in ages. Currie actually did three half hour documentaries. The titles elude me at the moment but one was of the Augsburge Raid, Led by Jon Nettleton and flown by 44 Sqn; the other is indeed the 'Lancaster Legend' (or someting along thise lines!) which is, from memory, a personal account by Currie of joining and flying the Lancaster and the third, which I think was a BBC Look North programme, focusses on the 'ghosts' of airfields. Interestingly, this also includes a brief interview with Fred Panton and a look at the Ghost of East Kirkby. Iy also includes shots of the tower long before it reached its now superb state. I MUST look these vids out.

Chris

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Hope you find them, Chris!

Incidentally, after years of reading my well-thumbed Goodhall version of LT, I've started reading my pristine Crecy version, the newer one with the photos in- but it's absolutely riddled with typos though! It's really quite shocking, there are so many silly mistakes in it. What a shame!

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18 years 4 months

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Lancaster Target

Lancman,

Sorry to here about the quality of the content of the book. It does seem such a shame.

I don't know whether you received my message but could you PM me and I'll fill you in on progress? This is what Bank Holidays are for when there's no flying near by. Oh, and it's started slinging it down now! There we go - Bank Holiday!

Cheers.

Chris

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It's ridiculous- I don't know if it had a bad editor, or someone perhaps ran it through a really inept spell-checker and just left all the queried/ammended words in! West Malling became 'West Malting' several times over, to say nothing of the dozens and dozens of other very silly mistakes I spotted. It bothered me because I'd hate to think of anyone buying LT for the first time (and really, it's required reading on the subject) and seeing all those mistakes and thinking that they were down to the late Jack.

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18 years 8 months

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Lancaster Target

I was watching my copy of Lancaster Legend last night, have to say I was not aware of the other two, are they commercially available?

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20 years 5 months

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I have the Goodall copy of LT and after reading Lancmans post I will be replacing it with another Goodall copy when it finally dies.
BTW has anyone read JCs sequel to LT,'Mosquito Victory'?

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17 years 11 months

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Read it twice now. Almost as good as LT and a very good read about his frustrated attempts to re form his crew and get back on "ops". I will not spoil your enjoyment of this book but at one point in it JC is wandering through a wood shooting targets with the army.

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20 years 5 months

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I will have to put it on my 'to buy' list then.

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17 years 11 months

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Never read his the first one in the trilogy "Wings over Georgia" though. I can never seem to read books in the correct order. I belive that JK also did the voice over for the Two farmers and a Lancaster Video & Operation Lancaster.

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20 years 8 months

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I have the Goodall copy of LT and after reding Lancmans post I will be replacing it with another Goodall copy when it finally dies.
BTW has anyone read JCs sequel to LT,'Mosquito Victory'?
Yes and it is every bit as entertaining as his previous two books. I have to admit to more than one chuckle during my reading of Wings Over Georgia. Reading that you wonder how he ever managed to stay in the service, let alone get his wings

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18 years 4 months

Posts: 378

Lancaster Legend etc

I was watching my copy of Lancaster Legend last night, have to say I was not aware of the other two, are they commercially available?

Lion Rock, as far as I'm aware they're not commercially available but I do somewhere have all three on VHS. As I've only just acquired another working video recorder, I'm going through tapes trying to find them. They were all half-hour documentaries hosted by Currienand broadcast in the mid '80's. As I said in an earlier post, I don't remember the order in which they went out but the titles were: 'Lancaster Legend' (obviously, that appears to be reason for this thread!), 'The Augsburg Raid' (which I unearthed yesterday) and lastly, 'The Watch Tower', which is a look at the legends and folklore which has built up around disused airfields. Some good very early footage of East Kirkby on this one IIRC. I'm still looking for tow of these vids.

Cheers
Chris

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18 years 4 months

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PS

I can't type, either!

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24 years 2 months

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I've read all of Jack's books, and they're all a great read, for differing reasons. LT remains the greatest one though, a stunning tale of an operational tour.

Fingers crossed re. cdp206 finding his tapes!

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18 years 8 months

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Lancaster Target

Thanks cpd 206, there was also a half hour documentary that jack Currie did about RAF Scamppton, which included a chat with the Red Arrows when they were based there. It finished with a few minutes footage of Arthur Gibsons excellent Rad Arrows film all done to music.

Excellent!!!

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18 years 8 months

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Lancaster Target

Thanks cpd 206,

Jack Currie also did a documentary on RAF Scampton which included an interview with Mickey Martin from the Dambusters Raid, and then went on to chat with the residents at that time the Red Arrows.

It finished with a few minutes of Arthur Gibsons film of a Red Arrows display done to music

Excellent!!!

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20 years 1 month

Posts: 548

That's the documentary I mentiioned earlier. It was made by BBC North in 1983. I still have my VHS recording of it (not the best quality).