Trust
treasures wartime pigeon tale
Artefacts relating to an unlikely
wartime hero, a homing
pigeon, are among many which have been entrusted to the
Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust by the family of an
Australian flying boat pilot.
They belonged to Wing Commander Vic
Hodgkinson, DFC, who flew Sunderland's from Pembroke Dock in
1940 and 1941 with the famous No 10 Squadron, Royal
Australian Air Force. He remained in the UK after the war
and died last year, aged 94.
Vic’s son, Bob, and daughter-in-law
Jenny visited the Flying Boat Centre in Pembroke Dock to
meet project staff and volunteers. They also called in at
the Trust’s Archive Centre where the artefacts will be
copied and digitally stored as part of a rapidly growing
collection.
Said Bob: “My father had a long
connection with flying boats, both wartime and post-war. He
would have been very impressed by what is being achieved by
the Sunderland Trust and its wonderful team.
“The pigeon story is one which dad was
directly involved in, after his Sunderland flying boat
crashed in the Irish Sea in 1941. Sunderland's carried
homing pigeons which were released with messages after an
aircraft came down in the sea.
“There’s a special rescue story about
one pigeon and this is now part of the Sunderland Trust
archive. We are delighted to have been able to pass this on
to Pembroke Dock as this is the place where that story can
be told.”
* The Flying Boat Centre is open
Tuesdays to Saturdays inclusive, 10 am - 4 pm.
Funding for the Centre is from the
Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded
by the Welsh Assembly Government, and the European
Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). This is
administered locally by Pembrokeshire County Council.
Caption:
Some of the items from the
collection of the late Wing Commander Vic Hodgkinson, DFC,
are displayed by Bob and Jenny Hodgkinson and by (right)
John Evans, Project Manager of the Pembroke Dock Sunderland
Trust (right).
PICTURE: Martin Cavaney Photography.