AGM SPEAKER 2019 CONFIRMED
Thanks to the hard work of club member, John Dadson, we are delighted to have secured Flt/Lt (Ret'd) Colin S Bell DFC AE FRICS IRRV (Hons) as this years speaker.
Flt LT Bell served in WW2 on operations as a Mosquito Bomber Pilot. He was born in 1921, joined the Royal Air Force towards the end of 1940 and his flying training was carried out in the United States of America prior to their entry into the War (before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour) in December 1941.
Following Pearl Harbour and having been commissioned into the RAF, Colin Bell as retained by the American Army Air Corps as an advanced single engine flying instructor responsible for training American and British Cadets. On his return to the UK in 1943, he converted to twin engine Mosquito Bombers and joined 608 Squadron (Pathfinder Group) based at Downham Market in Norfolk.
During his tour of operations he carried out 50 bombing raids - all over Germany- 13 of them over Berlin. Subsequently, he was transferred to ferry duties bringing back newly built Mosquitos from Canada to the UK with stop-offs at Goose Bay, Labrador, Bluey West 1 (on the West coast of Greenland), Reykjavik in Iceland, and finally into Prestwick in Ayrshire, Scotland. He ended his full time RAF service in 1946 flying out of Blackbushe nr Camberley carrying Diplomatic mail to Embassies situated in various parts of Europe and Africa.
His talks are fascinating and not to be missed!!