I have been thinking about the various aircraft that Janice our resident aviatrix and artist extraodinaire has painted and their involment in WW11. Four of the five aircraft that Janice has painted and shown me were powered by the Rolls Royce Merlin engine in most if not all variants. Without the Merlin to power the Hurricane and the Spitfire, Britain could very well have lost the Battle of Britain. This engine had the required power and the development potential to be developed to meet the growing horsepower requirements of aircraft during WW11. Only late in the war and post war was the Merlin replaced in the Spitfire by its successor the Rolls Royce Griffon. The Merlin powered the Hurricane for its entire career. The Merlin transformed the Mustang from a low level army co-operation fighter into a high altitude long range fighter extraordiare. This transformation enabled Allied [USAAF]fighters to escort USAAF B!7 and B24 bombers to Berlin and back and take on and defeat Luftwaffe Me 109's and Fw190's and in doing so saved the Allied daylight bombing campaign from disasterous crippling losses. The Merlin also powered all but one variant of the Lancaster heavy bomber, most famously the Dam Busters Raid. The Merlin also powered the Halifax heavy bomber in most variants. The Merlin was also used in one rather unsucessful variant of the Beaufighter. The most sucessful use of the Merlin would have to have been in the Wooden Wonder the Mosquito twin engined; fighter, fighter/bomber, bomber, and night fighter. So as you can see without the Merlin, British and Allied survival and later success owes a lot to the Rolls Royce Merlin engine.
My boyfriend used to own a Merlin engine. I believe it was from a Fairy Battle. He used it as part of a trade for a Winjeel he intends to retore to flying condition. The Merlin now belongs to the SA Aviation Museum and is in working condition. I saw it run-up earlier this year. It was marvellous. With no exhausts attached, I could watch the rhythmic movement of the blue flames as the fuel ignited. The sight was fabulous and the sound of a Merlin, to the aviation enthusiast, is just wonderful. No surprise then, that the crowd requested a re-run before the night was through!
Hey D-Day, thanks for the comments. I only hope that when you say 'watch out here comes Junius', you mean it complimentarily... Am intrigued at the possibility of meeting you and Janice, as you seem like such nice people who have taken the time to welcome a new member. Can I assume you are seeing the Melbourne show?
Was interested to note your enthusiasm for World War II and planes and the like. I'm only twenty, so I'm not terribly well versed in that subject, but I was a member of the air cadets for about four or five years, so I know a little. 'Twas always good fun and much more enjoyable learning than school, I thought... my Mum's actually quite a brainiac on the wars...
As a younger fan of the Fab Three, you're proven right in another respect: I became a Goodies fan after being introduced to it by family. I only hope you're right again when you say that eventually my friends will come around!
Well Junius if they dont come arround or look like they are faltering we could just lock them in a room and play the dvd over and over. The only risk is that they may either go off their heads or become so Hardcore that even we get scared. Its a tricky area that even the CIA cant get right, hehehehe.
Junius, I will be seeing The Goodies here in Adelaide on the 25th Nov. I'm in Melb on the 4th, 5th and 6th for Equitana (horse expo). Meeting up would be fun, for lunch or something, if we were all in Melb at the same time!
I would like to be in on that, and I can show you arround a bit, still working on $ for ticket. Baked Beans for me for a while, no problem though I love them.
Thanks for the offer, D-Day, but I don't think I'll have much spare time for being shown around. I'll get to Melb latish on Fri 4th and I'll be staying at my cousins' place and spending most of my time at Equitana, before catching the Sun evening flight home again... (Somehow I have to share a little time with my rellies, too!) To quote an infamous Aussie, "Such is life!"
D-Day
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Am intrigued at the possibility of meeting you and Janice, as you seem like such nice people who have taken the time to welcome a new member. Can I assume you are seeing the Melbourne show?
