Just spent an afternoon with member Leon Jeal.

I have just spent an afternoon with Canadian member Leon (Jeal) along with his brother and sister , they made the journey over from Canada to see where their late father was was based with 422 and to visit the bogland outside Belleek where their father's Sunderland crashed.

I had been looking forward to meeting Leon for sometime having put him in touch with some folks whom I thought would have been helpful to them.

Meeting Leon was really something which came about through WW2talk - he picked up some stuff I had placed here on Castle Archdale and things went from there - a few months later it resulted in their visit - the forum being a catalyst for things coming together for them.









"Murphy's law" dictated that it would arin when we met in Irvinestown - Gary ( Pentland) having borrowed the keys to the church got us in out of the rain were we exchanged views and information on the bases the men and that day which changed their father's life so completely.
Only over for three days before heading over to London , they visited the crash site down at Belleek , visited Castle Archdale , met with local historians and shared their information on what happened N175 that fateful day on 12th August 1944.

For my part I was delighted to have been of some help to them , I will leave it for Leon to take this thread on when he gets home next week.

The above photos show them visiting the two Commonwealth Plots in Irvinestown - to see the graves of the men who died on that day.
There are some journeys we have to make in life ....for the Jeal family this was one of them.

 

Nice story and nice photos, James, well done ! and well done WW2T for providing the platform to make it work

I guess that's you in the checked shirt inside the church, beside the pews ???

I notice evidence of later conflicts in the corner of one photo inside the church...

A' the best.

 

No, see the photos of members thread to see what James looks like.[/QUOTE]

Oh...so that is maybe him to the right of the same pic...half in, half out ?

Cannot find the thread you mean.

 

James,

The forum certainly is a good way of finding new likeminded friends.
Nice to see the photographs of the meeting.

Regards
Tom

 

Graham I am delightd to say I am not in any of the photos - I have some sympathy for lens and mirrors .

( The gent in the photos is Mr. Jim McLaughlin a friend of gary's , Jim is Ex-RAF .).

The connection with Leon was made pretty much by accident, via this forum but
I think it best that I leave it for Leon to tell his own story rather than my doing it for him.
for my part I can identify fully with how and why they made the journey having had to travel the same road myself - choice is not an option and its journey of discovery that has to be made - that was my expereince but I will leave the rest of the telling for Leon.
Things like this make the world go around , not money.

Leon , Roy and their sister are heading for London tomorrow , calling in at the RAF Museum Hendon to view the Sunderland on display there.

 

Leon was in touch with me this evening - back on Canada's Pacific Coast and getting over jet lag .





From Leon , two photos of the hendon Sunderland , closed for maintance work .

 

Thanks James.
Pity the Sunderland was closed as it would have been nice to walk around it.

Regards
Tom