Wonwings diary-The story behind the picture.
Researching for the life story I found this long lost image,it shows a five year old Wonwing holding dads 'Wakefield' rubber job in the back yard,the building in the background is a very old brick wash house which made an ideal workshop for the modelling activities besides a store place for the coal which when delivered created a black dust in the air,hanging up high in the ceiling was a solid model of the Westland Lysander which I still have to this very day,as a young lad I used to stare at this model wishing that I had it in my hands to fly around the garden! that place was ideal to live as just at the bottom of the garden was a disused field owned by the council,it was always intended to make it into a park but that never materialised,the thing was my father used to test fly his models there by literally walking out the back yard,I was the 'fetcherite' my young legs running through the long grass to retrieve the models,those days must have had a big influence on me not only because I remember them well,but because I carried on aeromodelling being strongly influenced by my father,I recall one great flight with his Spitfire rubber powered model which he spent years perfecting in his usual through way,the model had knock off wings held with an elastic band which went straight through the wing root and fuselage,the slightest knock and the wings would just simply fold away,very clever,the original plan was published in the 'Aeromodeller' by a chap called C.A.Pollitt,anyway back to that special flight,after a few test flights on low windings,he decided to put on the magic thousand turns ! after launching her she climbed to about a couple of hundred feet and circled,then as the rubber ran down she righted herself and headed straight for the next door neighbours garden ! then vanished last seen flying through the orchard at low level,then as momentum built up she climbed sharply and caught the top of one of the apple trees well and truly lodged.For anyone who has had the misfortune to have a model stuck in a tree will know of the dilemma of a frail tree coupled with a very fragile balsa model,after seeking permission from the neighbour ( who was incidently also our landlord at that time ) we managed to get her out of the tree with a long stick,with the only damage a few tears in the tissue which were duly patched up with clear doped tissue.Many more small models were flown from that field but no other flight matched the spectacular flight path of that old Spitfire.
Back now to the photograph and the Wakefield model that I am holding,this was also built from some Aeromodeller drawings which I still have,and one day may just build a replica for old times sake,the odd thing was that she never flew under her own power but was merely test glided over long grass,I just do not know why she was never properly finished,just one of those things,sadly when we moved to new modern premises she was broken up as she presented a transport problem,a great pity but you know how these things just happen ? also in this picture is my old trusty three wheel cycle in the background,this and subsequent rusty old bikes were lubricated with fish oil,the neighborhood cats would follow me as they liked the smell of the oil ! the tree in the background was used by me for climbing,I seemed to be always climbing things or digging big holes in the garden,one day I decided that I had enough of my old playpen and decided to use it as a ladder,the whole thing collapsed onto me in one big heap as my foot went through the wooden dowel rungs one after the other like something out of a Disney cartoon,I survived the ordeal with a few bruises and a bit shaken,with strict instructions not to climb again ! it is amazing what memories a tiny black and white photograph can bring back,but they do.
One thing is for sure and that is my love for flying machines started very early,I must have been really inspired by those early models that became a part of my everyday life,thank goodness that my parents gave me this interest that has stayed with me until this day.
It is great to share these stories with you all here.
If you want more stories like this,rather than have to wait a very long time for the entire unweildy life story then that suits me fine,I am happy to do that ?
