RML 517

Written by: Edwin Gladwish

In his articles “Things might have been done better” member D. Mackintosh 1500) may be referring to RML 517. One day she left Great Yarmouth with two Americans, from one of their bases, on board. We had had a call to look for a Liberator in the water and when we arrived at the position, the aircraft‘s crew were scattered over a large area. The two Americans and some of us, who could swim, jumped in to help the survivors aboard. On return to base a check on the number of survivors was made and it was discovered two of their crew had been killed — the front and rear gunners.

Afier the war, WRNS Leith, who later became my wife, came to work in Oxford. One evening, after visiting her in Cowley where she was staying, I let her to walk home in East Oxford. On my, way I met up with an American, who worked for the American Airways, He said he had been here during the war; his Liberator had crashed and the crew had been rescued by an A.S.R. launch. I asked him whether they had lost any members. On my question if any had been injured, such as one with a broken leg and one with a broken arm, he replied, “Yes — look at my arm.” I wrote my name and address on a cigarette packet, but he must have thrown it away. I believe he was a bit under the weather... Yet I wonder if this was the same incident.

CFVA News: Edition: June 1998 Volume: 94 Page: 9