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Ray Holmes
Raymond Towers Holmes (20 August 1914 – 27 June 2005) was a British Royal Air Force fighter pilot during the Second World War who is best known for taking part in the Battle of Britain. He became famous for an apparent notable act of bravery in which he reportedly saved Buckingham Palace from being hit by German bombing, when he used his Hawker Hurricane to destroy a Dornier Do 17 bomber over London by ramming. He was feted by the press as a war hero for his saving of the Palace. However, this has come to become regarded as a much disputed legend.'Those Other Eagles', Shores, (2004) Holmes became a King's Messenger after the war, and died at the age of 90 in 2005. Early life Raymond Towers Holmes was born on 20 August 1914 in Wallasey, Cheshire to Mabel Annie Holmes (''née'' Latham) and journalist Christopher Holmes. He attended Wallasey and Calday Grange Grammar School and worked as a crime journalist at the ''Birkenhead Advertiser'' before joining the Royal Air Force Vol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wallasey
Wallasey () is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England; until 1974, it was part of the historic county of Cheshire. It is situated at the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula. At the 2011 Census, the population was 60,284. History Toponymy The name of Wallasey originates from the Germanic word ''Walha'', meaning a Briton, a Welshman, which is also the origin of the name Wales. The suffix “''-ey''” denotes an island or area of dry land. Originally the higher ground now occupied by Wallasey was separated from the rest of Wirral by the creek known as Wallasey Pool (which later became the docks), the marshy areas of Bidston Moss and Leasowe, and sand dunes along the coast. Early history Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, the area was sparsely populated before the 19th century. Horse races organised for the Earls of Derby on the sands at Leasowe in the 16th and 17th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dornier Do 17
The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in the early 1930s as a '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing aircraft, the lightly built craft had a twin tail and " shoulder wing". Sometimes referred to as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' ("flying pencil"), it was popular among its crews due to its handling, especially at low altitude, which made the Do 17 harder to hit than other German bombers. The Do 17 made its combat debut in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, operating in the Condor Legion in various roles. Along with the Heinkel He 111 it was the main bomber type of the German air arm in 1939–1940. The Dornier was used throughout the early war, and saw action in significant numbers in every major campaign theatre as a front line aircraft until the end of 1941, when its effectiveness and usage was curtailed as its bomb load and range were li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Victoria Tube Station
Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Victoria, in the City of Westminster, managed by Network Rail. Named after the nearby Victoria Street (not the Queen), the main line station is a terminus of the Brighton Main Line to and and the Chatham Main Line to and Dover via . From the main lines, trains can connect to the Catford Loop Line, the Dartford Loop Line, and the Oxted line to and . Southern operates most commuter and regional services to south London, Sussex and parts of east Surrey, while Southeastern operates trains to south-east London and Kent, alongside limited services operated by Thameslink. Gatwick Express trains run direct to Gatwick. The Underground station is on the Circle and District lines between and , and the Victoria line between and . The area around the station is an important interchange for other forms of transport: a local bus station is in the forecourt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kampfgeschwader 76
''Kampfgeschwader 76'' (KG 76) (Battle Wing) was a Luftwaffe bomber Group during World War II. It was one of the few bomber groups that operated throughout the war. In 1933 Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. To meet the expansionist aims of their '' Führer'', the German state began an enormous rearmament programme to build the '' Wehrmacht'' (German armed forces). 76 was created in May 1939 as the Luftwaffe sought to reorganise and increase its strength. The wing was permitted three ''Grupen'' (Groups) in May 1939, but only two were operational by August. The Dornier Do 17 light bomber equipped the wing's units. In September 1939 German and Soviet forces invaded Poland, beginning World War II. 76 served in the campaign until the 17 September 1939 and then proceeded to spend the Phoney War resting and re-equipping. All three groups began the offensive in Western Europe ('' Fall Gelb'') on 10 May 1940. 76 supported the German Army (''Heer'') in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sergeant
Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other units that draw their heritage from the British light infantry. Its origin is the Latin , 'one who serves', through the French term . The term ''sergeant'' refers to a non-commissioned officer placed above the rank of a corporal, and a police officer immediately below a lieutenant in the US, and below an inspector in the UK. In most armies, the rank of sergeant corresponds to command of a squad (or section). In Commonwealth armies, it is a more senior rank, corresponding roughly to a platoon second-in-command. In the United States Army, sergeant is a more junior rank corresponding to a squad- (12 person) or platoon- (36 person) leader. More senior non-commissioned ranks are often variations on sergeant, for example staff sergeant, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Battle Of Britain Day
Battle of Britain Day, 15 September 1940, is the day on which a large-scale aerial battle in the Battle of Britain took place.Mason 1969, p. 386.Price 1990, p. 128. In June 1940, the '' Wehrmacht'' had conquered most of Western Europe and Scandinavia. At that time, the only major power standing in the way of a German-dominated Europe was the British Empire and the Commonwealth, given the non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. After having several peace offers rejected by the British, Adolf Hitler ordered the '' Luftwaffe'' to destroy the RAF in order to gain air superiority or air supremacy as a prelude to launching Operation Sea Lion, an amphibious assault by the '' Wehrmacht'' onto the British mainland. In July 1940, the ''Luftwaffe'' started by closing the English Channel to merchant shipping. In August, Operation Adlerangriff (Eagle Attack) was launched against RAF airfields in southern England. By the first week of September, the ''Luftwaffe'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), the active reserve for the RAF, by providing an additional non-active reserve. However during the Second World War the high demand for aircrew absorbed all available RAuxAF personnel and led the RAFVR to quickly become the main pathway of aircrew entry into the RAF. It was initially composed of civilians recruited from neighbourhood reserve flying schools, run by civilian contractors with largely RAF-trained flying instructors as well as other instructors in related air war functions, such as observers and wireless operators. After the war, and with the end of conscription in the early 1960s, the RAFVR considerably reduced in size and most functions were absorbed into the RAuxAF. The RAFVR now forms the working elements of the Universi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daily Post (North Wales)
The ''Daily Post'' is a daily newspaper for the North Wales region of Wales. Its website is branded ''North Wales Live''. The newspaper gained independence from the '' Liverpool Daily Post'' in 2003 which later ceased production in December 2013. ABC data from 2021 notes the paper has a circulation of 12,478. It was based on Vale Road, Llandudno Junction, from 2001 to 2017. In May 2017, it moved to its new and current base at Bryn Eirias on Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...’s Abergele Road. References {{UK regional daily newspapers Reach plc Mass media in Wales Newspapers published in Wales Daily newspapers published in the United Kingdom 2003 establishments in Wales ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calday Grange Grammar School
Calday Grange Grammar School (abbreviated to CGGS; also known as Calday Grange, Calday Grammar or simply Calday due to the difference in spelling to the nearby village of Caldy) is a non-denominational, academically selective grammar school, founded in 1636, situated on Caldy Hill in Grange, a suburb of West Kirby on the Wirral peninsula, England. The school admits boys from age 11 to 18 and, since 1985, girls for the sixth form only. The school has academy status, hosts the Wirral Able Children Centre, and has been awarded Sportsmark Gold and Investors in People status. Geography The school stands in a residential area of Wirral close to the Dee Estuary. Students come primarily from the Wirral, Deeside and Cheshire areas. The main site at the top of Caldy Hill is occupied by the school buildings, sports cages and field, with a larger field and swimming pool building located over Grammar School Lane. A mile southeast of the main school buildings, along Telegraph Road, is the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wallasey Grammar School
The Kingsway Academy (formerly Wallasey School) was a coeducational secondary school and sixth form located in Leasowe in the English county of Merseyside. Wallasey Grammar School in the Wirral area was first constructed on St George's Road. A picture was painted by Victorian artist John Henry Robinson (1852-1922) of the first school building, and another by Harold Hopps (1879-1967) In 1876 it moved to Withens Lane. It moved again to a site purchased from the Navy in 1911, moving its former premises on Flag Field. The site once occupied by the now defunct grammar school is now occupied by Liscard Primary School. A Technical College was opened next door in 1963. The grammar moved to Leasowe in 1967, and later became Wallasey Comprehensive School. Previously a community school administered by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, Wallasey School converted to academy status in February 2015. However the school had already been renamed The Kingsway Academy in September 2014. On ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_p142_-_Victoria_Station_(plan).jpg "Click for more on -> Victoria Tube Station")
