WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

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R5868
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WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

Post by R5868 »

After having been told for the past few years that nobody had my uncle's logbook I visited my cousin in Adelaide a couple of weeks ago and she had found it in a box of her late parents materials. I spent about 45 minutes photographing the whole book including a letter that he had sent home two months before he died. Now to digest it and compare it to the logbook of his bomb aimer, Lloyd Baines RCAF.
Kerry
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ME453
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Re: WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

Post by ME453 »

Wow Kerry, the Holy Grail that you've been looking, hoping for for SOOOO long!! Well done, I'm so pleased for you. I'm sure you'll find some fascinating stuff in there, I wouldn't mind seeing the 467 info myself!
Congratulations,
Max
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kookabat
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Re: WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

Post by kookabat »

Great stuff Kerry - Holy Grail's right! Should fill in a lot of the holes nicely.

Last year a niece of Dale Johnston, the wireless op in my great uncle's crew, unexpectedly got in touch with me via my blog, of all things. She has his logbook which she scanned for me - which makes it three logbooks (pilot, nav, w/op) from that crew of which I now have a copy. Cross-referencing heaven. :D

You know that feeling when you first set eyes on Eric's logbook and realised what it was? Remember it - and use it as motivation for those times when you keep hitting brick walls!!
Remembering the crew of 467 Sqn Lancaster LM475 PO-B Jan-May 1944
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R5868
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Re: WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

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Spent an hour reading through it last night. Now the problem is how best to use all of the data. There is so much info. I noticed that throughout his training his report as a pilot was "average" but changed to "above the average" as soon as he changed to bombers.
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Re: WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

Post by K4KittyCrew »

Absolutely fantastic news, Kerry ................ really happy for you, mate.
Cheers,
John
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" There is nothing glorious about war with the exception of those who served us so valiantly"
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Re: WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

Post by R5868 »

Max will send you a copy as soon as I put it together.
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Re: WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

Post by ME453 »

Thanks Kerry, that's VERY much appreciated. I've been thinking about Eric's rating of average/above average. I'm sure the latter was awarded because of his previous experience on Wellingtons and as a flying instructor - he was coming into the Heavies with a wealth of experience behind him versus the youngsters coming fresh from Lancaster Finishing Schools etc who will have had a fraction of the hours on type. As a not very good parallel, my father was rated average for his flying time in Rhodesia but was rated as above average when he came back to England.

This quote is from a W.Op who was with, funnily enough, 150 squadron. He wrote an excellent article called "The Good Guts":

"All else being equal, a good pilot was better than an ordinary one - and there were some very ordinary pilots in the Air Force - but on the whole the chances of pilot skill getting you home in an emergency were not great. However, what was highly desirable was a pilot who was cool and calm when the going got rough, and who had the ability to reassure the dependant crew."


Max
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kookabat
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Re: WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

Post by kookabat »

To throw a different light on that quote Max, I was talking to Bill Purdy (463 Sqn skipper) at the Canberra weekend earlier this year - he mentioned that when he was instructing at OTU after his tour he had three students in particular. The first two were very good - with one he frequently hardly even noticed that they had landed - rock steady in the air, all of that sort of thing. The third, while quite competent, wasn't nearly as smooth in how he flew the aircraft.
Out of those three, he said, the first one went missing on his first operation, the second one went on his third trip - and only number three survived the war. Perhaps, Bill mused, the other two were somehow too good, flying too predictable a course, and hence easier pickings for a nightfighter.

I guess it took all types didn't it!

Adam
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Re: WC Eric Langlois - Logbook!!!

Post by ME453 »

Well that's food for thought Adam! I know Rollo Kingsford-Smith liked to be anything BUT predictable when he was flying so there could be something in Bill's musings.
Max
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