Memories of a Horsa Glider

This is a photograph of a Horsa Glider. It was used near the end of the second World War to transfer large numbers of troops to Europe.

This photograph is from a set of about 300 negatives rescued from a dumpster a few years ago. The photographs were centered around Bassingbourn Air Force base in the South of England the winter of 1944-1945.

The entire set was scanned and posted on Flickr. There have been many comments on the photographs giving identifications and connections to the various aircraft and locations.

Some of the photographs and the comments they generated can be seen
HERE ON THIS PAGE.

Recently a Flickr member known as ‘fishfish_01” made this observation:

My father lived in the fuselage of one of these after the war in Salisbury next to the river Avon, where the Sea Cadet hut is now situated. They spent a few years in it.

I believe it was cut up into sections and used on a local farm for chicken houses. My dad remembers the glider well. As a child he thought it was very cool to live in and better than the bombed out house in Eastleigh near Southampton they lived in before. He said they had an AGA wood burning stove and the 'rooms' were separated by curtains.

He tells also of a very frugal Christmas, no meat around and rationing worse, not better. On Christmas morning his father walked in with a swan that had hit power lines near the glider. They ate well that Christmas.

He later added:

My fathers name: Robin Sanford, his sisters: June and Yvonne. Grandparents were Jack and Violet.

It was located at 51° 3'41.05"N - 1°47'37.58"W, next to the river.

A little investigation turned up the video at the right. I'm sure not all of them were this posh.

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