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TV Tuesday 24 November: "School for Secrets(1946)"

PostPosted:Mon Nov 23, 2020 10:39 pm
by kanga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_for_Secrets

"Based on a 1942 RAF training video for would-be 'boffins' and developed with the full cooperation of the Air Ministry, the film celebrates the discovery of radar, its discoverers and the enabling culture"

Talking Pictures, Freeview 81, 1845

Peter Ustinov writer and director :thumright:

Re: TV Tuesday 24 November: "School for Secrets(1946)

PostPosted:Tue Nov 24, 2020 8:41 am
by T6Harvard
Thanks @kanga , I'll be watching.
BTW, we were in the front row for a play starring Peter Ustinov, many years ago and were totally awk-struck. What presence!

Re: TV Tuesday 24 November: "School for Secrets(1946)

PostPosted:Tue Nov 24, 2020 9:22 am
by kanga
T6Harvard wrote:Thanks @kanga , I'll be watching.
BTW, we were in the front row for a play starring Peter Ustinov, many years ago and were totally awk-struck. What presence!


Indeed ..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Ustinov

His father had been used by British Intelligence as a 'handler' for an agent within the German Embassy. It is interesting, even slightly surprising, to me (as a pertinent geek) that son (also impressively multilingual) was used in WW2 for his thespian abilities and not in one of the Intelligence services. Perhaps there is a story yet untold.

I recall him talking very amusingly about arriving at some military base in wartime with an Officer to do some MoI filming, and having to explain to the Officers' Mess receptionist that he (a mere Private) was expecting to be accommodated in the ORs' billet.

He died within a week of that other great raconteur, Alastair Cooke.

Re: TV Tuesday 24 November: "School for Secrets(1946)"

PostPosted:Tue Nov 24, 2020 7:41 pm
by Highland Park
I’m watching it as I type and certainly in one aspect it’s quite accurate. The Beaufighter interception used the call sign “Blazer 32”. “Blazer 24” was a call sign used by John Cunningham when flying Beaufighters with 604 Squadron.

Likewise, the reference to carrots when discussing how to explain how aircraft were being shot down at night, again a reference to John Cunningham.

Ian

Re: TV Tuesday 24 November: "School for Secrets(1946)"

PostPosted:Wed Nov 25, 2020 9:40 am
by kanga
Highland Park wrote:.. call sign used by John Cunningham when flying Beaufighters ..


<continuing drift :oops: >

Our shareoplane syndicate had been started by someone whose 'day job' was as an avionics engineer at Smiths, much involved in autopilots and the original (Trident) Autoland. This occasionally involved observing the behaviour of a new installation in action during a test flight, which meant sitting in the P2 seat of an airliner throughout a flight including multiple approaches, although he had only a SEP PPL. He was proud to have in his logbook an entry from a Comet with the signature of Cunningham (then a dH Test Pilot) as P1 :)

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