Of the engine castings or the guys days in postwar England?
It is a misnomer on both counts. It was never 'post war England'. WW2 as such waa over but in months our former Allies were our enemies. Conscrpription in the UK lasted and lasted as did rationing and the last of the conscripts would have been born in 1938 and those who survived would be old ruins like me in mid 80;s and errrrrrr older! Many would die s fresh faced youths in the many conflicts from Russian occupied Berlin to as ffar as the Far East. Communism was rife and deaths on- as a WW1 poet would have said 'On a Foreign Field that is for ever England' I'm sorry but as someone who was in a bit of it after 6 years of WW2, I was there watching some of us horribly burn to death- and would be forgotten.
Our Forgotten 14th Army and an unarmed RAF 31 Squadron would echo the words from the Greek:-
When you go home
Tell them of us
For your tomorrow
We gave out today
Again with the closing of WW2 in Europe and long before Enola Gay would change the World forever, the Merlin engine was dead. Our Sptifires would not escort both American and British bombers and the up rated American P-51D's fitted with American Merlins were no match against the Ferman jets and rockets which were coming 'on stream/. Thankfully bombing by Allied and British bombers had reduced them. But the V1's and then the V2;'s ere getting through- and I slept for most of my conscription in a 'Doodle bugged' billet. All this ballyhoo about tipping a V1 with obsolete Spitfires and on stream Typhoons and coming on Stream Meteors was largely journalism. It was not until the launching sites were overun by the poor bloody infantry that the attacks ended.
By the end of what people call the end of WW2, the famous Spitfires were resigned to 'Toy for High ranking officers' and Auxiliary weekend airmen who had the vast life expectancy of 400 hourd flying time.
By 1960, even these venerable little jockey fellows would be flying DH Vampires.
All that would be left were carrier borne Seafires in Korea being hopelessly out gunned by jet powered Mig-15's over Korea.
By September 1949- I had reached the dizzy heights of the rank of Hitler and Napoleon and hd lready seen my 'boys'( they were all older than me) die= there was a job in the deveping British civilian aircraft industry in a scant few months. What did we have to show the World and me at farnborough Air Show?
And these Meteors would become - widow makers, the much vaunted Brazon out of Filton would end as scrap and the then thrilling DH Comet 1 would shake itself and everyone on board- to death in a year.
Perhaps wisely, I had seen enough and would switch to running my own little air travel business- on the side and in my lunch hours( 20 minutes) and I watched prices of property prices go into orbit. Like that Meor with the re-heats? I would fly comfortably and reasonably safe at a faster speed than was ever achieved in level flight in the best of Spitfires with filed rivets whatever.
Five years aho, I did what a decent old survivor would do.
The Brits now have a National Arboretum to recall those who did their best and paid their efforts in death for you and me. There is the Star of India which lists the commanding officers who led from long before the Royal Air Force was concocted- from the cavalry. Perhaps I am the oldest survivor now of a Squadron that is only a fading memory. People get old or the lucky ones do and a seat is always welcome. As Sole Executor and sole beneficiary and Trustee, there is a simple wooden seat- from my wife to her Dad- who was part of it.
I'm still making money from air travel and , as I don't want it- apart from the fun- am giving it- like my mates to deserving charities- much of it to the other survivors from those dreadful days.
My story, my events, my life --- because I was THERE.