Photo of an Airman With a Pipe

[numbersix]

Just spied this on reddit, thought I'd share it here.
A Royal Air Force pilot getting a haircut between missions at Fairlop Airfield Base in Essex, England in 1942

http://imgur.com/r/pics/Niyb24Q

 

[shaintiques]

That is pretty cool

 

[pstlpkr]

I love the boots.

 

[dukdalf]

The boots are great, but what is he reading?

 

[ghost]

Looks like he's reading a copy of this...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenmantle

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I was totally loving the boots too. In fact I'm wanting to know where I can get a pair of the boots and the pants.

 

[drwatson]

Boy, that generation was great..My country's getting bombed, but I will smoke my pipe, read a book, and haircut sounds good too!

 

[brewshooter]

I've seen that photo posted a couple of times. It's definitely a classic shot.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I just searched on google soldier with pipe, and there are some truly great photos of soldiers from civil war to current smoking pipes. really cool stuff.

 

[papipeguy]

That book in free on Amazon if you have a Kindle. Looks pretty good.

 

[undermidnight]

Thanks for sharing!!! I will be downloading the book. A book read by a pipe smoker must be good!
Btw.. been enjoying Sherlock Holmes.
Jason

 

[cynyr]

Turns out that fellow is Francis Mellersh. He stayed in RAF for thirty-some years and retired as an Air Marshal. His father was Ray Mellersh, who was in on the last combat of the Red Baron.
(It just so happens I read this stuff this morning. That pic has been floating around Tumblr, too.)

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

Interesting pic, but part of me thinks this was a couple of guys messing around during some down time. Pretend to read a classic book and smoke a pipe on the air field while getting a hair cut. Especially in the conditions as it does appear to be pretty windy. Kind of hard to read and smoke in those conditions. If it's a legit picture then that's pretty cool.

 

[numbersix]

Interesting pic, but part of me thinks this was a couple of guys messing around during some down time. Pretend to read a classic book and smoke a pipe on the air field while getting a hair cut.

True, it does have a staged air about it. Could be a photo for Life magazine, etc. Still, a great color photo for the time period.

 

[kashmir]

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 20 August 1940. Referring to the ongoing efforts of the Royal Air Force pilots who were at the time fighting the Battle of Britain, the pivotal air battle with the German Luftwaffe with Britain expecting a German invasion.

 

[kcghost]

I am not sure Mellersh served as a pilot in WWII as he would have been in his early 40's and a senior officer in the RAF. He was a WWI ace.

 

[withnail]

It could be a propaganda picture showing an officer carrying on as normal despite the loses suffered each day during the Battle of Britain. Either way, the Free World will always owe a debt to the brave young men who took off in their Spitfires and Hurricanes to meet the incoming bomber waves who were intent on destroying the airfields.
Teenagers took to the air with only a few hours training as the experienced pilots were being killed at a frightening rate.
Churhills speech sums things up perfectly. Hopefully it will always remain as our countries darkest hour.

 

[mso489]

I always admire photos of soldiers/sailors/marines officers smoking pipes during WWII. Guys in uniform

were being force fed ciggies, and it took some real spine to keep track of a pipe and accouterments and

smoke that instead. My dad, who was a minesweeper skipper in the Pacific, chain smoked a pipe through

his war years. Later, I was on a minesweeper, but I wasn't no officer and I wasn't the skipper. Round

bottomed hulls of Washington spruce, had to be the wildest ride in the fleet. Let me tell you about the

typhoon evasion in the South China Sea ....

 

[kashmir]

Speaking of smoking "in the field", here's another one.

 

[brewshooter]

Hopefully it will always remain as our countries darkest hour.

...and finest! :clap: