The following has been an extraordinary project discovering many previously unpublished historical documents and photos
My grateful thanks to Katrina Balmforth for access to the records
My grateful thanks to Katrina Balmforth for access to the records
Katrina Balmforth is the daughter of WW2 fighter pilot Tommy Balmforth. Her father joined the RAF in 1938 and served to 1968 when he retired as a Group Captain. Katrina is seen here at Biggin Hill with a restored and enlarged picture of her father
Katrina knew her father fought in Malta in the famous Gloster Gladiators, Faith, Hope and Charity action against the Italian Airforce when he claimed his first kill. Having been injured he returned to Britain when he was posted to frontline Battle of Britain airfield, RAF Biggin Hill where he commanded 124 squadron and met her mother, Lorraine Tydeman.
“My father would never talk about his wartime experiences and sadly died young at 63. When my mother died, I was able to piece together his story with the help of his logbooks and some wonderful photographs which I found in her loft. Some of them in very bad condition and it was then that I noticed on Facebook that Colin Lunt, a business contact from 50 years ago, had started restoring old pictures and I asked him to help me.’
Here is a selection of my family and wartime pictures that Colin has restored celebrating Tommy's life.
Select photo to see caption
Four of the photographs have been colourised using a new process available to RESTORE
The website celebrating Tommy's life is at https://www.twolives.co.uk/
Katrina knew her father fought in Malta in the famous Gloster Gladiators, Faith, Hope and Charity action against the Italian Airforce when he claimed his first kill. Having been injured he returned to Britain when he was posted to frontline Battle of Britain airfield, RAF Biggin Hill where he commanded 124 squadron and met her mother, Lorraine Tydeman.
“My father would never talk about his wartime experiences and sadly died young at 63. When my mother died, I was able to piece together his story with the help of his logbooks and some wonderful photographs which I found in her loft. Some of them in very bad condition and it was then that I noticed on Facebook that Colin Lunt, a business contact from 50 years ago, had started restoring old pictures and I asked him to help me.’
Here is a selection of my family and wartime pictures that Colin has restored celebrating Tommy's life.
Select photo to see caption
Four of the photographs have been colourised using a new process available to RESTORE
The website celebrating Tommy's life is at https://www.twolives.co.uk/
