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Canon R5
Canon RF 85 F / 2 MACRO IS STM
There is no better painter than nature. There is no better equalizer than nature. There is nothing more beautiful than nature. There is nothing more peaceful than nature. There is nothing more dangerous than nature. There is nothing more violent than nature!
At the end, the older civilizations were worshiping nature for a reason. They were not idiots. I feel they were way more cleverer than us modern idiots; who are consuming the exact same nature that gave us the home to live!
Anyway; I hope I started with something that will let you think and contribute your piece to reduce the destruction of nature. Every pieces count. If you even go twice a week to office with public transport or on a bicycle or by walk. Or remember to switch off that light or that screen or that heater when you don't need that. They all count and if we all 7.9 billion do little of our bit; we would probably see the snow coming back to my town; which was lost since last 5 years. Maybe we can see that lost glacier of Iceland coming back.
I am still hopeful on the humanity. Maybe I am wrong! But this is one thing where I would love the most to be right than anything else.
So do your pieces. Please do your pieces to not leave a rotten and dying (or maybe dead) planet for our next generation!
Now this image; late autumn and early winter only for few days only before the sun comes out the temperature and the dewpoint stays in a perfect symmetry to produce these unbelievable spectacle. A lots of time people ignore them. But if you just turn around and stop for a moment; you can see that the painting is better than Picasso. And if you have a Macro where you can to very close, you will know what I am talking about.
It is hard to take such images as even slightest of wind moves those little grass branches and you can't get a sharp image. So I had to wait for the perfect day and time. After few attempts; I got the right condition on a day where the condition was perfect with the snow and the wind. And finally I managed to capture this spectacular visual; which I call as the perfection of nature.
youtu.be/qqQnJOpgqgEClick here to see the short film documenting the beauty of the region as I have experienced it. Please have a look and you may like it.
Stay safe, comply with the authority strictly, stay at home, stop the chain of the virus.
Take care and help the society to recover from the crisis.
Please have a look at my website www.avisekhphotography.com for all my recent works.
Have a nice weekend.
Hope you will enjoy the picture.
Any suggestions or criticisms are always welcome.
Model & Photographer: Me
To see the full Mag and credits click here:
issuu.com/equalizersl.magazine/docs/equalizer_issuu_2?fr=...
Qtpfsgui 1.9.0 tonemapping parameters:
Operator: Mantiuk
Parameters:
Contrast Equalization
Saturation Factor: 0.8
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PreGamma: 1
Please don't use this image on websites,
blogs or other media without my explicit permission.
© All rights reserved
.
Flickr friend Elisa Liddell has introduced me to the editing ideas of Harold Davis.
I've been reading The Photoshop Darkroom, Creative Digital Post-Processing written by Harold and Phyllis Davis and have learned about the equalize command in Ps and while in LAB color mode, inverting the b channel.
This slide was accomplished by creating a couple copies of the original, one with an equalized b channel and one with an inverted b channel. Those copies were then pasted into the original and masked by various means to only affect certain portions of that original.
The b channel of LAB colour mode deals with yellow-blue. When equalized, the contrast is expanded severely. When inverted, what had blue now has yellow and vice versa. Notice how the greens in the original now show as blue.
And for Sliders Sunday, of course everything has been over exaggerated, but yet I can still look myself in the mirror. :-)
The normally edited version is in the first comment box below.
(I hope, as Flickr has not made anything easy this morning)
Happy Sliders Sunday!
In decembre, it was still warm in Santa Monica (CA). I took this picture because I liked the geometry of these sunshades. In terms of composition, I was also interested in the large flat divisions of the image, a bit like in a Rothko painting. The sunshades serve to break the monotony, and I made sure to concentrate the objects in the dark blue band that the sea form in the center of the image.
In terms of post-processing, I wanted to give a feeling of the 60s. In Darktable, I started by using tone curves to make the sky and the sand lighter. On the sky, I made sure to increase the contrast of the cloud that was barely visible. I couldn't increase it more than what I achieved, because it was creating too much noise. I used color correction to make the sky more blue and the sand more yellow. I used a bit of low-pass filtering on the lower part of the sand and the upper part of the sky to make them smoother. I also used an equalizer filter on the lower part of the sand to reduce contrast. On the sea, I used color zones to make the blue of the sea darker. Finally, both to give that feeling of a picture with an old technology and to fight the smoothness introduced by the low-pass filter, I added grain on the top and the bottom of the image, where filtering had removed the original grain.
Another view towards Suomenlinna. This is from same trip as
I did a G+ post on this too, text is copied below
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A tone mapping exercise with pfstools. I have extensively used Mantiuk06 contrast equalization in +Luminance HDR 2.0.2 but unfortunately since that particular version the algorithm has not produced correct result. For this image I used the Pfstools with
pfsinexr imagename.exr | pfstmo_mantiuk06 -e 1.0 -s 1.0 -v | pfsgamma -g 2.2 | pfsout imagename.png.
The result produced with the previous command is almost exactly the same as the result I use from LuminanceHDR 2.0.2 with contrast factor 0.8 and saturation factor 1.2. Luminance HDR 2.0.2 produces a bit more saturated image which I corrected in +GIMP by increasing the saturation by 25. Also the contrast of the Luminance HDR tonemapped image is a bit higher but that is negligible since in most cases some adjustment is made in any case.
Final image below has several the tonemapped images with different white balances combined. Combination processed in +G'MIC with anisotropic smoothing and overlaid over Hugin fused image with 66 percent opacity. In addition some local sharpening, contrast enhancement etc. edits were applied.
Now as HDR scenes go there probably are several potential points of HDR related discussion here.
1. Why would you use HDR on a scene like that?
2. It is way overdone and does not look natural!
Both of these statements are true for this image, please do not get offended :-) Overdone painterly look is intentional and desired effect for this image. Album has also the original for comparison. It gives a good impression of how the scene actually looked.
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For complete post with the album images see
plus.google.com/108661635615415981999/posts/VjXtNi2YCD1
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50 mm, f/5.6, ISO100
Three exposures with base exposure at 1/500 and +/-2 EV steps. Camera EV bracketing was -1EV, -3EV, +1EV. This leads to a very dark frame in any scene but especially so with this scene.
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This photo is Creative Commons licensed so you can distribute it freely but may not use it for any noncommercial purpose. Also CC license means that you may not use, distribute, abuse or steal this image under any such license that you pay of, namely you may not use or distribute this image under Finnish Copyright Groups Digilupa bit.ly/ozwGtt or corresponding license.
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The Tibi is Ladakh’s cultural equalizer. Worn by men, women, and monks, this wool cap is a masterpiece of year-round utility: its ear flaps shield against winter winds or fold up under the summer sun. Unlike the turquoise Perak—a heavy heirloom reserved for ceremony—the Tibi is the garment of the everyday. It is a singular, unisex silhouette and a shared identity that has defined the people of these high-altitude valleys for generations.
OBSERVE Collective
All images are © Copyrighted and All Rights Reserved
germanstreetphotography.com/michael-monty-may/
Visit this location at WEDCOT Center Park in Second Life
♥ Feeling christmissy cute with EQUALIZER's Ruby outfit subscriber gift- Read and get your outfit here: www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/66081676/equalizer-decembe...
EQUALIZER SL Magazine was one of our amazing sponsors in our events at Color The World Orange ♥
I met her before once in poetry and heard her name a lot of times from friends. She's an Angel. While I was wandering alone at WEDCOT Disney Park last night she suddenly appeared and was talking to her baby daughter in the nearby chat. I said hi and she responded and we met up for a snap. While I was taking the shot her daughter, Madi asked who am I and she replied, "She and mommy had the same guy before... a very BAD guy!" and Madi replied, "His big loss!" (copy paste) I shook my head, because they were chatting in the general chat. Checked my radar and saw Patch Linden and sim-creator Trevor Sleydon nearby preparing and waiting for people for the start of the Procession of Lights. I blushed and my face turned red! Yeah, face palm moment indeed! I took them to the event and Madi's daddy Warren came in afterwards. Ended the evening with baby Madi got to greet and introduce herself to Patch and Trevor after the program. ♥
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RPa67cOvd4
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
The very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye
Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?
It's been a year, it doesn't surprise mе
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
The vеry next day, you gave it away (You gave it away)
This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special
"Merry Christmas" I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note sayin', "I love you", I meant it
Now I know what a fool I've been
But if you kissed me now, I know you'd fool me again
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart (I gave you my heart)
But the very next day, you gave it away (You gave it away)
This year, to save me from tears
I'm giving it to someone special
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
The very next day, you gave it away
This year, to save me from tears
I'm giving it to someone special...
There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast. --Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers
Camera:Konica Minolta DYNAX 5D, AF DT 18 - 70mm kit
Exposure:5
Aperture:f/5.6
Focal Length:30 mm
ISO Speed:100
When the sun reaches paradise.
This HDR long exposition shot (4s-1s-16s) has been processed with the new pipeline suggested with the arrival of Darktable 3.2, being used Enfuse for the HDR blending.
So after getting the HDR Canvas, in a first stage were applied plugins like White Balance, Denoise modules, Lens correction, Tone Equalizer (with additional help with Lowpass filter), Haze Removal, Local Contrast, Contrast Equalizer, and RGBFilmic (v4) with "Linear Rec2020 RGB" profile. In a second stage were applied color adjustments with Velvia and Local contrast with "Abobe RGB Profile".
Finally, an Orton effect was applied with a blur only on the far tree behind the scene.
A Haida ND 1,8 filter was needed.
Stati Uniti, Massachusetts, Boston, Autunno 2014
East Boston (Eastie) è un quartiere di Boston, Massachusetts, con circa 40.000 residenti. Situato di fronte porto di Boston, i residenti East Boston godono di una fantastica vista dello skyline della città. Originariamente ricco di cantieri navali, East Boston è sempre stato un quartiere per immigrati. Questa diversità si riflette nella miriade di ristoranti etnici del quartiere. Gli edifici sono un mix di storico e nuovo, con ancora molte abitazioni caratteristiche a tre piani lungo le strade. Una di queste case ha visto i natali del padre del presidente John F. Kennedy Joseph P. Kennedy. Il Logan Airport, è situato qui, facendo di East Boston la via di accesso per le persone provenienti da tutto il mondo. Un certo numero di film sono stati girati a East Boston come "The Equalizer" e "Mystic river".
East Boston (Eastie) is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts with approximately 40,000 residents. Located across Boston Harbor, East Boston residents enjoy fantastic waterfront views of the city skyline. Originally a center of shipbuilding, East Boston has always been a neighborhood of immigrants. The diversity is reflected in the neighborhood's myriad of ethnic restaurants. Housing is a mix of historic and new, with many three deckers lining the streets. One of this houses was the birthplace of President John F. Kennedy's father Joseph P. Kennedy. Logan Airport, is located here, making East Boston a gateway to people from around the world. A number of films have been set in East Boston like “The Equalizer” and “Mystic river”.
DSC03586-87ADJ2-1-RS-signature-overlay_pregamma_0.39_mantiuk06_contrast_equalization_0.81_saturation_factor_1_detail_factor_1
Blessings & Beauty, Breathtaking Sunset Tampa Bay Florida Panorama - IMRAN™ (SOOC)
Even though it was tempting to brighten and equalize the dark blue shades and hues of the water, I chose to present this breathtaking sunset on Tampa Bay, Florida, as a stitched image from 11 magnificent Nikon D850 photos straight out of camera, with ZERO color editing or tweaking of any kind. The image had to be straightened because I seem to always tilt my camera to the right in portrait orientation photos, and the top edge had some content aware fill artifacts cleaned up to fill blank white spaces. But, the tones, the shades, the colors, the hues, the magic, are all as I saw them and as the Nikon faithfully captured them. What a blessing to experience this moment at my blessed home in Apollo Beach while I am alive and able to, by God's blessings. These sunsets and ends of the days will continue long after the end of our days on earth. But, what better way to have lived than to have appreciated every moment, every blessing, every experience, and having been fortunate enough to capture some of those magical glimpses into the beauty of nature for posterity. Thank you for the love and prayers, always, as I bow my head in prayer to the Almighty Allah, the One God of all creation, and heaven and earth.
© 2019 IMRAN™
Reflections on the "bonnet" of an expensive Bentley automobile remind me that COVID-19 strikes rich and poor alike. We must remember that we are all in this together. We can use this period of time to reconsider our hopes, aspirations, and concerns and come closer together as we are physically distanced.
music: Epic Scope - Fire head
Foto and equalizer by me
This is my fist equalize. Do not judge strictly
♥ Eu vou equalizar você. Numa frequência que só a gente sabe. Eu te transformei nessa canção. Pra poder te gravar em mim.
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Luminance HDR 2.3.1 tonemapping parameters:
Operator: Mantiuk06
Parameters:
Contrast Equalization factor: 0.26
Saturation Factor: 1.74
Detail Factor: 8
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PreGamma: 1
www.LondonFineArtPhotography.co.uk
Follow me on:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TS446photo
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ts446
Luminance HDR 2.3.1 tonemapping parameters:
Operator: Mantiuk06
Parameters:
Contrast Equalization factor: 0.1
Saturation Factor: 0.8
Detail Factor: 1
------
PreGamma: 1
This is the rich region in the centre of the constellation of Auriga with the Flaming Star Nebula, IC 405 at right and the roundish IC 410 at bottom with the cluster NGC 1893. At top left is the star cluster Messier 38, with small NGC 1907 below it. The small nebula at left is IC 417 around the loose cluster Stock 8. The large elongated nebula at top is Sharpless 2-230. The colourful asterism of stars between IC 405 and IC 410 is the Leaping Minnow or Little Fish, aka Mel 31.
This is a blend of 8 x 4-minute exposures at ISO 800 unfiltered with 8 x 8-minute exposures at ISO 2000 shot through an Optolong L-Enhance dual-band nebula enhancement filter (it lets through only Oxygen III blue-green and Hydrogen-alpha red to really enhance the nebulosity). Blending the exposures adds the extensive red nebulosity recorded by the filtered images without turning the whole field — and stars — red and losing the blue reflection nebulas and subtle colour variations even in the red Ha nebulas.
All exposures with the Canon EOS Ra mirrorless camera through the SharpStar HNT150 Hyperbolic Newtonian Astrograph at f/2.8, from home on a very clear moonless night January 24, 2020. All stacked, aligned and blended in Photoshop 2020. High pass sharpening applied as well as a very selective use of frequency separation sharpening with WOW Freq Equalizer extension.
Luminance HDR 2.3.1 tonemapping parameters:
Operator: Mantiuk06
Parameters:
Contrast Equalization factor: 0.1
Saturation Factor: 0.95
Detail Factor: 9
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PreGamma: 1
From my set entitled "Uncle Bill Watson"
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/sets/72157600269993237/
In my photostream
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/
Watson reunion photo in which Cam Devine appears
www.flickr.com/photos/21861018@N00/536290657/in/set-72157...
Campbell (Cam) Devine was my Uncle Bill Watson’s best friend during early school years in Grand Valley, Ontario. Cam was killed on August 12, 1944, when the Flying Boat he was piloting crashed in Ireland. I am including a notice of his death from the Grand Valley Star and Vidette, and a detailed account of the crash as remembered by Chuck Singer, one of Cam’s flight crew.
From The Grand Valley Star and Vidette, August, 1944
Another Grand Valley Boy Passes Overseas
News of the death of another Grand Valley boy overseas was received in town the latter part of last week. He was Flight Lieut Campbell Devine, elder son of Dr. and Mrs. E. W. Devine of Orillia formerly of Grand Valley. Campbell was born in Grand Valley and moved with his parents to Orillia some years ago. His death occurred in Ireland on Aug.12 and interment took place in Ireland. He was a chum and pal of the late P.O. Bill Watson of Grand Valley. Brief references to his death were made in the pulpits of Knox Presbyterian Church on Sunday morning and at the memorial service for the late P.O. Watson in Trinity United Church on Sunday afternoon. Besides his parents and one brother, Donald, the deceased leaves a widow and one child, all of Orillia. To the bereaved parents, brother, widow and child the sympathy of this community is extended
Full particulars regarding his death had not been received at the time of going to press.
Taken from THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC Highlights from 422 R.C.A.F. Squadron, 1942 - 1945
www.airforcemuseum.ca/422ww2.htm
August 12, 1944 saw the crash of Sunderland T of 422, in Donegal County, Ireland, just north of Belleek, Northern Ireland, shortly after take-off for an Atlantic patrol. The heavily loaded aircraft had suffered an engine fire and loss of propeller and a crash landing was attempted on a relatively flat area. The skipper, F/L Cam Devine and two crew members died in the crash. The remainder of the crew received serious injuries and were initially treated in the Irish hospital in Ballyshannon, Donegal County, and later moved to the military hospital in Necarne Castle near Irvinestown, Northern Ireland or to hospitals in England.
Taken from the The Impartial Reporter: For Fermanagh, Tyrone and Border Counties of the Republic of Ireland:
Issue: 15-08-2002
www.impartialreporter.com/archive/2002-08-15/news/story41...
A tear ran down the cheek of Chuck Singer as he stood on the windswept bogland of Cashelard, receiving long overdue recognition for an act of great courage undertaken 58 years ago to the day.
It was a marvellous moment, a fitting closure to a remarkable tale, owing much not only to Chuck, whose selfless actions as a 19 year old First Gunner on a stricken Sunderland flying boat in 1944 saved the life of a comrade, but also to his son Bob (who correctly pointed out that reports of his father's death in the Squadron records were greatly exaggerated), and local historians Joe O'Loughlin and Breege McCusker.
A large crowd gathered on Monday at the exact hour at the site where Sunderland NJ175 crashed shortly after taking off from its base at Castle Archdale. They gathered to pay tribute to Sergeant Chuck Singer, but also to the three airmen who did not survive the crash, and whose names are recorded on a memorial stone erected at the site two years ago. With a beautiful ceremony choreographed brilliantly by Joe and Breege, interspersed with presentations to Chuck, the crowd listened to a recounting of the Canadian's remarkable story.
422 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force arrived in Fermanagh in the spring of 1944, youthful, joyful crews of men who had thus far generally enjoyed their war experiences, stationed with Coastal Command in Scotland, protecting Merchant Navy convoys from the threat of German U Boats.
They were to do the same job from their base on Lough Erne, patrolling out into the Atlantic and also into the Bay Of Biscay and the English Channel. Their role was an important one- the U Boats were the only cog of the German war machine which really frightened Churchill, and any break in the Allies supply line would have had a debilitating effect on the war effort.
But to the airmen based in quiet County Fermanagh, on the usually serene Lower Lough Erne, the war must often have seemed a world away. Chuck remembers that conditions on the base were "beautiful, just fine", and that even when they were airborne, patrolling at an average altitude of 400 feet, there was never any real feeling of unease or fear.
"We felt like nothing was ever going to happen to us out there. To fly was just a treat to get up and if they ever postponed a flight on us we got sick, you know, just sick. I don't know any aircrew that ever worried- it was all jovial, funny guys that had a good time, I don't know anybody that ever worried about dying. Flying out to sea in those things was so peaceful. You almost forgot that you had a job to do it was so beautiful and peaceful."
During his short spell in Fermanagh, Chuck fortunately never had to fire his guns in anger from his position in the turret at the top of the giant seaplane, but remembers one occasion when his crew felt they were about to have their first serious engagement with the enemy.
"We thought we had a pair of them one time," he said. "It looked like a mother ship refuelling a smaller sub, so we dived at that thing, we had all the depth charges out on the wings, we were ready for everything... and they were two of the most beautiful Blue Whales you ever saw in your life."
Chuck left his turret and aimed a camera instead of his machine gun. He took a couple of photographs and left them in to get developed back at the base, but due to his unfortunate exit from Castle Archdale he was never able to pick them up again. "We went out feet first and I never did get them. I'd loved to have had those pictures," he said wistfully.
The biggest threat to their safety that Chuck encountered during the patrols actually came from the Merchant Navy which the Sunderlands and Catalinas were sent to protect. Engagements with enemy aircraft and U Boats were rare by 1944, but the Merchant convoys were jumpy, and fairly 'trigger happy' recalled Chuck.
"The worst part was flying alongside a convoy, because those merchant people- they were shooting at everything, and they didn't know us from the enemy. When we used to approach a convoy the skipper used to give them every view they could of the markings or else the Merchant Navy would shoot you down."
They would also shoot coloured flares by way of identifying themselves, but the colours were changed frequently, and sending up the wrong colour could prove fatal. Call signs were also used for identification and changed frequently, but there is one call sign which is indelibly printed on Chuck's memory. 'Eyeglass Eagle'. This was the last call sign of Sunderland NJ175, as it took off around 11:15 on Saturday morning, August 12, 1944. NJ175 was like any other Sunderland docked at the Flying Boat base, and was supposed to have been checked by the engineers before take off. Every one of the 12 man crew had checks to make after being rowed out to the boat on a dinghy.
"When it was our turn to fly they'd put us in a dinghy from the dock and run us to one of the boats, and we'd get on it and check everything out, and if something wasn't right we'd radio the dinghy and it would come back and get us and take us to another one. Often there'd be two or three before we'd get one that was operational."
Everything happened in such a hurry that it was fairly common to experience mechanical problems, said Chuck, and often the crews would be delayed at least an hour by repairs.
On the flight on August 12 was his regular crew, all of whom had got to know each other like brothers, having flown and socialised together in Fermanagh for months, as well as a few trainees, learning the ropes, and sitting, fatally as it turned out, near the cockpit behind the skipper, Flight Lieutenant Cam Devine.
They were heading for the English Channel, hoping to catch the German subs heading for Norway from their base at Brest on the French coast. The men- all members of the RCAF, were expecting to be away for between 10 and 12 hours, burning an enormous 2000 gallons of fuel. As it happened, they were only airborne for a fraction of that time- about 30 minutes- and had to dump as much of the fuel as possible over the surrounding area.
"The engine sounded uneasy all the time after we took off. It just didn't sound like it was hitting all cylinders, it sounded funny. But sometimes that clears up, but this time it didn't," said Chuck. The noises got worse as the plane reached the West Coast of Ireland and a problem in the outer starboard engine had developed into a fire. The crew sent out a mayday call and turned around to return to base. Orders came in from Castle Archdale to jettison the fuel and the depth charges on board, which would have exploded on impacting with the ground.
Local people in the fields around Belleek were used to seeing the huge Flying Boats sailing out to war over their heads along the secretly negotiated Donegal Corridor, but to see one with thick black smoke billowing out from its starboard engine was an unusual and alarming experience. Although Cashelard is a remote area, there were a number of people in the vicinity, taking advantage of the great weather to work in the fields or enjoy the first day of the Grouse shooting season. Their peace was about to be shattered.
On board the plane, dumping the 2000 gallons of fuel was proving too dangerous, as the high octane fuel was pouring out perilously close to the burning engine, risking an explosion which would blow the plane to smithereens. Flying Officer Alex Platsko, the Second Pilot, whose job it was to jettison the fuel and depth charges in preparation for a less than routine landing, now had to shut off the fuel dump valve again.
And there was another problem- the track for the depth charges was sticking, and the crew couldn't get them out of the plane. Eventually, after a desperate struggle, the crew worked the charges free, and they dropped harmlessly to the ground, to be blown up next day by the Irish Army and officials from Castle Archdale.
Platsko returned to the task of shutting off the fuel dump valve, but was shuddered out of his work by a loud bang as the burning engine suddenly froze up and the propeller twisted off its shaft and spun into the starboard float, causing the plane to bank suddenly, steeply to the right. Chuck remembers the sharp snap of the propeller breaking off, not long before impact.
Skipper Cam Devine, just 22 years of age, had a fight on his hands. With one engine on fire and out of action, and a half a tonne propeller embedded in the side of one of his floats, the plane was losing height at a frightening rate and in danger of hitting the ground sideways first. "We could've cartwheeled - if the wing had touched first we would all have been dead," said Chuck.
The crew members were adopting the crash position, something similar to what is advised on commercial airliners today, but without the fancy demonstration cards. Cam Devine was fighting for his life, and the lives of his comrades, fighting to get the heavy plane back on an even keel to give them a chance in the crash landing which was now inevitable. Somehow, against the odds, he achieved this, righting the plane just before impact on the Cashelard ground, succeeding in saving the lives of nine of his crew members, but losing his own life in the process.
Chuck remembers certain aspects of the impact, but he was concussed, and blood was streaming down his face. Three of the crew- Cam Devine, Pilot Officer R.T Wilkinson and Flight Sergeant Jack Forrest- died instantly. Alex Platsko, who hadn't time to buckle himself back into his seat after jettisoning the depth charges, was thrown through the windscreen, and survived, although he was seriously injured.
The plane hit the lip of a country track, coming down perpendicular to the road rather than along it, which caused the bottom half of the plane to be severed in the sudden halt. "When the bottom half of the plane was torn out I was up in the ceiling getting my arms broke and my face cut, and concussion, and I was looking down and I could see George Colbourne laying face-up on the bottom of the boat," recalled Chuck. "We went over the top of him, but it looked like we were still and he was sliding on a toboggan underneath us- that was the effect we got. That was the last thing I remembered until I gained consciousness again and tried to get out of that thing."
The next thing he remembers is the heather all around the crash site being on fire. The Sunderland had broken in two places- at the tail, and between the under section and the rest of the plane. The tail breaking off was a blessing in disguise, affording an escape hatch for Chuck and some of the other crew members.
Dazed, bleeding, and with his left arm hanging limply by his side, Chuck somehow got out of the mangled remains of the plane. As aviation fuel leaked out of the plane the fire spread, and bullets and ammunition were exploding in the heat. Chuck staggered clear of the heat, but heard George Colbourne crying for help. George was trapped under the wreckage of the tail, powerless, with two broken legs. Chuck turned back into the flames.
"I can remember going back when I heard him crying and screaming. I heard him before this, and I thought 'God, I'm not going to get him', and then he screamed one more time and I thought: 'I've got to get him', so I went back after him. I pulled my arm out hauling him out- I tore a ligament in my shoulder. I couldn't use my left arm- it was broken. So by the time I got him maybe 50 to 100 feet away, I don't know how far it was- until I couldn't feel the heat anymore- I passed out, and so did he."
The fire totally engulfed the plane, but somehow all of the survivors had got clear of the wreckage. Joe O'Loughlin reached the plane on his bicycle about half an hour after the crash, along with other locals and helpers, including the supposedly neutral Irish Army from Finner Camp, rescue services from Castle Archdale, and medical staff from Ballyshannon's Shiel Hospital. All of the injured, with wounds ranging from a broken back to severe burns, were taken to the hospital, where they remained for 48 hours before being transferred to St Angelo Airport and over to hospital in England.
At this point, according to the records of 422 Squadron, Sergeant Charles (Chuck) Singer died. This was quite an alarming discovery for Bob Singer in January this year, who thought that his father had recovered from his injuries, received a medical discharge and flown back to Canada, where he later married, had five children and moved to Florida, keeping in contact with George Colbourne, who rang him every year on August 12 to thank him for saving his life on a lonely Irish bog, a lifetime ago. Bob had decided to do a little research into his father's Airforce career, and had stumbled upon the Squadron records. He knew very little of the crash, and nothing of his modest father's heroic rescue of Colbourne. He sent a reply to the website, stating that as his father had been helping him in the yard that morning, and notwithstanding a Lazurus-like reincarnation, he had not died in England on August 14, 1944, as the Squadron notes reported. Chuck had missed out on over 50 years of squadron reunions thanks to an erroneous report in the records. He had no idea that there was such interest in those based at Castle Archdale: "I didn't have a clue- I thought that we were all forgotten. Joe here, he got after me right away- I got a letter within a week from him."
He also got in touch with the courageous Alex Platsko, now Dr Alex Platsko, who lives in the prestigious Pebble Beach resort in California. The two old comrades talked together for the first time in 58 years a few months ago, while Chuck ordered his Squadron badge, an honour he had neglected for over half a century.
This has been a year of amazing discovery for both Chuck and Bob, who accompanied his father on his emotional return to Fermanagh and to Cashelard. Under the gentle guidance of Joe, they have revisited so many areas of huge significance for Chuck- the well kept war graves in Irvinestown where his three comrades are buried; Castle Archdale with Breege McCusker; the Shiel Hospital in Ballyshannon where Chuck asked the staff if he owed them anything and joked that he had "an outstanding bill from '44"; and finally, most emotionally of all, the site at Cashelard where Sunderland NJ175 crashed 58 years ago to the day.
Full of praise for the people of Fermanagh- "a wonderful race", Chuck returns this week to Florida, laden with gifts such as a mounted piece of the wreckage of his plane, a framed citation commemorating his bravery, a copy of the memorial plaque erected to the memory of his fallen comrades, and a replica model of the planes in which he soared above the seas, risking his tomorrow for our today.
Having been reaquainted with his squadron and returned to the site of his wartime experiences he admits to being overwhelmed with his time in Fermanagh. As far as Castle Archdale, Cashelard and more particularly, Flying Boats go, he has just one disappointment, and he is not the only one: "It's a shame there isn't one for you guys to look at, you know? They're all on the bottom of the lake. Isn't that crazy?"
Taken from "Commonwealth Plots in Irvinestown County Fermanagh"
www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-grave-photographs/15812-commonw...
i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii221/lisset158/DSCF3115.jpg
The injuries to the crew Killed F/lt E.C. Devine ( Pilot ) aged 22.
( Buried Irvinestown Church of Ireland ).
P/O. J R Forrest W.Op / AG.
( Buried Irvinestown Roman catholic Churchyard).
F/O. R T Wilkinson Pilot aged 22.
(Buried Irvinestown Church of Ireland).
Surviving crew members. Sgt Allen ( Navigator).
Severe head injuries , burns to hands and legs.
Sgt Jeal. ( Flt/Engineer).
Fracture to spine , extensive burns to his hands and face.
Sgt Colbourne (A/G).
Head injury , fractured right leg.
Sgt Platsko. ( 2nd Pilot).
Head injury.
Sgt Oderskirk.(W.Op/ AG).
hand and facial injuries.
Sgt.Clarke (FME/AG).
Compressed fracture of the spine.
Sgt Singer ( A/G).
Fractured left arm.
P/O A. Locke.
(W.Op/AG).
Head injury.
Post Processing: light balance, equalization, sharpening