大象传媒

From Russia with Gloves.

Edward 'Ted' Dunglinson,
RAF Warrant Officer 560749.
Age 95
(Submitted by son David)

In 1941 whilst instructing on aircraft repairs at RAF Cosford, I was posted to Russia. We departed from Glasgow, in early November, on a ship called the River Afton and travelled by convoy to Archangel. Our cargo was Hurricane aircraft, in boxes and general aircraft spares. From Archangel we travelled by train to an airfield called Kineshma 150 miles north east of Moscow, on the river Volga.

After working on the airfield at Kineshma unboxing and assembling Hurricane aircraft alongside Russian airmen, I was making my way to the coach which was to take us back to the hotel where we were billeted. I noticed a strange aircraft on which a Russian airman was working on a petrol tap above the engine, where a leak had developed. He was using a blowlamp and soldering iron to make the repair, however the soldering iron was cooling so quickly he was having great difficulty. I picked up the blowlamp and stood with one foot on the wing and one foot on the wheel opposite the mechanic. The heat source now being much closer to the point of repair, enabled him to make his repair much quicker.

Having established that the repair was successful, I was walking away from the aircraft when I noticed, on the bottom wing, a flying jacket helmet and gloves. I picked up a glove and tried it on and the mechanic spoke for the first time. He said "Harosh" which I undersood meant good, I replied "Harosha" meaning very good. I laid the glove back on the wing and proceeded to the stop where the coach was waiting to pick us up. The mechanic came after me and took me back towards his aircraft where a high-ranking Russian officer approached us carrying the gloves. He held the gloves out to me, shook hands and said in English "Please take these".
I said, "Why should I take your gloves?" but he insisted on me accepting them saying,
"You helped the mechanic repair my aircraft."

He was a Major Kommissar and his name was Major Gregory Curcov. He was from an airfield 150 kilometres to the east. I asked him if he had flown any British aircraft. He said he had flown several different types. I asked if this was in England. He told me it was not but in countries that had purchased them from Britain including Spain and China.
I asked the Major to write in my pocket notebook his name stating that he had given me the gloves as a gift, as I anticipated difficulty explaining how they came to be in my possession. This he duly did.

I still have these unique flying gloves, which are in excellent condition and the note, as given to me by the Russian Major.

July 6th 2005

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