Latest news with #U-Boat
Daily Record
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Scots Victoria Cross hero who was last living WW2 recipient dies aged 105
John Cruickshank, who downed a German U-Boat while piloting a Catalina flying boat in June 1944, has passed away. A Scottish war hero has died at the age of 105. John Cruickshank was the last surviving recipient of the Victoria Cross award from World War Two. The flight lieutenant, from Aberdeen, had earned the honour for his attack on a German U-Boat, downing the enemy submarine in June 1944 despite having suffered significant injuries. He sustained 72 injuries, including wound to his lungs and 10 to his lower limbs, after spotting the sub ahead and going on the attack in the face of heavy gunfire. However, their bombs did not release, forcing Flt Lt Cruickshank to turn the aircraft around and attack again. On that occasion, he released the bombs himself, successfully destroying the submarine. Navigator John Dickson was killed while his co-pilot and two others members of the crew were seriously injured. Flt Lt Cruickshank refused medical attention after the attack and flew the aircraft back to its base at Sullom Voe in Shetland. He never returned to operational flying and left the RAF in 1946 for a career in banking. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest recognition for valour that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth Armed Forces. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Flt Lt Cruickshank was praised for setting an example of "determination, fortitude and devotion to duty" when the honour was bestowed on him by King George VI. He rarely talked about his experiences, saying in 2008: "You don't get involved in that kind of thing thinking of any decorations or any recognition. It was regarded as duty." In 2013, he was given the opportunity to fly in an aircraft similar to the one he piloted during the war. Last year, a Catalina flying boat was flown over Flt Lt Cruickshank's home in Aberdeen to mark his 104th birthday. The BBC reports Flight Lieutenant Cruickshank's family said he died last week and a funeral would be held in private. The veteran's heroics took place on June 17, 1944, while protecting British vessels in the Norwegian Sea. He was the last to die of 181 people who received the country's highest military honour for their actions in the conflict, which ran from 1939 to 1945. The Telegraph reports he was born on May 20, 1920, in Aberdeen and was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and at Daniel Stewart's College in Edinburgh. He joined the Commercial Bank of Scotland and in April 1939 he enlisted as a gunner in the Territorial Army. He was mobilised when war broke out and joined the 129th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. In January 1941 he transferred to the Royal Air Force to train as a pilot. Following courses in Canada and the USA he was commissioned in the RAFVR and in March 1943 he joined No 210. In July he sighted and attacked a U-boat without result and in September spotted a boatload of 11 survivors in the Bay of Biscay and directed two warships to their rescue. After recovering from his wounds Cruickshank served at Headquarters, Coastal Command. He was released from the RAF and served for two years as ADC to the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He returned to banking and in 1952 joined Grindlay's Bank with whom he established a reputation in the international field in Asia and Africa. He returned from South Africa to Scotland in 1977 to be the Administrator, Northern Division, North-West Securities until he finally retired in 1985.
The Star
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
U-Boat celebrates 25 years of the Chimera limited-edition watch
Only 25 pieces of the Chimera 25 are available. It was not so long ago, in the year 2000, that a young man − Italo Fontana − decided to start on an assignment, inspired by his grandfather Ilvo's barely sketched project. This has resulted in the remarkable growth and journey of U-Boat, now synonymous with innovation, tradition and Tuscan craftsmanship. Above all, it has become an expression of the mind and heart of its founder, Italo Fontana, marked by 25 years of success. U-Boat has always challenged conventions, launching watch collections with an iconic design, against trends and fashions, and initially with oversized dimensions, even surprising the public at the Baselworld fair with a 65mm diameter wristwatch – the largest ever made at the time. A plaque with the serial number distinguishes the U-Boat Chimera's reference. To celebrate this important milestone, the brand has launched a limited-edition of only 25 pieces of one of the most iconic and recognisable watch designs that has undoubtedly marked the brand's history in the hearts of enthusiasts: the Chimera. The 46mm 316L stainless steel case houses a spectacular Damascus steel bezel, characterised by fascinating veins and aesthetic variations. The design is enhanced by five 18kt yellow gold tension screws that secure the bezel to the caseback, emphasising the attention to detail and refinement of the watch. Beneath the anti-reflective sapphire-coated mineral glass, the black metal dial is divided into two sections: the upper part features a 'carres' pattern while the lower section, in brushed metal with a gold finish, hosts the hour, minute and second hands, also in brushed metal. The steel caseback is engraved with the 25th-anniversary logo. An additional sub-dial, with a yellow gold border, frames the 25th-anniversary commemorative logo, while a plaque positioned at six o'clock celebrates this milestone. A curved date window is situated in the upper left to display the day's date. On the left side of the case, at 10 o'clock, stands the iconic patented button for easy crown extraction, made of 18kt yellow gold and knurled for a secure grip. On the opposite side, a plaque with the serial number distinguishes the watch's reference and the ordinal number of the limited edition. The strap is made of selected ostrich leather, crafted by artisans. The steel caseback features a central mineral glass section, engraved with the 25th-anniversary logo. In addition to the five gold tension screws, the caseback is secured with four additional screws that ensure water-resistance up to 100m, protecting the Swiss automatic mechanical movement ETA 2824 Top Soigne, modified according to U-Boat specifications. The customised rotor, made of brass and tungsten, showcases an elegant perlage finish and a rhodium-plated treatment. The strap with a pin buckle is made of selected ostrich leather, crafted in Tuscany by artisans. The iconic patented button for easy crown extraction, made of 18kt yellow gold, is knurled for a secure grip. With a total of over 13g of gold distributed among buttons, side plaque, tension screws, and dial, the Chimera 25° is a tribute to U-Boat's successful history. This celebratory watch blows out 25 candles, but still looks to the future with the same determination and innovative spirit that have made the brand a key player in the world of watchmaking.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Starmer is about to hammer the final nail in British farming's coffin
Farmers and fishermen are right to be worried they are being sold out by the Government. Seeing car workers in Labour constituencies favoured above rural residents in Tory and Liberal ones doesn't make it any easier to swallow: the feeling that we are being sold out to proffer international trade deals is inescapable. British wheat futures have already fallen on the news that 1.4 billion litres of bioethanol can come here annually duty free, the same quantity that we currently produce domestically. That may transfer jobs from the North of England to America's Trump voting corn-belt. If, as they have threatened, the UK's two bioethanol plants in Hull and Teesside close, then 2m tonnes of feed wheat grown by arable farmers in the North will have to go elsewhere. Livestock farmers will also be hit, as the main by-product of ethanol production is animal feed. That will now become more expensive, making it harder for our beef and pig farmers to compete globally. The other by-product is carbon dioxide, something we are short of in the UK. It's badly needed by the NHS. It's an example of how Britain's agri-industrial base could be eroded if government policy moves too far from protecting domestic production towards free trade, as happened with nearly fatal consequences prior to WW2 when we were ill prepared to withstand Hitler's U-Boat blockade. Starmer's Labour manifesto slogan: 'Food security is national security' now looks hollow. Farming unions have so far based many of their arguments on lurid scare stories about chlorinated chicken and hormone treated beef. These concerns have been answered by the government as both categories are specifically banned in the treaty. And some American ranchers have started producing hormone-free beef for British markets. But until we have transparent food labelling, particularly for ready-meal ingredients, and proper customs checks, we cannot have much confidence in the food standards of imported produce. In 2013 we had horsemeat on supermarket shelves masquerading as beef. And while many overseas farmers still don't have to tag cattle or keep whole-life medicine records there is little hope of food traceability. We are only one imported meat sandwich away from another foot and mouth epidemic. It is very hard to argue against free trade when it leads to lower food prices for all. What everyone should be focusing on is whether free trade is fair trade: the terms of trade between countries and whether British farmers' competitiveness is being unfairly hampered by the Government. We are farming with one hand tied behind our backs. This point was made, ironically enough, by US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on her visit to the UK last week. Subsidy removal in the UK puts British farmers at a disadvantage to their EU and US counterparts, who still have generous subsidies or a federal crop insurance programme to fall back on. We also have to comply with far more expensive red tape. And overseas farmers are not having to plan for a penal inheritance tax that would see the government take 20 per cent of the value of their farms and herds every generation through the Chancellor's family farm tax. On Thursday, the influential Westminster Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee, dominated by Labour MPs, asked the Chancellor to look again at her inheritance tax plans. She should listen. Jamie Blackett is a farmer and the author of Red Rag to a Bull and Land of Milk and Honey Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
