Following the transformation of The Garrison Chapel in Pembroke Dock to a museum and visitor centre for Pembroke Dock, a project was launched to encourage local schools to visit and learn about the history of Pembroke Dock and its very close association with The Sunderland Flying Boats. Two groups from Golden Grove School-Ysgol Gelli Aur have been doing just that as a part of the Going Local Project. The pupils met up with volunteer guide Chris who related the story of Straddle, the Spaniel mascot of the Canadian squadron based in Pembroke Dock. So called after the way in which depth charges bounced on the water after being dropped, Straddle became a famous figure in the history of The Sunderlands. With the pupils sat on the map of the world carpet, Chris told of the exploits of the dog, including a 14-hour mission seeking out enemy submarines. It seems that the illustrious dog had the run of the Sunderlands on their patrols! After the wonderful storytelling session, the pupils, complete with clipboards and a pencil, followed the timeline exploration trail. They learned about the famous ships built in the Royal Dockyard, the terrible impact of bombings in Pembroke Dock and of the great tank blaze at Llanreath. Moving on to the building which houses the artefacts of the Sunderland era, the pupils were amazed to find that some of the oldest parts of the aircraft had been restored to working order by the team of enthusiastic volunteers who had spent many hours de salting and cleaning the historic parts recovered from the Milford Haven Waterway. On returning to school, the pupils reviewed their visit and wrote a letter of thanks to the staff of the Heritage Centre. Perhaps the best way to sum up the visit is the words of one of the pupils who said: " I never knew the full history of the Sunderland planes, I enjoyed the visit with my school friends and will be going back in the holidays." So a great hit and well worth a visit, the school will be visiting again in the near future.

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