Regarding the ‘souvenirs’, my father got the wingtip, complete with landing light bulb, marked ‘OSRAM, Made in England’! – I think it was your father that got a forage cap from one of the crew (I’m pretty sure my father told me that Ronnie Wright got the cap).
And regarding that dinghy smell, it's known that German Aircraft and fittings smelt a bit, erm... 'odd'. Here’s some theories from the KeyPublishing Aviation Forum:
“My own theory for what it's worth is that the smell derives from the oil and fuel burnt in German aircraft engines. But that begs the question why should it be any different from ours? Could it be that German petroleum was synthetic and largely made from coal? Their oil too was synthetic. Somebody told me that it was a vegetable based product as opposed to a mineral oil.”
And
“I have been told before that the smell comes from the man-made rubber products used by the Germans during the war when natural rubber was unavailable to them. having a slightly tangy smell and leaving a nasty aftertaste on the palate!!”
