D-Day film Pressure on location at RAF Halton

Not a problem.  Interesting conversations often ramble off in unexpected directions !

I know this has gone slightly off track – sorry Prop Strike.

W+R 29 says there are no survivors of either type in the UK. With hindsight at least one could have been recently preserved in the museum at Filton. Another loss to our aviation history I guess.

I don’t have any photos of my time at Halton. But I do remember loads of Canberras, Hunters, a couple of early Whirlwinds and some very early JPs. Out on the airfield were more Canberras, Hunters, as well as at least, one Vulcan and at least one Argosy.

H

I have a photo somewhere of many Buckmasters and Buckinghams at Filton just post-war. I suspect that a lot were scrapped on site before delivery.

The Buckmaster is not a type I’m familiar with – I’m afraid. I don’t remember it on the airfield at 1 SoTT. Maybe gone before my time there!

However, AI is telling me the type first flew 27 Oct 44 (RP209). Eighty years ago this month. 

H

The Buckmaster, shame it was not saved.

That is brilliant BeaufighterVI. 

a. rookie. 

A Swift in 1956, nearby was a Lincoln and a Buckmaster.

Fifty four years ago for me. Last time I was in that hangar it was full of assorted Hunters and Canberra aircraft. Brings a tear to the eye, eh?

I look forward to seeing the film when it comes out.

Last time I was at Halton was in 1978 – doing my Fitters Course.

Aircraft technical training moved to RAF Cosford (which took over the number plate 1 SoTT) in 1993. Since then, the airfield site has been used for RAF AC gliding and GA and generally speaking, still is. Since 1993 the rest of the site has been used for recruit training, as well as logistics and other admin trade training. More recently recruit training moved on to RAF Cranwell (Lincolnshire). Logistics and admin moved to MOD Worthy Down (Winchester). As the amount of new recruits joining each week has shrunk the need for training estate has also shrunk. When I joined the RAF, in 1974 there were between 800 -1000 new recruits joining every Thursday. I doubt there is that many joining each year now!!

The current occupants, of the site, are simply a small number of “minor” organisations. The MOD have for many years been talking about handing the site back to the De Rothschild family.

H

Thanks for posting: I was there a few weeks ago for the first time since the early 1980s and was surprised at how little things had changed. The airfield hangars didn’t look as though they’d had a coat of paint in 45 years and the hill up to Groves/Henderson square didn’t looked like it had taken any marching in that time either. The grandstand where we’d done our first PT down past Old Workshops looked similarly overgrown and unkempt. It was all quite sad. Back then there must have been thousands of young men and women being trained there: how many now I wonder?