Hawker Hector, Avro Cadet & Simmonds Spartan – the legacy of Cloughjordan Sawmill

Feroxeng, as per the post  a wee bit up I can confirm a set of Hector engine bearers are in Australia, pictured in the Napier Dagger thread, and these came, via another restorer, originally from K8203 leftovers. These are in remarkably good condition, and do not suggest being left out in the weather. My understanding is that a further airframe from Northern Ireland was obtained for donor material for K8203 and these bearers originate from this source. The Hector has a longer engine than the Kestrel fitted to the Demon. Consequently the Hector   Main fuel tank is shorter and the actual pilots cockpit dimensions slightly different. There is no radiator occupying the area under the pilot. The tube dimensions are different from the pilot’s backrest forward, as are many of the stainless fishplates, between the Demon and Hector. I am not sure how much forward Hector donor tube could have been used in the Demon, however this project seemed to accumulate much of what was out there. It would be very useful to see a photo of the Hector panel, if one exists. Without photos of the mill in the 60’s we can only rely on witness reports, which are fascinating. In Australia, much of the aviation heritage was preserved by farmers buying airframes just for their sheetmetal, fasteners and tubes. Even in the 60’s, materials were scarce as the postwar economy readjusted from rationing and financial deficit. The theme of airframes slowly disappearing as ‘bits and pieces’ were used to ‘fix various things’ is very familiar. It may be possible that a buildup of derelict material at Baldonnel was cleared out by a spring cleaning IAC Engineering officer in the late 50’s, and various scrappies and dealers took ‘useful stuff’ to various corners. What was there at the mill in 1960 may have been less so in 1962 and subsequent years. The material still existed, but perhaps as an anonymous stand for a bench grinder or bracket on a plough. 

Thank you, feroxeng, for your additions to the stories of these aeroplanes. Contributions based on actual knowledge and experience always have added value. My input was based on the documentary sources available to me, of which one cannot say whether they are accurate and, if so, to what extent. I never would have been able to investigate the matter myself. I was barely out of short trousers when the Cloughjordan element of these stories concluded and, in any event, from where I am and was it’s a long way to Tipperary!

I’m afraid the Cloughjordan Hector story always seems a bit short on confirmed facts, i.e. photographs.  I first visited the nearby airfield site (not Albert Clarke’s sawmill) in August 1960 when the 3-Seater (EI-ABU) and Cadet (no markings, but nominally C-7, EI-AFO, EI-AGO) were present. plus another Cadet wing marked 5 (that is IAC C-5) and an elevator.

I returned, but this time to the sawmill in June 1962 where, as well as the 3-Seater and Cadet, there was the famous Hector forward fuselage, chopped behind the rear cockpit and what I assume was a Hawker wing doing service as a gate.  There may have been other small bits, but I think I’d have noticed a Dagger engine.  I returned again in August 1964, the story being much the same, although one of the aircraft fuel tanks had been brought into use in the mill.

Albert Clarke was pretty approachable and he allowed various bits to be removed including the Hector instrument panel.  Before you throw a fit this was returned to the Hector after it metamorphosed into Demon K8203 with Tim Moore. (It fitted perfectly). I have a letter from Albert where he offered me the Spartan for £100 and the Cadet for £50. So who’s got the Cloughjordan Hector’s very distinctive engine mounts as they haven’t gone into the Demon?

Stories of other Hectors always seem very vague.  Please can we have photographs to flesh out the rumours?

Regards to all.

DD, the preservation and sharing of history is a great Mistress that must be obeyed. She has joined my hand to the hand of Key, and the only way we can drink the pints on the bar is to walk to the bar together. I do greatly appreciate the contributions to this and other threads and tip my hat to Key for maintaining historical threads. 

This thread, along with the adjacent ones on the Napier Dagger and the Westland Wapiti,  are by far the most interesting items  to have appeared on this forum in a very long time.

Thank you to all the thread starters.

DD

Fascinating reading Fredhe, thank you. It appears that there was more Hector material than recorded in wrecks and relics. I understand most of the Hector remains, principally non corroded tubing, became donor material for restorations, so not lost. The tubes were nickel alloy, thin gauge, high strength. Modern chrome-moly tubes are heavier, thicker gauge, designed for welded structures. The wing material used as gates seems long gone, this was light gauge, corrodible material that would not last long out in the weather. It is very interesting to hear of engines sold ‘back to the makers’ as these would have been Dagger IIIs with downdraft carburettors, unlike the later Dagger VIIIs with updraft carburettors used on the Handley Page Herefords. At RAF Museum Hendon a Dagger VIII is displayed, so this can’t be from Cloughjordan. Perhaps they sit in a barn somewhere. My understanding is that a further airframe was sourced from Northern Ireland as donor material, which was not out in the weather. I can confirm that the engine bearers from this airframe have now made their way to Australia to be reunited with a Dagger core, being soaked in Guinness to loosen up the bolts. A picture is in the Napier Dagger post. 

Looking through some old posts I came across mention of the relics at Cloughjordan. I visited the sawmill ste either two or three times in the 1960s as a member of what would now be called an aircraft archeology group which although based in the North were attempting seek out artifacts, wrecks, or just information from anywhere in Ireland. The Cadet and Spartan were somwhat hidden away inside ‘buildings’, but the Hector remains and other stuff was outside and ‘scattered’. I believe there were parts of three Hectors others present thought only two. There was one complete fuselage albeit cut in two behing the pilots seat and another rear fuselage plus odd bits of structure. There were various wing structures, all uncovered panels. Three or four uncovered basic wing structures, minus ribs, were in use around the extended site as gates. I was and still am certain that I identified three starboard upper mainplane sections. We were told by the owner, who was not unfriendly once assured that we didn’t want to take anything bar photos, that he had sold two engines, presumably Daggers, to ‘the makers from England’. Every time  I come acoss one in a museum I do wonder. After our last Cloughjordan visit our next project was a possible Barracuda in a bog south of Derry………..

No takers?

No takers?

Many thanks. I never cease to find interest in your website, dave4otu. However I had looked at it – and what little else I could find on the net – before I posted.

Many thanks. I never cease to find interest in your website, dave4otu. However I had looked at it – and what little else I could find on the net – before I posted.

This is what I have on the Spartan – c/n 102-lot of photos on the NZ page-(Scroll down the pages)…
http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/airfields/nz2.html
http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/iowweb/sim.html