Just received the old school magazine and there’s a rather fetching picture of a fully rigged but engineless Bulldog parked out in the open in front of the the Physics Block. Date must be 1940/41 or thereabouts. Presumably it was on charge to the OTC/CCF/ATC for instructional purposes. Can’t have lasted long outside though.
This was in Repton, Derbyshire. A long shot I know – but does anybody know the original serial number and M number of the Bulldog?
Incidentally whilst I was there the CCF army truck had the Derbyshire registration BRA 36 B – wonder what happened to that number…………
By: avion ancien - 10th December 2010 at 20:39
……….and another nine months on, I trust that further gentle nudge is not inappropriate, John!
By: John Aeroclub - 10th March 2010 at 21:30
Sorry no. I have been busy in many other areas, my looney spaniel taking up much more time than she should. Unfortunately I have just lost my work colleague of 28 years to a heart attack so I will have even less time.
I do remember that some time ago there was a mention (and a Photo I think) in Aeroplane Monthly of the Prefect going to Tollerton.
Regards
John
By: avion ancien - 10th March 2010 at 20:35
Have you traced any more information about this one, John?
…………forgive the gentle reminder but, in the the succeeding nine months, have you been able to make any progress, John?
By: Newforest - 13th June 2009 at 21:54
Thanks for the bump(s) and laughs, missed this first time round!:p
By: John Aeroclub - 13th June 2009 at 21:33
No sorry I haven’t had the time.
Cheers
John
By: avion ancien - 13th June 2009 at 20:01
Could be. I also recall that the Tutor might be a Prefect which was originally derelict at Gatwick and “moved north” sometime around 1950.
John
Have you traced any more information about this one, John?
By: jeepman - 6th May 2009 at 18:15
Ha ha
“No descriptive data is held by DVLA for registration number BRA36B”
either
probably got the cup size wrong then
It is 40 years ago now!
But it was definitely BRA chest size/cup size – one remembers these things at that age!
By: avion ancien - 6th May 2009 at 13:42
I also recall that the Tutor might be a Prefect which was originally derelict at Gatwick and “moved north” sometime around 1950.
John
Ah, it’s a funny old world!
Only this morning was I researching civil Prefects (take a look at the thread concerning Pebsham Aerodrome, Hastings). The other of the two demilitarised Prefects was G-AHRZ (ex K5069). That was supposed to have been scrapped at Gatwick c. 1948. So if we’re talking about the same aeroplane, I’d be interested to know more of its subsequent northerly migration c. 1950.
At the risk of being accused of furthering thread drift, but sticking with Avro biplanes and the north of England, can anyone shed light upon the post-war career of Avro Commodore G-ACNT which, apparently, was dismantled at Woodford in 1939 but not scrapped until c. 1950?
By: John Aeroclub - 6th May 2009 at 13:24
Could be. I also recall that the Tutor might be a Prefect which was originally derelict at Gatwick and “moved north” sometime around 1950.
John
By: avion ancien - 6th May 2009 at 11:17
The description of my old neighbor (who moved to the Leeds area some years ago) was “like a Bulldog”. However I think that these remains were in fact a Tutor and possibly a Cadet which had been derelict at Tollerton in the late 40’s.
That would, presumably, have been Club Cadet G-ADEH which was scrapped at Tollerton c. 1950.
By: John Aeroclub - 6th May 2009 at 10:59
This interesting thread has sparked a memory in that one of my old neighbors who was local to the area (north Nottinghamshire) told me of two biplane airframes in woodland near to the village which he had played on with the owners children as a boy. At first this may sound like another story, but the the land owner (Tommy Shipside) operated a Messenger out of an adjacent field and two other chaps one of whom was Brian Walker (a friend of W.R. Chorley) who is an authority on crashes in Nottinghamshire, have told me where one of the metal wing panels was later used as a fence in a hedge, but I was never able to find it.
The description of my old neighbor (who moved to the Leeds area some years ago) was “like a Bulldog”. However I think that these remains were in fact a Tutor and possibly a Cadet which had been derelict at Tollerton in the late 40’s. Shipside also operated out of Tollerton.
John
By: paulmcmillan - 6th May 2009 at 09:35
Ha ha
“No descriptive data is held by DVLA for registration number BRA36B”
either
By: avion ancien - 6th May 2009 at 09:33
“No descriptive data is held by DVLA for registration number BRA32B.”
It was a long time ago… I wonder if your recall was correct it its historical context? If fact are your Mammaries of the event correct?
That’s because the registration number quoted was BRA 36B – ge tit right!
Returning to the real issue of this thread, I believe that the airframe at Worksop College was not a Tutor but ex Air Service Training Avro Cadet G-ADTJ/2960M. The nearest Tutor airframe appears to have been G-ABTR/HM504/3065M which was with 1403 Squadron ATC at Radford in Nottinghamshire.
By: paulmcmillan - 6th May 2009 at 08:43
Incidentally whilst I was there the CCF army truck had the Derbyshire registration BRA 36 B – wonder what happened to that number…………
“No descriptive data is held by DVLA for registration number BRA32B.”
It was a long time ago… I wonder if your recall was correct it its historical context? If fact are your Mammaries of the event correct?
By: jeepman - 5th May 2009 at 22:13
I think that you’ve made a boob……………..
But getting back to the serious point, a Bulldog instructional airframe at Repton School is a new one to me. The only two of which I am aware are the anonymous Rugby School “pond filler” and the one which was with the Northampton 5F (?) ATC Squadron. Perhaps, Jeepman, if you scan and post the image from the Repton School old boys magazine, it might help on the identification front.
I remember there was an article in FP a while back on ATC/OTC Intructional airframes and I certainly remember there was a Tutor at Worksop College. There was no reference to Repton IIRC
Unfortunately I don’t have a scanner but to be honest looking at the picture there is nothing that give the remotest of clues to its’ identity. It is a front 3/4 view with the lower wing hiding where the serial block would be. There is no serial visible on the lower wing.
Interestingly have just found a connection between the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Repton. The Commercial Manager (and later Joint Assistant Managing Director) was W R Verdon Smith who was schooled at Repton. I wonder if he was the source of the Bulldog. The fact that it was engineless perhaps suggests a test airframe of some sort. There would surely be no need for Jupiter engines to be stripped from old airframes for re-use during 1940/41
By: avion ancien - 5th May 2009 at 21:00
It got busted.
I think that you’ve made a boob……………..
But getting back to the serious point, a Bulldog instructional airframe at Repton School is a new one to me. The only two of which I am aware are the anonymous Rugby School “pond filler” and the one which was with the Northampton 5F (?) ATC Squadron. Perhaps, Jeepman, if you scan and post the image from the Repton School old boys magazine, it might help on the identification front.
By: Mark12 - 5th May 2009 at 20:16
Just received the old school magazine and there’s a rather fetching picture of a fully rigged but engineless Bulldog parked out in the open in front of the the Physics Block. Date must be 1940/41 or thereabouts. Presumably it was on charge to the OTC/CCF/ATC for instructional purposes. Can’t have lasted long outside though.
This was in Repton, Derbyshire. A long shot I know – but does anybody know the original serial number and M number of the Bulldog?
Incidentally whilst I was there the CCF army truck had the Derbyshire registration BRA 36 B – wonder what happened to that number…………
It got busted.
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May 5, 2009 at 6:49 pm