1980s Southend

🙂 Now tucked up in Hangar 2 here courtesy of the Duxford Aviation Society.

Is that blue object by the nose part of a Beverley towing arm? :confused:

Clearing out the garage again……finds XB261 Final Southend Day 🙁

That might be why in the past I’ve mis-quoted it as ‘XB251’ about these parts – it’s shown correctly in their Guide Book.

I’ll bring the matter to the attention of the person that looks after their website!

As a pont of note the colour scheme has been reapplied in those it wears in Jamie-Southend’s picture.

Just thought I would mention that the list on the Newark website shows the serial as XB251!

She had a re-paint at Duxford soon after she arrived there, at least they did not paint her in the wrong colours and kept the Southend scheme alive.

Yes I believe that DAS did the repaint – those colours still remain intact on XB261! 🙂

Yes I believe that DAS did the repaint – those colours still remain intact on XB261! 🙂

I am sure you already know that she spent her entire service life with A&AEE so the choice of authentic colour schemes must be pretty limited.
Having seen her fly in to Southend and then spending a lot of time in the cockpit during school holidayswhen I worked as an attendant / workshop helper at the museum it is very sad to see just the cockpit remaining.
When I worked there the cockpit was never open to the public unless there was a museum worker present to supervise visits but I think this rule was later relaxed and as a result the cockpit suffered a lot of vandalism. Hopefully all the damage has been sorted now and she looks presentable again.

I am aware of the history, perhaps one of the Day-Glo schemes might have been an option.

It is in the corner of Hangar 2 at NAM and whilst you can walk through it a lot of the areas were sealed with Perspex screens by DAS and they are still in situ.

Sadly NAMs original Beverley cockpit (now over at Doncaster) was also badly vandalised. 🙁

The attached picture was taken back in May 2004 when XB261 arrived at Newark.

A couple of years ago I did try to take some internal pictures for an education project but sadly there was too much reflection off the Perspex to get useable pictures so I ditched them. When I go up again I’ll have another try with some long exposures using a tripod!

TwinOtter23 – Any chance of some pictures next time you’re there?

BRIAN C D

The Beverley Association link provides the best timeline, but the following link provides basic details about it’s return to Paull (remember it’s now been there twice) http://www.fortpaull.com/ccm/navigation/category.jsp?categoryID=155223

XB 259 HAS NOT BEEN TO PAULL TWICE, PAULL AIRFIELD WHERE THE AERO CLUB WAS AND FORT PAULL ARE TWO DIFFERENT PLACES
BRIAN C D

would some aeroplanes not be around at all if the museum had not been started? B.25 the Einkell Anson Lincoln etc?

Anon;

What can I add except to say “well done” on an amazing effort and I’m certainly happy that Aggie Paggie lives on. The award was amply deserved. I must try and visit her at some point in the not too distant future.

The Southend museum was a gem. I grew up with it in my back yard and visited there a lot. I think it probably fueled my passion for historic aviation, and I just wish I hadn’t been too young to get involved myself. However, I did at least follow Stan and David Brett to the Rebel Air Museum and gave 15 years there.

WJ244. Next time I’m back in the Motherland, it would be great to grab a beer and talk about the museum and the people and compare notes!

Best regards;
Steve

As my own postscript to this thread; the restoration of the cockpit of G-AGPG “Aggie Paggie” was finished (barring some small bracketry and and a painted cheat line) last year and it now proudly resides at the Avro Heritage Museum at Woodford in Cheshire – a place the aircraft visited on many occasions whilst in service with Avro’s and why, amongst the old boys there, that she is greatly revered.

Phew, what a restoration it was. It was the worst thing I have ever (and probably/hopefully will ever) tackle. It was a complete basket case and I have vowed to never again to restore a steel tube, wood and fabric aircraft again! I just hope that for those who visit the museum and take a seat in Aggie Paggie’s cockpit, that they enjoy the experience and, for those that knew her before, celebrate her return from near-extinction. It’s a pity that the whole aircraft couldn’t have been restored but, you know what?, there had been dedicated hearts and minds before I ever got involved who decided that it was no longer viable. When you need to change a complete steel tube fuselage to give your restoration structural integrity then you no longer have the original machine.

As Ken Ellis aptly said at Cockpit Fest last year (2016) “It’s great to see this old machine once again and it is one which, in it’s forty-odd years after retirement, has been badly let down by the so-called preservation movement”. Aggie Paggie went to the museum at Southend in 1972. It left, ten years later a wreck and from then on it was passed from pillar to post and ended up as it did. I was extremely proud to accept from Ken the Peter Green Spirit of Cockpit Fest Award at the 2016 Newark event and felt that I had done my bit in saving what was left. Hopefully, at least the cockpit will now live on for many year’s yet. The flying surfaces went to a Mk.1 restoration project and, as far as I am aware, they are still in storage awaiting the day the project is finished.

The aircraft’s port engine is in the final stages of restoration with forum member AGPGPORT but a mile from where I restored the cockpit in deepest Lancashire. A certain amount of project creep has resulted in a complete engine installation, including undercarriage, all working, being completed and trailer mounted ready for a running/functioning display at shows. Dave, the owner restorer, has a few pressing medical issues at the moment but when all that is resolved he will be applying the finishing touches for, hopefully, engine runs at summer’s end. I wish him well and have no wish to steal his thunder so… watch this space.

And finally; Southend Museum. I certainly didn’t appreciate what a gem we had down there, until it was too late. It is a shame to hear of those airframes that didn’t make it but, by the same token, those that did and now rest in secure homes elsewhere.

I’d post a few pics of Aggie Paggie now but find this latest forum picture posting program impossible to work with (please make it easier to use for the non-computer savvy types like me to use. Facebook, etc, can do it, why can’t you?!). Try Googling [Avro Heritage Museum], I believe you may find a few pics in there.

Anon.

I love this thread!

In the early days there was always someone in the Beverley cockpit and a couple of attendants walking around the building and grounds. I worked there both as a volunteer and full time during school holidays and spent many hours sitting up there in the cockpit supervising visitors with every possible entrance open to try to make the heat bearable.
Later on money got tight and eventually all the attendants got laid off so vandalism became more common. The Anson and the Gemini both got damaged. I am pretty sure that the vandals managed to murder George along with a lot of other damage to the Beverley. Unfortunately they found the fire axes were ideal for wrecking things – A great shame as we were very proud of the Beverley when she first arrived.

FWIW, all RAF transports and bombers had that distinctive smell. Fighters, however did not. Probably due to the the open cockpits which got thoroughly aired every day.
Re the Museum Brochure, it shows a picture of children in the cockpit. That, unfortunately was the most evil thing the the museum allowed. When I visited her, mindless kids had smashed everything they could. I had company in the cockpit(strangers) so I didn’t open the coffin to see if George had survived the vandalism.

Wading back through this thread was really good but I note with interest the user names not seen here anymore.
I am guessing some lost interest, some have past on and some forgotten their passwords !
Seems such a long time ago but then it does not, I can still smell the museum and of course the Beverley which had that ‘old aeroplane smell’
happy days

PM also sent……………Mike B

Hi John;

PM sent!

Best regards’;
Steve