Bitteswell, Engine testbeds and Farnborough '54

Some more…

Several of the Sapphire Canberra at Farnborough In 1954, caption on the back of the 3rd from left reads”awaiting visit from the Duke of Edinburgh; His comment ‘not a lot of room is there?'”
A couple of its crash at Bitteswell, dated Nov. 1954
Some of Farnborough ’54, lots of interesting machines, including The DH110 which crashed hours after the shot was taken.
A poorly Gannet at Bitteswell dated 1958.
Group photo at Bitteswell, June ’59. The unit apparently closed that September.
Wyvern 🙂
And JP XD694 dated April ’56.

Hope you all like.

I think the “Blackburn” is the YA-8.

I think it’s the B-88 / Y.B.1 WB797, with the Double Mamba engine.

The belly landed Gannet is AS.1 WN345 which was the test bed for the ASDM.8 version D.Mamba that was fitted to the AEW.3 Gannet, accident 21 Nov ’58.

I can’t se the DH.110 pictures that you allude to, that accident was in September 1952.

Cracking shots by the way.

Does say big Mamba test bed on the back of the Gannet shot. Brownie points your way!
Might be ’52, did scan them in a hurry so probably scribbled me notes wrong and confused meself! Will check…
To see the 110 (and Javelin and various other nice machines) zoom right in on the second small photo down on the right of the second posting. It’s there trust me!

Does anyone know the reg of the Comet in the Farnborough pics?

Will

Yes see it now, that is WG240, it was WG236 that crashed at Farnborough in ’52.
Your pics are definately Farnborough ’54, the surviving DH.110 that you see was gradually modifed for naval requirements as one of the Sea Vixen prototypes.

Fairy nuff, thanks for that, was just going by what the chap who took the photos wrote on ze back 🙂

Does anyone know the reg of the Comet in the Farnborough pics?

Will

I think it is G-ANLO the Comet 3 which first flew in July 1954, the first 4 didnt fly until 1958.

Richard

Excellent pics Blue_2.. thanks for sharing them. Are there any names on the back of the Python Lanc photos by any chance.?

Rob.

There are names, on the Lanc and Canberra ones. The album’s at home and I’m not, but will be back Sunday so will have a shufty.

Fabulous pics, thanks for sharing them with us.

Roger Smith.

I think it is G-ANLO the Comet 3 which first flew in July 1954, the first 4 didnt fly until 1958.

Richard

Thanks Richard

Will

Lancastrian.

Interesting set of pictures. My grandfather was an instrument fitter at Bitteswell around this time, and spoke fondly of Gannets, Canberras and Javelins. He had on his wall a grainy ground shot of a Javelin, and a beautiful air-to-air of the Lancastrian, which I guess may have been taken on the same sortie. I inherited both, but unfortunately they are in storage on the other side of the world! I must get busy with the scanner when I get back later this year….

Thanks for posting these, great to see.

Excellent pics Blue_2.. thanks for sharing them. Are there any names on the back of the Python Lanc photos by any chance.?

Rob.

Evening all,
quick post because I’m just on me way to the pub 😀
On the head-on Python shot-
L-R i presume- Me(?), Harry Phelps, Stan Brown, Bill Todd, Jim Hartley, Ernie Leek.
On the shot under the Port Python install-
Me(?), Ernie Leek, Sam Brown, Bill Todd, Harry Phelps, Jim Hartley.

Would love to know who ‘Me’ is, he doesn’t identify himself in any of the shots…

If anyone’s interested let me know and I’ll do the Canberra ones too.

Your Canberra crash photos are of WD933 the Sapphire 7 testbed which crashed on the 10/11/54 at Bitteswell.

John

Thanks, already had the serial from the many other pics I’ve got, not the exact date though. As well as the shots of it with the test crew in front of it I’ve a beauty of it airborne I meant to post, will do when I get chance. Anyone know why it crashed?

There are no names on the photo showing 3 chaps stood in front of the Sapphire Canberra, but the other shot I’ve posted the back reads-
‘Me’ (Still want to know who Me is…), Ken Jordon, Norman Lee, —- Robinson.

Pageno1, thanks for the extra details on the Blackburn. It and the Wyvern (VW868) are both captioned as being flown by a chap by the name of Tom Prickett by the way…

I think it’s the B-88 / Y.B.1 WB797, with the Double Mamba engine.

Just looking closely at the original photo it is serialled WB797. Give that man the coconut!

The B-88 Y.B.1 was the only A.S. D.Mamba version of that strange little family, the B-54 Y.A.7 and Y.A.8 both being Griffon powered, though the .8 had dummy Mamba exhausts for aerodynamic testing.

Tom Prickett was a company test pilot for Armstrong Siddeley Motors, so that all makes sense.

G-ANLO and WG240

I was at Farnborough on 12 September 1954, and can confirm that G-ANLO and WG240 were there.

Laurence