Civilian Repair Units

CRU Technical Advisors

My father was Technical Advisor to the CRU and is very reticent on this subject. I would like to find out more about what the role involved and where he moght have been based. He does mention a few places such as Brize Norton. What is or where is Bristol Bowfighter? Can any one be of help?

Bristol Beaufighter, see link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Beaufighter

My father was Technical Advisor to the CRU and is very reticent on this subject. I would like to find out more about what the role involved and where he moght have been based. He does mention a few places such as Brize Norton. What is or where is Bristol Bowfighter? Can any one be of help?

If he worked under Lord Nuffield I can understand it as by all accounts he was not an easy person to work for.

The Specs against which military aircraft were procured did not address the criteria that later became “Reliability and Maintainability” (incredibly, (to be) Tornado was RAF’s first to be so designed, at Luftwaffe insistence, determined to avoid repetition of F-10G’s practical inoperability by conscript tekkies). RAF/FAA were very happy to take delivery of something that worked at all: flak or P/O Prune would bend it, or technology would supersede it, long before longevity called. (USSR was always thus – no Repair Manuals or Approved Maintenance Schedules for, say, Il-62 (VC10-clone) covering work deeper than a couple-of-days-in-hangar; a reason why no sane Operator paid money for them). So, bent beyond Unit skills, kit would be low-loaded to a Repair Contractor/RAF MU/RN Repair Yard and scavenged for its parts. Except, that is, for your Dad.

The decisive Authority on Airworthiness on, say Spitfire, was not R.Mitchell. Let me clarify: no designer works without regard to safety, but the “fitness-for-purpose” of a piece of kit in the hands of the “average” air and ground crew member was determined by the Buyer – for all UK aircraft then, and for military ones now, that is (Boscombe Down, now a Co. named QinetiQ), administered by (WW2: MAP; now {whatever this week’s name is for} the Defence Procurement Agency of MoD). MAP, the Buyer, owned the design, so could put production, parts, mod. and repair contracts wherever it wished, and could chop, tart and cobble to its heart’s content. Supermarine did not do Seafire: Westland and Cunliffe-Owen did. Their, and the CRO’s “Mitchells” were named engineers holding a level of MAP Approval which recognised their Authority to mess about with load-bearing structure.

The Civilian Repair Organisation wrote Heavy Maintenance manuals, Repair Schemes, and generally sprinkled magic dust (see M.Currill’s post). CRO also worked with MUs/RNARYs, which were extensively civilian-manned. No.6 MU, Brize Norton, resurrected much; from Airfix-sized chunks in from furniture Cos. it also assembled and Acceptance-Tested many new-build Horsa assault gliders. Beaufighters were fixed by Bristol/Banwell/Whitchurch, by General A/c Airtraining(Fairoaks)Ltd.) (Universal Flying Services Ltd.), by Lancs. Aircraft Corpn. Ltd./Samlesbury, Southern Aircraft Ltd./Gatwick, and by field Contractors Working Parties such as from Reid&Sigrist, Marshall’s et al, any of whom might scheme a fix to a specific ding. All bar the Design Authority, Bristol Aircraft, would need it to be blessed. Enter, your Dad.

His base, if there in 1939, will have been at Merton College, Oxford; later relocated to Cowley. His reticence may be the burden of responsibility: a good call (this fix is fit for Service) returned kit, quick and cheap, to our War Effort, and management/politicians’ pressure was on output; a bad one aided the enemy’s.

There is a full comprehensive listing of the Civilian Repair Organisation in the excellent Air Britain publication ‘RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912’ by Ray Sturtivant . It includes who , what , where and when – a brilliant book and still available . See here ;
https://www.air-britain.co.uk/actbooks/acatalog/RAF-Flying-Training—Support-Units-since-1912-135.html

Tigers at Roborough.

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=78582

Lend/Lease Types: UK Sister Firms.

(bumped for these Qs): UK appoints Sister (aka Daughter) Firms as Continued Airworthiness Authority, to give rapid, $-sparse support such as on decisions outside Approved Technical Publications, and to fettle in UK’s habit of “improving” things. Marshall’s does this on L.1011/C-130J/K, and did so on E-3D (now, BAE). When an overload site found an issue beyond its delegated authority, the Sister must be contacted: on, say, C-47: Field’s/Tollerton called Airspeed (today, ADAT (ex-GAMCO)/AUH must contact Marshall’s as MoD’s L.1011 Post Design Services Contractor).

On 3/4/10 I listed:
A-20: Boulton Paul/Perton
B-25: Air Service Training/Marwell Hall
C-47: Airspeed/Portsmouth/Doncaster
CG-4: Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd./Kirkbymoorside
F4U + Grum-men: Blackburn/Brough/Sherburn
P-51: Air Service Training/Marwell Hall
T-6: Boulton Paul/Pendeford.

Q1: fill in gaps. I take it Saro/Beaumaris was Sister on PBY/PB2Y. Did Airwork/(where) do B-24, Marshall’s/Teversham do B-17?

Q2: how did RAAF/RCAF/RNZAF/SAAF deal with this? More B-24s than in RAF.

Q3: how did RAF overseas MUs/RNARYs take such decisions as Battle Damage Repair beyond the manual?

Pardon me if I am being a bit thick here.

If an aircraft’s movement form records an entry for no1 CRU, does that mean that it actually went to Cowley, or could it have been fixed somewhere else as dictated by no1 CRU?

Alternatively, would the record show the actual location?

Rod

I assume that if shows No1 CRU on the movement card it actually went to Cowley. Should it get repaired along the way under the guidance of the CRU then I would have thought where it actually went would appear on the movement card.

I can also comfirm that Hurricanes were refurbished/repaired at Kidlington,the widow of the airfield manager still lives near me and told me about Hurricanes at Kidlington.
Colin.

Also Spitfires and a few other types too. Many went from No1 CRU to Kidlington to await forwarding to units post repair. Some of the first Mustangs for the RAF were also uncrated and assembled at Kidlington.

CRO Contractors Servicing US Types. (Sister Firm status gave Design Authority as-if-parent, to avoid cost/time of contact over-the-pond).

Air Service Training/Marwell Hall (1944-45): P-51/B-25 Sister Firm;

Airspeed/Portsmouth/Doncaster: C-47 Sister Firm;

Airworks&General Trading Co Ltd/Loughborough/Renfrew/Staverton: Boston/Corsair/P-51/B-24 (inc.UK types at Gatwick: >1,000 a/c);

Blackburn A/c Ltd (B’burn Repair Org)/Brough/Sherburn/(Br.Mod.Centre,Roosevelt Field,NY): Sister Firm, Grumman types and CV/Brewster Corsair;

Boulton Paul: Perton:Havoc/Boston Sister Firm:/Pendeford: Harvard Sister Firm: (both, with Helliwell’s);

Burtonwood Repair Depot Ltd (July,1942 JV Bristol/Fairey): to October,1943: repair/support of all Lend/Lease Types (sub-contractors: BOAC, Rollason’s, Rover, Sunbeam-Talbot); (from Oct.43:to USAAF as European Theatre Repair Depot);

Cunliffe-Owen/Edzell/Macmerry/Silloth: Hudson; /Eastleigh: FAA types;

Field A/c Services/Tollerton: A-20/B-24/C-47;

General A/c(Airtraining(Fairoaks)Ltd):P-51;

Martin Hearn Ltd/Hooton Park: T-6/A-20;

Helliwell’s Ltd./Walsall/Elmdon: Harvard/Boston (with BPA);

Herts.& Essex Aero Club/Broxbourne: Harvard;

Lockheed O’seas Corp(Br.Re-Assembly Div.)/Renfrew/Speke/Sydenham/Langford Lodge (intended: B-29; to P-38/39);

Marshall of Cambridge(Engineering) Ltd.: C-47, B-17;

Reid&Sigrist Ltd/Desford: B-25 Mitchell; field working parties;

Rootes Securities/Stoke,Meir: T-6, P-51; /Speke USAAFE P-38/47/51 (2,690);

David Rosefield Ltd./Barton: Corsair;

Saro/Beaumaris Marine: Catalina, Coronado;

Scottish Avn.Ltd/Prestwick/Silloth/Abbotsinch: Ferry support; /Greenock: Catalina;

Shrager Bros./Old Warden: Harvard;

Slingsby Sailplanes Ltd./Kirkbymoorside:Sister Firm,WACO Hadrian; supply, Blackburn mod.kits;

Westland A/c Ltd./Yeovilton: P-40;

Western A/W/Weston-S-M: P-40C (1940-42), lightcraft.

From “Fighter Nights – 456 Sqn RAAF” by J Bennett:

RAF Maintenance Command, like the other Commands, was divided into Groups.
No 40 Gp provided all non-explosive equipment, and maintained Aircraft Equipment Depots.
No 41 Gp received aircraft from factories, incorporated service modifications, and forwarded them to the squadrons.
No 42 Gp issued bombs and explosives.
No 43 Gp was responsible for all repairs that were beyond the capabilities of the squadrons.
Much of Defiant servicing was contracted to Reid & Sigrist Ltd at Desford Aerodrome, Leicester.

From the aircraft lists in the appendices, the following is evident:
Beaufighter repairs – 19, 27 and 32 MUs and Southern Aircraft
Mosquito repairs – 10, 13, 44, 71 and 218 MUs and de Havillands.

The basic plot was and is that MUs/RNARYs did recurring jobs: Major Servicing, Frequently Arising Quirks; one-offs and oddballs were/are shunted off to industry: e.g on Canberra: 15MU/Wroughton did Majors, but Marshall’s and Boulton Paul did role-conversion/weirdo mods. It’s not an issue of respective skills, more that the function of military staff is to support NOW. Often the parent designer took the same stance, unloading short-run jobs disruptive to a line: see Marshall’s on lots of things, working on sub-contract from BAC/BAe. See BAE on Nimrod MRA.4 first contracting the Major on the incoming MR.2 into FRA/Hurn, taking it into Woodford only when faced with much project pain/loss.

WM: dunno. Very likely that a non-flying movement on Queen Mary would be recorded as to No.1 CRU (heedless of actual sub-contracted site), because all RAF/FAA interest lapsed as it went out the door, to be renewed only if MAP’s CRO asked ATA to come and take the resurrected asset to a pre-Return-to-Service MU, for fitment of military kit, like weapons.

springers: thank you. Fairfield/Aldenham was the CRO Wellington contractor. What we don’t know is any logic in CRO as between placing a job with the parent’s Repair Organisation – here, (Vickers-Armstrongs’) Brooklands Avn., or a specialist firm. Maybe simple workload volume on the day.

Hurricanes at Kidlington

[LIST=1]

Royal Air Force Flying Training and Support Units, Ray Sturtivant, Air Britain has a list; inc. FAA, this is what I have dredged such as from Action Stations. I will add US types later. All input gratefully received!

(HSAL-)Air Service Training/Hamble/Exeter/Marwell H: Spit(3,507),Anson
(1944 UK’s “largest fighter repair base” C.Ashworth,Action Stns/9,P147,PSL,85);

Air Dispatch Ltd./Heston: lightcraft;

Air Taxis Ltd./Barton: Anson;

Airworks&General Trading Co Ltd/Gatwick:Hurricane/Wellington;

Birkett Air Service Ltd./Heston: lightcraft;

(B’burn Repair Org)Blackburn A/c Ltd/Brough/Sherburn-in-Elmet: Barracuda, Swordfish;

Bristol Aeroplane Co/Banwell/Whitchurch: Beaufighter;

Brooklands Avn:Well’ton:C.Brom(71)/Doncaster/Shawbury/Sywell(1,841);/Squire’s Gate:Anson;

Brush Coachworks Ltd/Loughboro’:Hampden/Lancaster fuselage (flown{Field’s}Tollerton)

Cunliffe-Owen A/c Ltd/Eastleigh (/Marwell Hall,’41-44): Seafire(inc. conv 118), Typhoon;

DH A/c Co/Witney:Hurri(373)/Spit(399)/Dominie/Mosquito(shut,’46);/Hatfield: Mosquito (1,252)

English Electric Co. Ltd/Samlesbury: Halifax;

Fairfield Avn Ltd(Redwing Ltd)/Aldenham(Elstree): Lysander(1,217); Wellington(473); Master(67)

Fairey Avn Ltd/Stretton – 1944: Barracuda; Weybridge(ex-Saro)/Hamble – 1944:Barracuda

Field Consolidated A/c Svcs Ltd.(Hunting)/Tollerton:Hampden,Lancaster(in all,1,700 a/c),
/Hanworth (Aug.’40 ex-Rollason/Croydon):Oxford

Flight Refuelling Ltd./Staverton (1942-46):Typhoon/Meteor;

General A/c Ltd/Dunholme Lodge (44/45): Hamilcar;/Lasham (Mar.45-Oct.,48): Mosquito
/Hanworth: lightcraft, Spitfire, Hamilcar, Hotspur (closed,1948);/Tarrant Rushton: Hamilcar
General Aircraft (Airtraining(Oxford)Ltd.)/Kidlington: Hurricane;
General A/c(Airtraining(Fairoaks)Ltd.) (Universal Flying Services Ltd.): Beaufighter;

Gloster A/c Co.Ltd/Stoke Orchard: Typhoon;

Martin Hearn Ltd/Hesketh Pk: Anson/Hooton Park: Halifax, Mosquito(258);

Herts.&Essex Avn./Broxbourne:Proctor,Magister.

Helliwell’s Ltd./Walsall/Elmdon: Hurri;

Heston A/c Co.Ltd: Spitfire (650), Mosquito (1944/46 design: Sea Mosquito F.20/N.F.21);

Lancs. Aircraft Corpn. Ltd./Samlesbury: Beaufighter;

LMS Railway Wagon Works/Barassie: Spitfire (Supervised, Scottish Avn/P’wick {1,200}),
/Derby: Lancaster structure(Supervised by Field A/c Services/Tollerton);

Marshall/Teversham/½d Gr/Kinloss: Anson,Oxford,Mosquito,Albemarle,Tempest,Typhoon

Miles A/c Ltd/Woodley: Magister, Spitfire(>2,000); /Montrose: Oxford, Magister,Master;

Morris Aero Ltd/Cowley/Abingdon:Hurricane,Spit (some subbed to Miles),Master,Magister;

Morrison Engineering Ltd/Horsey Toll, Peterborough: Hurricane;

W.Mumford Ltd/Roborough: Tiger;

Portsmouth Aviation Ltd/Christchurch: Oxford;/Portsmouth: Horsa/Oxford

Reid & Sigrist Ltd/Desford: TT Defiant;

Rollason A/c & Engines Ltd/Hanworth: Hurricane;

David Rosefield Ltd/Barton: Hurricane, Fulmar;

Rootes Securities Ltd./Stoke, Meir: Blenheim, Spitfire;

Saunders-Roe Ltd/Weybridge(to 1944): Barracuda; /Beaumaris & Cowes Marine: Walrus;

Scottish Avn.Ltd/Prestwick:Lysander,Spit;/Dumfries:Typhoon;Greenock/Largs:Sunderland

Short Bros./Windermere/Wig Bay: Sunderland;

Shrager Bros./Old Warden: Magister, Proctor, Kirby Cadet (11);

Southern Aircraft Ltd./Gatwick: Beaufighter, impressed civil types;

S.S Motors Ltd/Leamington Hastings: Whitley;

Taylorcraft Aeroplanes/Rearsby: Typhoon(281), Tiger(339), Hurricane(368), Auster(235);

Westland A/c Ltd/Yeovilton: -1944: Spit/Seafire; /Doncaster: Lysander

I can also comfirm that Hurricanes were refurbished/repaired at Kidlington,the widow of the airfield manager still lives near me and told me about Hurricanes at Kidlington.
Colin.

All the Mods for the Tempsford Lysanders were done by Fairfields at Elstree.

Wellingtons at Elstree.

I can remember recently browsing through a history of Elstree which stated that Wellingtons were towed up the A41 from Elstree to Watford for repair at the premises of Odhams Press,I seem to recollect there were pics of this taking place.
Colin.

Thanks AK, I’m also seeing more of a distiniction since you posting your list between civilian manufacturers/companies, and civilians employed as civil servants to work in aircraft repair (some within MUs).

Pardon me if I am being a bit thick here.

If an aircraft’s movement form records an entry for no1 CRU, does that mean that it actually went to Cowley, or could it have been fixed somewhere else as dictated by no1 CRU?

Alternatively, would the record show the actual location?

Rod

pagen01: M.M.Postan’s Official History, War Production has some of the politics. It all centres on Lord Nuffield. Air Minister Sir Kingsley Wood 6/10/39 made him Air Ministry Director General (Maintenance), responsible for 4 airframe MUs+Cowley No.1 CRU and its contractors (part-listed above). That moved into Beaver’s MAP, 5/40, then a big fight before engines came in to CRO (see Furse, Freeman). Nuffield exited in 1941 for Vickers’ Trevor Westbrook (ex-Castle Bromwich). Many more MUs emerged, most part-civilian-manned, uniform-officered.

If your Q is: who/how assigned a job as between an MU and a Civilian Repair Organisation contractor…I could only offer a surmise based on recent practice: which is: does an Approved Repair Manual address the known problem? If so, send the job to the nearest Type-familiar empty space, MU or contractor; if not, such that Design Authority intervention may be required, send the job to an Approved Contractor.

[LIST=1]

Royal Air Force Flying Training and Support Units, Ray Sturtivant, Air Britain has a list; inc. FAA, this is what I have dredged such as from Action Stations. I will add US types later. All input gratefully received!

(HSAL-)Air Service Training/Hamble/Exeter/Marwell H: Spit(3,507),Anson
(1944 UK’s “largest fighter repair base” C.Ashworth,Action Stns/9,P147,PSL,85);

Air Dispatch Ltd./Heston: lightcraft;

Air Taxis Ltd./Barton: Anson;

Airworks&General Trading Co Ltd/Gatwick:Hurricane/Wellington;

Birkett Air Service Ltd./Heston: lightcraft;

(B’burn Repair Org)Blackburn A/c Ltd/Brough/Sherburn-in-Elmet: Barracuda, Swordfish;

Bristol Aeroplane Co/Banwell/Whitchurch: Beaufighter;

Brooklands Avn:Well’ton:C.Brom(71)/Doncaster/Shawbury/Sywell(1,841);/Squire’s Gate:Anson;

Brush Coachworks Ltd/Loughboro’:Hampden/Lancaster fuselage (flown{Field’s}Tollerton)

Cunliffe-Owen A/c Ltd/Eastleigh (/Marwell Hall,’41-44): Seafire(inc. conv 118), Typhoon;

DH A/c Co/Witney:Hurri(373)/Spit(399)/Dominie/Mosquito(shut,’46);/Hatfield: Mosquito (1,252)

English Electric Co. Ltd/Samlesbury: Halifax;

Fairfield Avn Ltd(Redwing Ltd)/Aldenham(Elstree): Lysander(1,217); Wellington(473); Master(67)

Fairey Avn Ltd/Stretton – 1944: Barracuda; Weybridge(ex-Saro)/Hamble – 1944:Barracuda

Field Consolidated A/c Svcs Ltd.(Hunting)/Tollerton:Hampden,Lancaster(in all,1,700 a/c),
/Hanworth (Aug.’40 ex-Rollason/Croydon):Oxford

Flight Refuelling Ltd./Staverton (1942-46):Typhoon/Meteor;

General A/c Ltd/Dunholme Lodge (44/45): Hamilcar;/Lasham (Mar.45-Oct.,48): Mosquito
/Hanworth: lightcraft, Spitfire, Hamilcar, Hotspur (closed,1948);/Tarrant Rushton: Hamilcar
General Aircraft (Airtraining(Oxford)Ltd.)/Kidlington: Hurricane;
General A/c(Airtraining(Fairoaks)Ltd.) (Universal Flying Services Ltd.): Beaufighter;

Gloster A/c Co.Ltd/Stoke Orchard: Typhoon;

Martin Hearn Ltd/Hesketh Pk: Anson/Hooton Park: Halifax, Mosquito(258);

Herts.&Essex Avn./Broxbourne:Proctor,Magister.

Helliwell’s Ltd./Walsall/Elmdon: Hurri;

Heston A/c Co.Ltd: Spitfire (650), Mosquito (1944/46 design: Sea Mosquito F.20/N.F.21);

Lancs. Aircraft Corpn. Ltd./Samlesbury: Beaufighter;

LMS Railway Wagon Works/Barassie: Spitfire (Supervised, Scottish Avn/P’wick {1,200}),
/Derby: Lancaster structure(Supervised by Field A/c Services/Tollerton);

Marshall/Teversham/½d Gr/Kinloss: Anson,Oxford,Mosquito,Albemarle,Tempest,Typhoon

Miles A/c Ltd/Woodley: Magister, Spitfire(>2,000); /Montrose: Oxford, Magister,Master;

Morris Aero Ltd/Cowley/Abingdon:Hurricane,Spit (some subbed to Miles),Master,Magister;

Morrison Engineering Ltd/Horsey Toll, Peterborough: Hurricane;

W.Mumford Ltd/Roborough: Tiger;

Portsmouth Aviation Ltd/Christchurch: Oxford;/Portsmouth: Horsa/Oxford

Reid & Sigrist Ltd/Desford: TT Defiant;

Rollason A/c & Engines Ltd/Hanworth: Hurricane;

David Rosefield Ltd/Barton: Hurricane, Fulmar;

Rootes Securities Ltd./Stoke, Meir: Blenheim, Spitfire;

Saunders-Roe Ltd/Weybridge(to 1944): Barracuda; /Beaumaris & Cowes Marine: Walrus;

Scottish Avn.Ltd/Prestwick:Lysander,Spit;/Dumfries:Typhoon;Greenock/Largs:Sunderland

Short Bros./Windermere/Wig Bay: Sunderland;

Shrager Bros./Old Warden: Magister, Proctor, Kirby Cadet (11);

Southern Aircraft Ltd./Gatwick: Beaufighter, impressed civil types;

S.S Motors Ltd/Leamington Hastings: Whitley;

Taylorcraft Aeroplanes/Rearsby: Typhoon(281), Tiger(339), Hurricane(368), Auster(235);

Westland A/c Ltd/Yeovilton: -1944: Spit/Seafire; /Doncaster: Lysander

Basic question, apart from staffing how did a CWU differ from an MU?
Could they be combined, interested as the MU at Llandow seemed to have had a large civilian section aswel.