Coleys

Slight thread drift here but back in the late 50s there was a scrapyard round the back of Squires Gate (Blackpool) airport on what I seem to remember was called Marton Moss. (Scotavia might know?) Anyway somehow or other I acquired the data plates off 3 Hurricane fuselages which were lying there. I subsequently passed these on to a chum from Preston but I wonder if anybody remembers the yard and what became of it?

Great pics.

In comet racer’s second pic in post #47, the wheel in the top RH corner looks like the Brigand main wheel, subsequently rescued by members of NAPS (later to become TAC). Still in TAC ownership but on loan, I think to NEAM/NELSAM at the moment.

Pity they couldn’t have saved parts of more significance, even at the time.

Anon.

H Comet Racer,

Excellent Sea Hornet wing section pics. I haven’t seen these before. Thanks for posting.

In your second image, that’s the carb intake in the fixed portion of the outer wing section.

I’ve seen many sea hornet fuselage scrapping photo’s, where the usual method was to cut the wing inboard of the engine nacelle and crop the tail plane, just as the previous colour image of VW949. This leaves a complete outer wing with engine nacelle in a maneagable lump, and the fuselage narrow enough to load onto a lorry.

Failsworth 7 May 1962.

Sea Hornet outer wings TT2.. Note both Stb., so off different aircraft. Note also wing section to the left of the second shot, could be an inner wing Sea Hornet section?. Myself and colleague GS logged three TT2.. wings, in addition to one wing from VV658, in addition to a lot of other stuff. I can’t remember how we got permission to get in, but we had free access for as long as we wanted. A never to be forgotten experience.

Previous post with att. missed off.

Sorry folks. …computers.

Coleys 1September 1962

XF833, Hunter, becoming Hawker P1083 and finally Hawker P1099. Would have been a world beating supersonic fighter years before the Lightning. The figures ‘833’ are visible on the fuselage on the original print, very faint on this format.

Westerham Civil Defence Depot, 31 August 1962

Sea Hornet VV949, We were informed on site that she had come from RNAS Ford.

Yes, address was Mill Farm Works, Hanworth Road, Hounslow.

Yes Lee, the Harvard was indeed on its way to Tattershall.

Airwork used the Sea Hornets on a RN contract at St Davids. Some of these parts were recovered to London Colney. The rest were scrapped and these bits rotted away. I found some small bits in the marsh on my visit in 1975.

If you could only know what a task you’ve set me! I’ll have a go next week, I need to get provisions and a support team organised!.

Come on PanzerJohn, I think now is the time for you to take a little trip into your loft and search out that box of treasures. The forum awaits your return 😀

Rob

When I was a youngster (1970’s) one of our neighbours worked at Coleys, he used to bring me the odd titbit, instruments and the odd grip,I’ve still got some in a box somewhere in the loft.

Comet_racer: Ref the pic of VX136 cockpit (new bit of info, it being there ex-Farnborough!), which of the Coley dumps was this on? Hounslow?

Steve: Ref post 25, is this it on its way to Tattershall?

It always breaks my heart to see aircraft scrapped – even though I fully accept that you can’t/couldn’t possibly have kept them all.

But, those engines! Just the thought of the Centaurus on the front of that Firebrand and all those Merlins in the Balliols – and the Griffons in the Fireflies being smashed up and melted down. The stuff of regret that I wasn’t there, didn’t know about them and, therefore, wasn’t able to save a fair few of them. 🙁

I know, I’m a sad ********r!

Anon.

Same could be said for another extinct type – the Short Sturgeon. As late as the early seventies there were cockpit sections etc laying around a certain Scottish scrapyard.

Rob

Hard to beleive now there were Hornet bits still around as late as 1970 and they weren’t preserved

Thanks for that makes sense, I assume the rest of the air frame was removed from site for ‘processing’.

Does anybody know the reason there were lots of Sea Hornet rear fuselages at St.Davids? What happened to the rest of the aircraft, why were those parts left?

There’s no metal in those chunks of any quantity. These sections would have been left on the dump to burn.