H.M.S. Condor – Arbroath

I have been looking through my old Scottish Air News and Scotland Scanned issues as both have info on the contents of the Arbroath dump over the years. I’ve only come across one Sea Hawk coded E on the fin and that was WM939. However, that’s not the aircraft marked Radioactive and coded 82? which is a different aircraft altogether. It took me quite some time to spot it but the starboard wing is missing from that one and therefore no underside wing serial would be visible in your other photo. They are two separate aircraft.

Haven’t managed to find a Sea Hawk at Arbroath with a code starting 82 yet!

This thread came up when I was trying to work out which Sea Hawk on the dump was marked ‘Radioactive’
https://flic.kr/p/2pqQT7d

Serial starts WM and it was coded E/82?

But all the photos mentioned on here have gone!

Hi there, I’m new to the forum and stumbled across this thread while searching. Being from Arbroath and having relatives who worked at Condor when it was a RNAS, I’m very interested in info and pics for my own personal interest.
I’ve found a couple of nice flickr feeds showing pictures from airshows in the 60’s while searching the net and wondered if there were any further airshow/airfield pictures available.

I’d be grateful for any help,

cheers, Bryan.

Hi Robert,

… have a few from an air show at HmS Condor during the 1960’s, probably 1966-67. Jet Provosts in formation………..

Regards,
Ron

Ron,

I’d be very interested in your JP photos. I have a small website covering the Linton JP teams of that era.
It’s possible you have pics of the team from one of these 2 shows

http://www.linton-gin.com/arbroath_66.html

or

http://www.linton-gin.com/arbroath_67.html

HMS Condor/Arbroath was a regular event for the team in their early years. They flew there in ’61, ’63, & ’65 – ’69.

Feel free to E-mail me via my website.

All the Best
Steve

Hi Robert,

I’ve just been scanning some old slides into my computer and have a few from an air show at HmS Condor during the 1960’s, probably 1966-67. Jet Provosts in formation, two Sea Vixens refuelling and a line up of Lightenings.

I searched on Google when the last air show took place and your entry came up. I’ve now joined the forum so your welcome to them if you wish once I discover how to attach photographs.
Regards,
Ron

The 1963 Air Day was a Saturday and my notes state that a Wyvern was half burnt on the fire dump. VW873 but I have no photo of it regretably.

Apologies for resurrecting this old thread, but here’s another view of her to add to those originally posted by bms44… and at the time the last surviving S.4 but scrapped soon after :(.

William Robert Gray

Anyone have photos taken at the 1960’s Air Displays?

Hi I am looking for my father William Robert Gray he was in the HMS Condor around 1968. Can anyone help or know what I can do to trace his details. He was a fireman and could be born aroun 1930 -1940s. Been trying to find him for a few years and no success.

Mandy

I certianly wont object!!
I looked at my negatives and found a small number from 1968 at Arbroath mostly of a Phantom (probably my first seen) flying. Only 2 of items in a hanger. I wonder if there was no static display, any thoughts!

Some more…in Kodachrome!

Here’s a few that I managed to dig out over the week-end and scan : these few from 1964.There are some more that do not date from Air Days as such, but are ‘Condor’ related..do you think anyone will object if I post them? 😉

I was born too late!!

many thanks guys!

Few more from 6/7th July 1963, dull and overcast weekend : they’re self-explanatory, the JP Mk 4’s were from Linton-on Ouse, the Tiger Moth was based at Lossiemouth, and was visiting to aerotow the glider for the flying display : these shots were taken Sunday morning at Station Flight before she headed home.(This aircraft is at the FAA Museum Yeovilton now…my Tiger Cub [not DH but Triumph] in the background also long gone), and so too the Seahawk WM943 and the Sea Prince WP309, on Yeovilton dump 1989, although I believe the fuselage still survives? 🙁 Brian S.

Just a few more

Once again Brian thanks for the extra Wyvern pics. Incidentally three other Wyverns ended up at Arbroath.. the centre section of VW880 was sent there for underwater ejection tests, also VW877 and WL881 ended there days there again sadly on the dump and then scrapped.
Checking back through the aircrafts history it does look like VW873 was indeed the last substantially complete Wyvern S.4 so your pics are definately of some historical value.. well done.!

Arbroath dump wrecks

In 1969, as a young ATC cadet, I recall climbing over a Sea Vixen and a Javelin here (both derelict). It was quite a climb onto the Jav and as there were no bang seats a risky climb into and out of the cockpit. Anyone got photos of these two?

Very near miss, Robert, an F.17 , SX347 , marked as 114/VL, (ex-764 Squadron) and believe it or not, July 1955… yes I got to sit in one!…to this day I believe I can recall the smell of the cockpit, and can visualise now the shiny marks on the floor by the rudder pedals where the black paint was scuffed by many pairs of feet! (Not to mention the impatient matelots from the the Station Photographic section who wanted me to bail out because I’d paid my two bob for the photo, overstayed my time and there was a queue of similar -minded lads like me who were impatient to have a go and were getting on their nerves! :rolleyes:

And , going back a little more than 40 years!…still Condor, still an Open Day…can anyone guess the year…and the aircraft…the mark…and the serial? Too easy! Answers on a Postal Order please….:D

No Seafires there in my day!! And you got to sit in one!!! 🙁

a guess SR461 a F15 went to Milnathort/ Balado before 1964.

Thanks for sharing these

These are facinating photos particularly the Wyvern. The quality is very good and I remember the fold away viewfinder problem with my fathers camera. I had hoped that my new halina would as a “modern” camera be better but as you will see from the 1966 photos (taken on a rather poor day) the quality of the lens was dreadful!!!

And , going back a little more than 40 years!…still Condor, still an Open Day…can anyone guess the year…and the aircraft…the mark…and the serial? Too easy! Answers on a Postal Order please….:D

Glad to oblige Wyvernfan, sadly there are no more : the last two shots are badly lined up, although the first has a view of the airfield looking north from Station Flight, where the dump was, and shows the control tower: in the extreme right distance the corrugated roof over the shooting butts can just be made out.

In that area several burnt-out aircraft came to repose temporarily, including the Seahawk WM999.

Also attached photo of part of the fuselage of Buccaneer S.1, XK529, the thirteenth production aircraft, recovered from Lyme Bay Dorset, following the fatal crash from HMS Hermes in August 1961 and the last photo shows Wessex XL722 (which was a Sikorsky S-58 , imported by Westlands, a Gazelle power plant was substituted for the Gnome R-1820 : the aircraft then became the prototype Wessex.(Worthy of retaining perhaps, but alas long gone.)
Lest it be thought all my shots are of doom and gloom, I promise many lighter, brighter,colourful and entire airframes will follow from Air Day displays at Condor as I resurrect them!

Many thanks for posting these Brian.. pics of what could possibly have been the last surviving Wyvern S.4.! Any other pics, especially Wyvern from my point of view, would be most welcome.!

Incidentally VW873 was used as a trials machine before being roaded into Arbroath on 21/10/55 and used for instructional purposes. It was then written off charge and relegated to fire fighting duties, and scrapped in late 1963.