I’ve recently received a letter from a 96-year old Sqn Ldr Ron Waite recalling bringing retired, ex-operational ‘clapped out’ Halifax I ‘J for Johnny’ to Staverton from Riccall on 26th June 1943.
I intend to write back to him for further details, but I’d be interested to hear if anybody is able to identify the particular airframe and what happened to it? I assume it would have left Staverton as pots and pans and I’m intrigued to know why it would have gone there in the first place.
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 26th September 2010 at 22:18
Ron was very much the star of the show at today’s Help for Heroes Open Day at Gloucestershire Airport.
He spoke with great lucidity about his previous visit to Staverton – 67 years ago -and his wartime flying in general. He very much enjoyed getting up close and personal with one of Tiger Airways’ Stampes, which reminded him of his Tiger Moth basic training.
He received a warm round of applause from the crowd when I introduced him and told his story and it was our pleasure to present him with a Corgi Halifax model before he left. A hero of a different generation.
He also arrived just in time to see the Vulcan make a low pass on it’s way from Coventry to Lyneham.
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 16th September 2010 at 20:46
Without wanting to incur the wrath of the moderators, I thought it was appropriate to resurrect this old thread.
I spoke to 98-year old Ronnie Waite’s son today who has agreed to bring him to the forthcoming Airport Open Day, in aid of Help for Heroes at Staverton on Sunday 26th September, some 67 years after he was last there!
Having read his book, I’m very much looking forward to meeting him.
By: Malcolm Payne - 19th January 2009 at 16:50
Halifax at Staverton
The Dowty Rotol flight shed was often a place of wonder for spotters and enthusiasts like me. I was a schoolboy at the time and always used to ride on the top deck of the busses that went from Gloucester to Cheltenham. The Golden Valley bypass was way in the future. Amongst others I saw a Folland engine test bed, Martin Baker MB5, Westland Welkin, Wellington 5 (?) – the pressurised version, as well a many other development aircraft. On the south side of the airfield were AW Albemarles waiting delivery and also Typhoons. Both these types were built at Brockworth, the Albemarle at AW Hawkesley and the Typhoons at Glosters.
Flight refuelling operated from hangar SE3, which is the only original hangar left on the south side of the airfield. It later became the home of Smith’s Blind Landing research unit. I started to fly at Staverton in 1947 on Tiger Moth G-ADIH and Magister G-AJDR at £1.10s per hour! My last flight from Staverton was in 1997, it having played a significant part in my flying career.
By: jettisoning - 16th January 2009 at 09:28
R9366
been following this ronnie waite story with interest !
i don’t have a picture of R9366 but my information of this particular a/c is as follows :-
R9366 10/76 CF/76/1658 HCU Training 18.10.42 . t/o Riccall for night flying practice . Touched down at 20.20 but immediately ground looped as a tyre burst . Both pilots , Sgt DA Gold and Sgt LJ Cursley later joined 76 Sq and were killed quite early on in their tours ; Sgt Gold FTR ops Berlin 17.01.43 Halifax DT569 and Sgt Cursley ops Berlin 29.03.43 Halifax DT563 (same raid as F/Lt JH Wetherly DFC MID FTR) .
Ronnie Waite’s book ‘DEATH OR DECORATION’ p 119 indicates he was transferred to 1658 HCU Riccall early in september 1942 ‘with squadron leaders dobson and calder’ which goes someway to explaining his involvement with R9366 .
This a/c arrived from 10 Sq 29.03.42 and flew two operations with 76 Sq as MP-U . Transferred to 76 Sq CF and then 1658 CU .
10 Sq . Ops Channel Dash (Operation Fuller) S/Ldr Thompson , pilot . Stick of bombs dropped after a momentary sighting through a break in clouds .
jettisoning
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 15th January 2009 at 14:21
My copy of the book arrived today, giving the airframe as R9366
Anyone got any pictures?
By: jettisoning - 13th January 2009 at 10:24
ronnie waite ‘death or decoration’
pleased to know he’s still around !!!
give him my regards if you do write to him .
jettisoning
By: Arabella-Cox - 12th January 2009 at 14:54
Good point…I hadn’t thought of Dowty.
As far as I’m aware, Staverton was a navigation training school during the war, with Ansons and Oxfords. A Halifax would have been quite a sight! I gather, post-war Flight Refuelling operated a Lancaster too, sometime before they moved to Tarrant Rushton.
Anybody got any photos from around that time?
I’ve seen a pic of one of the Flight Refuelling lancs somewhere but I can’t put the book to hand right now. There’s a few pics of aircraft at Staverton both RAF/Dowty variously between the books “The Flying Machine in Gloucestershire”, “Gloucestershire Airfields of the Second World War” and “Wings over Gloucestershire”.
A year or so back I actually saw an original letter from Flight Refuelling to the Air Ministry requesting the expansion of one of the pans for sale on eBay.
If you’re interesting in the airfield itself I posted some oldish photos of the site over on the AIE website.
http://airfieldinformationexchange.freeforums.org/raf-staverton-gloucestershire-t140.html#p6155
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 12th January 2009 at 12:39
It is indeed. I’ve ordered a copy of the book myself
By: jettisoning - 12th January 2009 at 09:37
squadron leader ron waite
can this gentleman be the same ronnie waite who wrote ‘DEATH OR DECORATION’ published by newton publishers in 1991 ? he was posted to 76 squadron at middleton st george in january 1942 .
if so , it is a co-incidence that i was just rereading this book when i noticed the name in your note .
it seems quite ironic that his survival was based on his unfortunate removal from operations .
jettisoning
By: --o-o-O-o-o-- - 9th January 2009 at 08:43
Good point…I hadn’t thought of Dowty.
As far as I’m aware, Staverton was a navigation training school during the war, with Ansons and Oxfords. A Halifax would have been quite a sight! I gather, post-war Flight Refuelling operated a Lancaster too, sometime before they moved to Tarrant Rushton.
Anybody got any photos from around that time?
By: Moggy C - 8th January 2009 at 12:06
I’d assume it was something to do with Dowty / Rotol.
Moggy
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January 8, 2009 at 11:46 am