Halton 1985

Thanks stringbag, get digging !

You may have actually worked on our aircraft David, our elevator bellcrank has always been a swine, you did’nt cross-thread those bolts did you !!

I was there in 1989 – I well remember the line up of Jp’s and one of the exercises was a job on one – elevator removal or something like! At the same time a Gnat was being roughly dismantled for a one way trip to the Swinderby fire dump.

I think I may have located a shot of 8408M…
Will post as soon as I locate it.
It will appear on JP heaven eventually as well 🙂

Could someone confirm (or deny) to me that the dayglo identification letter on the fin of the Jet Provost in picture No4 – the one nearest the camera (at the beginning of this thread) is an ‘M’.
If it is, i have just found a picture of our aircraft in it’s SoTT days, XS186 (8408M) !

Are there any more pics of these JP’s at Halton or Shawbury out there, which might include XS186- 8408M ?

Thanks for posting Vicky Ten !

Hope these help!

i will see what i can do for you people.

Yes please ollieholmes, it would be good to have an update on this JP.

Would this have been Beagle 206 G-ASWJ (8449M)?

Rolls Royce owned this aircraft and it was on loan to Halton. Many, many years ago they agreed to donate it to the Midland Air Museum once Halton no longer had a good use for it. However the MoD kept thinking it was theirs and had to be constantly reminded it wasn’t!

Eventually MAM got it and, in turn, loaned it to Brunel Technical College, Bristol where it is still (I believe) fulfilling a useful life in training future aeronautical engineers

Roger Smith.

Yes, a Beagle it was. After I posted the words Beagle and Basset kept ringing in my head.

if people are interested i will see if i can get someone who i know is still there to sneek in and get some photos of her and the registration codes.

Jet Provost in Bedford College

Ollieholmes

The Jet Provost at the above location is XM473 at T3A version, apparently incorrectly displaying a G-TINY registration, don’t know if this can be confirmed ?

Now you’ve got me going……

According to a very good history brochure in the local Tourist Information in Wendover, Halton was first used in aerial manouevres by No.3 squadron in 1913, with the first formal camp being established by the RFC in 1916.

The School of Technical Training got its first permanent buildings in 1917, apparently built by German PoWs. Halton was also used for training Royal Australian Air Force members in 1918 with FB5s, RE8s and BE-2s (hence my interest!), even Handley Page O/400s being based on the airfield. There are a number of vary good period photos of Halton in the Australian War Memorial archives www.awm.gov.au, type in Halton on the ‘Collections Search’.

In 1919 the RAF bought the land which had previously been loaned by the Rothschild family, along with the manor house, and moved No 1 School of Technical Training from Cranwell.

Here endeth the history lesson. Now for a nice pic of some aeroplanes……

Thanks for that, I will have to ask my father if he has any photos from Grandad of that era, I remember him showing me some of the mid30s on carriers in the Med, I am hoping that they have survived, and his logbook is something to behold, most of the types pre-WWII I have never heard of!

this thread is certianly bringing back memorys for some people. does anyone know what the jet provest in bedford college is? i walked past the workshop it was in many times last year but there was never anyone to ask or the door was shut when i was not in a rush and could have poked my nosey head around and had a look

The B & W print brings back many memories. These were the aircraft we trained on and I remember ground running one of the Mosquitos and also one of the Meteors. We also used both types for engine/powerplant changes.
many thanks for the thread.

Glyn

When did Halton Open? My Grandfather started his apprenticeship there in 1926.

:

Now you’ve got me going……

According to a very good history brochure in the local Tourist Information in Wendover, Halton was first used in aerial manouevres by No.3 squadron in 1913, with the first formal camp being established by the RFC in 1916.

The School of Technical Training got its first permanent buildings in 1917, apparently built by German PoWs. Halton was also used for training Royal Australian Air Force members in 1918 with FB5s, RE8s and BE-2s (hence my interest!), even Handley Page O/400s being based on the airfield. There are a number of vary good period photos of Halton in the Australian War Memorial archives www.awm.gov.au, type in Halton on the ‘Collections Search’.

In 1919 the RAF bought the land which had previously been loaned by the Rothschild family, along with the manor house, and moved No 1 School of Technical Training from Cranwell.

Here endeth the history lesson. Now for a nice pic of some aeroplanes……

I can also remember a twin engine light a/c on which we were taught propeller swinging but I can’t remember the type.
Steve

Would this have been Beagle 206 G-ASWJ (8449M)?

Rolls Royce owned this aircraft and it was on loan to Halton. Many, many years ago they agreed to donate it to the Midland Air Museum once Halton no longer had a good use for it. However the MoD kept thinking it was theirs and had to be constantly reminded it wasn’t!

Eventually MAM got it and, in turn, loaned it to Brunel Technical College, Bristol where it is still (I believe) fulfilling a useful life in training future aeronautical engineers

Roger Smith.

You may be interested to know that the Piston Provost in Albert’s photos still survives. It did indeed go initially to Torbay Museum but when that closed it was sold an ended up dismantled at Dunkeswell. My good friend Paul Singleton noted it deteriorating there and determined to rescue it. He purchased it and being a long time member of the Wellesbourne Aviation Group he and colleagues from the museum moved it up to the Midlands. Paul eventually presented it to the group’s museum at Wellesbourne and after a lengthy and extensive rebuild it is now fully assembled and on display. It is a credit to all the work which a small group of dedicated members put in and is now conserved well, displaying original serial, unit badge etc and with a dedicated cockpit canopy cover purchased and fitted. It’s well worth a visit to see this regenerated Provost. I love the type and well remember sitting in G-ASMC years ago whilst it was cartridge started – real aircraft have props (but I might be biased)!!

OOHHHHhhhh Happy Days.

Hello All,

I seem to remember that they delivered some if not all of the Harrier GR.3s in by air.

Tim

Nice to see these photo’s. I had a happy time at Halton in the late 70’s as a trainee. The JP’s were used for engine change practice, flight servicing, refuelling, ground running and marshalling training. The dual trade Appo’s got to work on the Gnats as the wing had to come off to facilitate an engine change. The Canberra was used for fuel flow test training. On the Argosy we learned ground running multi’s. With respect to getting Hunters up the road and into the workshops, if the Apprentices could steal a Whirlwind and get it up to the the parade square during the night then I don’t think the Hunters woud pose a problem – a Queen Mary perhaps?

I can also remember a twin engine light a/c on which we were taught propeller swinging but I can’t remember the type.

Thanks for sharing the photo’s.

Steve

NEW WORKSHOPS

The pics at the front of the thread were mainly (but not all) taken in “New Workshops”. The key is in the steel trusses of the roof, which denote New Workshops. Photos taken in Old Workshops can be distinguished by long, narrow bays with brick walls and ‘Belfast’ style wooden roof trusses.

As for getting the aircraft into Old and New Workshops, the words Queen Mary spring to mind. Few of the aircraft located in the workshops were ever flown in – perhaps the odd Sycamore helicopter – certainly in jet era. Cannot be sure about things 85 years ago!

As was John Cunninghams delivery of a Comet !

I didn’t have a camera then but remember “EE” reg Meteors (mkIV?), the hutted Beau and lots of other drool inducing airframes …..must have been 1960s ???