Halton 1985

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

I spent a week there in 1988 doing my first-aid course, the new Sargeant’s mess had just opened, and the food, especially the cakes/puddings were to die for!

The first aid instructor learnt that you shouldn’t leave a bunch of ‘Plastic Sargeants’ unsupervised with a canister of Nitrous Oxide……. :diablo:

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 !

It certainly looks like an ‘M’ to me, as the ‘bar’ is too high for an ‘H’.

I think there is hardly any chance the fuselage survives. I was in training circa 1989 there and I think one was left then but didn’t survive for much longer.

Argosy XP409

Steve – the two Argosies on the airfield were later dismantled – with a JCB! along with the Vulcan and Comet. .

I have been trying to track down the fate of one of the Argosies – XP409 – since reading a letter in FlyPast a couple of years ago from a Paul Herbert.
He said that this Argosy had a steel nail from the blitzed Coventry Cathedral (presented to AWA at the time of the consecration of the new cathedral) installed within the fuselage – when XP409 was on the production line.
It has been suggested to me that the fuselage survives at Winterbourne Gunner.
Anyone help?

Roger Smith.

All three Halton Vulcans were flown in, as were both Comets. Trees had to be felled at the eastern end to allow the lowest possible approach.

I used to visit Halton regularly from around 1957 onwards. In those days it was full of Meteors (F.3s and F.8s), Mossies, Swifts (some still in 56 Squadron markings), Javelins, etc, etc, plus of course the well-known Beaufighter front half and a Buckmaster. I too have photos of just about all of them, but none of them are scanned in yet.

Here is one from the Buckmaster. Not 1985 but 1958.

Mark

All three Halton Vulcans were flown in, as were both Comets. Trees had to be felled at the eastern end to allow the lowest possible approach.

I used to visit Halton regularly from around 1957 onwards. In those days it was full of Meteors (F.3s and F.8s), Mossies, Swifts (some still in 56 Squadron markings), Javelins, etc, etc, plus of course the well-known Beaufighter front half and a Buckmaster. I too have photos of just about all of them, but none of them are scanned in yet.

rumour has it that some big ruts in the middle of raf henlows runway was caused not by a hercules as some people think but by a vulcan? anyone know the wheelspan on the 2 and next time i am there i can measure them to see.

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 !

Here’s the link to the previous discussion on the halton Vulcans:

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=133&highlight=Halton+Vulcan

There are also a goodly number of old Halton piccies on the link below:

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?placesearch=Halton%20%28EGWN%29&distinct_entry=true

PerfectPicCompany:”I’d love to know from anyone who was based at Halton how on earth a Vulcan managed to get in? (and out again?)”

Amazingly,it was FLOWN in! A Vulcan attempting to emulate a Twin Pioneer must’ve been quite something to see! There was a thread about the Halton Vulcans on this forum quite a while back,perhaps as long as 2 years ago. Sadly,none ever flew out again,it was only ever intended to be a one-way trip 🙁

A bit off thread, but I once went to an event in the Officer’s Mess as a civilian and had the best curry I’ve ever had anywhere. I asked the Sergeant in charge the secret and he said it was a recipe from the post-war years in India but he couldn’t reveal his sources! Not surprising if the RAF School of Catering was there.

Halton

I’d love to know from anyone who was based at Halton how on earth a Vulcan managed to get in? (and out again?)

Brilliant pictures Albert Ross. I don’t remember the Vulcans, but I remember Argosies and several other types, I really will have to dig out my log of numbers.

RAF Halton – Happy Days

🙂 I very much enjoyed flying from Halton (club ac parked where the Twin-Pin is photographed) during my tour there from 1998-2000. Sadly, it had ceased to be No1 Sof TT by then (moved to Cosford) but was the home of the Trg Dev Supp Unit (TDSU) (where I was based), the RAF Police School, The RAF Recruit Trg School, the Airmens Command Sqn, the RAF School of Catering, the Joint Services Dental HQ and Admin Officer and Supply trade training schools. Even now, it is still a very busy trg unit.
Whilst it is true that the Halton site was once owned by the Rothschilds (Halton House made a rather grand Officers’ Mess – at least the public rooms!) it was actually purchased outright by the Air Ministry in 1918 as a member of the Rothschild family who had inherited it did not really want it because, so it goes, “I cannot grow rhodedendrons there” (the soil being chalk). The Chilterns are chalk but the airfield lies on clay and can get very damp in wet periods! It was a choice between training officers or a home for Trenchard’s Apprentice Scheme (the Brats), the latter was decided upon. RAF Halton used to sell a very interesting book about the history of the place and probably still does – I ought to buy one!

More Halton nostalgia

Yes, these are all ground instructional aircraft for RAF airframe and engine fitters to train on. RAF Halton was No.1 School of Technical Training.
Here are more photos from my visit in May 1971:

Top to bottom:

7852M/XG506 Bristol Sycamore HR.14 C.F.S.

7913M/WK132 Canberra B.2 (at back) 10 Sqn.

7673M/WV332 Hunter F.4 234 Sqn.

7615M/WV679 Provost T.1 later went to Torbay Aircraft Museum

WV794 Sea Hawk FGA.6

7746M/XA892 Vulcan B.1 (nose of XA898)

7978M/XM961 Twin Pioneer CC.1 SRCU became G-BBVF

Am I correct in assuming that these were all instructional airframes for training mechanics, etc? Otherwise, why there were aircraft from several eras together?

I have photos of them all!

Come on then, where are they? 😉 :diablo: :p

How many types are there?

I see:

Hawk
Gnat
Sea Vixen
Jet Provost
Hunter
Jaguar
Sea Hawk

Missing any?

It all depends which period you are talking about? During the ’60s and early ’70s there were stacks of Hunters there, but most of them got refurbished and sold to foreign air arms. At that time there were also Piston Provosts, Canberras, a Lightning, Sea Hawks, Sycamores, Jet Provosts all inside while outside lived three Vulcans, one silver, one white, one camo, a Comet Mk.2, Canberra and a Twin Pioneer, not forgetting the Beaufighter nose-cum-shed engine test bed, which I believe is now with Skysport Engineering at Sandy, beds, being part of a rebuild to fly. In the late ’70s/early ’80s, the scene changed with Argosies, Whirlwinds, Gnats, Sea Vixens and more Jet Provosts arriving, followed by Jaguars and Harriers. The previous inmates either getting preserved or scrapped. I have photos of them all!

I’m not 100% sure, but I think those are 71 Sqn markings. That Sqn flew Mk 4 Hunters at Bruggen from April 56 until May 57.

Have a look at this link: http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/h71.html

No doubt someone will be able to confirm (or deny) that.

BR,

Laurie.

Spot-on! 😉

Loved the photos of new workshops in 1971, was there as a trainee rigger.Steve – the two Argosies on the airfield were later dismantled – with a JCB! along with the Vulcan and Comet. Seem to recall a few Piston Provosts also in New Workshops and a couple of black Sea Hawks which arrived “cocooned” while I was there. Did a lot of training exercises on the Hunters in Alberts lovely photo, but the Vixens didn,t seem to be used much. Thankfully, a few of the Gnats have been saved and put back in the air either here or in the USA.