HP Hastings and where did they go?

If it’s at ‘that place’ near Hereford, the chances are that the ‘specialists’ would have to shoot you before letting you know whether the Hastings is still there!  

Zombie thread…

ISTR that the one reported as being at Bicester in 1972 was transported by road to ‘a place’ near Hereford. It was then used for the training of ‘specialist’. Perhaps it’s still there? 

Nev Cooper

Hi Nev
Good to see you on here, the 4 star plate? Was Paddy, The Abandoned Earl still there in ’61, if you take a butchers at http://community.webshots.com/user/hastingsgan the second album you will see a few pics of Shiney 325 including one of the cockpit

Hi John…..Long time NO SEE as they say. Yes.some very nice pics of the “Old Shiney Ship” as they used to call her. (Had to stop having her polished at HAEC every time we were in Kai Tak for the night though, as the flush rivet heads were being polished off). She sure did look great the next morning in the sunlight though.

Yes, the Earl of Bandon was still there (at HQ FEAF) in the early 60’s at least as I recall………….BUT……..WJ325 was the personal aircraft of the C-in-C Far East of course, who was, due to the Navy being the “senior service”, a full Admiral (as I said above). Not as one of the captions stated C-in-C Far East Air Force. The “Old man” (Admiral Sir Varyl BEGG then Admiral Sir David LUCE) did of course “lend it to him” on many occasions. (Particularly approaching Christmas for Kai Tak “goodies” runs 🙂 🙂 Regards Nev

John

The notes I posted were for the mostpart based on personal observations of where those Hastings ended up , with the exception of – you’ve guessed it – TG576. My notes show that I saw 576 in 1966 in operation and had noted down its subsequent fate, (from a third party source I can’t now verify) that it was burnt at Manston …. but if that was spurious gen. then I bow to your better info. Thanks for clarifying.

Hi Nev
Good to see you on here, the 4 star plate? Was Paddy, The Abandoned Earl still there in ’61, if you take a butchers at http://community.webshots.com/user/hastingsgan the second album you will see a few pics of Shiney 325 including one of the cockpit

Nev Cooper

Have given up on trying to post photos till I find a techno freak,Ithink thats the right term.Both cockpits are in the yard,one has UHF aerials on the nose so that tells me that one is WJ328.ie transport command,asthese aerials were for UHF homing to find the D.Z.hardly a job for a VIP a/c.
Both cockpits are stripped of instruments but the one i managed to get inside does have athrottle bank with trim wheels.

OK…..thank you….very interesting. You would be able to identify WJ325 cockpit perhaps better from the outside. The BLUE livery band was in a slight curve immediately under the both pilots side windows (NOT the usual Transport Command “lightening strike” shape. Also you would see the “retaining slots” (once again immediately below both pilots side windows) for securing the removable/changeable STAR PLATES. (4 stars for the C-inC Far east of course, etc)

TG576

TG576
Interesting that this ended up at Manston as I have a pic of this at the firedump at RAF Gutersloh with a German firefighter spraying the tail section with foam, this was taken in c1968 by a colleague. The aircraft was lying on its belly.

CopyrightRoger Stevens
http://image24.webshots.com/25/5/88/11/39458811wPEZCq_ph.jpg

http://splashdown2.tripod.com/handleypagehastings/

Answering the original question – looking through some of my old notes from visiting various UK airfields including MUs in the 1960s, a sample of some of the other Hastings’ fates are:
TG571 Benson (fire dump by 4/68)
WD494 Stansted (fire school by 6/69)
TG581 Stansted ( ” ” )
WD490 Bicester (3/68)
TG510 Cambridge (fire dump 4/68)
TG566 Cosford (fire dump 7/68)
TG524 Shawbury (7/68)
TG572 “
TG553 “
WD485 “
WJ331 “
WJ330 “
WJ343 “
TG516 “
WD476 “
WJ329 Shawbury (1/69)
WD493 Scampton (7/69)
TG532 Lindholme (7/69)
TG576 Manston
WD482 Pershore

Hope this is of interest.

Malta scrap yard photos WJ325/WJ328

Have given up on trying to post photos till I find a techno freak,Ithink thats the right term.Both cockpits are in the yard,one has UHF aerials on the nose so that tells me that one is WJ328.ie transport command,asthese aerials were for UHF homing to find the D.Z.hardly a job for a VIP a/c.
Both cockpits are stripped of instruments but the one i managed to get inside does have athrottle bank with trim wheels.

Nev Cooper

still trying to post Hastings photos in Malta scrapyard,taken jan 03

Would love to see the pic of WJ325 cockpit….(although it would probably break my heart). It was of course one of only four Mk4’s ever built. I flew it for some years (1961/1964) when it was on the Far East Comm Sqdn at RAF Changi. It was of course then the personal aircraft of the C-in-C Far East (Admiral Sir Varyl BEGG and later Admiral Sir David LUCE). I have some nice pictures of it on the flight line at Changi loading ready for an evening departure to Hong Kong (on a pre Christmas “goodies” run). It could almost find it’s own way there and back, it did that route so many times.

still trying to post Hastings photos in Malta scrapyard,taken jan 03

If anyone has any piccys of them on the dump at Fairford please let me know!!!

…yes please, those were happy days…

when i were a lad growing up in Fairford, my mate Andy and myself used to play on the firedump there. There was a hastings there and an argosy, this would be about 1978-1980.

i’m guessing they were both broken up there because they were in no state to travel anywhere else!

i don’t know the serial numbers as i was only 14 at the time and too worried about being lifted my the MOD plod… :diablo:

The Hastybird was T.5 TG553. The remains had been cleared away by the end of 1978 leaving the Wheelbarrow which was E.1 XP413.

If anyone has any piccys of them on the dump at Fairford please let me know!!!

What a photo! Is this pic of 525 taken in Singapore.
Where you a fireman.

Not sure where it was taken so someone may be able to help here. I acquired it in a jod lot of slides, slide mount is dated FEB 77 so it’s not that old?

Any guess?

when i were a lad growing up in Fairford, my mate Andy and myself used to play on the firedump there. There was a hastings there and an argosy, this would be about 1978-1980.

i’m guessing they were both broken up there because they were in no state to travel anywhere else!

i don’t know the serial numbers as i was only 14 at the time and too worried about being lifted my the MOD plod… :diablo:

What a photo! Is this pic of 525 taken in Singapore.
Where you a fireman.

Heartbreaking

Cees

And here’s what became of poor old TG525 🙁

Thanks for posting the pics, guys,

I take it the ones advertised on Graham A’s site are too expensive?

Thanks John,

I will give it a try. It can never hurt can it?

Cheers

Cees