Old Warden — Images from the early years

Thanks Sideslip – Wally Berry. Can’t forget David Ogilvy too.

Roger Smith.

Takes me back to the late 60’s when I was a student at the National College of Agricultural Engineering, near Shuttleworth. We shared a social network with Shuttleworth Agricultural College and they would come to our dances, we would go to theirs, and share the female company of the teacher training colleges in Bedford.

The problem for the Shutts guys was that old Mrs Shuttleworth was still living in part of the big house so they were not allowed to have dances there. Solution – wheel the aircraft out of one of the hangars, insert lots of straw bales round the walls for seating, a big space heater in the centre and get on with it!

I somehow doubt that either Elfin Safety or the Shuttleworth Collection would approve these days!

“It would be a nice touch if Shuttleworth created a small display of pictures of persons who helped run the collection over the years (headed by ROS himself) – Alan Wheeler, Sqdn. Ldr. Jackson, Gutteridge, Malcolm Frazer, Wally Simpson(?), Bert Etheridge, Phil Brown are people I remember.”

Thats a great idea. The contribution all these people, and others like Wally Berry, Chris Morris, and Tony Dowson made to the collection should not be forgotten.

I’ll add my thanks for these pictures – they stirred my memory cells as well – I started visiting/staying at (under canvas) Old Warden in (I reckon) 1963.

I did a teeny-weeny bit of ‘work’ on the LVG restoration when Bert Etheridge was working on the fuselage. He ‘let’ me put in a few staples when glueing the underside plywood in place.

Whenever I get to OW I always stop for a moment by the large airship model (R100 or R101?) and remember Phil Brown (who was sort of caretaker) who made it. He lived in a caravan on site and drove an ex-police Velocette motorbike.

It would be a nice touch if Shuttleworth created a small display of pictures of persons who helped run the collection over the years (headed by ROS himself) – Alan Wheeler, Sqdn. Ldr. Jackson, Gutteridge, Malcolm Frazer, Wally Simpson(?), Bert Etheridge, Phil Brown are people I remember.

Roger Smith.

Wow, those photos bring the memories flooding back. Thanks very much for taking the time and trouble to post.

The picture of the LVG with damaged undercarriage is interesting. I saw it fly on my first visit to Shuttleworth in September 1975, and if my memory serves me correct by the time of my second visit in June (Ithink) 1976 it was in hangar 5 which was the workshop in those days, dismantled and up on trestles. My memory tells me that it had made a forced landing outside the airfield and some damage was sustained. If so it must have had two mishaps that year. Or is my memory playing tricks on me in some way? Not sure.

Are they the same wooden crowd barriers that are in use today?

I think Hampden98 means that if the F6F picture is from the same occasion that he saw it display at Old Warden then Hoof Proudfoot was the pilot etc, not that it was the same day as the LVG incident in 1976. I remember Stephen Grey flying the Wildcat into Old Warden and displaying with the sound reverberating off the trees.

An additional few Black and White pictures showing the contents of the Old Warden Hangars with a few of the collections a/c pre restoration.

Parnall Elf

G-AAIN OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

Cierva C.30A G-AHMJ ( sold to Kermit Weeks in 1998 )

G-AHMJ OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

Granger Archaeopteryx G-ABXL

G-ABXL OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

plus a few other residents at the same time

Luton Minor G-ASEB

G-ASEB. OW. by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

Comet Racer G-ACSS ( probably the wings from Dragon Rapide G-ALAX in the background ?)

G-ACSS OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

Campbell B.8S

G-ASPX OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

LVG

LVG OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

Pou G-AEBB

G-AEBB OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

Duxman

Flikr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/64209520@N05/

If it was the same year (as I remember) the Hellcat was flown by Hoof Proudfoot. I have some pictures of him sitting in the cockpit.
It was a very sunny day and he did a very nice display IIRC.

Not sure about that. Stephen Grey’s first fighter was P51 ‘Moose’ , and he did not take delivery until 1981

If it was the same year (as I remember) the Hellcat was flown by Hoof Proudfoot. I have some pictures of him sitting in the cockpit.
It was a very sunny day and he did a very nice display IIRC.

The incident in 1976 was due to engine trouble which resulted in a heavy landing. Neil Williams was flying her and she sustained some damage to u/c as shown and lower left wing.

The LVG in the hangar is how I first remember it. First time I went to Shuttleworth early 1960’s.

Dave

A few more pictures taken from my collection from the ‘Early Years’ concentrating on the Spitfire, Hurricane and the LVG that were present in the 1960s.

Spitfire PRXI PL983 showing a few changes to her markings over the years.

Firstly – believed 1960

PL983 OW 1960 by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

PL983 1960 OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

1965

PL983 Apr 65 OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

1970

PL983 Sept 70 OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

1972

PL983 June 72 OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

1973

PL983 June 73 OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

Hurricane Z7015 (again with a few alterations over the years.

1964

Z7015 Aug 64 by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

1965

Z705 Apr 65 OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

Z7015 Sept 70 by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

and date unknown

Z7015 unknown date OW by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

LVG in 1965 pre restoration

LVG Aug 65 by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

..and on 30th August 1976 !! – Anyone have any details of this incident which seems to show her u/c collapsed ????

LVG 30 Aug 1976 by AJCDuxman, on Flickr

Duxman

Flikr – http://www.flickr.com/photos/64209520@N05/

:applause: Lets hope the E 111 and the LVG can once again get the wind beneath their wings. 🙂

One would presume so, although time will tell. It was encouraging to hear from those doing the work, during the recent Michael Beetham Centre open house, that it is being done to airworthy standard.

Rumours abound that she will fly again before going to Hendon.

Fantastic pictures. Thanks for sharing…

She is going to Hendon I presume.

One would presume so, although time will tell. It was encouraging to hear from those doing the work, during the recent Michael Beetham Centre open house, that it is being done to airworthy standard.

What happened to the E111 ,2nd picture,lovely looking plane-well i think so.

Still owned by PPS and stored at Booker with the other PPS WW1 replica ‘s. hopefully they may be persuaded to see the light of day in the next few years.

Lovely pictures indeed. Where is that Puss Moth now?

It is an E.III, not an E111.

If we are being pedantic about German naming, then its actually an E III, a D VII and a Dr I. Note the absense of a “.” between the letter and numerical designation. The Germans did not have anything except an empty space between these. For example; it was Bf 109, not Bf.109 or Bf-109 and a DB 601, not DB.601 or DB-601.