RNAS Ford control tower

Sandy Sproule has very kindly agreed to let me post his superb colour scan of the tower and assorted buildings at RNAS Ford during the mid 1950’s, seen here just behind his father’s SAR Dragonfly WP495 (now preserved at RAFM Cosford but sadly not in this scheme).

Incidentally Sandy’s father was Lt Cdr J S Sproule RN, who was instrumental in introducing the Search and Rescue role utilising the use of a helicopter together with the ‘Sproule net’ from Ford airfield.

Rob

As seen in a rather nice book on Fleet Air Arm Helicopters 😉

Sandy Sproule has very kindly agreed to let me post his superb colour scan of the tower and assorted buildings at RNAS Ford during the mid 1950’s, seen here just behind his father’s SAR Dragonfly WP495 (now preserved at RAFM Cosford but sadly not in this scheme).

Incidentally Sandy’s father was Lt Cdr J S Sproule RN, who was instrumental in introducing the Search and Rescue role utilising the use of a helicopter together with the ‘Sproule net’ from Ford airfield.

Rob

I wouldn’t know, again I have asked on AIX.
After studying Chumpys’ pic more the tower design looks quite unusual, like an RAF / Navy hybrid! It’s certainly different to the Fearn etc examples, I’m still trying to work out if it’s the same as Lossie.
Lovely Wyvern shots Rob.

Fascinating info about the church and graveyard Lee.

Yes as Lee Howard states they are exercise Mariner stripes. There’s a couple more tagged ones in the Wyvern album in my profile James.

chumpy / Chris – thanks for the email. Would of loved the place to of gone into GA. At least that way it would of stood a chance of being preserved.
And what more fitting an airframe to start off an embryo museum there now than the Supermarine Scimitar F.1 previously at Solent sky museum, and now sat outside in all weathers.

Getting back to the tower, we still havn’t had an answer as to when it was demolished. Anyone?

Rob

Exercise MARINER stripes.

I visited Ford a couple of times; first was probably 1998. They were breaking up some of the runway at that point and a nice lump of top surface concrete is now sat in my garage. Had to be done!

The church at Clymping outside the base is well worth a visit. Several RN graves there including Lt Cdr Denis Patrick Wolf Kelly – the famous Sea Hawk display pilot killed when he failed to pull out of a loop during rehearsals for Farnborough, colliding with the Ford Junction railway embankment (he was on special leave from service aboard HMY Britannia, the ship’s name being inscribed on his headstone), and immediately behind him is Cdr John Desmond Russell who was killed in Scimitar XD240 which rolled off Victorious whilst 803 NAS were embarking for the first time in September 1958.

Glad to be of help, will have a look see if there is anything else lurking within the archive.
I first visited Ford in the early 1970s, a few spam-cans to be seen there. Seem to recall there still being a hangar or two, talked to a chap who had grand plans that the place would re-open as an active G/A airfield..the rest is history.
On my trips to the car-boot, have often looked down at the concrete and tried to imagine the place way back when. (but then I spot another box of old junk that just HAS to be explored)!

Cheers, Chumpy.

If anyone would know about its type and other survivors i thought it would be you James..

I wouldn’t like to say that, the Admiralty towers don’t seem to have had the documentation like the RAF ones and is something I’m still trying to get to grips with.
In fact Chumpys’ superb shot reveals differences to some of the other towers that I mentioned like the garage annex, though similar in other respects.

The Wyvern shot is great as well, are those excercise stripes?

Thanks chumpy, thats excellent. Anymore?
I drove down to there last year as a kind of homage ‘to the service home of the Wyvern’ and also visited the carboot, but only in order to tread those hallowed runways :).

Speaking of which those that are still present are in a superb condition all things considered.

Rob

Will this do..the tower at Ford 1955, photo by the late Peter Foote.

By chance I was there today for the Saturday morning car-boot..yes the Hunter is still up the pole by the entrance!

If anyone would know about its type and other survivors i thought it would be you James ;), thanks.

Have you ever heard of when the Ford example was demolished though? As it appears most of the airfield survived intact for some considerable time after it closed, but the tower seems to of been an early casualty!

Rob

Ford had a standard three storey Admiralty type tower, unfortunately there’s not many left, Culdrose had one until about the late 80s.
The designs vary a little but Lossiemouth still has one in use but it is well and truly modified now,
There are some out of use ones, Fearn, Henstridge & Hinstock spring to mind.

Yep seen that one thanks Baz, but it is exactly the sort of image i’m looking for although they seem to be quite hard to find. A similar view is seen here with Wyvern S.4 VZ752 ‘182’ of 813 sqn taxiing past (photo Don C Clayton / Air Britain).

Rob

Nice shot on AIX Rob

post nmbr 27

http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?1628-Ford