Shackleton Cartoon

I thought that that 8 Sqn pic was quite Wrennish.

Who can forget those wounderful cartoons of Chris Wren. We are a sorryier place for his passing.:(

My exact thoughts as I saw the thread. My father knew him slightly and somewhere I have a couple of originals. I remember so clearly the test pilot faces in their aircraft for the Farnborough edition of The Aeroplane in 1957/58 I think…

I’ve posted this before, but here’s my favorite Shck drawing…in part because it was given to me by a 8 Squadron flight crew member.

Flight Commander only.

Quite Possibly!
I can’t remember if you said that you were CO of 240?

Thanks for that – “to the Command!!”

Ah, well – I’ll wager that I was the only person to land at BK wheels up??

= Tim

Only just seen your Q Tim, I think it was to do with the rationalisation and shrinking of Coastal Command during the late 1950s.
Some squadrons ended up merging with other squadrons and taking up the lower and more historically significant (to the Command) numbers.
220 renumbered as 201 (St Mawgan), 240 to 203, 269 to 210 (Ballykelly), 228 disbanded (St Eval).
Some of these numbers were taken up by missile units, 220, 240 and 269 became Thor squadrons.
This also seems to have coincided with the gradual phasing out of MR.1s and re-equipment to the new MR.3.
Two airfields were lost to CC, St Eval & Topcliffe.

Beaten to the post again – Ben Twitch indeed!!

Why the change in numbers?

= Tim

Just checked if the rudder hinge was really reversed between Mk2 and 3

It wasn’t.;)

Yes, I did wonder about the rain cloud over the rock…that probably makes it N Ireland rather than the Med!

… and just in case any further proof was required (which of course it isn’t), please see attached pic showing distant mountains that indeed match the cartoon!

Who can forget those wounderful cartoons of Chris Wren. We are a sorryier place for his passing.:(

Mind you there are some magnificent artists out there still to this day:)

Just done some asking around on the airfield forum where someone has a list of various published runway headings, Ballykelly did indeed have a runway 03/21 for a period.

Amazing what historical data you can draw from an apparently simple cartoon!

That’s brilliant!

I always love looking at the various caricatures and cartoons that show up of the Shackleton. There were some good ones in this months Shackleton Association magazine, showing what could have happened if the Navy had used Shackletons!

Yes, I did wonder about the rain cloud over the rock…that probably makes it N Ireland rather than the Med!

240 with Shack MR.1s became 203 with MR.3s, at Ballykelly. One of the shorter runways there was 02/20, but with the heading changes by 1 degree at other airfields at the time I’m thinking could it be possible that the runway was 03/21, and that the mountain is the infamous ‘Ben Twitch’?
Lovely ‘toon, thanks for posting.

slicer
Thanks for the info.
I can remember my father telling me that on one of his flights he took off belonging to one squadron and hours later landed belonging to another!
So 240 to 203 was probably it

A bit of Googling and the number codes on the aircraft suggests it may mark the renumbering of 240 Sqn to 203 Sqn in November 1958 at Ballykelly and the re-equipping with MR3 Shackletons. Looks like the Rock of Gibraltar in the background, but can’t find 03 as a Shackleton base runway!