I’m regularly asked about the Shackleton on St Mawgans gate, so thought I would post some info and these walk about style picture that I took a couple of months ago.
WL795’s restoration started in 1988, this was down to the fact that the then Station Commander had flown it as an MR.2 in Gan during the ’60s.
It was parked on the north of the airfield and thankfully hadn’t been used for its alloted BDR tasks. ’88 was a good year to start the project as the main runway was being resurfaced the resident Nimrods were on ‘bolt hole’ at Marham, this left their massive 404 hangar and some spare personnel to tackle the restoration task.
I was a member of the Cornwall Aviation Society (CAS) when we were asked to help, it was an honour to oblige, even if we did do the lions share of the work and still maintain the Shack.
First job was dealing with corrosion, it was one of the ‘Knotts six’ so had been languishing on the airfield since late ’81. However things wern’t too bad.
The whole airframe was stripped, corrosion treated and prepped for paint.
It was decided to revert WL795 from its then AEW.2 configuration, as much as possible to a far more St Mawgan representative MR.2. A trip to Lossiemouth bagged us MR.2 bomb doors, ASV radomes, arials, nose canon and the Orange Harvest spark plug.
Sadly it was at about this stage that it was decided that the aircraft would be moved by helicopter to its final resting place. This meant we didn’t recover anything else from the complete MR.2C WL798/Z at Lossie, including all the radar suites and cockpit interior. Not only that, but we also had to strip all existing interior parts from ’95 and dump them.
As restoration progressed we had to move into a smaller T.2 hangar during the winter of ’88, the airframe was completely stripped down, inc engines, wings and fins/rudders and then primed and repainted. Much effort went into selecting a right scheme for the Shack to be preserved as. It never served at St Mawgan (typical, when you think of all the Shacks that did!) so it was thought best to represent it when it was with 38 Sqn, and it was coded ‘T’.
Work was completed for Easter 1989. The helio lift idea had thankfully been dropped and we relied on a Mecury tug to take the shack down the main road to its awaiting plinth on the 24 March. This was a very difficult operation which included ripping out sign posts, standing on the fusalage top to guide BT cables over top, and avioding flying sheets of iron when the tug started wheel spinning on the wet grass.
By: pagen01 - 16th May 2010 at 17:27
Ha ha yes, it’s Denis with the screwdriver, I wouldn’t trust him with it!:D
By: spitfireman - 16th May 2010 at 16:09
I like those high up angles Dr, look a bit tall even for a manlift!
I wouldn’t argue with Baz with that screwdriver in his hand!
I think you’ll find that’s a sponge and a bit of wet & dry, nobody trusted me with a screwdriver!! (Gott in himmel!)
By: pagen01 - 16th May 2010 at 10:49
I like those high up angles Dr, look a bit tall even for a manlift!
I wouldn’t argue with Baz with that screwdriver in his hand!
By: Dr Strangelove - 16th May 2010 at 10:42
Spitfireman appears in the b&w pic in the first post, looking a little like a well known ex German leader!
Mein Baz, I can walk!:D
By: pagen01 - 15th May 2010 at 23:12
Well recognised Rob:o
The rest of ya, ye cheeky gets!
Spitfireman appears in the b&w pic in the first post, looking a little like a well known ex German leader!
This was a fun day! Good Friday 1989
By: Blue_2 - 15th May 2010 at 22:14
He has hair…?! 😉
By: Nashio966 - 15th May 2010 at 21:34
Love it!
By: Dr Strangelove - 15th May 2010 at 21:33
Probably completely wrong, but is that a youthful James at the centre rear of the photo?
It sure is:D
By: Wyvernfan - 15th May 2010 at 20:46
Probably completely wrong, but is that a youthful James at the centre rear of the photo?
By: Dr Strangelove - 15th May 2010 at 20:35
Loft clearance detail today, lots of lost treasures up there me hearties;)
Anyhow, found these unusual photos of 795, pretty sure I didn’t take them as it would’ve involved the cherry picker or maybe Dave Cowlings Telehandler:eek:
By: spitfireman - 4th March 2010 at 22:07
…..nice bloke, visited me on a few occasions, talked about towing it across the airfield and placing her on the grass outside my gaff in the middle of the night!:rolleyes:
Blue skies mate.
By: wingcomandrflap - 4th March 2010 at 21:02
Very sad news indeed. RIP Dave Rostron and thank you.
By: Dr Strangelove - 4th March 2010 at 21:00
Well said James, Dave was a top bloke & great pilot, seem to recall him being the Nimrod display pilot for a season or two.
A great loss to all.
By: pagen01 - 4th March 2010 at 20:55
I should have posted this earlier, but it is with great sadness that I post here the passing of Dave Rostron, Flt Lt (ret.), on the 18th of February 2010.
I think everyone involved with WL795 realises that without Dave that the project, and its subsequent survival, most likely wouldn’t of happened at all, his persistence with RAF top brass, his pulling strings at mid level, and his great character rubbing off with the workers from the Cornwall Aviation Society (whom he was a great supporter of) ensured a great project took place with a very happy team.
On a wider level he will be known by many ex maritime crew of Shackleton and Nimrod era, and particularly those that served at St Mawgan where he spent alot of his serving years (many on the Nimrod OCU) before retiring in 1993.
Retiring is not really an appropriate word as he became a devoted full time carer to his Wife Jan who has MS, they also tragically lost their son some time ago.
Dave never lost his humour, charm, or dedication.
Dave and Jan Rostron are pictured far left in this picture of WL795 unveilling ceremony – a very proud day for him.
By: pagen01 - 8th May 2008 at 21:13
Hi Shack, and welcome.
It would be interesting to hear about your time with ’95. It’s one of those Shacks that has slipped the service net, reminiscence and photo wise.
It is viewable if you are ever in Cornwall and want to be reunited with your old steed!
Interesting story about Sir Barry Duxburry, no longer with us of course.
By: Shack - 8th May 2008 at 08:25
I did four tours on the Old Grey Lady and have in fact flown WL795.
Of interest to me was the formal unveiling by Air Marshall Sir Barry Duxburry on 29 May 1989 . When I was on 120 in the late 50s he was one of my second navs as a spotty Flying Officer!
By: pagen01 - 29th April 2008 at 21:46
Did anyone ever find the F700 (log-book)? I was at St Mawgan during the Falklands, and one day in about June 1982 we had an enquiry from HQ 18 Group about flying 795!
Great story that Possel, and quite dodgy, I think ‘795 was knackered even by then!
I’m sure the group has got the 700, will check for sure though.
Anymore Mawgan reminiscences?
By: Chox - 28th April 2008 at 13:59
That’s incredible – you’d think the aircraft would be safe enough inside the station boundary:rolleyes:
I hope that the aircraft finds a permanent home under cover eventually. As I mentioned before, one wonders what the future will be for the T2 hangar. I imagine it will be used as some sort of warehouse, but it would certainly be the ideal place to give the Shackleton some welcome shelter, and a good place to create a museum – it would make an interesting attraction for some of the passing holiday-makers.
By: Bob - 28th April 2008 at 13:04
Great pics – thanks for the look inside…
By: Arabella-Cox - 28th April 2008 at 12:21
I’m pleased that WL795 is still there, and in better condition. It looks great.
Did anyone ever find the F700 (log-book)? I was at St Mawgan during the Falklands, and one day in about June 1982 we had an enquiry from HQ 18 Group about flying 795!
Apparently the idea was to fly it down to Stanley and remove the nose to the top of Mount Kent to act as a ready-made radar station. The trouble was that no-one had ever asked for categorization of it since its arrival the previous October, and so technically it was serviceable, although of course we had not done any work on it… No-one could even find the 700!
Our immediate response to the enquiry was a quick signal for categorization as Cat 5(GI) to regularise the situation, but fortunately the idea came to nothing.
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April 27, 2008 at 3:59 pm