What happened to XF703?

Shackleton @ Manchester

The Manchester Shack , residing in the Aviation hall at MoSI or Science Museum North , packed in with other Aircraft , which helps you realize how large it really is .

Lovely photos Stu1943, thanks for sharing them on the forum. Please keep them coming if you have anymore.

Rob

WL798 ‘Z’ is the airframe I was on about, in 1989 it was absolutely complete in its Maritime config, apart fom engines. Even the time clocks were still in the instrument panels.

Blimey!

I trained on that one at Cosford in the early 1980’s!

Perhaps someone might like to post a list detailing the appalling record of the RAF Museum in scrapping, or causing to be scapped, the nation’s aviation heritage while in its “care” ……

I think this would be unfair.

The RAF Museum has taken a lot of flack for aircraft that have been scrapped that were quite often beyond their control.

Many aircraft were scrapped long before the RAF Museum was established. The Beverley at Hendon was delivered to the former RAF Hendon and not the RAF Museum and was “gifted” to the RAF museum so that the MOD did not have to look after it.

I think it is easy to overlook what was involved in moving aircraft such as the Vulcan and Valiant to Hendon or the Nimrod, Victor and Valiant to Cosford.

The two sites at Hendon and Cosford are limited by the lack of runway facilities at Hendon and the relatively short length at Cosford. The use of Henlow for storage prior to the opening of Hendon was not ideal for large aircraft such as the Shackleton but did result in a significant number of other airframes being preserved.

Rather than be-moaning what has been scrapped we such be grateful for what has been preserved.

Perhaps someone might like to post a list detailing the appalling record of the RAF Museum in scrapping, or causing to be scapped, the nation’s aviation heritage while in its “care” ……

3 more photos of XF703 taken by me on the day of final flight

St.Mawgan Sept 1971

Aircrew boarding XF703 for its final flight, September 1971

RAF St.Mawgan 1971

Me marshalling XF703 on its final flight from St.Mawgan

This is me marshalling out XF703 on its last flight from St.Mawgan September 1971.

My first job on Shackletons in 1961 was to help with a scanner change. At the end of the job, I think over an hour, I was tightening the bolts when I dropped the spanner down the scanner well, necessitating a removal of the scanner again. Needless to say I was never allowed near a scanner again!

1940960 Cpl. “Prof” Roberts. R.A.F. St.Mawgan 1961-73

XF703 final day at St.Mawgan

This is the full crew, ground and air, of XF703 on the day of final departure from St.Mawgan September 1971.

The 42 Squadron badges screwed to either side were stolen so many times in the last few days that eventually they were only put back for photographs and then quickly removed again! I have one in my possession!! If the Cornwall Aviation Society is interested it’s looking for a good home.

In reply to the photo of XF703 leaving St.Mawgan for the last time.
That’s me marshalling!! 1940960 Cpl “Prof” Roberts, air communications fitter. I was given the honour because I was the longest serving member of the final ground crew. I was at St.Mawgan from 1961-1973 with a break in Changi 67-69. This photo shows the final ground crew on the day of departure. I am the middle one of the 3 with glasses.
I have several other photos which I’ll post later.

Stu Roberts

WL795 is maintained in superb condition by memebers of the Cornwall Aviation Society, both inside and out. They maintain it for the RAF without too much help from them.
I’m surprised how much this question gets asked, I’ve mentioned it on here about it a few times aswel as other places, it even has its own webpage.
Another thing that annoys me is the constant calling it an AEW.2, we went to great pains to source original MR.2 parts for its retoration, including but not limited to, long bomb doors, nose canons, ASV radome and sono bouy homing ariels. These are all originals parts with no potching up to make it appear to be something else. It is definatly much nearer to MR.2 than AEW. Fitting these parts and back converting was something else!

St Mawgan, although the airfield is going council operated in late summer 08, the main camp isn’t, there are other RAF users and the US Navy on site, and they are not due to go for a long while. The RAF say aslong as there is a site then the Shack will remain in situ, with the CAS maintaining it if they want to.

Long term, I really hope a major collection will consider her, she is a unique and worthy aircraft for long term preservation. If not there is someone locally that will house her. Ultimately it’s down to the RAF.

PS Binners, that was my article you saw, I wrote a major one at the end of the restoration for submission to Flypast, they turned it down saying no one was interested in Shacks any more!

BTW my website below is having a St Mawgan Shackletons and Lancasters section added soon.

Heres one of my pics from Air Britain pics site, for more pics see here http://www.abpic.co.uk/results.php?q=wl795&fields=all&sort=latest&limit=10

Greetings all

I was flicking thought old Flypasts while round at a friends the other week and spotted an article about the restoration of WL795 to MR.2 configuration(about 1989 IIRC?) it was illustated with a pic by Peter J Cooper.

How is the aircraft fairing at St Mawgan at the moment, I hope its fate is better than most other Shacks whenever the airfield is vacated by the RAF. I suspect that the local council in Newquay wouldn’t want to have anything to do with it??

Tim

PS: I amended the earlier post regarding the mini Shack article i did last year for the Airscene website, it does cover the fates of all 8 Sqns MR.2s 😎

‘I agree their numbers are woeful,but there is the Beaufighter TF.X, Sunderland & Walrus at Hendon’
Right, what about post war in Coastal truely came into its own?
I’m thinking white Lancaster, midnight blue Neptune, Shackleton, Varsity, Nimrod. A CC Liberator would be great aswel.

I believe that the majority of aircraft at Hendon are in authentic colour schemes.

Certainly the Hurricane wears the squadron codes that were worn during the Battle of Britain.

Hurricane P2617 served with No.607 (County of Durham) Squadron during the Battle of Britain and it is appropriate that it retains these markings.

Fair point, but the point I am trying to make is Spitfire P7350 is ex-BofB yet has changed its codes to represent other squadrons,whilst retaining its identity via its serial number-but nobody seems to mind.

Take the Wellington at Hendon,the last time I saw it it carried no codes-wouldn’t it be nice for, Say a 425 Sqn veteran to walk in & see it wearing KW-E,or for a 613 Sqn vet to see the Lysander coded ZR-K.

Likewise what would be wrong if the original codes were kept on one side?
Would significence really be lost,or could it be gained by just covering the whole spectrum of the different Commands & squadrons,by applying alternate schemes to aircraft?

Anyway before I lose the plot of this thread for everybody else entirely-it is about a Shackleton & its subsiquent fate,after all.I have made a note of your comments (& in all fairness they are good points) & shall create a new thread to debate the issue. 😉

I believe that the majority of aircraft at Hendon are in authentic colour schemes.

Certainly the Hurricane wears the squadron codes that were worn during the Battle of Britain.

Hurricane P2617 served with No.607 (County of Durham) Squadron during the Battle of Britain and it is appropriate that it retains these markings.

BTW, am I the only one who thinks Coatal Command is woefully under represented in the national collections?
I cant think of any representative types, it would even be nice to see a Lancaster in post war Maritime scheme (11 years service). Thank god for Newark and Gatwick, and hope Duxford works miracles with its MR.3/3.

I agree you could make a fantastic museum dedicated to Maritime, what with the Sunderland, Walrus, the boats from Duxford (which look out of place) a Shack and that lovely Neptune which is crying out for attention. Be a massive project.

I agree their numbers are woeful,but there is the Beaufighter TF.X, Sunderland & Walrus at Hendon-what does disgruntle me with the nationals(& a number of you may disagree with me) is, unlike the BofB MF who change an aircraft’s scheme every few years,they keep their aircraft in the same schemes year in year out!

I accept if an aircraft is historically significant then yes, keep it that way,but any aircraft types that have little history,then why not do the same? Personally I would love to see the Liberator in Coastal Command colours,all of the RAFM’s other US aircraft could wear RAF schemes.(do we really need 2 US collections in national museums?) For Bomber & Fighter command aircraft just use removable vinyl codes so a different squadron can be represented-look at the BofB hall,the representitive types are there, but 73 squadrons served during the battle,yet so few are represented.

I also agree If those “in charge” of our national collections got there heads together (& cut out the rivalry)they could easily gather up many of the types that coastal command used,from the Tiger Moth to the Sunderland, add the only surviving U-Boat & produce a first class Coastal Command/Battle of the Atlantic museum. The added bonus would be that space is then freed up in which types that are in storage can get to see the light of day.

Part of this imbalance may be rectified later this year as I understand that in early June the Shackleton Association will be unveiling a new memorial for Coastal Command aircrews at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire.

No further details I’m afraid despite a quick Google search.

As for the Manchester area don’t forget that some Shackleton build was undertaken at the Chadderton factory – but not sure of the city / county border.

I don’t think Chadderton is in Manchester, it’s a couple of miles from oldham Lancashire, not sure how far the factory was from Chadderton center.
Regards Phil.

Part of this imbalance may be rectified later this year as I understand that in early June the Shackleton Association will be unveiling a new memorial for Coastal Command aircrews at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire.

No further details I’m afraid despite a quick Google search.

As for the Manchester area don’t forget that some Shackleton build was undertaken at the Chadderton factory – but not sure of the city / county border.

‘why is it at manchester? ‘, because they were built at Woodford, Manchester, they were probably the only site interested at the time.

Sorry for delay in posting – forum seems really slow tonight!

Since when has Woodford been in Manchester or has Manchester been moved in to Cheshire?:D

BTW, am I the only one who thinks Coastal Command is woefully under represented in the national collections?

Nope. It is a curious thing that Coastal Command get overlooked so often, not just in museum displays but in other ways.

Perhaps the reasons behind this might be the clue as to why aircraft such as XF703 had a lower chance of survival.