Just a thought, but the Duke of York, later HM King George VI was married in 1923 and wore the old RAF full ceremonial uniform. If memory serves this would have included the Busby with badge and hackle. I would have tried to validate the grey matter but I can’t see the images clearly enough on my ‘phone screen.

The sad news is she has been cut up. There are pictures but until the person who owns them gives his blessing, I think it would be inappropriate to post here. The wings are off and the fuselage has been cut at the wing trailing edge.

Very sad to see

I remember going into work on the 617 HAS Site at Marham and finding yellow elephant footprints that went right over one HAS and across the boss’s parking space. There was plenty of evidence that pointed at the recently reformed 27 Sqn but they obviously denied everything.

(Their fin badge was a green elephant on a yellow disc, referred to by some as Nelly in a puddle of custard………………coincidence?)

Didn’t Discovery dedicate a ‘Planes that never flew’ episode to this? I remember something about High Pressure Steam being ejected from a ‘jet pipe’, though I may have dreamt that bit!

I am pretty sure that the outer wings unbolted as we used to have to get the riggers to do the job in VSF if we needed to get access to the fuel tanks. The split line was outboard of the underwing slipper tank and was covered with a long strip which could be mistaken for a strap repair if my dodgy memory can be relied upon nearly 30 years on!

The other reason the RAF got T2 was to keep Valley open, as there are some very sound business propositions to outsource all training up to type OCUs to Moose Jaw in Canada, but it would be politically ‘difficult’ to close the major employer in a very depressed area.

It is all about treasury driven contraction and cuts. In the mind of the beancounter there is no need for Tatty Ton to do fighter aggressor training with Hawks because Tiffies are aggressive and they are fighters and we have lots, so why not use them? (They are ten times more expensive to fly and are nowhere near as flexible or effective at providing a realistic threat as a Hawk). Same argument with the Naval Hawks – Tiffies or JSF will be used to attack enemy ships so why not practice on ours? Again not seeing the cost per hour differences of flying a Hawk v a big fast mover.

It is going to take a government with sphericals of ceramic coated titanium to try to do away with the Reds, so in the next 4 years or so, expect to see leaks in the press again saying that is what will happen. BAE will nip to No 10 with a ‘dead cheap’ refurbishment plan based at Warton and they will do the old birds up again. They may have XX serial numbers but like Grandpa’s axe that will be the only original thing left. Alternatively, BAE will do some dodgy deal to sell Typhoon/JSF/Gripen and will accept a load of Hawks as part ex which with a bit of TLC will be sold to the RAf as the replacement for the reds at knock down prices.

It was indeed a great day and everybody who came found something of interest. Perhaps the best gauge I can give is the amount of kids crying because they didn’t want to go home (including one or two epic tantrums which not even the prospect of tea at the house of the hamburger clown could calm and the many adults who were amazed at the amount of stuff to do and see for just three quid.

I was busy on the gate so didn’t get to see half the things I wanted to, but the smiles of so many happy punters as they left made up for it.

Thanks to everyone that came to visit and a special thank you to those who brought exhibits