nice pictures
thanks peter
It was probably a US Navy Orion out of Northolt , I `ve seen them around London before.
🙂 🙂 ….. perhaps ‘Uncle Alf ‘moved on to the BAe146 but didn’t tell the family.
Mark
oops !
I`ll tell Alf that according to the Internet , he`s the reason we don`t build aircraft anymore – he`ll love that !! ( he`s the original Grumpy Old man ) 🙂
Despite my present location, I’m Hertfordshire born and bred. I was born in Watford in 1952 and my parents and grandparents lived there through the war years.
Although close to London, Hertfordshire seems to have got off relatively lightly. Perhaps the Germans were like most of the UK population, never heard of it. 🙂
I gather most of the damage was repaired fairly soon after the war. I don’t remember seeing anything apart from 3 bomb craters that were still in the recreation ground in Harebreaks (Black Knight should know where I mean) until the mid sixties. They were definitely filled in, rather than collapsed over time.I clearly remember Hatfield and Radlett as thriving airfields and companies and tend to growl and snarl a lot if I’m ever around them now.
Sorry if I’ve rambled, lots of ale. 🙂
Yes from what my parents told me , we did get away relatively unscathed, but it must have been a hell of a place for people interested in aircraft. There was one particuarly nasty incident in North Watford ( a bomb or V1 ) that caused many fatalities , my grandfather was an ARP warden and was on the scene of that one. I think that Harebearks is quite near there ,maybe the incidents are connected ?
Did any of you chaps do time at Hatfield?
I lived in the porta-cabin city next to the famous hex concrete pan.
There’s a bit of me in the 125 and 146.The accountants are running the asylum now 🙁 .
I did`nt , but my uncle Alf ( Alf Smith ) worked at Hatfield putting the APU`s in the tails of Tridents and hanging the engine pods of the wings. He also worked at Handley Page at Radlett and Cricklewood , starting at 16 with Halifaxes – he is the reason that I have an interest in Aviation, he took me to the Hatfield open days during the 70`s /80`s. I live next to what was Radlett , and have faint memories of Victors flying around , but also lots of civil traffic into Leavesden ,Elstree , Hatfield ( the Nord Noratlas`s were very impressive in and out of Hatfield )
Speaking of Hertfordshire, did anything of any interest ever happen around Berkhamsted?
There are some what look like craters near my house that someone told me were from a zeppelin (!) but have heard nothing else…
Hi there
Zeppelins are another interest of mine, but i don`t recall any mention of them over Berko, Although I too have heard rumours of still viewable building damage in St.Albans, said to have been caused by the Cuffley Zeppelin en route to its demise ( routed in East Anglia/ Ware / Hertford/ St.Albans/ Cuffley )
No, the contents are stored by BAE somewhere on site, and are not accessible.
I drive past the London Colney landing ground most weekends, and have some rather good shots said to have come from there. I will dig them out, and post them here!
Bruce
Thanks for your info Bruce.
I would like to see the London Colney Pictures.
I have recently `tidied up` a folder about London Colney airfield that had been sitting neglected for years, that is kept at London Colney Library , and have scanned all of the articles / pictures for a possible project at a later date. There is a famous book by a WW1 flyer that mentions the flying at Lon don Colney , it is called ` Warbirds- diary of an unknown aviator`
Thanks Bruce
That has solved that mystery then !
Are the contents at the FAST museum ? The reason I ask is that I would like to get some photos of the aforesaid JU 88 parts , as I am very interested in Hertfordshire aviation history , particuarly Hatfield, Radlett ,the first World War airfield at London Colney and the USAAF presence in Hertfordshire.
Thanks Again
I hope this will be the first of many posts !!