You may be interested in the attached. It is one of a series from official Air Ministry pictures showing XM244 on the foam at Manston. (XM244 is 5th down in the list in your first picture).

This is a B(I)8 from 3 Sqd (my old sqd) at RAF Geilenkirchen. It was flown by Flt Lt Ron Ledwidge with nav Flt Lt Martin Fortune. Ron experienced a port u/c sequence valve problem and got the kite down safely (and remarkably neatly) in very stormy weather. Consider Ron’s straightish landing path through the foam.

Anomaly : Ron gives the date as 9 June 1965 though and that’s what I have on my web site (B(I)8 Galleries – XM244). I’ll have to have a word with him, maybe the years have confused the dates.

Moggy

You could try contacting the Squadron’s History Officer via the Waddington web site.

Meanwhile here’s a cleaned-up pic of a 51Sqd York refueling. (From the 51Sqd web site)

BTW, I was on 51 Sqd in its Canberra days (and Comets and a Hastings). very secretive bunch, no wonder they were called the “Secret Squirrels”. The 51 Sqd Association has reunions every year, trouble is they don’t tell you where they are held! :rolleyes:

There was a very tasty Lancaster control panel. Looks quite small considering all the brave work done sitting in front of one of these things during the troubles in the 40s.

Tony Collins’ immaculate Hunter F1 – WT684.

Sunday – good day today, fine showing and reasonable crowd. The Valiant somehow never looked that big at Brunty.

Loads of Canberras so I’m happy. . .

Some pics for you to look at while waiting for your regular contributer(s). . .

(Damien was at Kemble of course.)

First, the Valiant (and it’s for sale I hear, takers?)

OK thanks DN. It wasn’t a B(I)8 if it was 31Sqd, only the strike sqds had 8’s and these were 3Sqd (was 59), 14Sqd (was 88) and 16Sqd, all in 2TAF Germany. Before people start shouting, I know 213Sqd was one of the Strike Sqds but they flew (exclusively) B(I)6 Canberras.

Your Swinderby Canberra was a PR.7 which was used for ground instructional and getting a training Courses’ group photo taken in front of!

Looking forward to seeing your photo.

Well, forgot about re-registering! But now that I’m here again. . . .

About taking pictures, I would suggest you take all the pics you can – of everything!

Spent many years in the RAF all over the place working different aircraft, etc. Saw many memorable sights in terms of flying aircraft, “moments” and events. Looking back, my regret is that I didn’t take pictures! Had the gear but, being young, there was always “tomorrow”, next thing you know you’re on the kite flying home.
Now, many, many severals later, having pics to support stories would be good, not someone else’s pics, but your own. But not just to support stories, to bring back memories as well. I do have pictures (but not enough of the “right” kind) and, browsing through these nowadays, it is remarkable how the doors of memory are inched open.

The value of having your own pictures is not measured against another’s “better” pic (in my case others are always better, especially Damien’s), the value is in the memories they evoke in later life – especially when your kids grow up and ask about your “previous”.

As for getting the “best” shot at air shows, well. . . Damien does it better than anybody I know! We’ve both had the same picture sometimes, but Damien’s is always better – but then, he’s younger by orders of magnitude so doesn’t suffer from camera-shake as much as those like me.

So, I strongly recommend you take pics of everything around you at air shows (and by the back fence at airfields) as you will be thankfull in the years to come.