There’s some discussion of The Mike Twite Trophy on here: https://www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=214626

In a post from Mike’s daughter, Michaela, she mentions her brother having taken his own life in 2017.  

The Britannia, the Comet and the four Phantoms are the stand-outs for me.  Did they all display do you know?

Like many of you, I used to visit this forum on a daily basis and was always amazed by the wealth of knowledge and people’s willingness to share.  I never understood exactly what caused what can only be called its near-death experience – was it an attempt to monetise it? – but it was so sad to see so many of the posters and so much of the accumulated wisdom disappear.  I enjoyed reading the musings of powerandpassion’s above and concur with the gist of what they had to say and especially agree with Prop Strike in regard to the pernicious effects of Facebook.  

Anyway, there have been increasing signs of vigour over the past couple of years or so and there’s cause for hope this forum might one day become again what it once was.   

Never mind all that, what did they want for it?

The way it works is, Gladman Estates (so-called ‘land promoters’) go round the country identifying plots of land that might be built on. They approach the landowner and offer to do the leg-work to obtain planning permission for the land on the basis of a fee if it’s obtained. When planning permission is granted – as it virtually always is, after several appeals – the developers become involved, buy the land from the landowner and, the next thing you know, you’ve got God knows how many houses being built on the land.

Can you blame the landowner? Not really. They only have to sit back and wait for Gladman to do their stuff and they’re quids in.

XM655 is toast.

You could say the vampires did for the Vulcan.

Once the vampires have got their teeth into the land it’s all over. Doesn’t matter how many times the local council turns down planning permission, they’ll keep coming back till the decision ends up with the Secretary of State who will, of course, grant the appeal.

Get down to Wellesbourne soonest if you want to see XM655. The guys there told me it would be cut up if they couldn’t renew the lease.

Meanwhile, google Gladman Estates if you want to find who are the real villains of the piece.

I’m not sure the evidence was especially ‘new’ but it was nice to see some relatively unseen footage to go along with it.

We’ve been promised tax cuts haven’t we? They can keep my share and put it towards paying some staff to keep the library open!