Quick update on the Leicestershire Situation

Rearsby – No sign of a Control Tower.
Ratcliffe – No sign of a Control Tower
Castle Donnington – No WW2 Control Tower remaining. There are several, heavily modified, B1 and T2 hangars around the SW corner of the site and a handful of Seco buildings around.

RAF Syerston

The airfield is Syerston and it is very active to this day. It is currently the home of The Air Cadet Central Gliding School (ACCGS); the CFS Glider Squadron; 644 Volunteer Gliding Squadron and 643 Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS). It is part of Campus Cranwell and apart from a few years between 1970, when 2FTS and their JP 3 & 4s departed and March 1975 when ACCGS and 644 arrived from RAF Spitalgate it has been active since it opened on 1 Dec 1940. A fair concise history of the station can be found here http://www.644vgs.org/syerston_history.htm

The picutures will be available soon – but an unforeseen, extended visit to Jutland has precluded further searching. I will post them as soon as I am able – apologies for apparently messing you all about
Praesta

Sorry Rlangham – my initial enquiries have drawn a blank. I will continue searching

(Shouting) YES PLEASE !!!!

Many thanks, look forward to the scans
DC

I’ve recently moved house – they are in a box in my spare room. I’ve narrowed it down to one in about forty so will be on to that this weekend

Being a bit of novice – I may need some help in uploading but wil cross that bridge later next week.

There are several humorous stories regarding primary gliders

One that springs to mind is the hardy soul who alledgedly tried a 2000′ aerotow in one, whilst naked, between Christmas and New Year from an airfield adjacent to the A1, up north somewhere.

My favourite concered a very senior, in longevity terms, instructor who was launched from a grass airfield near Grantham with the intention of dropping into a local primary school dressed as Santa Claus. Some huge problems we encountered with the false beard which resulted the ensuing short hop being flown with considerable drift applied to keep the beard out of his eyes 😀

Unfortunately I did not witness this particular incident personally but believe it to to be true

2FTS – JP3 Pictures – Syerston

Sadly I have no colour ones – I did see a photograph, in a German magazine, almost identical to the one posted by “Old Eagle” but cannot locate that. What I do have are lots of Station Photographer photos of 2FTS a/c in various states of disrepair which I found in a box in either the SHQ or AMWD before the JCBs set-to work.

XM384 (I think) in the undershoot of 25
another one at the threshold of 07 – sans undercarriage – dangling from the ubiquitous Coles!
XM406? without it’s rudder after spinning in
A copuple of nose-wheel failures at Wymeswold

If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll upload them.