The registrations in your log all look OK for aircraft that would have still been flying in 1969 except for the Fox Moth. G-ACCB ditched in the sea off Southport in 1956 although I am sure substantial parts of it are still aound somewhere.
The most likely candidate for the Fox Moth at Gaydon would be G-ACEJ which I think was still owned by the Tiger Club at that time. I am pretty sure the only other Fox Moth flying in the UK at that time was G-AOJH but OJH was quite distinctive as it had a canopy whereas CEJ had an open cockpit.
Perhaps someone else can confirm this or alternatively blow my theory to bits.

WJ244, you are quite right in your recollection of the cockpit layout of the two Fox Moths. I was lucky enough to fly in both of them and the attached pictures show the colour schemes they were in at the time.

G-AOJH was first, via a pleasure flight around Blackpool Tower from Squires Gate in October 1966, while CEJ was at the 1971 PFA Rally Sywell with Stan Bosley of the Tiger Club.

Although never knowing the name of the pilot of OJH, I strongly suspect it would have been long-term owner John Lewery. Years later I got to know him quite well, flying with him occasionally in his Piper Caribbean G-AWLI, now owned by the North Hangar Flying Group at Shoreham.

He was a real gentleman, quiet and unassuming and never mentioning his wartime exploits, which included a forced landing in the sea off North Africa in a Wellington and a year as a POW in an Algerian prison and after his release over 100 missions against the Germans – see http://www.aerodrome-gruyere.ch/hommage/Lewery/htm%5B/url]. Thanks by the way AA for the translation.

Sadly John died last November at the grand age of 89 and as an aside I believe he was closely associated with Norman Giroux of Giro Aviation and the Southport Beach flights. As such he no doubt regularly flew CEJ.

Before he had his own Fox Moth he was also one of the first to have a personalised registration, when he and John Pothecary had Tiger Moths G-APJL and PJP respectively, probably at Christchurch.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

G-AKPF

I was fortunate enough to be Adrian Brook’s first passenger in G-AKPF on 22nd July 1990 after he finished the rebuild and it was initially flown in civilian silver colours, as depicted in the photo of the fuselage in front of the Shoreham Airport terminal building. The other Shoreham photo shows him running up the engine before one of its early flights as V1075 and it was in this guise that I had my second flight in the Maggie on 1st September 1990.

We then shared a lot of other flights in it, visiting several events including a PFA Rally at Wroughton, Moth Club fly-in at Woburn, Great Warbirds display at West Malling and a Brooklands Museum fly-in, where the other photo with the Vanguard as a backdrop was taken, before it was eventually sold to Hairymouse.

Good to know that it is still giving a lot of pleasure to its current owner.

Wicked Willip

Thanks N.Wotherspoon for reminding me about the Peter Gibbs Cessna 150 accident.

Having been to the Glenforsa Rally for three years running from 1977 onwards the bare bones of the story were well known to me but over time I had forgotten many of the details of his fateful flight and mysterious end.

Incidentally you have uncovered a fascinating site but at the same time produced another mystery.

What is the aircraft seen sticking out of the water?

Wicked Willip

This is the former G-AHFU, which has been in Australia for the past 55 years and is on long term rebuild there. Although now owned by a British citizen again his family have links to Oz and the prospect of any return to UK skies in anything like the near future must be considered as rather remote.

Still it is great news that there are plans to return yet another Proctor to airworthiness, especially after the fine restoration job carried out on G-AKIU and the excellent work currently being carried out on the Great Oakley machines.

Wicked Willip 🙂

John Lewery

From 1963 to 1990 G-AOJH wbognor as owned by the late John Lewery. I wonder if willip26 could be persuaded to relate here John Lewery’s fascinating history?

I would if I could remember but the old memory is hazy these days.

I am sure the local Evening Argus newspaper did a feature on him and seem to recall he did an article for Flypast or one of the other aviation magazines relating how he was shot down during the war.

In his later years I got to know him quite well and flew with him on occasions
in his Tri Pacer G-AWLI, including to one of the LEC fly-ins at Bognor Regis.

I was also fortunate enough to fly in both OJH and CEJ, the former from Squires Gate and around the tower at Blackpool and the latter with the Tiger Club’s Stan Bosley during one of the early series of PFA rallies at Sywell.

Wicked Willip :diablo:

Just a couple of photos, which might bring back a few memories.

Firstly the Biggin Hill-based ‘Papa Kilo’ Chipmunk and secondly mainly for pobjoy pete although completely off thread, of his Turbulent TKR, taken at a Dunsfold open day a couple of years before its untimely demise.

Still got that smart red helmet or was it being worn by H…o at the time of tbe accident?

Wicked Willip :diablo: