To keep plugging at XR219 a little, I quote from the following thread:
http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?20465-Tsr2-XR219/page2
In the mid 90’s I picked up two small TSR 2 items from an Aerojumble (Shoreham). In about 1997-8-9 I noticed in Aeroplane Monthly Hangers stores section, a wanted advert requesting TSR 2 bits. Noting that the bits I had were not really in my line of collecting but keen to see them go to a good home I phoned the number. The guy on the other end of the phone told my the following story;-
He run a company which was aviation related and sometimes touched on the warbird scene. During one of these warbird scene moments he had recently (within a month or so of that time) come across a TSR 2 forward fuse in a scrap yard covered by a tarpaulin. I asked if this was the forward fuse which was at the time at Farnborough/Brooklands. He said no and he believed it was the forward fuse of XR219! He would not tell me the location but did let slip the yard specialised in handling stainless steel. His advert and attitude of not telling anybody the location was intended to see if enough bits were available so that he (and only he) could put together a reasonable display standard item. He took my name address and told me he would get back to me… but never did. I’ve since lost the phone number.
At the time I was working on Nimrod MRA4 and hence had regular contact with Warton. So I passed the story on to the BAe North West Heritage group. They phoned the number and got the same story and response. They were sufficiently interested to contact Shoeburyness to try to track down just who bought the remains of XR219 when it went up for disposal. Although I don’t think they could do this, but Shoeburyness “confirmed” that XR219 was shredded by the scrapy in the late 70’s.
Some time later I was reading a book on which I think was called “The history of British Aerospace A Proud Heritage” (or something like that), which was published in the mid/late 80’s and hidden await in the text it makes the claim that the scrap yard that handled XR219 was quietly storing significant portions of the aircraft.
Now, there is never any smoke without fire……. (Has anyone got the back issue of Aeroplane Monthly from either 1997/8/9 with that phone number?)
As for other TSR 2 bits, I understand that the Brian Trubshaw horde which was once at Little Rissington consisting of bits from Shoeburyness/Pendine (engines mainly, bit possibly wings as well?) has been disposed of by Marine Salvage of Southampton…. with some bits going to collections and other going for scrap. When RAF Quedgeley/Henlow/Cardington were cleared in the 80’s & 90’s a significant number of TSR 2 bits were found, most if not all of which were passed to Cosford. The guys at Cosford noted that some of these bits were actually from their TSR2 XR220 (apparently the cropped wires still on the equipment matched perfectly those on the aircraft…. when the aircraft was stripped in the 60’s why did they disconnect on the plugs!).
I would be surprised if anything TSR 2 was at Aston Down. I have been connected with Aston Down in one way or another from 1983 to the present day. Although large quantities of aircraft/engine jigs and tools were stored there, on both professional visits (both working for RR and BAe) to some of the hangers and my time connected with gliding, I saw very few aircraft parts and even then these were test parts such as the fatigue test Phantom. However it was the sort of place where stuff could get lost for years…… some Gloster Javelin wing and fuse jigs could still be found there up until the late 1980’s! …so I could be wrong.
The portion I stuck in bold is sufficient to get a conspiracy theory rolling.
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