Lee – Sent you a PM ages ago offering my collection.

…and I sent a reply straight afterwards by PM. Nothing heard. Got your second PM today and will reply shortly..

On the other hand, while it is not always correct to extrapolate a few relatively minor gripes into a major criticism, it is difficult to name any such programme, no matter how well produced or how worthy, without several almost childish errors – which generally would appear to have been fixable quickly, easily and at little cost. It may not be a valid criticism in every case, but if someone telling a story of which the ‘meat’ is all about attention to detail can’t get the detail right, what faith should the rest of us have that they have actually understood the story they’re telling? And if they haven’t understood it, why are we trusting them to educate or entertain us with their version of events? Perhaps this is the point that really needs ramming home, particularly during negotiations for what advertising is associated with the film’s showing.

Well said. That the plans were not the right ones just shows a lack of attention to detail which was indeed just sloppy and easily fixable.

Sandy Sproule has very kindly agreed to let me post his superb colour scan of the tower and assorted buildings at RNAS Ford during the mid 1950’s, seen here just behind his father’s SAR Dragonfly WP495 (now preserved at RAFM Cosford but sadly not in this scheme).

Incidentally Sandy’s father was Lt Cdr J S Sproule RN, who was instrumental in introducing the Search and Rescue role utilising the use of a helicopter together with the ‘Sproule net’ from Ford airfield.

Rob

As seen in a rather nice book on Fleet Air Arm Helicopters 😉

Firebrand prop? Where did they find that?? Looks in amazing nick!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-Blackburn-Firebrand-WW2-era-Fighter-Aircraft-Wooden-propeller-Prop-blade-/130841193692?pt=UK_CPV_Aviation_SM&hash=item1e76be2cdc

Again, the Jim Summerlee photo is taken at Culdrose, not Lee.

Can’t recall the Aeroplane photo. I know Brown took some nice shots of aircraft on board Illustrious during RNVR summer camp training from Yeovilton, but I’ve not seen any Lee-based aircraft.

If anyone has any 781 NAS Seafire photos then I’d love to see them too!

[EDIT] – the photos of 3NFW at Lee (note the roof-less, bombed-out Dunning Hangar in the background) are the ones reproduced in ‘Neptune Summer’.

Melv

Good luck with that one!

Firstly, the only Seafire III photos I’ve seen from No.3 Naval Fighter Wing were reproduced (at photocopy quality) in the Gosport Aviation Society’s ‘Neptune Summer on Gosport Peninsular’ by Jock Egan in 1994.

781 only had Seafire 17s for a brief period in 1949 and would therefore almost certainly all have been in the Pattern 2 scheme (EDSG upper decking, Sky side and lower surfaces). Certainly I’ve never seen any images of them. Indeed the only Lee-based Mk.17 I’ve seen is the well-known SX299, formerly of 766 NAS being used as a ‘sit your kid in for his photo’ static exhibit at Lee Air Day in 1955.

I do have a photo of Mk.15 LA488 (‘568/LP’) of 771 NAS.

An intriguing request. Any particular reason?

Lee

l.garey, Thanks for that and apologies for the delay. Yes, I’ve already got some photos of G-ARDE (flew in her once from the hallowed concrete of Hatfield!) and “G-AFNE”, thanks. Appreciate showing them anyway!

Anyone else with interesting Dove/Heron photos?