LANCASTER NX611 – ‘DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY’ REUNION EVENT

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TIME’S UP !!!!!!! THE EXTENDED ‘DEADLINE’ OF SUNDAY 3RD APRIL 2005 HAS PASSED. 🙁

I THANK THOSE PEOPLE WHO RESPONDED TO THIS INVITATION – MORE DETAILS WILL BE SENT TO YOU INDIVIDUALLY. 😉

WITH REGARDS TO ANY OTHER ‘ELIGIBLE’ PEOPLE, WHO DISCOVER THIS FORUM THREAD IN THE WEEKS TO COME, WHO WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND EAST KIRKBY ON 14th MAY 2005 – THE REUNION IS ‘OPEN’ TO ALL OF YOU. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE TO THOSE WHO HAVE REGISTERED THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE INVITATION BY THE DEADLINE COULD BE THE FACT THAT IT CANNOT BE GUARANTEED THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM SOME OF THE DAY’S ACTIVITIES 😮 (i.e THE POSSIBILITY OF WINNING A CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE A ‘TAXI RIDE’ IN “JUST JANE” !! ) 😡

MARTIN COLLINS and I WOULD BOTH LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU WHO CONTACTED US TO ACCEPT THEIR INVITATIONS TO THE REUNION. WE’RE SURE IT’S GOING TO BE AN UNFORGETABLE EVENT.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR SINCERE THANKS FOR THE KIND WORDS THAT HAVE BEEN POSTED ON THIS THREAD.

See you at East Kirkby

Very Best Wishes 🙂

Richard

LAST FEW DAYS TO REGISTER INTEREST IN ATTENDING REUNION

😮 JUST A REMINDER THAT THERE ARE ONLY 3 MORE DAYS LEFT FOR ANY OF YOU FORMER H.A.P.S. / REFLECTAIRE LTD PRESERVATIONISTS / VOLUNTEER HELPERS TO REGISTER YOUR INTENTION TO ACCEPT OUR INVITATION TO ATTEND THE “DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY” CELEBRATORY REUNION AT EAST KIRKBY ON SATURDAY 14th MAY 2005 😉

🙂 THE FOLLOWING ‘NOTICE’ HAS JUST BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE MAY 2005 EDITION OF ‘FLYPAST’ (IN THE SHOPS NOW!!)

IF ANYONE WISHING TO ATTEND WOULD PREFER NOT TO POST A REPLY DIRECTLY ON THIS ‘FORUM THREAD’ THEN PLEASE CONTACT MARTIN COLLINS ON THE MOBILE PHONE NUMBER GIVEN IN THE ‘NOTICE’.

Cheers,

Richard

(Image courtesy of Key Publications Ltd – Flypast Magazine)

Here she is waiting for spring
Mike

Thanks for posting, Mike.

Just gazing at this beaut. tells me “SPRING HAS REALLY SPRUNG !!!!!!!” 🙂 😀

Can’t wait for the flying season to get underway and look forward to more of your great pics.

My chum Laurie Bean (‘Lauriebe’) tells me he’s scheduled to visit Montana and meet up in person with this graceful lady in May. I can hardly contain my ‘jealous streak’!!!! 😎

Please keep the photos coming.

Very Best Wishes

Richard

CALLING ALL AVIATION PRESERVATIONISTS WHO WERE ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE ‘HISTORIC AIRCRAFT PRESERVATION SOCIETY’ (HAPS) AND / OR ‘REFLECTAIRE LTD’ (REFLECTAIRE PRESERVATION GROUP) DURING 1960s / 1970s – BIGGIN HILL / LAVENHAM / RAF HULLAVINGTON / BLACKPOOL (SQUIRES GATE) :-
Because of the need to get some idea of numbers hoping to attend on 14th May, I would be grateful for early responses.

I AM THEREFORE HAVING TO SET A CUT-OFF DATE OF SUNDAY 27th MARCH 2005 FOR REGISTERING INTEREST.

JUST A BRIEF REMINDER THAT THE ORIGINAL CUT-OFF DATE FOR REGISTERING INTEREST IN ATTENDING OUR REUNION AT EAST KIRKBY WAS DUE TO EXPIRE TOMORROW (27/3). 🙁

IT HAS BEEN AGREED TO EXTEND THIS FOR A FURTHER 7 DAYS, I.E. UNTIL SUNDAY 3RD APRIL 2005 TO ALLOW FOR ANY ‘LATECOMERS’ TO READ THIS FORUM THREAD AND RESPOND. 😉

MEANWHILE, HERE’S A FEW FACES FROM THE PAST !!

WERE YOU ONE OF THESE AIR TRAINING CORP. / GVC CADETS WHO SERVED AS A ‘GUARD OF HONOUR’ ON THE ARRIVAL OF LANC. NX611 AT LAVENHAM AIRFIELD ON 30th MARCH 1969 ?

[IMG]

IF YOU CAN IDENTIFY ANYONE FROM THESE PHOTOS PLEASE LET THAT PERSON KNOW THAT WE’RE ANXIOUS TO INVITE THEM TO ATTEND OUR REUNION, SO I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO MAKE CONTACT.

Best Wishes

Richard

Predates my service by a good two decades I’m afraid Richard so I cant offer much assistance. If its worth anything to you the base in question at Lee-on-Solent, that the involved matelots would have come from, was HMS Daedalus. She was closed in 1996, but, there are a dedicated group preserving the history of Fleet Air Arm ops at Lee-on-Solent.

You can find them at:

http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Daedalus/Contacts.html

Perhaps they can help further. Its not much to go on, but, hopefully it might get you another step and, in the meantime, I’ll see if I can turn anything else up on a MATSU unit – not one that I’m familiar with.

Good luck with the reunion all the same.

Thanks Steve for taking the trouble to respond to this thread – much appreciated.

I know it’s a long shot, but it would be really nice to trace some of those ‘lads’. They’re probably retired, or nearing hanging up their ‘sea boots’ by now !!

I’ve tried numerous Royal Navy websites, including that for the FAA, but there seems to be no ‘Forum-type’ means of interacting with fellow ‘browsers’ / contributors.

I will certainly give your suggested site a visit, but in the meantime, if there’s any chance that you can turn anything up from any of your contacts on the MATSU I’d greatly appreciate your efforts.

I never realised how much research, time and effort goes into trying to organise a reunion!!! Should have begun many many months ago that’s for sure!!

Whatever, I’m hopeful that a reasonable number of ‘old colleagues’ will show up at the reunion and make it all worthwhile.

Once again, thanks for offering your help.

I hope I hear further from you.

Cheers for now,

Richard

CALLING EX-RNAS CULDROSE AND EX-RN ‘MATSU’ LEE ON SOLENT (1969) PERSONNEL

SINCE POSTING THIS THREAD I’VE BEEN SEARCHING MY PERSONAL RECORDS OF THE TIME (1969) AGAIN AND IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT THE RN CREW WHO TRANSPORTED AND RE-ASSEMBLED THE SEAFIRE AT LAVENHAM, SUFFOLK IN JULY 1969 MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FROM RNAS CULDROSE BUT ACTUALLY FROM:

ROYAL NAVY’s “MATSU”,(OR “MARTSU”) BASED AT LEE ON SOLENT, HAMPSHIRE (AT THAT TIME)

CAN ANYONE WITH MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE INFORMATION ON THAT ‘UNIT’ PLEASE HELP ME OUT. :confused:

What exactly was a ‘MATSU’ ? Was it ‘Maintenance and Transport Support Unit’, or what? (I’m purely guessing here!!!!!).

(NOTE: I’ve since been advised that it’s correct title is “Mobile Aircraft Repair, Transport and Salvage Unit” (or ‘MARTSU’)

Can’t seem to find any ‘historical’ information on this unit on searching the Royal Navy / Fleet Air Arm websites

ANY INFORMATION ON THIS WILL BE OF GREAT HELP IN TRYING TO TRACE THESE PEOPLE.

MANY THANKS

Richard

Hi RJ
Got your PM did you get the photos and n ote I emailed to you on Sat 12/3/05,if so could you let me know because if you didn’t I will re-send the photos of NX 611 at Lavenham.
All the Best
Dave (SPIT)

Hi Dave, where’ve you been ? – I’ve even had to resort to posting a separate thread on here to flush you out of hiding (only joking!! 😉 ).

Good to be back in contact. I’d been checking my Hotmail e-mail for your replies and photos, only to discover them on my other address – forgot I’d given it to you !!! (senility creeping up it seems :p ).

The 10 Lavenham pics. were received OK and I’m really grateful to you for sharing them with me – the shot of NX611 standing starkly on ‘her’ dispersal hardstanding in the snow certainly evoked vivid memories of that harsh East Anglian winter (1969/70).

I note that you won’t be able to join us at the East Kirkby reunion on 14th May. 🙁 I’m truly sorry that we won’t be meeting up after all these years. Is there absolutely no way you can change your plans for that day / weekend!! Is it conflicting personal commitments or simply the travel to Lincs. ?

If it’s the latter, we may be able to sort that out – some of our “old friends” from Blackpool / Lytham St. Annes are planning to travel east to join us at the reunion – maybe you and they could travel together. Let me know if it’s the travel aspect and I’ll see what can be arranged.

If you have any further pics. of the ‘Lavenham days’ I’d love to see them. :confused:

By the way, do I have your permission to use your shots on this Forum and elsewhere, with suitable ‘copyright credit’ displayed ? I’m sure other readers / contributors to this Forum would appreciate sharing our vintage memories. 😉

Hope to hear from you (On my personal e-mail address if you’d prefer)

Very Best Wishes, Dave

Richard