A couple of pics from Singapore in 1962.
Firstly one for ‘A79RAAFVampire’, alas not his aircraft but fairly close:
A79-667 probably returning back to Oz from Butterworth December 1962.
Alas 667 didn’t survive much longer:
13th February 1968
RAAF Vampire Mk 35 A79-667 1 AFTS Pearce 35 nm southwest of RAAF
Pearce, WA Loss of control during compressibility flight. Pilot Cadtac
P. Jabornicky ejected at 11,000ft with aircraft rolling out of control and 400 kts, and landed in the sea. Suffered
superficial injuries.
Here’s XE957, another T11 in storage at 390MU Seletar, early 1963.
It has the following history:
XE957, 15665, Vampire T.11. Delivered 12 May 1955. Hired by the RNZAF and stationed with 14 Sqn at Tengah, Singapore until Venoms became available. Coded “Z”.
After this picture I saw it pass through Changi with another T11 WZ467 on delivery to the Indian Air Force in July 1963.
The T11 behind it here is XH358 that became an instructional airframe and was later put on display at Seletar…sort of ‘gate guard not on the gate’.
Tom Everitt-those are really beautiful pictures.
For Vampire fans that didn’t see them when previously posted here, I have a steam of Vampire pics taken when the 8 Indonesian T55’s where on delivery to the Indian Air Force:
http://www.davidtaylorsound.co.uk/Indian%20Air%20Force%20Aircraft/
‘Flash’ is needed by the way.
David Taylor.
John (Mo) Botwood, previously mentioned in this thread has sent me the following email, with a great colour shot of a Mk1. He is able to add some information on the story of Shackleton’s escorting ‘Connies on 3’ …
Here’s a bit of colour – VP292 at Gan in 1959
I really prefer the good black and white shots, they have more character.
Someone put me onto your latest on keypublishing. There were a few points raised.
WL745, the first of the MkIIc Shacks on 205. I was posted at short notice to 205 in October 1959. Our crew on 210 Squadron had been the first crew to do conversion onto the equipment that was going in the IIc. That was at Kinloss in March 1959. We picked up the first conversion from Langar in May 1959 and ferried her back to Ballykelly. It was WG555 – my all time favourite and the fastest Shack in the fleet. My posting was in a rush because I was the only “T” Category Siggy available at the time.
I arrived at Changi in November 1959 and had to do a self taught conversion back onto my old favourite Mark one – WB835, which we had flown to Christmas Island for the Nuclear Tests. To answer another couple of points, all Grapple Shacks had the Met conversion and ‘Special Fitment” was Autolycus only.
Well as you know, WL745 did not arrive as the first IIc at 205 until I was finishing my tour. Our crew were chosen for the acceptance checks and I had a heck of a lot of homework to advance back 2 years. I left for UK in August and rejoined 210 at BK.
There was a point raised about escorting Connies on three over the Atlantic. With the introduction of the Constellation ‘G’ model, the airlines found out that it could cruise safely and more economically on three – so they would feather one and under international law, advise the control areas. The Control Centres on the UK side had a requirement to scramble the SAR Shack if any a/c lost an engine. After some time it was changed so that we were woke up as the a/c passed mid-Atlantic and collected in the Ops Room to watch the odd counter on the plot as it reported in every 30 mins. One night we actually got a call out and raced off to escort the proverbial “Connie on Three” who had really lost a donk and was dropping down to lower levels around 15,000. We, who thought that man could not live above 1500 ft clawed our way out and up. Finally connecting up with the lad at 20West. As we made contact, he asked that we show our lights to reassure the passengers. Shackleton Nav lights were what was colloquially known as ‘the usual dim RAF type’. But we flashed them as much as we could and ran the Aldis lamp back and forwards along the Connie’s fuselage. They reported that they couldn’t see us and asked for a Verey Flare.
To make things positive, it was decided to hit the illuminant flares – all 24 x 750,000 candle power at .5 second intervals. The night turned into day and there was the Connie on the end of the starboard. Silence and then – “We got you now, sheeeiiiit! you must be at least 40 miles from us. What the hell kind of pistol is that!”. Overriding the end of the transmission we heard “…….. Pan. This is Panam 123. We have unidentified traffic on our port and are being fired upon etc etc etc”. We flew over to our lost sheep and carried on behind him. The engines had been running flat chat for well over 90 mins trying to stay up there.
One genuine was down south when a Connie had a runaway number 3, which detached itself and flew into First Class, embedding itself for the rest of the run into Shannon. The 19 Group SAR caught up with the drag laden a/c and ran up the Shannon River at 750 ft. Things did happen every night over mid Atlantic.
Thanks for the heads up on WB854’s fate. I’ll change the site to reflect her fate. She was our crew’s aircraft for almost a year.
John is joining this forum and will be a very welcome member as he is someone with an amazing amount of Shackleton stories.
David Taylor.
Thanks for putting me right on WD944, still being a T4. She was coming and going a bit during her visit and I did believe she was undertaking calibrations at that time. We had Varsities do that as well.
Regarding the ejector seat arrangements on T4’s I found this in the same PPRune thread:
Ralph Swift said: ” In the case of the training Canberra, the T4, although the navigators had ejection seats the cramped cockpit for both pilots did not afford enough room for ejection seats and the only way out for the pilots was to slide the right hand seat backward, open the side door in the fuselage and bale out conventionally. In a situation that required the pilots to abandon the aircraft it was a very hit and miss affair and when the Canberra later had a problem with runaway tailplane actuators I think it proved impossible to get out in the time available.”
Also, in an August 1994 copy of ‘Aeroplane Monthly’, Flt Lt Mike Retallack, describing going through Canberra Conversion with 231 OCU in 1955 at Bassingbourn, said:
“The aircraft for this first flight was a T.4 trainer, which at that time did not have ejection seats for the pilots, so it was much easier to get in compared with later versions, especially for the navigator, as the instructor’s seat slid along rails.”
Someone else then remarked: “Interesting that the early T4s did not have bang seats for the pilots. ….the rather Heath Robinson arrangement of having to swing the right hand pilots seat forward so that I could climb into the back hole that was the back of the Canberra trainer, and then have the seat swung back and latched into position.”
12's%20of%2014Sqn%20RNZAF-mid%201961-S574B.jpg)
Back to other visiting Canberras, here’s 3 B(1)12’s of 14Sqn RNZAF pictured mid-1961. These guys had a ‘double service life’ being passed on as a job lot to the Indian Air Force after their ‘kiwi years’.
David
Here’s some more from Changi in the early 1960’s
WJ865 from the ‘RAF Handling Squadron’. Was that Boscombe or Farnborough?
It was a visitor in 1962.
I guess it was at Boscombe Down because I believe it’s cockpit survives there.
Rather distant pic of a T4 WD944 that undertook calibration flights in late 1961. Well infact I have discovered that she was an E15 version and
have found out this about her from a PPRune posting:
’27mm’ wrote: 98 Sqn Cottesmore, operating E15s in the Calibration role. Airframe nos were WD944 (T4), WH981, WH983 and WJ756 – can’t recall the others.
Typical sortie to cal an airfield approach radar would involve the crew plus 2 Flight Checkers (1 on the Rumbold seat). Transit to the relevant airfield, land and drop off the Checkers. Cal sortie, then land, turn-round the jet and scoff the cabin-trunk sized packed lunch.
Further cal sortie, land, engines running pick up of the Checkers, then RTB Rutland for Ruddles finest. 4 trips and approx 5 hours flying
for the day in a Classic Jet. Halcyon days.
T4’s didn’t have ejection seats for the pilots, which I understand made them rather ‘roomier’ inside, but these E15’s had 4 on board!
It appears the WD944’s nose went to Venezuela.
WK102 Canberra was with 45 Sqn here, but later served also with 75 Sqn RNZAF, still at Tengah.
She became a T17 and ended up as 8780M, preserved I believe at Welshpool in Wales.
Another Canberra doing a practice approach,WH651 81 Sqns T4.
Newark Museum have WH904, a Canberra T19 ..but the cockpit is from is from WH561!
And another Canberra T4 goes around..45 Sqn WH847 on the taxyway, showing how close it was to the Changi road.
This T.4 is reported as WH847 Canberra T4 IAF Q-497 Private India
Wonder if it survives. Perhaps Jagan knows?
WH665 is a 45 Sqn B2.
This one was supposed to have become a ‘divers wreck’! I thought they only dived on scuttled ‘battleships’.
“The story passed to me is that WH665 is currently being stripped out at Filton, and will go to the National Diving Centre at nearby Chepstow soon. Sea Devon G-RNAS (formerly XK896) went there about 6 months ago, and is currently in the car park at Chepstow, ready to be submersed in the flooded quarry there. A sad end to two airframes that could have been preserved, on a par with scrapping really. “
Any update info on any of these would be appreciated.
David Taylor.
John,
That’s a really nice shot of ‘A’ landing, I do like seeing ‘some background’.
However I never saw that Shack as it had left by mid 61….
so you got me looking it up on Mo Botwoods Shack website:
I think it must be WB835 :
WB835 MR 1A
Allotted to FEAF I .7.59 and coded A by 205 Sqn, but departed Changi 2.10.59, arriving at Aldergrove for 23MU 11.11.59. Issued to MOTU 5.8.60 and coded M until withdrawn from use and returned to 23MU 11.12.61. Declared NEA and sold as scrap 23.10.63.
Could it be on it’s way back to Blighty in your shot?
Here’s a very very faded WB854 ‘C’. It didn’t end up scrapped at Seletar as Mo Botwood’s history shows but hung around on the end of 205’s dispersal until finally being moved during 1963 to the ‘dead end spot’ at the Changi Gaol end of the runway….’fire training’ alas.
DT
Oops T4…I wrote that first then changed it to T5! I never ever saw a ‘trainer’, but did love the Mk1’s.
They looked ‘more WW2’ than the later marks didn’t they.
DT
Flynz: Thanks very much for the two pics of Canberras in NZ, particularly of A84-240. I’ve got a number of pics of that plane taken in the 60s when she was with 2 Sqn RAAF at Butterworth in Malaya.
240 was one of the Aussie Canberras that served in the war that they fought with the Americans..that we stayed out of, Vietnam.
Operating as part of USAF 35th Tactical Fighter Wing at Phan Rang Air Base. 240 in April 1967 arrived after a 2 hour flight from Butterworth.
2 Sqn RAAF Canberra A84-228 was also based at Phan Rang in Vietnam.
The RAAF serials website has the following info on this one:
On March 14 1971 A84-228 had just started it’s run in on a target north of Khe Sanh when it was hit by a SAM and both crew members were forced to eject, although suffering some injuries in the ejection Wing Cdr Downing and Flt Lt Pinches evaded capture by the Viet Cong and were eventually rescued by a US Army helicopter 27 hours later.
This one is A84-247 that survives at the Australian War Memorial, fittingly in Canberra.
A84-226 survives at RAAF Wagga.
A84-203 was converted from Mk20 to a Mk21 trainer as pictured here.It also survives.
The RAAF serials site says:
Struck off 1985 at Amberley. In RAAF Amberley restoration hangar for most of 2002. Rolled out 12/02 and is waiting to go to PNG Museum. On static display Amberley Airshow 10/04.
Currently at RAAF Amberley, Qld.
A84-225 here at Changi in late 1961, has the tail markings of Nos1 OCU.
It’s history is:
Took part in flight of 5 Canberras on good-will trip to USA 13/05/56 to 06/06/56. Established Perth – Brisbane Record of 3 Hours, 20 Minutes and 5 seconds 01/08/56. Painted in camouflage 06/11/64. Fitted with target towing equipment 27/01/70. Final flight 19/11/70 (crack found in wing spar during routine ultrasonic inspections 17/12/70). Aircraft removed from flight duty with 3395 hours and 15 minutes flight time. It had also completed 636 landings. Struck off 27/07/73 at Amberley. Its final days in service saw orange bands painted around the fuselage just aft of the rear of the nose-wheel doors and to the rear of the wing. These may be to signify a 2g limit placed on airframe (as on A84-224) or may have been added due its target towing usage. Sold to Queensland branch of the Aviation Historical Society of
Australia for $1360.00 21/11/73.
Moved to Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra, Qld. 13/06/86. Repainted in No.1 Sqn colours 10/86.
Currently on display Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra, Qld.
That’s the Aussie ones that are of special interest but I’d love to see pictures of any of them today.
I have a few pictures and some more questions about RAF Canberras from that era…I’ll leave those to later!
John,
I lived pretty close to your block…well the next in number! It was 152/2. That’s the second house in the married quarter (terrace row) that was 152 Old Sarum Road.
That’s my father’s old Vauxhall. The houses had been built late 30’s when Changi had the ‘big guns’ but no airfield. That was built by the Japanese and our house still had identifiable Japanese writing on the doors.
Here is a pic, suitably of a Canberra showing the houses on the hill looking down on the pan with the control tower at the end of the road.
I couldn’t go wrong could I…has there ever been a better place for an aircraft enthusiast to live!
By the way the above pic of Canberra WJ630 is the end of a little sequence that show this Canberra being ‘recovered’ (love the RAF use of that word!)
after suffering a blown tyre.
The sad looking crew members (only 2?) lead the plane back to the pan.
David
I loved the ‘white ones’…even though I knew I’d never see them again. They were off to Woomera to be fed to Bloodhounds.
WH652 at Changi in 1962.
Canberra U10 taxies in past a Comet.
WD948, one of 45 Sqns from Tengah taxies around. He has been attacked by a ‘kiwi’ that has walked his footprints all over his nose section, as the enlarged section below shows!
45 Sqn were one of the 4 Canberra sqns in the Far East in the 60’s. They had B2’s, 81 Sqn had PR7’s and 75 Sqn RNZAF also had B2’s at Tengah.
Here is a 45 sqn aircraft in camouflage.
Up country at Butterworth were No2 Sqn RAAF with B20’s…well actually the RAAF called them Mk20’s I believe.
These guys had a 2 man crew not the 3 man the RAF had.
The Aussie Canberras always looked great in silver with the white top. The flash on the tail, in 2 Sqns case was red.
A84-240 is one of the number of Aussie Canberras that has survived. It’s in a museum in New Zealand infact.
I must say the Australian’s have a very good record of saving their historic aircraft…oh by the way, can we have our Meteor back please?
This unpainted aircraft WJ981 must have just arrived. It finally became a TT18 I believe and survived into old age. Lots of pics of it with it’s ‘long funny nose’ around on the web I see.
David Taylor.
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