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beegee

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March 31, 2025 at 2:09 pm in reply to: 43 Squadron 'Fighting Cocks' #1142945

beegee
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43 Squadron

John,

Your interest in 43 prompted me to join the forum.

After graduating from Halton as an Airframe Fitter I joined 43 in August 1959 and left them in October 1963 giving me time at Leuchars, Nicosia, Khormaksar and various other odd places in between.

If your still interested I have some photographs of my days with the squadron. Unfortunately most seem to show us ground crew types in various states of alchoholic disrepair but I do have a couple of aeroplanes.

Let me know and if I can figured out the attachment procedure I will let you have what Ive got. Sadly they are in black and white being the state of the art technology at the time.

Regards
Bee Gee

March 31, 2025 at 1:56 pm in reply to: 43 Squadron 'Fighting Cocks' #1140259

beegee
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“In 1956, 43 Squadron formed a four-ship aerobatic team called “The Fighting Cocks” when based at Leuchars, which were led by Sqn Ldr Roger Topp, who later went on the lead the “Black Arrows”

This is news to me as I allways thought that the 43 Squadron Hunter team was formed in March 1955 by the CO, Sqn Ldr Roy le Long. He was replaced the following August by Flt Lt Peter Bairsto, who continued to lead the Hunter team until September 1957.

Roger Topp was on the staff of the RAE at Farnborough and joined 111 Squadron in January 1955. He later formed and led the squadron Hunter team until replaced by Sqn Ldr Peter Latham in October 1958.

Please find attached a couple of rather grainy photographs to support your 1955 position.
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