I understand that the Defence School of Transport (DST) are trying to find a suitable display aircraft for RAF Leconfield. Can anyone recommend a suitable airframe (Lightning or Hunter)?

Armoured School Canteen No.3 (ASC3), designed to withstand most forms of educational catering, up to and including Spam Fritters. Note the lack of ventilation, hence the smiles on the children’s faces. The photograph was probably taken after dinner: note the relief on their little faces.

The Mk3 was built in large numbers on many school sites across the North of England. The only drawback was the inability to keep the smell in. In 1956 a dinner lady was killed when a Tapioca Pudding reached critical temperature and exploded. Mrs Ethel Gastrum died from 80% burns. But the building withstood the blast and no doubt saved the lives of those children playing outside.

Taken from my eBook: School dinners were a memorable experience not to be forgotten. No matter what was on the menu, the odour of spam fritters always drifted across most of Driffield. The dining hall was a elongated brick-built hut, filled with eight-sided tables. On each was placed a metallic coloured aluminium water jug and enough plates, cutlery and drinking cups for all. Unlike modern times the food was brought to each table – enough for everyone – JUST! On each table a pupil was chosen to share out what we were about to be made truly grateful – “amen”.

Duxford would be a good home use the internal space for a exhibition to RAF Transport Command

Rumour has it that when HeavyLift went into receivership, the owners offered its last airworthy Short Belfast (G-HLFT) to the Imperial War Museum for a mere £4,000 (to finance the delivery flight from Southend to Duxford). This offer was politely refused on the grounds of cost. And how much did the IWM spend on the American Air Museum? What is worrying (bloody annoying) is that Duxford was in a better position than most to offer this airframe a ‘sheltered’ home.

Don’t throw it away. What I do is buy the paper in the main WH Smith here in Hull, when its busy. They don’t have time to cut out the coupon. I then go down to the other WH Smith and get a second DVD using the same newspaper/voucher.

Then again…

I bought yesterday’s Daily Mail from Tesco, and the wonderful person behind the customer service desk, cut out my voucher. So I could only get the one DVD. Cheeky I know…

Great film, I only wish my DVD player worked.

My understanding is that it was a large set piece – attached to the side of either the real control tower or some other building. It was made from wood and taken down after filming.

Can I draw your attention to:

Found at http://www.avprints.co.uk/

Best Wishes

Phil Rhodes

Dare I mention RAF Driffield – 95% complete – overlooked by English Heritage’s Thematic Survey and now to be wiped off the face of the earth. Local councillors and populous are apathetic as ever. The new owners plan to build 500 houses, which no one can afford.

Thing is, I think it’s a good idea to build on disused airfields, but only those that no longer exist. Technically under the PPG3 guidelines, the entire airfield can now be considered brownfield. There is no restriction on the level of incompleteness. I would rather have an airfield were the runways and buildings have been removed be turned into an eco village, than see RAF Driffield destroyed in the name of profit.

A few miles north of RAF Driffield is Cottom. During the war the the Air Ministry built an airfield there – in the wrong place – it was never used. But it was an airfield and under PPG3 it should be classified as brownfield. Now, many airfields do we know that no longer exist? What airfield can be sacrifice instead of Driffield, Scampton, Newton or the others mentioned in this thread. Can anyone recommend an airfield that has totally gone that is located near one of our more complete and more important airfields?

Phil Rhodes