Aaahhhhh !!! Rember it well.

Journey Into Space was on the Light Programme not the Home Service.(As was Charles CHiltons “Riders of the Range” ). IIRC it was on a Wednesday evening at 7.30pm…not to be missed by any 14 yr old boy in those days.(1953 to 1956)
Er. I was 6 in ’56 , and allowed to listen to it in bed as 7 p.m. was my bedtime 🙂 .
Did you know it was David Jacobs who did the echoing voice intro? ….(plus some of the other voices, Lenny?)

Hi Neema,
I’m sure the chaps name was:- ” Lemmy”. — That’s what sticks in my brain from all those years ago. he was the “Character” who made it listenable to. I would be reading my copy of the “Eagle”at same time as listening 🙂

Bill T.

Yoweee On the nail Ian !!!

Nice one Ian and thanks Dave for link to pics.
WZ-380 nice !! had a feeling you might see these sort of markings once you started separating bits. My Seat has the same sort of markings on back of seat framework, it was common practice for the Armourers and seat bays to do this.

Here we go:- WZ-380 Vickers Valiant Bomber (Type 733 B PR[K] 1 )

20th Dec. 1955 First Flight
13th Dec 1956 Delivered to RAF
Feb 1956 To 543 Squadron, Wyton. (Photo Recce use )
3rd March 1965 Struck off charge at RAF Wyton
* Salvaged at Wyton*
————————————-
So WZ-380 and myself rubbed shoulders -so to speak at RAF Wyton from Jan 1961 to Oct. 1962. A small world indeed. !!!

Bill T.

Hi Ian,
Just now seen this post of yours, wow !!! 😮 What a find. Amazing what keeps coming to light. This has just brightened my day. It may be well weathered and corroded in places, but the seat is so complete I cannot believe what I see. Yes !! It is certainly a Valiant Eject. Seat Mk 3A. It’s a Co-pilots one and you must definitely save and restore it back to A1 display condition, ( fancy that sitting in a wood for paintballers for 15 years.) What is also unbelievable is that it has it’s original ident and manufactures and Mod. plates still in situ. As Anon ( Hi Mike ) says I also have a Valiant seat, well stripped (see pic as found.) but it has close ties for me as it is a 1st Pilots Seat out of WZ 367, this Valiant took part in Operation Buffalo back in 1956 along with WZ-366, which dropped a low yield Atomic bomb on the Woomera ranges in Aussie. (UK’s first one ). Notice your seat still has it’s top pull handle of the “Twin loop” type, this was an MB Modification to replace the “D” top pull handle as aircrew moved from the cloth helmets use to the Mk 1 bone-domes,because they could not reach the D handle around the Bone Dome during an ejection sequence. Hope you manage to find more info about your seats RAF use Ian and there are spares around for these seats as these and Mk 2 Seats have same systems and other common components. Will PM you as I’ve some small odd spares around you might need.

Bill T

WV-903… The Stirling main wheel tyres are AH 2233 ,26.5″x 21″.

Rrrrr !! many thanks Hindenberg,updating lists now. 🙂

Bill T.

Hi T-O,
Really pleased to see this long overdue organizing of the Avro Ashton now happening. Fully understand the museums situation in would have liked to have got to her sooner, but that’s life in an imperfect world. The outside issue, isn’t that much a problem, as long as she can be kept watertight and sprayed over with WD-40 every once in a while, she’ll be fine/ I was amazed to see your pics. of the inside, wow!! Now that is stripped out !! Wonder why this was done( and as You say,”where are all the bits? ” ) Even if no bits are forthcoming, looking at these various pics. The C/pit is a pretty straight forward affair in terms of symmetry and simplicity.( I’m not saying there won’t be a lot of effort to put it all back. ) and surprising how little instrumentation is in that Ashton Cockpit Diagram you’ve got posted. So this unique baby lived in that early jet era of Meteors–Comets–Sea-Hawks–Attackers–Valiants and as such they all share a commonality of instruments and gear. And as we know, this stuff is still around. The flooring ,Instrument panels, side consoles and even that Throttle box, assy could be scratch built if no real parts turn up. Looks like (at least) the Folks who stripped it out left in the flooring supports and Cockpit glazing exterior and nose sections still in place. To my mind, this project would benefit greatly from Forumites input, help,funding and whatever. It’s uniqueness makes it want to be a community helped Museum project. That would move it along at a great pace and the thing is, it will always be there for us to descend on it at Aero-Jumbles and C/pit fest,etc. making the Ashton quite a focal point, which is right and proper.

The Avro Ashton Fuselage project reminds me so much of the Percival Prince and HS 748 projects at old Liverpool Airport,- I helped out with the Prince and Brittania for a while in early times, but had to drop out because of family commitments,– but just look at how the Prince is now and the 748, all this done with massive ,generous donations and dollops of good wishes from Forum members in here. The Avro Ashton is such a worthy cause that needs help,so will make a donation towards her restoration and put what duplicate spares I have left into the project too (Donate). Look fwd. to getting up close at Aerojumble in March and C/pit Fest. C U there,

Bill T.

Hi Fella’s,
It’s possible that the flanged edge on that panel was “Flanged” in the crash, it’s not overly a straight edge on it. And what about the lines of rivets ? What did they secure to ? Possibly to a strengthener or doubler on one side and an extension piece on other side that fitted under the main Aircraft structure. So on fitment, the panel was slid in on the ext. dropped down and secured with 3 bolts,(which look like screw threads to me,suggesting this is a more permanent attachment ) The bolt assy. fitted on far side of panel could have been made like that because of limited access for fitment removal. My gut feeling is this is a tertiary or small load bearing panel. But where its from ????? Lol :confused:

Bill T.