The Last RAF Aircraft in Cornwall 2009

[Snaga II]

Shackleton WL 795 on guard at RAF St Mawgan Cornwall


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The Real Heroes. Every Sunday of the year, except one when they are on parade, these guys give up their time to keep the old lady going. They were recently awarded the Station Commanders Commendation for their sterling efforts. Well done lads!!

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The old girl looking her best in the late evening Cornish sunshine.

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Hope you enjoy these pictures. The " Growler " is open for visitors every Sunday morning, if youi wish to visit more info from John on 01726 66346. Regards

[sidtheesexist]

John presumably? - many thanks for the photos - v enjoyable thank you. The 'old girl' is looking grand for sure. Does RAF St Mawgan exist anymore, thought it had closed?

[Snaga II]

No I'm not John but a member of, per my wifes description the SAS - Sad Anoraks Society, The Cornish Aviation Society. St Mawgan is no longer " active " but remains an RAF Station with SERE still onsite plus other units. Many rumours of Grunts coming in and still no news of the future of WL 795 which remains RAF property. All are welcome to come along and have a tour of the aircraft and the museum any Sunday. regards

[dakkg651]

Ah! Rolls Royce and leather seats. I remember it well as a lucky air cadet.

She looks good. Well done CAS.

[sidtheesexist]

Snaga2 - thanks for that. SERE? What other units are there? I grew up in Nqy, dad on Shacks/Nimrods etc so the old girl is dear to my heart. Thanks for all the efforts re her upkeep - she looks grand.

[Bushfiva]

Good grief, every single bit of kit on that looks like it weighs too much. My only encounter with a Shackleton was when it blew me off my motorbike (a CZ, which was also the only motorbike I ever managed to start with a daffodil when I lost the key).

[Tim McLelland]

Curses! I was there a few Sundays back (9th) and I saw the guys working on the Shack from the gate - didn't know you could come in and have a look! Glad to see she's surviving though. Barry tells me that there's still some hope that she will eventually make her way to the grass at the eastern end of the runway for display. Just hope the paint is good and thick to withstand the salty Cornwall air!

[oxenos]

I see you have now removed the wheel covers. Does this mean that after 25 years the engines have finally stopped leaking oil?

[avionic type]

Oh where have the tender years of youth gone ? if I look with half closed eyes at your lovely pictures I can see the rounded nose and the capola of a MK1 and wallow in many happy memories of the old girl struggling to get off the runway at Gib [she always did], no matter what other anoraks say 4 Griffons beat 4 Merlins for noise and power in my book .,I must say the MK2 had better facilities by the look of it, was it still an Elsan at the back?:D:D:D:D

[Snaga II]

It's yes to the Elsan, the wheel covers were damaged during one of those Cornwall gales and subsequently removed and yes the engines have now stopped dripping oil. SERE = Survive, Evade, Resist and Extract.

For your interest:

Formed in 1977, The Cornish Aviation Society ( CAS ) aims to promote and encourage interest in all aspects of aviation and to further the cause of aviation in Cornwall.

A small group of dedicated members of the CAS, known as the Shackleton Preservation Group ( SPG ), work on the restoration of Avro Shackleton WL 795. Since 1989 this remarkable aircraft has been RAF St Mawgan's Gate Guardian during which time it has been converted from AEW2 variant back to the MR2 version. The project is ongoing, with care and maintenance of the aircraft occaisionally during the week but invariably taking place every weekend, come rain or shine.

The maintenance of Gate Guardians attracts no funding or additional personnel, and imposes tremendous demands upon a Unit's resources. An aircraft of this size compounds these problems but the members of the SPG are a special breed of people who are not daunted by their task. Indeed, they deem it a privilege to be instrumental in the preservation of this icon of military aviation. The result is an aircraft that belies the many years she spent in service and the two decades exposed to the elements. She remains in near pristine condition, a proud sentinel to the Station and a fitting tribute to the Aircrew that flew the type and the Ground-Crew that operated it, during both the Post War years and the Cold War period.

There is no doubt that the Royal Air Force and RAF St Mawgan, in particular has benefited enormously from this long standing commitment. It is with great pleasure, therefore, that the Station Commander formally acknowledges the exceptional and hard working memebers of the Shackleton Preservation Group, both past and present, by the award of the Station Commanders Commendation.

Signed: Station Commander Paul C Loader July 2009

[Old Hairy]

Brought back a few memories of "Oggin Floggin" on 42 Sqdn. 69-72.Hope to get down to see her soon.Can one just walk in? or do you have to make arrangements to view? Thank you and your comrades in the Society for all your dedication and hard work to keep the old girl looking good. Perhaps I can buy you all a pint!

Fortifer in Re and Nihil Nos Effugit
Old Hairy

[Snaga II]

The Official routine:

Visitors arriving at RAF St Mawgan should enter via the Main Gate and report to the Main Guardroom building to book in and collect visitor passes.

Parking While Booking In

Small vehicles (cars, vans, mini-buses, etc) approaching the Control of Entry point should stay in the left lane and use the temporary parking area. Large vehicles (buses, lorries, etc) should park in the left hand side after the barrier or the lay-by 30 metres on the right hand side.

Booking In Procedures

All visitors are required to produce 2 forms of UK recognized identification when booking in, with at least 1 form of photo-ID (ideally a passport, new style driving licence, etc).

Details of the person being visited/met or the place being visited, along with any documents related to the visit, should be provided to assist the Main Guardroom staff in verifying the visitors are allowed access to RAF St Mawgan. Casual visitors need to be escorted on the Station by an authorized sponsor (service person, MOD civil servant or adult dependent), who should arrange to meet their visitors at the Main Gate.

Group Visits

Groups visiting RAF St Mawgan for specific visits, events or activities should be booked in advance by the authorized person at St Mawgan arranging the visit/activity. Full details of the visit, including a list of all visitors, should be forwarded to the RAF Police section at least 5 working days before the visit.

Searches On Entry

Visitors should note there may be a requirement to be searched prior to entering the unit. In the event that anyone refuses permission for these searches, then access to the unit will be denied.

As previously stated, give John a call ( 01726 66346 ) and arrangements can be made to meet and help with the booking in process and also to guide you around the aircraft and museum.

[Old Hairy]

Thank you Sir,hope to see you soon.

[VfrpilotPB/2]

During the early 90s I used to take my family to have a 2 week break at the Headland hotel in Newquay, on one occasion it was my birthday to which my darling wife arranged a Hot Air Balloon flight during that flight we flew( with permission from the ATC) down the length of the main runway and then over the apron to overfly the GG WL 795 from about 700ft, have some very good close up piccies from that height, then much later realised I had a massive picture in my office of WL 795 on some AEW flight over a cold looking North Atlantic, nice to see the old craft looking like its just come out from Avro's factory, well done the SAS chaps, :D

Peter R-B
Vfr

[Synthetic]

Excellent effort Snagga - she looks really good.:D:D:D

It's a long time since I have been to God's own land and you have just increased the pull:sad:

[Snaga II]

Interesting to hear about the photographs. I know the museum would be most grateful to see any examples of WL 795 ( being cheeky that is! ) Thanks for your comments I will pass them on to those who deserve the praise. regards :ok:

[Bigt]

I seem to recall a friend of mine visited St Mawgan and swapped the servicable Griffons from a airframe with `dead` Griffons......

Can remember climbing over a number of Griffons on a trailer bound for the USA.
Im sure he said the airframe was destined to become the gate guard. This would of been in the early 1990s

[mystic_meg]

The Last RAF Aircraft in Cornwall 2009
Castle Air/Castle Motors may take issue with that assertion...:ok:

[Snaga II]

Is not the Castle Air F6 Lightning XS936 a privately owned example whilst WL 795 is owned by the RAF??

[avionic type]

Pardon going "off thread " were your Axle stands a "one off" if so who made them, I work on the last surviving Vanguard/Merchantman at Brooklands and as our " engine running" may be coming to a close due to the lack of Starter motors we may in the future stick it on Axle stands .and an address would help
cheers and thanks

[Snaga II]

I am asking the question. regards

[Snaga II]

Reply messqge reads:

Dear Colleague

To the best of my knowledge the axle stands for WL795 were fabricated by RAF St Mawgan workshops especially for the Shackleton Gate Guardian in 1989. The tarmac site and plinth would have been part of the package.

The workshop at St Mawgan have been completely run-down so would doubt if they could help you now.

Best Wishes!

John