RAF Sqn History Custodian Requests Help

[seafuryfan]

Hello all, as part of my squadron historian role (which I greatly enjoy) I've been authorised to produce some large framed pictures illustrating Sixty Squadron's history. Our squadron is still active, training student pilots and crewmen on the Griffin helicopter at RAF Shawbury.

I'm looking for high quality photos of specific types if anyone has them in their collections. I can't pay any cash I'm afraid, and I can't guarantee they'll be used, but will credit any photo used in the accompanying caption. Most importantly, your photo will help to inspire students as they pass through the squadron during their flying training. My thanks to a certain West Country gentleman for already assisting with the SEAC P-47.

I'm looking for colour or black and white photos, good enough for about 18" x 24" size, of the following types (air-to-air would be a bonus):

Nieuport 17, DH9, DH10, Wapiti (IAF Museum, I believe), Blenheim I (wait for the Duxford one?/temperate, black undersides ideally), Blenheim IV (temperate/light undersides), Hurricane IIc (in SEAC colours - BBMF PZ865 to oblige shortly?), Javelin (esp Tengah air-to-air), Andover.

Any contact details for furnishers of air-to-air images of the above would be appreciated.

Thanks chaps/chapesses, and please, if you can, make use of your treasured images!

[johnnypaveway]

Have you approached AHB at RAF Northolt as the have an amazing archive - worth a try and at the very least they may be able to steer you to another source.

[seafuryfan]

Thanks for the steer, Johnny, yes the AHB and RAFM have been very helpful and I've used some of their images. It's surprising how little is in official archives and how much gold dust is out there in personal albums

[rcsa]

I have a couple of images of Wapitis - my Grandfather flew them with 84 Sqn in Iraq out of Shaibah in 1932/33. Air-to-air and ground. How should I get them to you?

[Wensleydale]

Granny sucking eggs.....

I presume that you have already advertised through the Sqn Association.... You may even get pictures of the aircraft in the correct markings.

[seafuryfan]

rcsa, thank you for your offer. My email is: [email protected]

Wenslydale, no eggs sucked :) The sqn association is largely mail based, there is no RAF support for it, so mail shots cannot be funded, therefore I must appeal via the web. I am hoping this situation can be resolved by self-funding eventually, but this is still to be resolved.

The sqn does have a pretty good collection of photos, but I'm hoping there are some good ones out there which can be loaned/emailed.

[Old-Duffer]

seafuryfan,

I hate to be a spoil sport in all this and I am delighted to see an enthusiastic squadron historian – BUT!!

On the walls of the squadron building at Shawbury – 1st floor corridor – are all the course photographs for initial helicopter pilot courses going back to about 1962 or 63 when the school moved to Tern Hill from South Cerney. I was told that these photos had been digitised and so I proposed that a book be produced of these photos and combined with various stories and other info and then sold as a way of raising funds for service charities.

This idea had been done before with the Lightning and Phantom OCUs and I was going to pay for the work to be done in this case and as a published author would do all the work to make it happen.

I was refused access to these photographs because – apparently – helicopter pilots are guaranteed anonymity. This is despite some of the current crop writing books and appearing on TV and that most of the photographs relate to the years prior to 1990 and so many people will be outside the RAF by now.

The deal is this, let me have a CD of the course photographs and I’ll provide you with the basis for a book on rotary winged training in the three services.

DEAL OR NO DEAL?????

Old Duffer

[rcsa]

Seafuryfan - there's a couple of pix en route to you by email.

Best wishes

R

[zetec2]

Re your request surely you mean HS748 we didn't have Andovers ?, & wot no Pembrokes, we had the biggest & best (including some clandestine camera ones) fleet of them in Germany PH.

[seafuryfan]

Hello Old Duffer, I know about those photos - I pass them daily! I made some enquiries a little while ago and understand they have indeed been digitised. They're also Crown copyright, so are not mine to give out.

If you get permission I would be pleased to help where I can. I'm not sure of the mechanism but presumably you can email 'someone in MOD', FOI request, perhaps?

[seafuryfan]

zetec2, Sixty did fly Andovers, they were used to supplement the Pembrokes for a while. The civilian variant was called the HS748. Yes, we also had Pembrokes, but I already have some good air-to-air and ground photos of Pembrokes which will find their place in the corridor. Thanks for your interest.

[Lightning5]

Sorry for the delay. Just sorting the study and came across three photo's of 60's Tengah line circa 1960 ish with the 14's. I was with them 60-62 but I guess any photo of the Jav's have long since gone. By all means you can use them if need be, just let me know where to send them.

[xtp]

My dad's collection (now at Brooklands Museum) has some early images that might do. Good one of 3 Wapitis in loose formation, for example. And a DH.10 on the ground. Both in RAF livery, but no squadron marks as far as I can see. And both B&W.

Unfortunately I don't have copies of my gunsight cine of 60Sqn Javelins in the Far East!

Contact me on [email protected] if interested in seeing what they look like.