Queen's Silver Jubilee - RAF Finningley

[ricardian]

Colour film from Movietone News
5x9S18whxus

[Wander00]

Hmm, the sweet aroma of nostalgia, but I managed to stay awake.................

[MPN11]

Ah, Fred Mulley's finest hour!! And a brown suit to complete the image, on a Royal occasion!

[Finningley Boy]

I was there for the public show the next day, took a shed load of photos and can't trace them now.

FB:)

[Null Orifice]

Static display at Finningley - LSSA sent our cleanest aircraft, i.e. one that was straight out of the hangar after an extensive (and expensive!) paint job, complete with new, freshly painted chocks on board. It was rejected by an inspecting officer for being "dirty" :ooh:, and sent back to Lyneham.

We searched all over for dirt; none present apart from the usual sooty residue behind each engine, which was then cleaned off. The aircraft was duly sent back to Finningley where, on this occasion, it passed muster and was considered suitable for HM to review from a distance in excess of fifty yards while driving past in her Landy!:rolleyes:

[NutLoose]

Ah, Fred Mulley's finest hour!! And a brown suit to complete the image, on a Royal occasion!

:E

If he hadn't had a kip. no one would have ever remembered him :)

[Avtur]

I was there that day as an eleven year old. Watching the Harrier hide demo and Vulcan scramble made my mind up about joining. A fantastic day when we had a sizable Air Force.

[INT_QRU]

I liked the soundtrack as the JP "25" flew over (4:50)

[FantomZorbin]

MPN11
The dais upon which Fred M. kipped turned up at our former alma mater for a Royal Visit ... on the floor, under the carpet, was a brass plaque stating "F. Mulley MP, Secretary of State for Defence, slept here".

[Wensleydale]

Quote:
Ah, Fred Mulley's finest hour!! And a brown suit to complete the image, on a Royal occasion! http://cdn.pprune.org/images/smilies/evil.gif

If he hadn't had a kip. no one would have ever remembered him http://cdn.pprune.org/images/smilies/smile.gif


Except as the chap responsible for ordering the Nimrod AEW3! (Although to be fair, the Unions ran the country at the time).

[Art E. Fischler-Reisen]

I was there!

Firstly, one of the Frecce Tricolori nearly took the roof off our car, during their morning practice - and we weren't even inside the airfield gates!

Secondly, I remember the locally based Jet Provosts had scorched the grass adjacent to the apron. Someone had the job of dying the grass green again! Shame it wasn't grass green.... :p

Thirdly, as a newly minted Pilot Officer in No1 uniform, I visited the RAF's Safety Equipment Display tent. I was invited, after a short talk by the "Squipper" SNCO, in front of a large crowd, to apply a rubber mallet to the new "unbreakable" clear visor on display. This was to demonstrate its amazing strength, which was to protect aircrew from bird strike injury. I did so....

It wasn't.... I bust it in one. :O

[BEagle]

Ah yes, the Silver Jellybean!

I'd been on a SORF JP refresher in Apr/May 1977 at Leeming, so went along on one of the practices and watched a stunning display of incompetent leadership by the lead Jetstream. A box of 4, with 4 Cranwell Dominies in vic on one side and a box of 4 Finningley Dominies in vic on the other. Slightly early, so the clown decided to throw an orbit, much to the anger of the poor sods on the inside.... Then we set off for the target which, if I recall correctly, was Lindholme that day. As soon as we'd passed, the Cranwell Dominies, who'd clearly had enough by then, legged it as soon as they could. I'd love to have heard the debrief!

The SORF refresher was a prelude to my Vulcan OCU course, the simulator for which was at Finningley. So at the end of June and in early July, I was there to witness some of the arrangements for The Day. Huge amounts wasted on tarting up Finningley; I also recall seeing the Op Order, which specified that all officers attending in No1 HD had to wear new shirts with gold cufflinks... Fortunately my Vulcan sim course ended on July 19th, so I escaped the real nonsense!

On the day itself I had a picnic in the sun at the viewing point just off Tillbridge lane, waiting to watch the departure and arrival of the Scampton-based formation. The viewing point is just off the end of the RW, so the sight and sound was most impressive!

Sleepy Fred passed away some 20 years ago now. But we shouldn't forget that he fought in WW2 and was a PoW in Germany for 5 years.

[taxydual]

Also, to be fair to Sleepy, he had been taking part in an all nighter debate in the Commons before boarding the Andover to FY.

I was there too. Pax on Kittyhawk 2.

(TD adopts smug face). :)

[BEagle]

Minding the corgis were you, TD....:p ??

[taxydual]

Curses, you found me out, Beags. :{

I've looked after a few 'dogs' in my time, but that's another story. :O

[EngAl]

I was there also. As a Fg Off on the IEC at Cranwell I managed to get 2 of their slots and took my father who had been chief clerk at Finningley in 44. We had a great day and I still have a copy of the official souvenir book with Raymond Baxter's autograph on it. I was in uniform when I accosted him, he was a real gent and stopped for a chat. Incidentally, as a reminder of how long ago it was, the penultimate page has a photo of a Tornado captioned "The aircraft of the future"

[Amos Keeto]

I was there on the Royal Visit day in No.1 HD with No.1 heavily pregnant wife in tow! She patiently followed me round the static park, so I could photograph every aircraft on show. We managed it just as HM The Queen arrived in her Range Rover to start her inspection. Then we relaxed in the grandstand and watched the flypast. A day to remember and I have a complete set of slides of every aircraft there plus the formation flypasts to look back on.

[Busta]

I was no 3 Vulcan at 6min 21 seconds, this is the first time I've seen what it looked like from the ground, the Jags did a good job hanging on to my coat tails.

Beags, one of the Scampton rehearsals was a corker, I'll tell you about it sometime.

[1.3VStall]

Queen's Silver Jubilee - remember it well. I was a flt lt in my office and my oppo was a flt lt just across the corridor in his office. He got a gong; I didn't! The Boss got a gong as well - six yards down the corridor in his office. I felt disenfranchised at the time, but I couldn't give a sh1t now!:)

[PingDit]

I remember it as well! I was on parade as a siggy going through training, later to end up on Nimrods. My brother-in-law was flying one of the JP's in the 25 formation and my brother was flying one of the hunters! All in all, a nice family day out!

[LOMCEVAK]

I was there! I was on the JP course at Cranwell at the time and we all went along. What I (we?) wouldn't give to wind the clocks back ....

[Janda]

I was a young Sgt AEOp and part of the 201 Sqn crew that was presented to the Queen. My Mother was livid when the BBC coverage only showed the officers being introduced to Her Majesty. Never did get the promised photo of shaking hands with her!!!

[ICM]

Curiously, the first edition of the Oporder did not include the VC10 and a first rehearsal had been held before we became aware that things had got that far. Words were said and we found a slot behind the 4 Hercs.

[MACH2NUMBER]

I was there with a Lightning on ground display. I remember OC OPs Finningley being annoyed that our leaking fuel was eroding his newly laid taxiway tarmac. However, the hospitality of our adjacent VC10 was much appreciated!

[MACH2NUMBER]

There is also a good story about the practice 11Gp flypast for Finningley which was flown from RAF Coningsby. However, my lips are sealed!

[Onceapilot]

I was there, on the Parade. :oh:

OAP

[NRU74]

Sleepy Fred wasn't as bad as he was painted.
He came from a very lowly background, joined the Army, was captured at Dunkirk, PoW for approx 5 years, MA at both Oxford and Cambridge, called to the Bar, MP, Cabinet Minister etc etc served as a conscientious MP for a Sheffield Constituency.
Unfortunately he fell asleep next to Her Maj and that's all he's really remembered for.

[N727NC]

I was there. Probably one of the more junior officers there; another being my oppo. Two of us EngO students from M&S UAS had been sent on a 4-week summer detactment to RAF Binbrook - where it turned out that OC Eng Wg and OC EES, both of whom had a pair of tickets and each of whom had a young adult daughter, could not go - so us two lads agreed to to escort the two daughters. Happy days.

[ATR43]

I too was there as a member of the Air Cadet contingent manning the stand in the hanger. Rumour has it that if you lift the carpet on the dais there is a small brass plaque recessed into the floor stating "Fred Mulley slept here"

[ACW342]

I remember the Queens Silver Jubilee for totally the wrong reason. I was on duty in Lossie ops on this occasion with, unusually, a television in the ops room for the staff to watch the "do" at FY. It was switched off in a hurry when we started to get information that a Jag had crashed and was it possibly one of ours? Lots of phoning round, information gathered and passed upward. Unfortunately it was one of our aircraft and, sadly, the pilot didn't get out. I often wonder if HM was ever told that one of her military subjects had died whilst she was celebrating her jubilee.

[Fareastdriver]

I took four Pumas up to Lindeholme on the 25th Of July for the rehearsals and the review. We were there to do the standard assault followed by lifting in Howitzers as part of the firepower demonstration. Nothing in the videos, of course, because everybody knows the BBC always referred to them as ARMY helicopters so they would not have been part of the ROYAL AIR FORCE review.

An interest sideshow was acting as the overhead camera for the BBC. Hover at 4,000ft or so and watch the Red Arrows show from above.

[FantomZorbin]

ACW342
I would think that HM would have been told in a timely manner, this is based on the info. from FZjnr regarding all such occurrences in the sandpit ... HM 'insisted' to be first on the 'distribution list' of any such info.

[cheese bobcat]

I wish I could remember his name, but when I was instructing at Leeming there was a Group Captain who became Station Commander at Honington. We met several years later and he related the tale that, on a Royal visit, on a very hot day, HM said "Oh! The poor chap!"

Our Group Captain, thinking that one of the parade had fainted in the heat, asked HM what she was referring to and she pointed to the dias and right next to the steps was a plaque saying "Fred Mulley slept here".

CB

[RHKAAF]

I was there as a flag bearer. Sent from Germany as I was the only Flt Lt with a reasonably presentable uniform. The highlight for me was that after a week of criticism of our drill expertise, we were told to observe the QCS on their first practice. Unfortunately they arrived late afternoon and hit the bar. Their drill was laughable the following day and we all enjoyed it immensely.
However ,I must say that on the day of the big parade they were superb.

Of my group, only the WO got a gong. The way they were dished out was one of the reasons I became a bit disallusioned with how things were going and I left after 16 years . Never regretted it but I did miss the way it way it used to be in the 60's and 70's.

[MPN11]

... I did miss the way it way it used to be in the 60's and 70's.Noting our similar ages, I couldn't agree more!

We had so many places to go [Home and Overseas] and there was a certain joie de vivre about the whole thing.

[bluetail]

I was there, I was a mere Corporal on the VC-10 Sim at Brize, but I missed getting picked to go on parade, I also missed getting a Medal, I cant recall anyone on the Sim who got one. But I was able to get a couple of tickets for my mum to go the full dress rehearsal on the day before the main event (I think) I know she thoroughly enjoyed it, I still have the special Silver Air Clues and Review Brochure somewhere in my loft.
I went as visitor with a couple of pals from Brize and remember being in a queue to get in starting at Bawtry and it taking forever to get out.
Highlight of the event was the Ozzie F-111 flaming in his display and the brand spanking new MRCA in the static.
What an Airforce we had in those days.

[Finningley Boy]

On the day of the public airshow I walked from Doncaster Station all the way, with my packed lunch and cans of Colt Beer. I still managed to arrive before the start of the flying display and had a good walk around the static.

FB:)

[Breakwind]

I was there. One of the two graduate entry officers from Cranwell (Commandant's escorts) uncasing the new Queen's colour. Mentioned by name by Raymond Baxter! I'm the one not in the often seen painting. Great day out with my fiancee and in-laws to be (father-in-law with a Devon in the ground display).

[Busta]

Just looked in my logbook, I was flying XH558.

Nothing matters very much, most things don't matter at all.

[langleybaston]

I was not there but nearly was!

Posted out of Met. on an unexpected [avowedly undeserved] promotion to the hell-hole called Bracknell.

Big Fish, small pond >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Small fish, big pond.

Escaped Bracknell after 19 weeks.

Finningley in those days was a great place to be if one had to be in UK.

There are a substantial number of retired Met. men in and around Doncaster.