British Air Attache DH Devons
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Wow! Cornish Jack - I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am. My father is Michael, Dickie's son. Sadly I never met my grandfather and my father was only 17 years old when he died. My father has a big birthday coming up and I was keen to try and find some old photos I could frame for him. If you do find any more I would be so incredibly grateful. I would equally love to hear any stories you have about him. Please feel free to message me if so. A million thanks! Sophie
Hi Sophie - Glad that was useful.
If you look at posts #17(pics 2 and 5) and #18 there are more of G/C Squires. I suggest that it would be better to make private contact for any further but I don't know how the private message system works on this forum! To avoid 'spammers' try Whiskey Charlie Oscar2Two9Two7Four3atGolfmaildotcom - hope that makes sense!!
b rgds
Bill
If you look at posts #17(pics 2 and 5) and #18 there are more of G/C Squires. I suggest that it would be better to make private contact for any further but I don't know how the private message system works on this forum! To avoid 'spammers' try Whiskey Charlie Oscar2Two9Two7Four3atGolfmaildotcom - hope that makes sense!!
b rgds
Bill
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Many thanks Bill. I have sent you an email. If I've got it wrong (!!) you can click on my name sedmunds12 and it will give you an option to send me an email. Huge thanks again and apologies for clogging up this thread!
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Jack and Sophie: I can't find it in the FAQs, but I believe you can't access private messages until you have been a member for a certain time. Perhaps a mod can clarify?
Thank you, Herod. I expect that's so. I'm slightly paranoid about putting my email address online, so hope Sophie can decode the version in my last.
Meanwhile, just found one more of a family outing to the River Kwai bridge ...
Dickie, in white shorts, Mrs S in red shorts and check top, Sophie's aunt(?) in orange shorts and striped top and (just maybe?) Sophie's Dad, hiding in the middle leaning to the right in fawn shorts???
Still looking for some others.
Meanwhile, just found one more of a family outing to the River Kwai bridge ...
Dickie, in white shorts, Mrs S in red shorts and check top, Sophie's aunt(?) in orange shorts and striped top and (just maybe?) Sophie's Dad, hiding in the middle leaning to the right in fawn shorts???
Still looking for some others.
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Hi Bill and Herod, apologies - I did write a reply yesterday but it doesn't seem to have been posted. Bill - I have sent you an email but have a feeling I may not have succeeded in my decoding!! You may want to check your junk inbox as my email address won't be recognised. If you can't find anything I'll try again! I definitely recognise my granny in that photo above, and yes I think one of my aunts is in the orange shorts. Sadly one of my aunts has passed away, however, I have already forwarded on your photos to my other aunt who has loved seeing the last few photos. I can't tell you how exciting it is to see these all. Admin - is there any chance you can send my email address to Cornish Jack without it being placed on the thread? Sophie
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Interesting reading all this. GC J E Holmes was my English master at school in the late 70's in Jersey.
His obituary makes interesting reading with respect to ww2. vcobit2
His obituary makes interesting reading with respect to ww2. vcobit2
I was at RAE Farnborough from '83 to '85. From my logbook the Devons there were:
XG 496 VP 959 XM 223 and VP 975. When possible we used to assist Transport Flight with the coms flying - known in the trade as 'guest artists'. It was possible to do the early Bedford run and be back in the office by 0900 in time for whatever the day held. The Devons were replaced by Chieftains just as I completed my tour.
XG 496 VP 959 XM 223 and VP 975. When possible we used to assist Transport Flight with the coms flying - known in the trade as 'guest artists'. It was possible to do the early Bedford run and be back in the office by 0900 in time for whatever the day held. The Devons were replaced by Chieftains just as I completed my tour.
Thought police antagonist
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CJ,
I wonder if, by any chance, you ever encountered a C/T or more likely after his promotion, Flt. Sgt Bob Jones.....say late 60's / early 70's in S.E Asia at all ?
I ask for no other reason than I was fortunate enough to meet this gentleman, in the true sense of the term, many years ago at Valley and he had some "interesting stories" to tell of his times out there.
I wonder if, by any chance, you ever encountered a C/T or more likely after his promotion, Flt. Sgt Bob Jones.....say late 60's / early 70's in S.E Asia at all ?
I ask for no other reason than I was fortunate enough to meet this gentleman, in the true sense of the term, many years ago at Valley and he had some "interesting stories" to tell of his times out there.
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Ankara - Essenboga
Baghdad - Main Airport
Teheran - Meherbad
I flew with the Air Attache from Teheran to Nicosia via Baghdad and Beirut in December 1964 as the aircraft shred by Air Attaches in Turkey, Jordan and Iran needed a servicing at RAF Nicosia.
Baghdad - Main Airport
Teheran - Meherbad
I flew with the Air Attache from Teheran to Nicosia via Baghdad and Beirut in December 1964 as the aircraft shred by Air Attaches in Turkey, Jordan and Iran needed a servicing at RAF Nicosia.
Re-reading this thread triggered a forgotten previous Air Attache experience. While I was on my first ops tour in Aden, I was detached to RAF Mauripur to crew the Karachi AA's Anson. I was there for 6 weeks, living in the Mess and doing absolutely nothing. I vaguely remember turning up at an airfield office at some point, but I never saw the Anson, never mind flew in it! A fascinating introduction to that part of the world ,in particular, "Fish Corner", the post-partition refugee 'camp' on the mud flats outside Karachi and the comparison with the most luxurious cinema I have ever been to, in the city. A real eye-opener on a different world.
Wheels Up Check Out
[QUOTE=JW411;7187324]I recently re-read "Heavenly Days" by James Pelly-Fry. Towards the end of the book he tells stories of sharing a Devon with the Air Attache in Ankara when he was in Tehran in 1957-1958. There is a photograph of the front end of the Devon but no clues as to its identity.[/QUOTE
I have a copy of that around so will dig out. Seem to recall a 'wheels up' incident (Devon) when 'new user' being checked out by former user !!!,and a 'day out' to Cornwall in a Bomber 'escorted' by many Spitfires to use the beach at Portreath.
I have a copy of that around so will dig out. Seem to recall a 'wheels up' incident (Devon) when 'new user' being checked out by former user !!!,and a 'day out' to Cornwall in a Bomber 'escorted' by many Spitfires to use the beach at Portreath.
Fighter Command Comm Squadron had a nice looking Devon at RAF Bovingdon when I was on the Coastal Command Comm Flight in 1961/2. It didn’t seem to fly very often and I never managed to get my hands on it, but I did fly a Dove for two weeks whilst on a TRE/IRE Course with the CAA at Stansted in the mid seventies and I have to admit I enjoyed to the Dove much.
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Reference the Devon shared by the Air Attaches of Turkey, Iran and Jordan in the mid 60's VP 966 I have found that it was destroyed as detailed below:
05/06/1967 VP966
Devon C1 Air Attache Tehran Burnt out on the ground during an Israeli air attack on Amman, Jordan at the start of the Six Day War.
05/06/1967 VP966
Devon C1 Air Attache Tehran Burnt out on the ground during an Israeli air attack on Amman, Jordan at the start of the Six Day War.
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Lee,
Do you know where XM295 went after Pretoria? The reason I ask is that in 1968, I had a trip in an ex-Queen's Flight Heron. It was an IMC day at Shawbury and so I was in the UBAS crew-room, when 27 MU phoned and said they had an aircraft going to Aldergrove to pick up some parts and did anyone want to go for a ride.
So a group of us flew over Ulster in the Heron, which the MU was using as a hack. We caused much consternation at Aldergrove, when a bright-red Heron appeared out of the clouds on final. We were met by the Station Commander, who was not impressed by the scruffy students in flying suits who dis-embarked.
Could this have been XM295?
Ironically, I made another trip to Aldergrove a week later, this time in a Devon, thus adding another DH type to my list. I realized not long ago that I've flown (or flown in) more de Havilland types than those of any other manufacturer.
Do you know where XM295 went after Pretoria? The reason I ask is that in 1968, I had a trip in an ex-Queen's Flight Heron. It was an IMC day at Shawbury and so I was in the UBAS crew-room, when 27 MU phoned and said they had an aircraft going to Aldergrove to pick up some parts and did anyone want to go for a ride.
So a group of us flew over Ulster in the Heron, which the MU was using as a hack. We caused much consternation at Aldergrove, when a bright-red Heron appeared out of the clouds on final. We were met by the Station Commander, who was not impressed by the scruffy students in flying suits who dis-embarked.
Could this have been XM295?
Ironically, I made another trip to Aldergrove a week later, this time in a Devon, thus adding another DH type to my list. I realized not long ago that I've flown (or flown in) more de Havilland types than those of any other manufacturer.
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I was attached to the Air Attache in Tehran (Group Captain Owen) in January 1964 and flew with him through Iran, India, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, the Gulf and Lebanon in VP966. Later destroyed in Beirut by the Israelis.
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Me too. I flew VP966 with the AA Iran in January 1964 and toured his territory except Afghanistan. I got dip clearance for the aircraft but not the crew! Great times and we delivered the plane back to Nocosia.