Going back to the demise of the Valiant, I recall being involved in the scrappage programme at Marham in early to mid 1965. Once the decision was made most of the ground crew (of which I was one) where split up into teams to remove various items before the final "cutting up" process began. Two Valiants at a time were moved into the 4 hangers and each "team" was given a week to remove all classified equipment, non special to type components, explosive devices (eg ejector seats, explosive bolts etc) and anything else the MOD deemed worth saving. Also included in the stripping, was the removal of 2 complete forward fuselages/cockpits for sale to MGM for use in the filming of the James Bond film Thunderball and the removal and retention of 20 tailplanes, for use by RAe Farnborough for destructive testing. Engines were removed, taken to a compound near the airfield boundary (formerly 242Sqns Bloodhound site), lifted off the engine change trolleys and thrown onto the ground in Lots of 10 to be sold off to the scrap merchants. All luminous items around the cockpit and various external air intakes, vents and scoops, including pitot heads etc were either removed or chopped out, because of their supposed radio active contamination. Indeed our overalls had to be changed and disposed of as contaminated waste at the end of each week for the same reason.
One of my final tasks before posting was assisting in the preservation of XD818 and its towing onto the pre-prepared base outside the Ops Centre. Incidentally 818 was one of what I believe was one of four aircraft to have their wings reinforced with double skinning in various places, evidently to cope with increased stress during a particular operation. If you visit the RAF Cosford Museum and care to look at the underside of 818s mainplanes outboard of the landing gear you can see the multiple close rows of rivets attaching the extra skin(s). It may be that one of these "reinforced" Valiants was the last to fly sometime after the main fleet was grounded.