On 28th June 1968 a Farewell Flypast was performed by Ansons of The Southern Communications Squadron. Said to be amongst the last operational Ansons in The Royal Air Force. Unfortunately I've run out of space so the image will have to come on the next post ! Anyway if you read on.....!
TX227 departing Southampton for Leconfield in July 1965. Later to join SCS. Ended her days in warmer climes. Photo Barry Friend with thanks.
'Mosquito Squadron' was filmed at Bovingdon in 1968. TX227 foreground VM329 behind.
aviate1138 Ppruning in January 2008 wrote:
'Aviate shudders recalling the time we went to Bovingdon having been working on a movie called Mosquito Squadron a few weeks previously and carved up 4 lovely Ansons and removed the 450 HP Cheetah engines to use as wind machines........'
On their retirement the following Ansons at Bovingdon were sold for scrap to C. Bilson Ltd: TX191,TX227,TX230,VL349,VM329,VM332,VM351,VV958. TX209 of The Western Comms Squadron was also sold to Bilson but it is not known if it was scrapped at Bovingdon . VL337 was sold to Kemps Aerial Surveys in July 1968 for spares.
VL337 Kemps Aerial Surveys at Thruxton December 1968. (Air Support Command was formed in 1967.) Photo Barry Friend with thanks.
The same aircraft at Thruxton in September 1970. Photo Steve Darke with thanks.
The retirement of the Ansons coincided with the period of Civil War in Nigeria. The Biafran Airlift 1968-1970 was the largest Civilian operated undertaking of its kind on record. It was planned that two Ansons from Bovingdon would make a small contribution. The charity Mercy Missions purchased VV958 and TX227 from Bilson. They were registered as G-AWMG and G-AWMH respectively. Two further aircraft were reserved as standbys VL349 and VM351. Familiarisation training was provided for the crews by the RAF at Bovingdon.
Destination Biafra. TX227 with camouflage from 'Mosquito Squadron' overpainted and registered as G-AWMH at Bovingdon. Photo bovingdon-airfield.co.uk
Unlike its companion this was an Anson T21. 'MG' at Bovingdon. Photo Peter J Bish via Michael Draper with thanks.
The two Ansons departed Bovingdon on August 5th 1968. Both crews experienced an eventful trip. G-AWMG arrived at its operating base on Sao Tome August 16 1968 but unfortunately G-AWMH came to grief in Mauritania on the same day.
Starboard Engine failure on approach to Port Etienne airfield and a sudden violent sandstorm with nil viz caused the crew to pull up the undercart to arrest their progress. Minor damage but not repaired for quite some time. G-AWMH never reached Sao Tome but was later written off near the River Cess in Liberia in June 1969. Photo Aeroplane Monthly.
In Aeroplane Monthly Michael Draper who crewed 'MG' wrote: 'G-AWMG is seen being loaded for a Sao Tome-Fernando Po shuttle. The maximum permissible load was frequently exceeded. Milk Powder, Salt or Complan cargoes were also sometimes under threat from a leaking fuselage roof during the height of tropical storms.' Credit Aeroplane Monthly with thanks.
On September 3 1968 G-AWMG was tasked with a low- level food drop to an isolated Leperosy settlement in the valley of Uzuakoli, Biafra which was very close to the front line. Having completed three very slow low- level air drops the Anson was commencing its fourth run when it was hit by small arms fire which severed the fuel line to the port engine. As a result the aircraft crashed into a yam plantation, fortunately without any serious injury to the crew, who then camouflaged the wreck from further attack. Photo text Aeroplane Monthly and Michael Draper.
VM351 Bovingdon 1968. Photo Bernard Martin with thanks.
The two standby Ansons at Bovingdon VM351 and VL349 were purchased by John 'Jeff' Hawke and registered in July 1968 as G-AWSB and G-AWSA respectively. G-AWSB's registration was cancelled on November 5 1968 and the aircraft departed Bovingdon for the USA re-registered as N7522. I have not been able to find out who her first American owner was.
In the USA circa 1970
This Anson spent some time at Fabens Airfield Texas in the early seventies and there are indications that she might have been destined for The Confederate Air Force at Harlingen. She certainly came to the attention of Duane Egli while at Fabens. (Hawke and Egli crewed the B25 Camera Ship for The Battle of Britain). However N7522 suffered an engine failure after taking off from Fabens for Harlingen on May 17 1971 and crash- landed. I don't know if she ever flew again. She passed through various hands and the registration was cancelled in 2013.
N7522 at George Town Airport 1998.
G-AWSA's registration was cancelled on 18 August 1969 and she was re-registered to Duane Egli of Harlingen Texas as N5054 however contrary to some reports she never left the UK. Egli moved the aircraft to Horsham st Faith (later Norwich Airport) in November 1968 where she was initially hangared until cast out into the open in 1971. Further deterioration occurred with parts being robbed by The Confederate Air Force. She was rescued by The Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum in early 1974. As VL349 the Anson received a full restoration and is now displayed at this splendid museum which is at Flixton near Bungay in Suffolk.
Still bearing traces of her registration G-AWSA at Norwich Airport in April 1973. Photo George Baczkowski with thanks.
VL349 restored. Photo Old Props with thanks.
Doing what a Comms Anson does best. VL349 is in this evocative photograph. Taken at Woodford in 1965 when serving with the Northern Comms Squadron. Collection of a Vulcan crew bound for Scampton. Photo Tony Coles with thanks.
I would like to thank Michael Draper who crewed G-AWMG in Biafra and authored 'Shadows' the standard reference work on the Biafran Air Lift, (a truly magnificent book both in production and content) for his assistance in allowing me to use extracts from his book and article in this little tribute to the 'Annie'. It was, he said a lovely aircraft to fly, a reflection echoed by thousands of pilots. He added that at the pre-departure dinner given for the Biafra crews by the RAF at Bovingdon the Station Commander had told them that they were "All Bonkers" . Matter of Opinion really.