From a posting by 'baloffski'on 'Key Aero' some 10 years ago:
I can confirm that the Cottesmore MRD in the mid eighties was a pair of Derwents and I hated and feared running them in equal proportions. Sat in a 'garden shed' between two ancient jets was no picnic and even though you had massive heat sources within arms length, piggin' cold!!
It seemed like every winter the 1600 hrs Tannoy message across the station only changed from Blacktop Standdown to 2 hours notice only ever occured when I was duty MRD Bod. I was called out for real three times and sat in my shed for 4 hour stints was no fun. Even the delight in burning Bowser clutches out for an early knock off lost its sparkle when the MTO threatened to charge the driver and the operator the next time it happened.
We were never allowed on tarmac because it would be a molten mass at the far end of the runway by the time we finished. We even had to be careful on concrete as it was easy to blow the bitumen filleting out.
They were decommissioned in about '89 I think and I seem to recall the lads in Prop Flight sectioned at least one Derwent for display and I think another was painted and chromed also for display.