John Symons
Although I never flew in a "Victor" I was luck enough to have "worked" on one when I left school and started work.
We lived near Watford at the time and my father worked at Radlett and so that's where I started out on life's great adventure. It was about 1955 or 1956.
My pals and I used to cycle out to the aerodrome when we were still at school as there was an asphalt road that went from the A5, up between two workshops and across a bridge over the railway line.
If you were lucky you could be on that bridge as the 1st prototype landed. It was fabulous as it seemed just above our heads with all the landing gear and flaps down. What a sight - and it was still "on the secret list" too!
When I started work there this aircraft had crashed and there was a mad scramble to get the second one ready for Farnborough - I'm not sure if they were trying to keep the crash quiet and pass this second prototype off as the first. Anyway it was a blazining hot summer and the crew section was crammed with bodies doing their jobs. I think they were fitting the seats in at the time, but it really was chaotic. If I'm not mistaken the aircraft was painted a pale blue colour.
Also at Page's the Hastings aircraft were re-fitted for the RAF and after the work had been done they were sent to the Flight Shed for air testing and accepting by the RAF.
One day there was bit of a commotion as we had a visit from MI5 because it was discovered that there had been a case of the the wiring looms in the aircraft being cut through to sabotage them whilst in the Flight Shed.