Crew Chiefs.
Super photographs. Does anyone know the names of the Crew Chiefs at Gaydon in 1961? It,s nearly half a century ago but maybe these names will jog some memories.First is Chiefy Swinburne,Crew Chief of XA 941,as immortalised by the Patricia Forrest painting,"Incident at Gaydon".I,ve had a long conversation with Tom recently,and he is in good health.Jock Stewart,Ted Long,Chiefy Le Vac,are the only ones I can remember after so long.
Sam Weller was telling me a story about W.O. Artie Shaw working in the bomb bay of a Victor.Well I was about 6 stone in those days,and I struggled to get in by the small hatch,particularly as there was a huge fuel tank just inside the door.[The riggers used to find it amusing to start the hydraulic pumps,just as you were climing past the front of the tank] So how Artie,got in was a mystery.Sam explained.He opened the bombdoors,put a step ladder up and climbed into the bomb bay,grabbed the control rods,then he kicked over the stepladder and someone would close the doors.Sam arrived later,removed the small hatch and shouted inside to see if anyone was "in".No reply,so he opened the bomb doors.Artie dropped onto the ground,in not a very good mood.It seems he had been dismantling some small component,and had the screws in his mouth when Sam shouted,so all he could manage was,"mmmm".