Brough Airfield

[SteveRudd]

Brough Memories

Hello - I am a newbie so please be gentle.

I joined because I found this thread in response to a google search concerning some research about a book I'm working on.

I lived in Brough from 1965 when we moved there from East Hull until 1973 when I went to University. My dad was a fitter at Blackburns and worked night shifts at Brough and HOSM (the satellite site)

When he first started, they were working on things like the Beverley, by the time he retired, he was working on the Harrier and on Airbus Wings. I remember particularly (though I was living away by then) the hoohah in 1982 when the Falklands blew up and everything went totally ****nastic with them working on Harriers 24/7.

Anyway, I remember Brough airfield. When I was a kid I used to sit on the end of the slipway (now demolished) where Blackburns used to launch the seaplanes onto the Humber to test them in the 1930s. My Mum worked ion the Flying School on Brough Airfield and that's how she met my Dad. Both Mum and Dad used to get taken up for "flips" in various aircraft, including the Beverley and a Dragon Rapide which they used to have at Brough. One day, my Mum got taken up in the Dragon Rapide and the pilot decided to "buzz" Welton church tower. When she got home that night (she lived in Welton) my Granny said to her, "Eeh, you should have been here today, some bloody fool in an aeroplane nearly flew into t'church tower". My mother replied "I know. I was in the aeroplane".

I remember as a kid/teenager seeing the Chipmunks of 1324 ATC Squadron flying over in formation, I remember seeing the Buccaneer, various others including the Vulcan, a Shackleton flying over from time to time, and of course the B2, which I gather is now at Duxford*. I also recall that my dad was there the day Sailor Parker crashed the Buccaneer at HOSM while they were practising a bomb toss manoeuvre on a low pass. We were still living in Hull then. Must have been 1963? Both Parker and the co-pilot died because although they ejected, they landed in the flames of the crashed plane.

They used to take the Buccaneers by road from the factory to HOSM on a big low loader called the "Queen Mary" - the bloke who used to drive it, Ken Boddy, lived diagonally opposite from us. He had a dog called Mandy, if that helps in any way.

I remember the Autair flights to London because I used to lie in bed and listen to them revving up their engines prior to takeoff. It was like a second alarm clock. Time to get up and go to school.

Thanks for letting me witter on. It's been like a trip down memory lane. It's a shame that Brough is no more. If I can find them, and work out how to do it, I'll post a couple of pictures of my dad a) with the Beverley and b) with the B2.