Gloster Javelin Losses

[mikebennett]

Dear Forum Members,
I am trying to complete the mishap record of Gloster Javelins and find information and photos of the crews and aircraft who were involved.

I believe that 25 Sqn, 29 Sqn, 33 Sqn, 41 Sqn, 60 Sqn, 64 Sqn, and 87 Sqn all flew Javelins. Maybe some former Squadron members have memories that would be willing to share

I have updated my webpage at
http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Aircraft_by_Type/Gloster_Javelin.htm
and would appreciate any help in confirming the details and correcting those that need amendment
Thanks for reading the request
Mike Bennett
Project Get Out and Walk

[Mr_Grubby]

Hi Mike,
Below, a small extract from a manuscript I am putting together that one day will hopefully be the basis of my autobiography.

.......There were unfortunately many accidents and incidents at Akrotiri during the period I lived there but being only a schoolboy I was not involved in any apart from the odd one I witnessed. So many times I would go to school to hear that a Hunter had gone missing or my father would return from work with a similar tale. Cyprus is only about 40 miles from the Turkish coast. Earthquakes are almost common in central Turkey. We would often experience earth tremors at Akrotiri as we on the periphery of the epicentre of a quake in Turkey. The night of 26th October 1961 I was almost thrown out of bed by a rumbling and shaking of the ground. No need to worry shouted my parents from their bedroom just an earth tremor. Next day we found out that a Javelin and a Canberra had collided. Canberra B2 WD995 of 32 Sqd. and Javelin XH906 of 25 Sqd had been undertaking practice night interceptions. They collided 2.5 miles north of Akrotiri. All three crew of the Canberra were killed, F/L Norman Youd aged 26 the pilot, F/O John Geldhart aged 24 and F/O Michael Harris aged 22. The Javelin was flown by F/L R Lloyd, he ejected safely. His navigator, F/L J Morris, 31 was not so fortunate, he sadly perished.


Clint.

[mikebennett]

Dear Clint,

thank you for your kind email- I've updated the Javelin page on the website with the information sent.
(http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/A...er_Javelin.htm)

Can any PPRuner help with the following request

Does anyone have a copy of

Gloster Javelin volume 1 & 2 by Roger Lindsay, privately published.

I believe it contain individual aircraft histories and would very much appreciate either buying a set of books or if that's not possible a scan of the histories would be very much appreciated.

Did BARG, ROUNDEL or AIR MILIITARIA ever do one of their excellent series on the Javelin - again copies would be very much appreciated

REgards

Mike Bennett
[email protected]
Project Get Out and Walk
www.ejection-history.org.uk

[Brewster Buffalo]

Dear Forum Members,
..............

I believe that 25 Sqn, 29 Sqn, 33 Sqn, 41 Sqn, 60 Sqn, 64 Sqn, and 87 Sqn all flew Javelins. Maybe some former Squadron members have memories that would be willing to share

...........

You missing a quite a few squadrons there :)

You can add 3, 5, 11, 23, 46, 72, 85, 89, 96, 141, and 151 to your list

BB

[Cornish Jack]

IIRC, the Nav in XH 791 (the Indian crash) was Tony MELTON, not Mehon. We were called into the Embassy on, I believe, a Sunday, to cover the incident. Some time later, in Northern Burma, we met the Pakistani pilot (and his Grumman Goose) who had alighted on the river (no mean feat!!) to pick him up.

[lightningmate]

Cornish Jack,

I concur that ident. Tony was an instructor at Mountbatten around the mid to late 1960s and when pressed he would tell his tale - a guy determined to survive.

lm

[terryJones]

AWFDS, the All Weather Fighter Development Squadron at West Raynham had Mk4's in about '56. There was talk of one being lost in about '57 or early 58, I arrived there in early 59, so cannot vouch for that, it MAY have been the '734 incident from Horsham that was being discussed. Memory tends to fade a smidgen after 50 years...
I was posted then to No.1 Guided Weapon Trials Squadron at Valley, we had half a dozen Mk 7's, none lost during my time.
Re WD804, it was actually lost on the ground, at Boscome. Structural failure caused the pilot, Bill Waterton, to work bl***y hard to fly it using the elevator trim alone. Unfortunately for the airframe the landing was 'Firm', the gear collapsed, and the aircraft was destroyed in the resulting fire. Bill however walked away, quite literally, to collect a George Medal for saving flight data from the aeroplane.
http://www.btinternet.com/~javelin/ has some interesting facts about the Flying Flatiron

[Brian Abraham]

terryJones - or any others who had the privilege - what was she like to fly? (Pilot asking Pilot)

[terryJones]

Brian
Sorry but sad to relate I was only ground crew, but I have always held a fascination for all 32 tons of the thing...

[Malcolm G O Payne]

I was finishing my service with a ground post as Flying Wing Adjutant at Middleton St George in 1961/1962 and I remember the two 33 Squadron losses. Perhaps the most amazing one was at Wildenrath. The squadron was on a detachment to, I think, Geilenkirchen, and on the way out one Javelin suffered hydraulic difficulties and landed at a Netherlands Air Force base, where an RAF team fitted a new actuator. On the way to Geilers the pilot decided to fly a radar approach at Wildenrath and on the go-around had indication of hydraulic pressure loss. An immediate decsion was taken to land at Wildenrath and while turning final lost all hydraulic power. The aircraft hit the ground with its wing and started to cartwheel. As the nose crumpled the pilot's ejection seat fired itself and he was found sitting in it a short distance from the wreckage.
As the aircraft continued its roll the navigator's seat fired, but by this time the aircraft was totally inverted and the seat only travelled a short distance before the soft sandy ground stopped it. It took several hours to get the navigator out, but he was present on crutches at my dining-out night the following December. The other loss was very sad as the navigator, as you say, ejected and there were plenty of witnesses in circling aircraft who saw him descend into a cumulus cloud, but that was the last anyone saw of him.

[mikebennett]

Firstly can I thank all of you who kindly responded to my request for details of Gloster Javelin losses, especially if they involved ejections.


I have now updated the webpage and will continue to work on the page amending and adding as I unearth more information.

http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Aircraft_by_Type/Gloster_Javelin.htm

I'd be very grateful if anyone can add a photo of any of the pilots and navigators mentioned in the listings, or fill in any gaps or have any old news clippings that could be scanned..

I hope that you will find something of interest on the website and I shall be starting updating another aircraft type in the very near future. (I'm also preparing a webpage on the Ejections (and losses of) the Phantom in both RAF and FAA service)

Regards

Mike Bennett
Project Get Out and Walk
www.ejection-history.org.uk