GrpCapt. William Green

[im from uranus]

Hi all, this is my first post so please excuse the choice of subject matter.
In April this year I visited Oxford and came across a 'tablet' in the cloisters at CC. It read Grp Capt William Green, MA RAF, 1947-1990, lost over the north sea. (Condolences).

I'm an ex RAF rigger and my bro is (and was at that time) a serving F/L Nav but he couldn't recall the said Gentleman. Could anyone shed some light, as it was very moving seeing the tablet, as it was (the tablet) a mere youngster against the rest of them on the wall.

Obviously a very well thought of and loved person, condolences to your family.

Thanks,
Me....
(How doooo I change my username?? Cheers)

[Chris Kebab]

Memory may be playing terrible tricks here but wasn't he in a Marham Tornado lost, with his nav, mid 1990 just before Granby?

[aviate1138]

(How doooo I change my username?? Cheers)


You've only made 2 posts. Start anew. :)

[im from uranus]

You've only made 2 posts. Start anew. http://1.2.3.9/bmi/static.pprune.org/images/smilies/smile.gif

Errmm, yeah, you're right, bugger!!!!:sad::}

[Pontius Navigator]

http://www.tornado-data.com/Production/RAF%20Crash%20Data.pdf

You will see it here.

[Jackonicko]

"Jenny Green OBE is a trustee and vice patron of the Armed Forces Memorial and former chairman of the War Widows Association of Great Britain. Her husband, Group Captain Bill Green, was killed 18 years ago and his body was never recovered. For her, with no grave or headstone to visit, the Memorial has a very great significance. She said: “Unlike many, my son and daughter were lucky to have been old enough to have known their father and have memories which give comfort as the years pass. Now my son has a new baby son of his own, and I know that in time he will bring him here to see and hear about the grandfather he never knew."

[im from uranus]

Thank you gentlemen for the info. Was just curious, and google had little effect. I do have a pic of the tablet, if you're at all interested but Gawdknows how to get it on here?..... I am a newbie....

Thanks again.

[dallas]

Memory may be playing terrible tricks here but wasn't he in a Marham Tornado lost, with his nav, mid 1990 just before Granby?

That's what I remember. He was OC27, recently promoted to Gp Capt and due posting. I think the bloke in the back was the former Marham SIntO.

[threeputt]

Sqn Ldr N... A....., 27 Sqn Flt Cdr; ex Nimrod then Finningley Nav instructor, in the early 80's, before doing the FJ x over. A nice bloke who went much too early. Left a wife and two boys.
Un-planned heavy weight loft recovery if memory serves.

3P:sad:

[Pontius Navigator]

Thought it was NA but didn't want to guess.

[Rossian]

Ah yes, "the wee jock". When he joined our crew on 42 his first nav was a solidly built chap known as Minnesota Fats. TWJ used to get hyper tracking subs until N1 dropped a ham sized fist on top of his head and said "calm down matey, calm down" . He was great fun to have on the crew and he was the only lad I knew who could get pinging solely on Coca cola (and Queen records). I'd forgotten it was so long ago; where the hell has the time gone to?
The Ancient Mariner

[Maninblack4612]

Bill Green was my school friend, I spent a lot of time with him but lost touch after school.

There's a picture of us at South Shields Grammar Technical School for Boys (http://www.boyshighschool.co.uk/photos/schoolphotos/1962-5l.htm) at school, he is in the middle row, second from the left & I am on his left.

Tragic loss of life.

[Maninblack4612]

Here is the MOD report
http://www.tornado-data.com/Production/MAAS%20Reports/ZA561.pdf

[thing]

Long shot but was he the son of Gp Cpt Green of WWII? The CO at Swinderby in '74 when I did my square bashing was the same Gp Cpt Green (who was a top bloke). He had a son who was at the time a new flying recruit on Bulldogs I seem to remember.

[Yellow Sun]

Long shot but was he the son of Gp Cpt Green of WWII? The CO at Swinderby in '74 when I did my square bashing was the same Gp Cpt Green (who was a top bloke). He had a son who was at the time a new flying recruit on Bulldogs I seem to remember.

In '74 Bill Green had just left Cranwell following a tour as a JP QFI so I don't think this would be the same man.

YS

[Maninblack4612]

I knew his father. He was a master mariner with Shell. Not the person you're thinking about.

[Haraka]

The Gp Capt. Green as O.C. Swinderby was President of the "Spitfire Society" c. 1974. He was very supportive of the gliding activity there as at least keeping some form of flying activity on his station.
As said, the then Flt. Lt. Bill Green was a J.P. instructor at Cranwell c.71-74.

[ex-fast-jets]

The Bill Green being discussed..............

He was an Oxford graduate, married to Jenny...........

I knew him as a colleague on 1(F) Sqn in 1975/6 flying Harriers.

He was a great person and an inspirational individual. Despite being a QFI!!

Our paths diverged - as they do - but I was on exchange with the USAF for GW1 when he had his accident during the build-up and died. I 'phoned Jenny from the States to offer condolences when I heard about his accident - she is a great and inspirational person too.

His memory merits recognition.

He would have gone very much further. Probably to the top.

I enjoyed our brief friendship

[tommee_hawk]

That was a bad few days for the Tornado force. On the 14th August 1990, a Laarbruch GR1 collided with a GR1 from Honington, both jets crashing in the Humber. Only the pilot of the Laarbruch jet survived ejection. A couple of days later, the Marham jet crashed killing Gp Capt Green and his nav, NA - at the time, it was said that the 3 crashed aircraft were situated very near each other.

In two days I lost a colleague from Honington, (DW,the US exchange pilot), a colleague from nav training (SB), my MQ neighbour from Laarbruch (GG) and my nav instructor on LLTS at Finningley (NA)- like I said, a bad few days.

Rest in peace all.

[jgreen]

Most of the facts on here are correct. His father was a Captain for Shell, and no relation to the Group Captain. I'm not sure how i ended up reading this thread, but I'm glad I did. Thank you for sharing some nice comments about him and the photo from his school days. Its not a surprise, after the accident we were overwhelmed with the number of people from all walks of like that reached out to remember him and say how he had touched their lives. He was a truly wonderful person who is much missed by all. Since our tragic loss almost 26 years ago my mother has been a truly inspirational figure, she felt the support structure for those that lost their husbands was seriously lacking and founded the RAF Widows Association, went to on to be Chair of the War Widows of Great Britain and led most of the major pension reforms that have benefited thousands of widows. Whilst we wish he was here every day, it is quite something to know that many have benefited from my mothers work since then.

[madcat11]

It's a long time ago now. I'm sure we loaded 8x1000lb HES on his jet. He was a nice chap as I recall. Wasn't the guy in the back seat Flt Lt Anderson? When the war started, OC 27 Wg Cdr Elsdon(?) was tragically killed on ops.

[Pontius Navigator]

Madcat, indeed Neil Anderson, ex-201, was the nav.

Just to clarify my answer to Madcap's post:

He mentioned Flt Lt Anderson as the guy in the back seat. That of course refers to Gp Capt Green's crash.

[57mm]

IIRC, the sole survivor of the midair referred to by Tommee Hawk was the Laarbruch Stn Cdr.

[paulrees]

I have just found this discussion and even joined as a result.
I was an SAC Rigger on 27 Sqn at the time. I was working a swing shift(which employed 3 Engineers to carry out all pre flight servicings on the Tornado Gr1 27 Sqn fleet during midnight to 8 am). I believe HAS 59 housed the Aircraft in question. And had x8 blue circle(concrete) 1000lbs, to simulate long rang bombing missions in Iraq, as we were to be deployed as the first RAF Sqn for Op Granby. The sortie lasted for over 3 1/2 hours, and also required mid air refueling.
But a little known fact, as a result of our boss(who had been promoted to Group Captain, and refused to leave the Sqn as we built up for deployment) crashing, they grounded 55Sqn(Victor tankers), as the same tanker had refuelled the x2 Laarbruch based mid air collision only a few weeks prior.
Our boss was a massive loss for us as a family on 27 Sqn. As a result, the task of first deploying RAF Sqn was pasted onto 617 Sqn instead, and they deployed to Tobuk in October 1989.
My last memory of the boss, Scouse Allen was on tea bar duty for the liney crewroom. The boss always came in for a cup of tea and a chat(the only boss who did), he came in the day he was promoted to Group Captain. He placed his hat on the tea bar counter, to which Scouse replied "**** me Sir, but someone has **** on your hat". Refering to the braid now situated on the peak of his hat(nicknamed scrambled egg). The whole tea bar erupted in fits of laughter, including the boss, Group Captain Bill Green.
We as ground crew, never experienced another boss like him. And during my whole career never had the same respect for any officer, like our old boss.

[tarantonight]

I have just found this discussion and even joined as a result.
I was an SAC Rigger on 27 Sqn at the time. I was working a swing shift(which employed 3 Engineers to carry out all pre flight servicings on the Tornado Gr1 27 Sqn fleet during midnight to 8 am). I believe HAS 59 housed the Aircraft in question. And had x8 blue circle(concrete) 1000lbs, to simulate long rang bombing missions in Iraq, as we were to be deployed as the first RAF Sqn for Op Granby. The sortie lasted for over 3 1/2 hours, and also required mid air refueling.
But a little known fact, as a result of our boss(who had been promoted to Group Captain, and refused to leave the Sqn as we built up for deployment) crashing, they grounded 55Sqn(Victor tankers), as the same tanker had refuelled the x2 Laarbruch based mid air collision only a few weeks prior.
Our boss was a massive loss for us as a family on 27 Sqn. As a result, the task of first deploying RAF Sqn was pasted onto 617 Sqn instead, and they deployed to Tobuk in October 1989.
My last memory of the boss, Scouse Allen was on tea bar duty for the liney crewroom. The boss always came in for a cup of tea and a chat(the only boss who did), he came in the day he was promoted to Group Captain. He placed his hat on the tea bar counter, to which Scouse replied "**** me Sir, but someone has **** on your hat". Refering to the braid now situated on the peak of his hat(nicknamed scrambled egg). The whole tea bar erupted in fits of laughter, including the boss, Group Captain Bill Green.
We as ground crew, never experienced another boss like him. And during my whole career never had the same respect for any officer, like our old boss.

A good read paulrees and I know exactly what you mean.

Respect is earned.

TN.

[Doc_W]

Gp Capt Bill Green was a top bloke. I remember those troubled days at Marham well. Jenny was/is an absolute star. Fair tailwinds gaffer. VW