The ghost of RAF Chivenor

[[email protected]]

Several sightings of a ghost have occured recently in what is now the Sgts' Mess but what was (circa 1980) built as the Officers' Mess.

Do any of the crusty (or not so crusty) out there have any historical snippets/info that might help the local vicar identify the ghost?

It is believed that Airmen's quarters or accomodation blocks may have been on that site before 1980 but there is no corporate knowledge of what buildings might have been there during the war (presuming the ghost is a WW2 casualty).

Any training accidents at Chiv during its days as a TWU that might have a bearing on the spectre?

Any help - without too much p*sstaking would be appreciated:ok:

[SilsoeSid]

I have a book of old airfields somewhere, but all I could come up with online is Haunted RAF AIrfields (http://rafg.moonfruit.com/#/airfields-c/4545727834)
Unfortunately Chivenor hasn't anything linked to it...yet!


Not the wandering spirits of Bet Lifton and her son Stanley on the No 2 Bus?

[grandfer]

I seem to recall back in the 229 OCU days someone was fatally injured when a Hunter T.7 canopy closed suddenly . Perhaps a visit to Heanton Churchyard could reveal some names & dates of deaths which could be investigated further . There were a few killed in road accidents , I believe these were buried at Heanton . There was a civvie in the MT section who collapsed & died while walking through one of the hangars during the refurbishment prior to re-opening in 1980 .
Sorry I can't throw any more light on your request .
Good Luck , Grandfer .

[BEagle]

When Chivenor re-opened as a TWU in 1980, the only 'Officer's Mess' was a combined Officers / Sgt's Mess although a new SNCOs' Mess and a new Officers' Mess were planned. I don't know when they opened as I left in March 1981 and they weren't open then:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a341/nw969/HeaveninDevon.jpg
With acknowledgements to Google Earth

The accuracy of my pushpins isn't guaranteed as I only have an old 1980 sketch map from my Joining Instructions for No.1 Course and it's difficult to match it exactly with the lorry park which now exists at the RAF's best-ever aerodrome.

Which Mess is the ghost believed to haunt?

[St Johns Wort]

From the Bury Grammar School web site, Roll of Honour:

Flight Sergeant James Phillip Standring, 235 Squadron RAF. James Standring was the navigator/wireless operator of Beaufighter T5252 based at RAF Chivenor in North Devon. On 24th November 1942 they took part in a training exercise involving a German Junkers 88 bomber, which had force-landed at an RAF airfield in the Midlands some time previously and was now touring RAF bases to give pilots practice of attacking this type of aircraft. During the exercise the pilot, P/O Ronald Payne failed to pull out of a dive and crashed on the shore of the River Taw at Instow just across the bay from Chivenor. James Standring was 24. Manchester Crematorium Panel 21. A few months later another BGS old boy, Edgar Widdows was also killed in an accident at RAF Chivenor.

St J

[AirShowJunkie]

My Great Uncle died flying from Chivenor in April 1945. I can't recall exact dates but he was W/Op on 14 Squadron Wellington MkXIVs . I have the accident report card, only 2 of the crew were recovered, the others (my great uncle included) were never recovered from the sea. I believe the crew were killed by noxious fumes which entered the aircraft and some, if not all of them passed out. I'd be interested to hear how you go on!

[Art E. Fischler-Reisen]

Perhaps the ghost has been posted in from the Officers' Mess at Scampton. ;)

[Halton Brat]

I have a book (on loan to a friend at the moment), which records the story of a Heinkel 111 crew who were shot down & perished on Anglesey during the War of the Austrian House Painter. This erudite tome suggests that a chap in WW2 Luftwaffe uniform wandered up to a German Tonka crew at an Open Day airshow at Valley in the late 80's, and had a bizarre conversation with the Deutsche crew, in somewhat dated German language. He was stunned & disbelieving by the performance data of the Tornado & disputed their Staffel details. The Luftwaffe crew were disturbed enough to report the incident, & were shown photographs of the deceased He111 crew. They positively identified one of them as the chap they had encountered.

The book also recounts reported ghostly sightings by guards on the Menai Bridges, subsequent to the He111 shootdown, of apparitions attempting to cross to the mainland, but being unable to do so.

Must desist now; hairs on the back of my neck are up: I have spirits in the house. Fortunately, they are imprisoned in a bottle of Auchentoshan Single Malt. I now intend to open it & offer single combat...........

[hippocrates]

My father was JMO at Chivenor in the early 1970's, he remembers the loss of a hunter and its pilot who he thinks was a permenant staff QWI on a training flight.
He has fond memories of Chivenor pre the 80's rebuild........... no ghosts that he remembers.

[wub]

I served at Chivenor from 73-75 and never heard of a ghost. Looking at Beagle's annotated photo, the airmens' quarters (E-Lines) were located where the new SNCOs' mess is marked

[daxwax]

I've heard on the grapevine that all RAF flight-crew spectres are being reviewed by the MOD as they need to reduce "after-life based costs" by 40% before 2014. Therefore the ghost in question may sadly have to look for work in a ground branch spectral unit





etc etc....

[TOWTEAMBASE]

dont want to give too many details in respect of any family members that may read this thread. But i was told this story by someone who saw the outline of person "hanging" in a hut but the room was in darkness but for haze around the image, story goes that someone did indeed take their own life in that area. could well be the same thing. Ill see what the witness remembers

[EyesFront]

As a very small boy in the early '60s I remember seeing a couple of two-seat jets collide during an airshow at Chivenor - possibly a Meteor and Vampire. I seem to remember that three of the four aircrew ejected, but only two survived.
I wouldn't have thought that reason enough to come back and haunt the place though...

[grandfer]

I think these were 2 Sea Venoms of a flight of 4 that had just departed Chivenor after an airshow , I believe they crashed near where the old Yelland power station used to be .:ok:

[sharpend]

Actually, when I was on the staff at Chivenor in the early 80s, those who lived in the old wood huts at the Officer's mess did report a ghost. They all heard a person 'clanking' down the corridor. Apparantly, it was the dying body of a chopped Hunter pilot who hanged himself by the chain the in the bogs. It broke under his weight and he crawled down the corridor to get help, but died on the way. True story.

[BEagle]

In the early days of the one-piece immersion suit, some chap hung his up to air by the window after getting back to his room following night flying.

Next day the batty entered in the morning gloom, to see what looked like a suicide, then let out a yell and dropped the tea tray.... Whereupon the room occupant woke up with a start and sat up in bed to find out what was going on....prompting the batty to take off in terror.

OK, that's the tale I was told; whether or not 'tis true, I have no idea.

[[email protected]]

Fantastic response - thanks very much chaps, I'll pass on these details to the vicar who is going to check the headstones in Heanton churchyard.

Beagle - it is the building marked as 'new SNCOs' mess' on your picture and yes, I fully agree it is a travesty what has been done to a fabulous airfield.

[BEagle]

But your war stories were much more amusing, Blunty old bean!

Do you remember the traffic cone with gunsight we gave you - for telling long range war stories (limited to 800KIAS / M1.3 - same as a Jag, or so you told us!).

The only unusual sound I heard in the huts back then was my teeth chattering in the winter mornings before I lit the gas fire!

Huts 87-94 were well south of the 'new SNCO's mess' on my map - about where the brown patch is on the opposite side of the arterial road to that large car park. The Officers' Mess of the 1960s was south west of them, IIRC...

[Vampiredave]

....gas fire! We plebs had a coal-filled pot-bellied stove!

I was at Chivenor 1969 - 1971 and certainly never heard - or saw -any ghosts!!

[FantomZorbin]

I remember arriving at the Main Gate on the way to visit the SAR Flt in 73/74 to see an airman in shirt sleeves (with collar detached!) lugging* a coal bucket to his SECO(?) hut - I thought I'd arrived on a WW2 film set!

* I almost said 'humping' ... but that came later in the camp's history I believe.

[EyesFront]

....gas fire! We plebs had a coal-filled pot-bellied stove!


Used to visit as an ATC cadet in the days of hairy uniforms and greatcoats...

The stove at one end of the hut always stayed cold, while the other glowed cherry-red, so it was always tricky choosing the right bed

Other highlights were being winched up into a 22sqn Whirlwind over the airfield, and sitting in the state-of-the-art Hunter cockpit simulator, which remained firmly bolted to the ground

[fayslag]

Jevs, sure you didn't see Billy Tait.......?

[sharpend]

Oh yes, I remember the 'unmegafone'! :O Actually I'm writing a book about those war stories! Nearly finished; well I would have, but still having adventures!

[Sven Sixtoo]

Fayslag

Would that be the same Flt Lt Tate I have in my logbook

Nov 10 1980 Hunter T7 IRT Capt Tate Pupil Self 1.10 Day dual?

Sven

[jindabyne]

Right then - I can't match BEagle's memory for hut numbers etc, but I can recall some happenings - some, many others are there, but lost!

There was the weather, generally glorious -aside from the odd atlantic blow when we retirired to either the bar or other localities. There we were in the bar when Dave R**me screwed up an engine-out landing and landed chute-wise close to the railway line. And the Arab who entered the barrier, legged it to the ante-room, read a paper and denied all knowledge. And the lovely Sandy. And Torrey Canyon. And the pub in Barnacle, and the one in Braunton - and her. And yes, the huts, with the coal fires - accommodating those lovely locale ladies, one or two of whom married into the RAF! And the flying, oh the flying!

And, and - it was all so bloody good!! Almost 50 years ago, yet I can touch it so closely. In May, some of us who have survived the ravages of ageing will meet in the RAF Club to get p**sed and recall times of Chivenor (and Aden).

Soon we will die, and tales with us -------- Whar**y (RIP), Wats*n, D**n, Bat*y, Gro**e, Middle**n, Milla**d, Aitk*n, Henso*, Barry ?, and many others whom I can recall, but not their names!

[BEagle]

jindabyne, I find it hard to believe that Dave R**me could ever screw up!

And the Arab who entered the barrier, legged it to the ante-room, read a paper and denied all knowledge.

I always thought that was a shaggy dog story, so am glad you've confirmed it as no-one would ever believe me!

Not sure about the pub in Barnacle; one of the guys on our course had been a junior doctor at Barnacle some years earlier, so took a couple of chums to one of his favourite watering holes of the day.....which turned out to have become a gay bar in his absence. Never were 3 beers drunk so quickly! We never forgave him.

The Thatched Barn at Croyde and the Williams Arms at Wrafton were our favoured venues. But there were so many others and it truly was Heaven in Devon!

Blunty - you've been writing that book of yours for years! But it'll be good when it's finally published. No doubt it will include your Canberra engine fire SOR - Purpose Of Flight: Getting 3 hours for the boss's wall!
One of my most enjoyable trips was with you in the other jet when we did an hour of low level battle (as it was called back then) formation over the wilds of Devon - brilliant fun and for once I didn't f**k up!

[jindabyne]

Believe me, he did. And dined out on it as always! Good on you Dave!!

Aah the Willies. But what was the one in Barnacle main street?

And then there were the fatalities, as at Valley. From the ground at CV, I saw too many, eg the RN Vixen on finals.

[lsh]

Try looking in one of those Airfield ghost books by Bruce Halpenny (or similar name?)
I have a couple, will look them up.

A mate of mine saw a ghost in the control tower at Sleap, Shropshire.
Level-headed guy, scary story.
A Whitley (?) did lose control there and hit the tower, killing at least one.

lsh
:E

[jindabyne]

BEagle

I also once screwed up, but I'm not telling you ------

[Roland Pulfrew]

Ish

These ones (http://http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Stations)

I had the full set once, but lent them to a "mate" and haven't seen them since! Now if only I could remember who!!

[Ewan Whosearmy]

Ish

Do tell the Sleap tower story...

[BEagle]

But what was the one in Barnacle main street?

Three Tuns? The Cork and Bottle??

[Fixed Cross]

Was lucky enough to enjoy two tours at Chivenor (and two courses). Sadly some fatalities did occur-as at most RAF stations throughout time.

-and don't forget The Gribble Inn starring 'The Exotic Eva' (plus snake).

-and the time the service police blew up Norrie B***s' haggis package under the impression that the IRA were operating through the Post Office.

[26er]

Cor, what a lot of youngsters are out there. At one time the Three Tuns was favourite (Anybody remember Billy Drake's antics there in the winter of 1963?) And is anyone of The Puffin Club vintage apart from me still around?

[sharpend]

Yup Beagle, still writing; lots of other things to do including looking after new wife. Anyway, here is the preface:

This is the quite remarkable and true story of Squadron Leader Derek J Sharp AFC BSc Dip Comp JP RAF and his incredible adventures. Nothing perhaps was more astonishing than his survival after meeting a Mallard duck at 500 mph and his subsequent fight back to become a pilot in command once again. That he survived to age 30 was amazing, that he continued unashamedly on to a ripe old age was nothing short of a miracle. Conceivably he followed the advice written on a fridge magnet in his kitchen ‘Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly’. Those who knew him would say not a chance! He lived in a time long before Political Correctness, the Breathalyser and motor car safety checks. He achieved all that he set out to do, and more. That would undoubtedly be his epitaph.

[26er]

Perhaps I should explain. The Puffin Club used to be a flying club of sorts run by retired Sqn Ldr Maurice Luker (? spelling) in a couple of nissen huts in the north west corner of the airfield about where 22 Sqn now live. It was inside the airfield boundary and so was not directly accessible to the plod who had to go via the guardroom to ask permission of the SDO before raiding the place. The SDO would then phone the Puffin Club to tell them of the impending visit. This was in the fifties. It was of course just a short walk from Wrafton station and very convenient for arrivals on the last train from London and the bar was open until the last guest departed. Also it was a short walk from the Willies after their chucking out time. The landlord was not happy to be unable to continue serving after "last orders" in the knowledge that the troops were straight off to the Puffin Club to continue spending money which he thought should rightfully end up in his till. Of course all good things come to an end and the plod took some underhand action resulting in the club's closure.

[Vampiredave]

..... Maurice Looker. He was also a director / owner / flying instructor at the N. Devon Flying Club / Devonair / Puffin Aero Club. All his flying activities came to an end when he ditched a Devonair Auster Aerocrat in the Bristol Channel in August 1955. Looker and his two passengers were fortunately rescued by a passing Danish ship.

[Spurlash2]

Aerial shots.

Here (http://s225.photobucket.com/albums/dd247/spurlash2/Chivenor/)

[Vampiredave]

...taken from 'Chivenor in Old Photographs' if I'm not mistaken - I thought that I recognised the captions!

[Spurlash2]

Britain In Old Photographs. RAF Chivenor. David Watkins.

ISBN 0-7509-1034-8

In some of the older phots, you can see Beags. Joke:)

Seriously, some good gen on the history of Chiv.

[Wensleydale]

There is the story of the ghost of a dog that haunts the Officers' Mess at Chivenor. The details are sketchy, but apparently the dog belonged to an officer during WW2. As said oficer was leaving the mess to fly on an operation, the door slammed behind him and the dog's tail was accidentaly severed. Despite treatment, the dog died from the injury.

One midnight, on the aniversary of the dog's death, the duty barman in the Mess heard a rattling behind him as he was locking up. He turned to see the ghostly shape of a dog in the corner: a ghosty voice was heard "I need the rest of me to complete my journey to the other side".

The barman was not phased, and replied: "Sorry. I'm not allowed to re-tail spirits after half past ten".

:\

[Lima Juliet]

An instructor on my Squadron "bought the farm" at RAF Chivenor doing a practise turn-back in Hawk back in 1992 at RAF Chivenor. Flt Lt Philip "PMAR" Martin died of his injuries 10 days later in hospital from serious burns.

Air Crash, Chivenor (Hansard, 26 October 1992) (http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1992/oct/26/air-crash-chivenor)

http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/6C8647B3-1781-498F-922F-F17874880CE1/0/maas92_09_hawk_t1a_xx334_30sept92.pdf

A very sad day for me...PMAR was a really top bloke :(

LJ

[26er]

In the early 1970's Maurice Looker was something to do with the West London Aero Club at Booker.

[BEagle]

In the early 1970's Maurice Looker was something to do with the West London Aero Club at Booker.

Post-war founder of WLAC - at White Waltham.

[Fake Sealion]

Many people, myself included find the subject of reported paranormal activity in/around airfields to be interesting.

As mentioned, several books have been written on this subject and the Historic Aviation section of the Key Publishing forum has been running a thread about this for 7 years !! If you find this thread be warned, it has hundreds of posts and is highly addictive!!!

Most of the activity is reported on RAF airfields both current and dis-used.

Anyone else find airfields with a historic past to be "atmospheric" is some way?:eek:

[Wensleydale]

Anyone else find airfields with a historic past to be "atmospheric" is some way?


I heard that Leuchars used to have Phantoms....:ouch:

[willjones]

Ref my mention in another post, my mum Stella, still alive and kicking, worked at the base later WW2. Says they were fixing damaged planes etc + ?. Never mentioned ghosts, maybe was bad luck then. Will ask and post anything new.

Ref a crash ex-Chivenor. We went Croyde etc for early 50s summer hols thru the family local. One Croyde Beach day age about 5 one of the Chivenor planes hit the large hill to the rear/east of the village causing a huge smoke plume, must have been around 1952/3. Think the RAFetc emerg dashed to it along the cliff road. Maybe one of the ghost candidates.

Plus. Ref uncle W.Cdr Peter Berry (see other post). Another story from my mum/granny: PB and family were in the area '60s, not sure if family hol in Braunton, or at Chivenor posting. But a mine had washed up on Saunton beach. He was somehow dragged into dealing with it - according to their story the result was the complete blowing in of every window in the Saunton Sands Hotel - which was alot of windows. Anyone know about this?
Will Jones

[Chicken Leg]

Although I generally disagree with many points of view on here, I accept that for the most part, posters are essentially intelligent individuals..........

And yet here we are having a 'serious' discussion about ghosts!

[Walrus75]

An instructor on my Squadron "bought the farm" at RAF Chivenor doing a practise turn-back in Hawk back in 1992 at RAF Chivenor. Flt Lt Philip "PMAR" Martin died of his injuries 10 days later in hospital from serious burns.
A sad day, the image of the brave, brave fire crew battling to to get the poor man out will stay with me for the rest of my life. Flt Lt Martin is buried on the hill up at Heanton Punchardon churchyard. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago, where the heck does time go?

Anyhoo, I cant recollect any memories of ghosts on Chiv though I did see a few 'monsters' meandering drunkenly up the old railtrack (and answering the call of nature in the bushes) through the IR security camera system in the MGR when on standby guard one friday night. :O

[mooog1]

A group of us have done a very comprehensive report into this crash and commemorated the 75th anniversary last week the Beaufighter crash at Chivenor, Payne and Standring

[Fixed Cross]

I was fortunate to serve for three separate occasions at Chivenor. 67-68 DF/GA and FR course, 72-74 OC 79, and 82-85 OC Fg Wg. The stories of Hunter and Hawk drivers have become legends in their own right but I never heard of any ghostly appearances (unless it was associated with The Gribble Inn or the Thatched).

[Wander00]

1973/74 ish, and newly minted TA capt in RCT(V), on Movement Officers Course at Prince William of Gloucester Bks (ie RAF Spitalgate that was). Tradition established (we had a former cavalry officer with us) of champagne only after 2300 hours. Someone started telling ghost stories, mostly with an aviation bias, and there were rumours of a ghost in the mess. Next morning Scottish subaltern goes to the Colonel and resigns on account, he says, of the ghost in the Mess.

[ShotOne]

If he resigned for that, he was hardly a big loss to his regiment!

[Danny42C]

Fake Sealion (#45),
Anyone else find airfields with a historic past to be "atmospheric" is some way?
Excerpt from my Post, Page 300, #5989 on "Gaining A Pilot's Brevet":

Many old RAF Stations have resident Ghosts: some well known like the Middleton Ghost in the St.George Hotel (former Officers' Mess) at Teeside Airport, others less so. Our Ghost at Leeming was in the latter category.

The story was current when I arrived there in Summer '67, and our Ghost continued to put in appearances, at irregular intervals, all the time (but progressively less frequently) until I left at the end of '72.
Any information from the readership about subsequent sightings would be welcome on this Thread.

There was no internet or Google to refer to in those days, and we are solely dependent on oral testimony . The story, as I heard it, runs as follows: Some time after the war, there was a training accident at Leeming. The aircraft was supposed to be one of the Beaufighter family (Buckmaster, as I recall). Pilot and Nav were killed. (No other details).

One late afternoon in the early days of the JP era, the aircraft were being put away in No.1 Hangar at close of play. It was dusk, but far from dark. An airman busy about his duties passed a figure sitting nonchalently on the wing of one of the parked JPs. It was wearing the flying overalls of the time. "Have you seen Flt.Lt. So-and-so ?" asked the figure. "No, sir", answered the airman (not knowing - or much caring - who Flt.Lt. So-and-so might be). He took a step or two more, then curiousity impelled him to look back. The figure had vanished.

He looked swiftly round the hangar. The light was quite enough to see by. But he was quite alone there. He later recalled that he felt in no way alarmed, only puzzled by the strange occurrence. He decided to keep quiet about it (he wouldn't be believed, in any case, and it would only attract mockery).

But in the following weeks, at irregular intervals, other airmen had similar experiences and the story came to light. The tales had many features in common. The apparition was always in, or close around, No.1 Hangar. It only appeared about the same time of day - late afternoon to early evening. The question was always the same. He was always in flying kit. He only appeared to one man at a time, even though others might be quite close, they saw and heard nothing.

He was by no means a fightening or menacing Ghost, quite the opposite. He seemed affable, but with an anxious, distracted air, as if his thoughts were far elsewhere. Soon there was a renewed interest in the affair after a sudden variation of the pattern one winter evening. A crew bus was travelling through the wide space between 2 and 3 Hangars, again about the end of the flying day. The driver was moving about 20 mph towards 2 Hangar, when a figure appeared right in front of his bus. He braked hard, but the figure vanished under the front wheels. He felt no bump.

He stopped and jumped out to see whom he'd run over, but there was nobody there. Plenty of people had been passing by off work, and some had been attracted by the scream of brakes. But none of them had seen the stranger, either before or after the supposed "impact". The driver got back and drove on, bewildered.

Of course, from time to time, "ghost-busting" groups of two or three set out, pot-valiant, from the Messes and NAAFI after dinner to confront this "ghost". But when they walked away from the bright lights, through the gloomy technical sections of the camp, to the now deserted, unlit black hangars standing like huge, menacing cathedrals in the darkness, their courage failed. There had been loose talk about drawing the hangar side door keys to have a scout round inside, but now that didn't seem a good idea at all. They turned tail and walked back.

And that's about it. :confused:

Danny42C.

[Icare9]

If he resigned for that, he was hardly a big loss to his regiment!
No, for refusing to serve spirits....... hat, coat......

[ShyTorque]

The old RAF Scampton Officers' Mess bar corridor was reputed to contain an unpleasant, "presence" of some sort. When I was stationed there (1988-89) I was told by the Mess manager that staff didn't like going to the cellar alone because some had been pushed or poked by something unseen.

A member of the Red Arrows, on Station Duty Officer duties and locking up last thing at night, was very much unsettled when he encountered a figure in WW2 flying clothing, standing by the fireplace in the Ante room.

What was even more surprising was that the station actually managed to pin down a member of the Reds to be the SDO.....!

[Wander00]

Maybe he was temporarily unfit flying......

[PhantomMajor]

I have a book (on loan to a friend at the moment), which records the story of a Heinkel 111 crew who were shot down & perished on Anglesey during the War of the Austrian House Painter. This erudite tome suggests that a chap in WW2 Luftwaffe uniform wandered up to a German Tonka crew at an Open Day airshow at Valley in the late 80's, and had a bizarre conversation with the Deutsche crew, in somewhat dated German language. He was stunned & disbelieving by the performance data of the Tornado & disputed their Staffel details. The Luftwaffe crew were disturbed enough to report the incident, & were shown photographs of the deceased He111 crew. They positively identified one of them as the chap they had encountered.

The book also recounts reported ghostly sightings by guards on the Menai Bridges, subsequent to the He111 shootdown, of apparitions attempting to cross to the mainland, but being unable to do so.

Must desist now; hairs on the back of my neck are up: I have spirits in the house. Fortunately, they are imprisoned in a bottle of Auchentoshan Single Malt. I now intend to open it & offer single combat...........

I just wondered if anyone recognised the book being discussed here as it sounds like something i would like to read. If you have any information such as the title of the book and/or the author i would be grateful if you could let me know

[Finningley Boy]

Actually, when I was on the staff at Chivenor in the early 80s, those who lived in the old wood huts at the Officer's mess did report a ghost. They all heard a person 'clanking' down the corridor. Apparantly, it was the dying body of a chopped Hunter pilot who hanged himself by the chain the in the bogs. It broke under his weight and he crawled down the corridor to get help, but died on the way. True story.

Geeze, it just goes to show how hard it can hit some if pride, honour and ambition are at stake! Wonder if the chop was permanent or if the poor chap was otherwise on his way to another OCU for a more staid type? Vulcans?

FB

[Mogwi]

As a young moglet flying Chippies from Linton, I once spotted a formation of 3 Tiger Moths over the Vale of Pickering. Thinking it would be a good wheeze, I came up behind them. As I closed from their deep 6, I realised that they weren't Tigers - but an SE5a with two Sopwith Pups!!

I snuck away and flew back very carefully. Waiting for the sky to turn a funny colour and the compass to start spinning!

[Teamchief]

Nothing specific but.......having spent many late nights on keys locking up hangars at Wittering, Odiham, Wyton, Cottesmore and Laarbruch I had plenty of wibble moments. I’m not sure if it’s the aircraft making noises cooling down or the thought of the history of the hangars but all of them left me thinking that I was not alone. The worst maybe though was as Orderly Corporal locking up at Odiham. I was ok until I found out that the laundry had previously been used as the station mortuary during the war. Or maybe I’m just a wimp!

[Onceapilot]

The sadly late-lamented TriStar had a few tales.... One common theme was the ghost of "flight 401", the servicable L1011 that the crew allowed to descend into the ground! :sad: Popular TriStar folklore had various tales of hauntings. I have never seen a ghost but, I have felt uncomfortable in situations . We often flew the RAF TriStar with just 4 crew, Capt, Co, Eng and Loady. It was certainly spooky if you went right down the back to the loo or galley with the other 3 on the flightdeck , esp, at night, 40,000' over...nowhere. ;)

OAP

[Shaft109]

Before the VGS world got biffed I'd regularly stayed over at RAF Topcliffe in the old TANS Navigation classrooms converted into dorms for cadets and instructors, on the side of the C Type overlooking the airfield. No longer really operational after dark in winter it was certainly very eerie.

When the 'pause' was on we only came out every 2nd or 3rd weekend for example to keep the Squadron a going concern.

One weekend I got my dates mixed up and having driven up after work from Manchester I drew the keys to find the whole she bang deserted and very much in the dark. Obviously too fatigued to safely drive back (it was probably 9pm ish) I fired up the flatscreen and watched a film as the oven got to work, and I opened a can.
Now our toilets were located on the opposite side of the hangar so walking across the only lights were from 3 strip lights on all the time way up in the rafters.
As I got literally to the middle a mobile went off somewhere near the end where the Land rovers were parked.

To say it was a bit unnerving would be near the truth - my first thought was some 'travellers' maybe had entered the building to rip it off and it took a few seconds to realise it was an old NOKIA tone, and was inside the DI's box in a Rover. Phew, it was one of ours...

But other than that moment of rabbit nose bum actually always felt very calm in them as opposed to scary, and usually got a good sleep. The clunks and rattles more from the building cooling etc. but I was sure I heard a fire door clunk dully from the opposite corridor when alone but in a warm bed I didn't investigate unless they started opening in sequence towards where I was!

[Percy Cute]

Although I generally disagree with many points of view on here, I accept that for the most part, posters are essentially intelligent individuals..........

And yet here we are having a 'serious' discussion about ghosts!

Before the Hunter OCU ceased to exist, every Friday night around 2330 local a cold easterly wind would spring up briefly and the black and white horizontal telegraph pole outside the guardroom-- the sole impediment to vehicular traffic in those halcyon days-- would lift a degree or so from the horizontal and gently bounce back into position. The ghost of G**rge Sm*th's Mini Cooper S had returned from the Foxhunters.

[DC10RealMan]

Every day when I open and close the Shropshire Aero Club office in the old RAF Watch Tower at Sleap I always say "Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen" or "Good Night Ladies and Gentlemen" to the resident ghosts.

[Marcantilan]

Every day when I open and close the Shropshire Aero Club office in the old RAF Watch Tower at Sleap I always say "Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen" or "Good Night Ladies and Gentlemen" to the resident ghosts.

Did they answer?

[DC10RealMan]

It doesn't matter. I know that if I don't greet them then I will be in for a long and difficult day.