RAF Topcliffe Reunion?

[fixinflyback]

Plans are in the early stages to try and have a reunion for all the ex RAF Topcliffe students who attended the AE&AES school before it eventually moved to RAF Finningley in 1973. The reunion would be open to all those who received their brevets at Topcliffe (AEOp, Flight Engineer, Air Signaller). If you would like to express an interest in attending then please contact Dave Morton via email at [email protected] so that the amount of interest can be gauged. A suitable venue is being researched and more details will be released when the planning firms up.
:D

[Dengue_Dude]

That's a bit hard, 50 Course for example, did half and half and had an extended course as we had to help with the move down to FY.

Thoughts?

[pr00ne]

"open to all those WHO RECIEVED THEIR BREVETS at Topcliffe (AEOp, Flight Engineer, Air Signaller).


Someone got something against Air Loadmasters?

[ancientwarrior]

I was on the first course to graduate from the Sig "A" course as AEOps rather than Sig(A)s. All we were issued with was a deficiency chit for AE brevets.
Do we qualify?

[5aday]

Please send your name to [email protected]
As the previous (first ) message said, no hard and fast arrangements as yet and having been awarded a brevet at Topcliffe is the only prerequisite. This reunion will probably only happen once so it may be quite special.

[banjobill]

I didn't think Loadies got their brevet till they'd done the jump course at their new unit.
Course I may be wrong...it's been over forty years since I was up there.

BB

[Dengue_Dude]

Well if there's no room for manoeuvre - I hope you all enjoy yourselves.

Not sure if the Bog and Bird, Leg of Lamb or the Busby Stoop are still open but have an Old Peculiar for me . . .

A lot of us 'transition courses' were actually on the brevet presentation parades too.

Ah well, that's the spirit of cooperation, conciliation and compromise at work no doubt.

[ancientwarrior]

BanjoBill is quite correct regarding Loadies. They did not spend such a long time at Topcliffe doing their training as the two trades named in the school's title.
However, I think that excluding them would not be a very nice thing to do.

:8

[5aday]

There is no hidden agenda that excludes Loadmasters. It may simply be a numbers thing as the list is growing quite rapidly. If it becomes the first 150 plus ladies, then the first 150 that send their names in take the slots.
One of my long time long friends was a Loadmaster on the Brits. Smiley?

[Motleycallsign]

AQM's and ALM's still attended their ITC at Topcliffe, and after Sep 70 did their trade trg there as well, when the school moved up from Thorney Island.

[sargs]

Blimey, what's the problem? If you didn't go there, or didn't go there for long, why have your noses put out of joint because you're not invited to a reunion? The clue is in the school's name....

[5aday]

Seldom.....etc
If you really feel you want to have a reunion, go ahead and organise your own one. In the mean time, thank you for your interest.:ugh:

[Monty77]

Seldom has a problem with rank structure.

Good luck with that because it's everywhere.

[5aday]

Please use another thread. You seem to be intent on being a bit silly on this one. If you start a reunion thread somewhere, I promise not to ask any pointless and trite questions. Good man.

[5aday]

Approximately 55 people have responded so far. :D Very encouraging for just over one week.

[5aday]

I hope to have some replies from the Army barracks at Topcliffe in two to three weeks. I have not disclosed how many people are involved until
I go up there and see what can be done. The lady on the Ripon HIVE which covers Topcliffe (HIVE - a sort of central admin centre) said that either mess could hold at least three hundred so if that were the case we could go up to at least 150 guys. More soon.....

[Roadster280]

I hope the MOD has invested a tad in Alanbrooke Barracks. I stayed in the Sgt's Mess there about 20 years ago, and it looked like it hadn't been touched since it was built 50 years previously. It felt like I was on the set of the Dambusters movie.

Somehow, I suspect a backwater of the Royal Artillery and part-time instructional airfield will have escaped the attentions of MOD Estates.

[5aday]

Roadster - you may well be right. I'll go and have a look first and if that is the case, I'll look for somewhere else.
best,
5aday

[5aday]

There is always Elvington (Yorkshire Air Museum) They do corporate hire 'in house' which has had glowing tributes. There is no shortage. THe Mad Hatters ( 492d Fighter Squadron USAF ) used Duxford Museum very successfully.
Best,
5aday

[Rossian]

5aday

I know I've registered an interest, but have you had any thoughts about a likely date (or dates)? (the question came to mind after I'd emailed you).

The Ancient Mariner

[5aday]

I should be able to send everyone a short questionaire about what each person would like to see , how many people will come with or without a partner, and I hope to put a couple of available dates after I've been to Topcliffe and Elvington.
Elvington are making all the right noises at the moment including being able to make block booking in hotels around York, transport, and no problems with seating the numbers involved etc etc.
As soon as I am able, everybody will be informed.
best,
5aday

[5aday]

Only a handful of Air Engineers so far. They were in the majority on most of the courses going through in my time there, so they are out there somewhere. Maybe some of them have become shy........

[OmegaV6]

Only a handful of Air Engineers so far. They were in the majority on most of the courses going through in my time there, so they are out there somewhere. Maybe some of them have become shy........

Certainly not in "my" time .. Engineers only on every "even" numbered course, and often not many of them then ... 3 / 4 usually if memory serves....

[5aday]

Omega - thanks for that.

[5aday]

Duxford and Hendon were considered as well but ruled themselves out - purely on cost grounds. Anticipated 70 people so far. Those that are eligible keep spreading the word as Elvington could certainly handle about 130 plus ladies and Topcliffe maybe even more.

[5aday]

Update:
I have written to the Officer Commanding Alanbrooke Barracks (Topcliffe) about this proposed reunion and I hope to go up to Yorkshire to have a look at Topcliffe and Elvington. I'll report back with my findings possibly on direct email. I might just have a look at the NRM (National Railway Museum) at the same time and make a full couple of days of it.
5aday

[Killaeng]

Hi 5aday,

As Chairman of the Air Engineer Association I am happy to advertise for you on our website to see if we can eke any gingers out of hiding. Drop me a line if interetsed!:ok:

[5aday]

Thank you so much. Message en route.
5aday

[5aday]

Just to update, I am waiting for a reply from Alanbrooke Barrracks, Topcliffe and anticipate I should get something next week. Depending on the reply I will go there and on the same day, I'll also have a look at what Elvington can offer and subsequently contact you on your private email addresses. Still not so many Air Engineers on the list so far.

[langleybaston]

Good luck with reunion. I was met. forecaster among a super team c. 1967., Jack Houseman, Ken Winspear and I, with customers like ****slinger and Smackyourarse, Polish gents, flying Varsities. S/Ldr Tommy Tucker in his suave very scarlet silk-lined overcoat ............
The Maccrihanish Kipper run in support of the V Force ....
Nostalgia is not what it used to be.

[5aday]

Macrihanish - what a God forsaken place though yes the seafood was excellent. Oft times, a Practise Div from Ballykelly to collect the aforementioned kippers and also ,sometimes, their jumbo prawns as well. Benbeculiar also rated highly for kippers and my London born and raised wife was kept busy bringing them back on her Viscount trips out of Inverness.
Met seemed to be something that was glossed over on the AEOp course which was an irony in some ways as collecting Tafs and Metars was one of the central part of any trip when operating as the radio operator.
The names you mentioned did not figure large in my time at Topcliffe
but pilots such as Peacock and the terrifying screen Signaller/AEOp such W/O (Mr) Mawson figured large during my time.
Wasn't one of the CW callsigns at Topcliffe PR7W ?

[Rossian]

......on the AEO course we did quite a bit on met and also on navigation.

On some trips when not on HF we did right hand seat and airtraffic comms and other times went down the back and did transferring position lines to give positons for the other WOp student to send to Uxbridge (MLM).

I will always remember when the nav instructor took us out one night with a bubble sextant and we tried shooting whatever star we could find. Leaning against the corner of the groundschool block trying desperately to keep the star in the bubble I shouted "Why won't the f***ing thing stay in the bubble?"
"Ah" said Ron Ventham, "you've just experienced a profound truth of the earth rotating away from it! It's YOU that's moving NOT the star!"

Oooer missus - the realisation almost made me topple over.

Somethings you just NEVER forget.

The Ancient Mariner

[5aday]

Rossian,
As far as I recall there was no navigation instruction on the AEOp course and our involvement with the nav in the Varsity was minimal apart from sending postion reports on VHF or CW based on his info and taking turns to distribute the rations. Apart from that the nav was often a mysterious figure sitting somewhere in the bowels of the back of the aeroplane. Actually, it was all quite good fun in spite of the old age of the aeroplanes. Next, for a couple of us ,was the Shack Mk2 /lll which was probably even older. I'd had a while down near Leatherhead and thought I'd bought enough beer for a guy from P STaff in MOD to secure an overseas posting direct from training. Dream on. His idea of overseas was Ballykelly. :eek: Again, it was so much fun but that's a totally different story.

[5aday]

Still no response from the Army at Topcliffe so I now have an appointment on Wednesday 14th., at the Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington. I'll keep all options open and report back later next week.
Dave M
5aday

[5aday]

Good news from the Army today and all very positive.
They (4Regt, R.A.) deploy to Afghanistan in October and return six months or so later so they will have a sterile period prior to deployment.
The the good news is their Boss would be very happy to let us have a reunion at Alanbrooke Barracks, Topcliffe. I am hoping to go up there next week to get some better ideas of dates, both for this and next year.
You will get more info on email very shortly.
Dave M :ok:

[Russruspy]

You might also want to investigate Brooklands. Their Varsity was at Topcliffe and they do have facilities for groups.

[5aday]

A short questionnaire has been sent to everyone involved and then I hope to let everyone know what is going to happen very soon. There are two dates (Aug 11th and 18th) and two venues (Topcliffe and Elvington) It's all explained in the email.
5aday

[5aday]

If you have received the questionaire, please reply as quickly as possible
(by 30th April ).
regards
5aday
http://www.gt40s.com/forum/images/smilies/pepper.gif

[5aday]

Some reunion details:
Saturday 18th. August at Topcliffe.
Mess bar open from 12:00 hrs.
Champagne from 18:30hrs
Black tie dinner from 19:45hrs
Bar closes 01:00hrs.
Carriages from 01:00hrs

Gun Park display 10:30hrs (Sunday)
Coffee in the mess 11:00hrs
Disperse from 12:00hrs

More information such as advance menus coming on email.
Thank you.
5aday
Dave Morton.

[Ron Cake]

Russruspy.

'Try Brooklands......their Varsity was at Topcliffe......'

The Brooklands Varsity is WF 372 - and a fine example it is too. But it was never at Topcliffe. It did some time at Cranwell in the late 50's then in 1962 it was allocated to 1 ANS at Stradishall where it remained until 1 ANS was absorbed into 6 FTS at Finningley in 1970. It remained at Finningley until 1976 when it was sold to the Peterborough Flying Club for use as a clubhouse at Sibson

Having said all that, WF 372 is well worth a visit. It is usually open and you can scramble all over it, play with throttles and fantasise about how you might have been a pilot. AND you can sit in AEOp seat and send morse code which is played through loud speakers for all to hear.

I wish you well with the reunion

[5aday]

Thank you Ron. Much appreciated.
Replies are coming in and of those that cannot make the 18th August, a consistent question is - will it happen again in 2013? I think that it could and would possibly happen in mid June onwards after 4 Regt., R.A. return from Afghanistan. Another question from several people was - could those people who went through Finningley be eligible to attend in 2013? Again that would be a sound idea as this years reunion is only limited by numbers that the mess can hold, whereas if it went ahead in 2013, one proposal would be to use the marquee one week after 4 Regt, R.A. use it and then numbers attending would not be an issue.
5aday.

[Captain Radar....]

Don't know why those who went to Finningley would want to be eligible to go to a reunion for those who were awarded their brevets at Topcliffe!

Why not have a reunion for those who were awarded their brevets at Finningley!!

AEOp's Air Eng's AND Loadmasters!!!