No 72 Navigator Course - 50 Years On

[ICM]

Whatever else is happening today, it is also the 50th Anniversary of the Graduation of No 72 Navigator Course at 1ANS, RAF Stradishall, on 8 December 1965. Eight of the eleven shown here after the parade had started together at Hullavington in January that year.

http://i1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc463/Old141Nav/file_15.jpg

L to R: Jock Turnbull, Kevin Toal, Paul Hickley, Robin Ibbott, Ian Macmillan, Larry Blake, Doug Marshall, Tim Miles, Dave Ford, Keith Moore, Dick Weldon.

Our course commanders at Stradishall had been Flt Lts Bob Marshall and Ken Newman, and at HV, Flt Lt Ray Cook. The Reviewing Officer that day was Air Cdre R G Wakeford MVO, OBE, AFC, then SASO at 3 Group - in November 1976, when he was then DCDS(Int), I was in a VC10 crew that brought him back from Dulles to Brize Norton.

I've no idea quite how many of us are still out there, but I'll raise a glass to you all this evening.

[Brian 48nav]

The only face I recognise there is Doug Marshall - he was on 30 at Fairford 68 -70, and IIRC his first tour was on Twin Pins at Sharjah.
I later bumped into him at Stornaway c1981 when I was the CAA ATCO there and he was a pilot with McAlpines, 125s at Luton I think.
Bob Marshall was an instructor on my course ( 88 ) at Strad and left to become a nav with Swissair IIRC - I think Ken Newman was a Flt Cdr on Hercs at Fairford or Lyneham.

VC10s eh! Jammy devil! I wouldn't have left at my 8yr option if I had been able to get to the shiny fleet.

Regards B48N

[ICM]

Brian: My notes on the reverse of the original photo have Doug Marshall destined for Twin Pins, though I don't recall seeing him as I went through Sharjah from Khormaksar. Dick Weldon also went to Twin Pins and he was at Sharjah.

Re your Shiny Fleet ambitions, I see from another thread that you were an early first tourist on Hercs, but I think I was a beneficiary of an Air Sec's drive to put a chink in the age/experience wall at Brize, at least as far as Navs were concerned. With Alex Dawson (later Hercs), I was posted from Benson to Brize for No 5 Belfast Course in early 1969. The Fastback airframes had started to arrive and conversion courses had restarted, and we may have been the only two on that Course under 40. And not long afterwards, Dave Donnelly followed from Benson as the first 'younger' Nav for 10 Squadron from where, in time, he went to the Canadian exchange slot at Trenton. Right place and time for us, I guess.

[Haraka]

I'm not a Nagivator.
However, Robin Ibbott was with us on 41 on Phantoms at Coningsby in the fairly early 70's. A very well balanced and popular guy with us who had to debrief him on Recce Sorties.

[Brian 48nav]

In late '70 we, 30 Sqn, went to Brize to play 53 at football ( the proper sort i.e. Arsenal! ) - we had quite a few good players amongst the navs , me excluded, Colin Burns, Joe Oldfield, Tony Guttridge, Ken Bull, a driver Dave Guest etc and won 10-0!.
Over a barrel later I got chatting to a first tour 53 nav' who had been IIRC an education officer or some similar bluntie trade - can't recall his name but he reminded me of a pilot mate Dave Carter who was later posted to 53 in '73.
I recall in 72/3 seeing a first tour Fg Off nav' on the VC10 down the route, boy was I envious!

[Jhieminga]

Great photo! :ok:

[Jetset 88]

Ian sells himself short. He omitted to mention that having served on 10 Squadron, he later chose to embark on the writing of a 10 Squadron Centennial History book three years ago. The Squadron has been celebrating its 100th year in 2015.

'From Brooklands to Brize' is a 344 page, hard, glossy-backed volume which is published this week and only available at present via the 10 Squadron Association website. Ex 10 Squadron members and the general public may purchase a copy for £25 +£5 p&p (UK residents)
See: www.10sqnass.co.uk for details.
Well Done Ian.

[Whopity]

Larry Blake was on 55 at Marham and ran the Station Rowing Club at Denver Sluice.