Chivenor Hunter 1970

[bobward]

Scanning some very old negatives recently I found a picture of what seems to be a 43 (F) Sqdn Hunter. The picture was taken whilst I was on an ATC camp at Chivenor, c March 1970. The jet is coded G and has 43 (F) Sqdn markings.

Can anyone out there in the Prunosphere tell me the airframe number please?

Help appreciated!

[Chris Royle]

Could it be WV322 / G in 43 squadron service? However, that aircraft was an F4, so probably too early for your photo.
WV322 was later converted to a 2 seater, ultimately becoming G-BZSE in private hands.
I was privileged to have a flight in this aircraft a few years ago. :)

[DaveReidUK]

Could it be WV322 / G in 43 squadron service? However, that aircraft was an F4, so probably too early for your photo.
WV322 was later converted to a 2 seater, ultimately becoming G-BZSE in private hands.

Unlikely, if the photo was 1970-ish. WV322 went to the Navy in 1959.

It's presumably one of the FGA.9s that 43 brought back from Aden before they reformed with the Phantom. There are photos on the net of at least one of their other former Hunters taken at Leuchars.

[Chris Royle]

Some more from a friend who is a Hunter expert and who grew up within the Chivenor circuit.

I remember that Hunter! It was delivered to Chiv by road from Devizes in Wiltshire, where it had been outside an ATC Sqn hut for several years. Presumably they lost it when its condition deteriorated and it was issued to the firemen at Chivenor. It didn't go onto the fire dump straight away but was parked outside the main hangars for a while, where the enquirer saw it. Serial was WV323 (one number away from the Hunter that I had a ride in) an F4 (straight leading edge). Note also absence of ejector seat....understandably.
Some more from this web site

WV323 Hawker Hunter F4 f/f 08/06/1955, d/d 28/06/1955, to 7686M, perished Chivenor dump
Do you have any more photos of Hunters at Chivenor?

[DaveReidUK]

Some more from a friend who is a Hunter expert and who grew up within the Chivenor circuit.

I remember that Hunter! It was delivered to Chiv by road from Devizes in Wiltshire, where it had been outside an ATC Sqn hut for several years. Presumably they lost it when its condition deteriorated and it was issued to the firemen at Chivenor. It didn't go onto the fire dump straight away but was parked outside the main hangars for a while, where the enquirer saw it. Serial was WV323 (one number away from the Hunter that I had a ride in) an F4 (straight leading edge). Note also absence of ejector seat....understandably.
Some more from this web site

WV323 Hawker Hunter F4 f/f 08/06/1955, d/d 28/06/1955, to 7686M, perished Chivenor dump
Do you have any more photos of Hunters at Chivenor?

Ah, that explains it. You can just about discern the F4's straight leading edge if you look at the photo closely, I missed that. :\

From Jimmy Beedle's book, it would appear that WV323 served only briefly with 43 Squadron as "G", from February 1957 to March 1958 (they had already started receiving F6s by the end of 56).

It then, according to MAR, went via 5 MU as 7686M to Melksham (ATC?) in January 1961, and then to 2397 ATC Sqn, Devizes during 1963 and on to Chivenor in October 1969.

[Vampiredave]

I recall that airframe being parked outside our hangar (SSF) for a while? No names, but a certain officer (ex-43 Squadron and now builds RC aircraft and paints a bit?) removed the 'Fighting Cock' emblem from the nose which now adorns the wall of his workshop? My lips are sealed!

[bobward]

Thank you Pruners! I knew one of you would be able to help. The jet seems to have the upturned tail pipe of the F4, so I think you've cracked it.

Cadets were not supposed to flash camera's around on the flight line, so I didn't get many pictures. However, this FR10 did cross my lens at one point.....

Thanks again
Bob

[kenparry]

Cadets were not supposed to flash camera's around on the flight line, so I didn't get many pictures. However, this FR10 did cross my lens at one point.....

The serial appears to be XE651. When I flew it on 1(F)Sqn at West Raynham, this was an FGA9. It's difficult to see the nose detail on your shot, but I suspect it was still a Mk9 - can't see why there would have been a Mk9 to Mk10 conversion as late as 1969. Also, the UK Military Serials website lists XE651 as an FGA9 and has a 1973 photo in 58 Sqn colours at Wittering.

[DaveReidUK]

can't see why there would have been a Mk9 to Mk10 conversion as late as 1969

I don't think any FR.10s were converted FGA.9s.

[Vampiredave]

WV322/G outside No.7 Hangar in March 1970

[kenparry]

I don't think any FR.10s were converted FGA.9s.

I agree. Some sources claim that there were such, but to the best of my knowledge it never happened.

[BEagle]

Certainly during my time at Brawdy (single seat Hunters, summer of '76 - can anything possibly be better?), we had a 'photo nose' fit available for the F6A / FGA9. I think it was a single right-looking F-95? After the Wittering Hunter Wing disbanded, I flew XE651 a few times in July 1976 in its 58 Sqn markings and it was definitely an FGA9. The late 'Puddy' Catt remarked on the superb condition of the ex-Wittering Hunters, compared to the state of many of the Brawdy jets.

Technique was to run the top of the right hand side 230 gal tank through the target whilst holding the camera button. I only due to use it once - but unfortunately it was U/S.

Perhaps it's just a 'photo nose' in that photo of XE651?

[kenparry]

Beagle, that's intriguing. I was not aware of an interchangeable nose fit. It must have involved some wiring changes to run an F95 there. Do you recall how the camera was triggered?

[Cornish Jack]

Vampire Dave - if your 'certain officer' has a talent for LARGE r/c aircraft made of foam and cardboard covered, please pass my best wishes and memories of various r/c meetings where I ran Tx Control. He is very talented and almost unique in writing to thank the organisers.

[DaveReidUK]

Beagle, that's intriguing. I was not aware of an interchangeable nose fit. It must have involved some wiring changes to run an F95 there. Do you recall how the camera was triggered?

Hawker Siddeley recycled loads of Hunters in the late 1960s for export, including some ex-RAF FR.10s which were rebuilt as fighters, so it's possible that HSA had some camera installations left over that were available for fitment to the RAF's FGA9s.

[kenparry]

Dave,
Yes, all true. They even rebuilt F4 airframes into Avon 200-powered variants - a major rebuild which included taking out the centre fuselage tanks and fitting the rear fuselage ones, as well as lots of other changes.
The RAF service of the FR10 ended about the end of 1971; indeed, after that the only "operational" RAF squadrons were 45 & 58. (Quotes because they were really an extension of TWU - I don't think they had allocated war roles). So I am puzzled as to why Brawdy was interested in an F95 fit some years later.

[Kieron Kirk]

It may be apocryphal or not, but there are stories that the camera fit in a number of F(GA).9s was to provide an unobtrusive watch on possible illicit activities in the Irish Sea.

Gun and drug smuggling by para-military groups either side of the Northern Ireland/Republic of Ireland border.

Kieron.