Meteor F(TT).8 WH410

[Sandpiper]

Am trying to ascertain whether this aircraft last served with 1574 Target Facilities Flight at Changi or with the Seletar Station Flight before it was "gifted" to the Singapore Air Defence Command for ground instructional training. Had googled and unable to get any definitive leads.
Hope someone can assist on the history of this airframe.

[Quemerford]

RAF Museum?

[Vampiredave]

According to Air Britain: 12 MU 25 Mar 1952; No.226 OCU 14 May 1952 - engine fire, main spar damaged 28 Jan 1953; Cat 3R; Recat 4R at FRL 5 Mar 1953; 12 MU 29 Apr 1954; issued to FEAF 9 Aug 1954; MBFE 22 Aug 1954; FETS 7 Sept 1954; APC Butterworth 31 Mar 1955; 45/33 Sqn 17 May 1955; APC Butterworth 1 May 1956; MBFE 26 Mar 1957; Stn Flt Butterworth 11 Apr 1957; MBFE 29 Jan 1957; TT Flt Seletar 11 Feb 1961 U/c jammed up, swung off runway, Seletar; 390 MU 20.Dec 1961; TTF Seletar 27 Feb 27 Feb 1962 - unit became 1574 Flt 1 May 1964; 389 MU 21 Apr 66; SOC 27 Jan 1969; to Singapore as SAFTECH-3

[Postfade]

Hi Sandpiper,
Yes Meteor WH410 did serve with the Seletar Station Flight and was then one of the target tug Meteors that moved from Seletar to Changi on the 13th August 1962. Here's a picture of the Meteor formation breaking to land at Changi on that day.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1156x924/62_08_13_target_towing_flight_s_meteors_arrive_in_formation_ sl107a1_ed4a69a57096a6c6ef7d2a8d26b0e5d34f5e8d33.jpg
The Meteors arrived in formation and are seen 'breaking' to land at Changi. The aircraft are: Meteor F8's WL180, WH880, WH410 and VZ540 and TT20's WD678, WM230 and WD606 . Not present was their Meteor T7 WH218.
They had by now become known as the Towed Target Flight and that changed in 1964 when they were renamed 1574 Flight.

WH410 was one of the four F8's that flew a 'very tight' formation display at the Battle of Britain Airshow at Changi in September 1962.
It later was also one of the F8's that were re-equipped with their cannon guns, to provide support for the Javelin and Sabres defending Singapore during the Indonesian Confrontation the next year.

Please see the few hundred(!) aircraft photos from Singapore that I took at Changi, Seletar and Seletar in the early 1960's on my website: david taylor images (http://www.davidtaylorimages.co.uk) and go to the 'Aviation Galleries'.

David Taylor
Dorset UK

[Vampiredave]

David: That's a very good image of the Meteors. I know one of the members of Meteor team and he very kindly sent me some photographs of the aircraft, the guys who flew them and a list of displays during its existence.

1962: Four Meteor T Mk.7 / F Mk.8s of ' FEAF Towed Target Flt', Changi, Flt Lts E M Stewart, I R Whitford, A L Thomas and G Bradford.

1963: Four Meteor T. Mk.7 / F MK.8s of' 'FEAF Towed Target Flt', Changi, Flt Lts E M Stewart, I R Whitford, C J Preston and A L Thomas.

1964: Four Meteor T Mk.7 / F Mk.8s of No.1574 TT Flt, Changi, Flt Lts L Baker, I R Whitford, C J Preston and A L Thomas. Team also included Flt Lts A Brindle and J G Bowman.

[Sandpiper]

Thanks Vampiredave and David for the detail information of WH410. Yes, David, I have viewed your beautiful photo collections before and am amazed and most happy that you have recorded a significant part of RAF history in Singapore. We did corresponded before through a publisher on your photos.
I did saw the sectioned off forward fuselage of WH410 when I visited the Air Engineering Training Institute (AETI) in 1976 at Changi when I was a student member of the Junior Flying Club. When I joined the RSAF later in 1979 and was a trainee at AETI, I don't remember seeing the nose section there but WA880 was still complete and in well kept condition.
YK
Singapore

[Tr4abrit]

Am trying to ascertain whether this aircraft last served with 1574 Target Facilities Flight at Changi or with the Seletar Station Flight before it was "gifted" to the Singapore Air Defence Command for ground instructional training. Had googled and unable to get any definitive leads.
Hope someone can assist on the history of this airframe.

According to my father’s flying log book he regularly flew TT8 “810” out of Changi between August 1964 and February 23rd 1966. There are no logged flights between February 23rd and December 18th 1966 when we left Singapore for the UK. So, either it was gifted after February or transferred to Seletar. I don’t remember my dad talking about aircraft transfers while he was the 1574 TFF commanding officer.