RAF Bovingdon - 1960s
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I never knew there was a Shorts Canteen, but there were quite a lot of their people servicing the Fighter and Coastal Com Flt aircraft. In fact there very few airmen at Bovingdon in 1961/2. I used to bring back Mushrooms for the Bovingdon Officers Mess, which grew in amazing numbers on the airfield at RAF ST Mawgan and Kippers from Stornoway when I flew to them in the Coastal Com Flt Ansons
Last edited by brakedwell; 8th Dec 2022 at 09:22.
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Chevvron - I think the canteen was probably the equivalent of an airport cafe. There is a reference to people coming from abroad and at that stage Bovingdon was still a Civil Airport. Thus I don't think it was a works canteen as such and certainly not an RAF Mess.
I think the civil terminal was the 3 (or 4) buildings on the left as you went in the main gate; in the '60s the one fronting the apron was the Met Office and next to that was one with a 'check in' desk and toilets so maybe there was also a cafe there in addition to the Shorts canteen which was up near hangar 4 where the 7531st were based. As I said, there was a 'canteen' possibly used as an airmen's mess on the RAF domestic site but I haven't a clue where Brakedwell's officers mess was.
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I haven't a clue where Brakedwell's officers mess was.
chevvron, the RAF Officers Mess was about ten minutes walk, south of the main gate, and the USAF Officers/SNCO Cub was about about 100 yards North of the RAF OM.
There were less than 10 of us living in the mess, and It looks as though a housing estate has been biuilt there now.
chevvron, the RAF Officers Mess was about ten minutes walk, south of the main gate, and the USAF Officers/SNCO Cub was about about 100 yards North of the RAF OM.
There were less than 10 of us living in the mess, and It looks as though a housing estate has been biuilt there now.
Aircraft in residence on 8 Jan 1966 (Recorded by Graham Luxton of ARG):-
Anson:PH815, PH858, TX154, TX229, TX230, VL337, VM332, VM351, VM394, VV297, VV958
Pembroke: WV701, WV753, WV754, XK884, XL929
Basset:XS774, XS775, XS776, XS777
Devon: WB534, VP957, VP960, VP962, VP967, VP968, VP971
Mosquito: RS712
Magister: 308/TO
Sedbergh: WB970, XN149
Cadet Mk3: WT871, WT901
Anson:PH815, PH858, TX154, TX229, TX230, VL337, VM332, VM351, VM394, VV297, VV958
Pembroke: WV701, WV753, WV754, XK884, XL929
Basset:XS774, XS775, XS776, XS777
Devon: WB534, VP957, VP960, VP962, VP967, VP968, VP971
Mosquito: RS712
Magister: 308/TO
Sedbergh: WB970, XN149
Cadet Mk3: WT871, WT901
Last edited by chevvron; 10th Dec 2022 at 16:38.
Site plan and other details:-
www.areabasedpolicies_f03_bovingdon(1).pdf
Sorry can't get the link to work; can anyone else do it? I'm not very good at this sort of thing.
www.areabasedpolicies_f03_bovingdon(1).pdf
Sorry can't get the link to work; can anyone else do it? I'm not very good at this sort of thing.
Last edited by chevvron; 9th Dec 2022 at 17:38.
I reckon the 'domestic site' where we had lunch once or twice was Site 11.
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brakedwell the Hastings really was quite a large aeroplane. So pleased the image struck a chord with you. Warmtoast I've always liked your 1956 aerial view of Berkhamsted (Northchurch). I can see the road which I used to whizz up in my Minivan to take the Basset Hound for a walk on the common. There was a very fast bend which the dog sitting in the left hand seat knew very well and anticipated - you could see her lean into the bend - just like a side-car rider in the IOM TT. At the time you flew over I was incarcerated as a boarder in Berkhamsted Prep Skool which I hated and was subsequently removed from. Apart from aeroplanes from Bovey one could hear Steam Expresses roaring through the station and the chug of narrow-boats during the dying days of commercial transport on The Grand Union Canal.
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 28th Dec 2022 at 08:31. Reason: Warmtoast attribution added
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Another photo of one of our Hastings taken in the Azores on the way back from an A Bomb test at Cristmas Island in 1957. Howling gale blew it back into a Portugege B17!
As for the 'tonk tonk tonk' of the barges on the canal (didn't call them 'narrowboats' locally) I remember them well as prior to Farm Place, grannie lived in Provident Place just opposite the 'Brownlow Arms' which was close to both the canal and the railway line and not far from Berkhamsted School.
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Was this a local term too ?
Yes of course it's a Barge. I've been watching too much telly. I hesitate to call myself 'Local' to Berko - say 2 years at skool 1955-57 then with my parents 1964-71. I forgot to mention that my older Cousin Graham preceded me at the same ghastly educational establishment some five years earlier. He became somewhat disenchanted with the regular doses of corporal punishment that he received there and decamped without prior notice to the woods at Hockeridge where conditions were considerably more favourable. After a few days his absence from skool was eventually noticed and his Father ( a Major in The Military Police) was summoned to this country from West Germany and ordered by the Headmaster to remove his son, who had recently been found in much improved health, halfway up a tree clutching a bow and arrow.
Yes of course it's a Barge. I've been watching too much telly. I hesitate to call myself 'Local' to Berko - say 2 years at skool 1955-57 then with my parents 1964-71. I forgot to mention that my older Cousin Graham preceded me at the same ghastly educational establishment some five years earlier. He became somewhat disenchanted with the regular doses of corporal punishment that he received there and decamped without prior notice to the woods at Hockeridge where conditions were considerably more favourable. After a few days his absence from skool was eventually noticed and his Father ( a Major in The Military Police) was summoned to this country from West Germany and ordered by the Headmaster to remove his son, who had recently been found in much improved health, halfway up a tree clutching a bow and arrow.
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 11th Dec 2022 at 07:10.
'The woods at Hockeridge' were right next to Ashlyns School and were the place where my grandfather was killed on his pushbike one day in 1944 by a motorcycle stolen from some Canadians; that was the only time his dog Toby, had refused to go to work with him.
A few days earlier, my grandfather had met Monty who had arrived to review some troops parading on the school playing field but on seeing my grandfather tending his cows, Monty had walked over to him for a chat instead.
A few days earlier, my grandfather had met Monty who had arrived to review some troops parading on the school playing field but on seeing my grandfather tending his cows, Monty had walked over to him for a chat instead.
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A memory of my time at Bovingdon. A friend, who was a pilot on Fighter Com and lived in the mess at Bovingdon, arrived back at base in an Anson and found one of the main undercarriage legs would not come down for the landing. He raised the good leg, shut down one engine, turned the prop to horizontal then started his approach to the main north easterly runway. A short way out he shut down the second engine, used the starter moter to make the prop horizontal and landed wheels up with no damage to the Anson at all.
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The Loss of The Troopship Empire Windrush
Hunting Clan Vikings were chartered to bring survivors to Bovingdon. I believe G-AGRW was the first of the Vikings to depart Bovingdon for Gibraltar. Vikings were also chartered from Eagle Airways to carry survivors to Blackbushe.
Credit BNA
Credit BNA. Birmingham Gazette March 30th 1954.
Credit BNA. Birmingham Gazette March 31st 1954.
Credit BNA
Credit BNA. Birmingham Gazette March 30th 1954.
Credit BNA. Birmingham Gazette March 31st 1954.
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 12th Dec 2022 at 16:04.
A memory of my time at Bovingdon. A friend, who was a pilot on Fighter Com and lived in the mess at Bovingdon, arrived back at base in an Anson and found one of the main undercarriage legs would not come down for the landing. He raised the good leg, shut down one engine, turned the prop to horizontal then started his approach to the main north easterly runway. A short way out he shut down the second engine, used the starter moter to make the prop horizontal and landed wheels up with no damage to the Anson at all.
