RAF Bovingdon - 1960s
Exiting days chevvron. I was stationed at Bovingdon before your gliders appeared and I never got near Fighter Coms Devon when I was on Coastal Com, but I did eventually fly one of the CAA's Doves, G-ANUT when I did the Instrument CAA Examiners Course at Stansted in 1975.
B17s Drifting in The Ether
I came across this rather poor image the other day which was taken at Bovingdon sometime in the early fifties. I thought I might check the Serial Number out and in doing so realized that this B17G had appeared on this thread before:
This image of the VIP transport is dated 1954 and must have been on another occasion as the fin lacks the insignia displayed in the first image.
A bit of digging reveals that in the mid 1940s 448990 was based at Bolling Field, Washington D.C.
On the 1st February 1946 it was flown from Miami to Rancho Boyeros Airport, Cuba.
This film was shot by Major General Frederick Lewis Anderson (1905-1969) one time Commander of the Eighth Bomber Command in Europe 1943. On his return to the America the B17 was assigned to General Anderson and named Mary Winn 11 after his daughter who was crippled by Polio. During his time in Britain, General Anderson had become quite well acquainted with the Churchill Family particularly with some of the women. Sarah Churchill is seen here. President Truman put the B17 and her crew at the disposal of Churchill for the duration of his visit to the USA.
Arrival in Cuba. The Captain, 23 year old Richard Fitzhugh, was wary of crowds on the apron when he was flying Winston Churchill about in 1946.
In 1956 B17 448990 was flown to Arizona and left at the vast storage facility and aircraft Boneyard which was and is Davis-Monthan Air Base near Tuscon. So leaving her to bake under the desert sun we might drift off a little:
Via Michael Luzzi.
Looking through the many images of Davis-Monthan I came across this aeroplane which appears not to have featured much on PPRune. I have all the gen but do you ? Answers please.......
Colonel Dick Fitzhugh (1922-2016) went on to fly B52s in Vietnam. During World War 2 he was based at Glatton, Hunts with the 748th Squadron 457th BG. Between July and December 1944 he and his crew achieved 30 Missions in B17 4232101 'El Lobo'.
Photo. American Air Museum in Britain.
Back Row Left to Right: Lt Rhode, Lt Fitzhugh (Pilot). Lt Meng, Lt Mueller, Lt Schwall. Front Row Left to Right: Sgt McDonald, Sgt Cole, Lt Basuil, Sgt Larsen.
Photo taken November 2nd 1944 (Lead Crew Merseberg raid). Source 457th Bomb Group Website with thanks.
General Anderson had flown combat missions. Here he went along as an Observer on B17 423190 of the 94th BG Rougham (Bury St Edmunds) on 19th May 1943.
The crew on this occasion were: Back Row Left to Right: Sgt Polk**, Sgt Hornden, Sgt McNemar**, Gen Anderson, Col Moore (co-pilot), Col Steele (Pilot), Capt Wattters, Lt Schaefer.
Front Row Left to Right: Sgt Earl Porath* (waist gunner), Sgt Asiala*, Sgt Lewis*, Lt Stanford.
Crew members marked ** Shot down with this aircraft 14 July 1943 evaded capture and returned to England.
Crew members marked * Shot down with this aircraft 14 July 1943 and captured.
Shot down by enemy aircraft without loss of life at Berengeville-la-Campagne near Evreux 14 July 1943. Pilot Capt Harrison. Crew evaded capture and returned to England with the exception of Flt Eng/Top Gunner James Curtis and the three gunners previously mentioned. The aircraft was restored by The Luftwaffe.
Photo this and previous: American Air Museum in Britain.
Moving on. It is back to Davis-Monthan Air Base where this immaculate B17 was photographed in 1960. Sadly it is not the erstwhile 'Mary Winn 11'.
Photo: Tucson Citizen.
Nor is this 'Mary Winn 11'
Photo: Bill Gabbert.
However in 1959 B17 448990 Mary Winn 11 was purchased by M.L. Alison and registered as N3678G. In 1960 she had two 1000 gallon tanks installed and started a new and regrettably short life as a Fire Bomber.
Photo as captioned. Pictured at Winslow Lindbergh Regional Airport, Arizona July 1962. (Note mis-painted registration)
1962
More pics of Cuba Trip here. And thanks to this website for providing interesting information about 448990. https://aerovintage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4581
The Library of Congress holds a transcript of an Interview with Richard Fitzhugh. It looks a bit messy but one can't obtain the recording. Mentions Churchill trips. https://tile.loc.gov/storage-service...973/sr0001.xml
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 14th Jul 2023 at 15:42. Reason: Correction
High Flyers at Bovingdon
General Dwight Eisenhower. Supreme Allied Commander in Europe 1943-44. U.S. Army Chief of Staff 1945-48.
The proximity of Bovingdon to London and The 8th USAAF and Royal Air Force Bomber Commands' Headquarters at High Wycombe meant that there was lot of Coming and Going at the airfield by senior Military figures and Diplomats during the period of The Second World War and the immediate post-war period. It would seem that nearly every General in the 8th USAAF had a personal aircraft which at one time or another would have visited Bovingdon. Mention is often made of 'Ike' keeping an aircraft at Bovingdon but further details are scant. During the period in question Eisenhower had the use of several B17s, two C54s, one B25 and an L5. Not all of these aircraft were based at Bovingdon but some of the B17s and the B25 were.
In November 1942 Operation Torch, the Allied Invasion of French North Africa took place. Two VIP config B17s that I know of, carrying a small number of senior military passengers, with crews from the 92nd Bomb Group at Bovingdon were dispatched to Maison Blanche Airfield near Algiers. Routing Bovingdon-Portreath-Gibraltar-Maison Blanche. On departure from Portreath on November 6th 1942 Capt Tom Hulings and second pilot Kemp McLaughlin, flying B17 41-24414 'Jarrin Jenny 11' , flew through the smoke from an aircraft which had just taken off and crashed ahead of them. This was Hudson AM660 (4 of the 5 crew injured) bound for Gibraltar. A month later on December 6th 1942 Capt Jack Reedy and second pilot Larry Hansen flying B17 41-9082 were at the holding point at Portreath when two departing aircraft flew into the cliffs. As a result the RAF Station Commander immediately grounded all aircraft and full inspections were undertaken for fear of sabotage. Reedy and Hansen were delayed until the following evening. The crashes on the morning of December 6th 1942 involved Beaufort DD980 at 0521 hrs and Hudson FK522 at 0525 hrs, the latter was to have flown to Gibraltar. (I had to re-write this. Got the dates wrong).
On arrival in Algiers 41-24414 and its crew were assigned to General Carl Spaatz and 41-9082 and its crew to General Eisenhower. Incidentally Larry Hansen would shortly be assigned Personal Pilot to Eisenhower a position he held until the end of the war. On one occasion during this period flying Ike to The Casablanca Conference in January 1943 the B17 suffered an engine failure. On arrival at Casablanca Ike told the engineers to change not one but all four engines. I think this was 41-9082 which was by then needing a lot of maintenance both in North Africa and at Bovingdon. A brand new replacement B17 was coming.
Photo American Air Museum in Britain.
In the spring of 1943 an envious General Montgomery obtained the use of a personal B17 (41-9082) and a crew by way of a bet with Eisenhower's Chief of Staff General Bedell-Smith. The wager being that the Eighth Army would not take Sfax in Tunisia by April 15th. The town was captured on April 10th. Unfortunately no one, apart from Montgomery had taken the wager seriously. On winning his wager Monty insisted on the bet being honoured. The whole affair led to some ill-feeling on the part of the loosers who presented the B17 to the General on April 17th.
Photo American Air Museum in Britain.
This is Monty's second crew period June-August 1943. Captain Richard E. Evans standing far right. Unfortunately the crew names are not captioned with this image. They were however: Lt Johnson 2nd pilot, Sgt Austin Ball turret Gunner, Sgt Ward Tail Gunner, Lt Beringsmith Bombardier, Lt Carver Navigator. *Sgt Owens Crew Chief. *Sgt Morris Radio Op and *Sgt Kennedy Waist Gunner. * Killed in another aircraft. General Montgomery was greatly saddened by their loss.
In May 1944 General Eisenhower took delivery of a modified B25 34030. It had accommodation for ten persons including the crew. Based initially at Bovingdon and flown by Larry Hansen it was very much used to follow the battle by Eisenhower after the Allies' D-Day invasion. The B25 was used by Ike until May 1945 and returned to to the USA in 1947 where it is now preserved.
Photo Eisenhower Presidential Library Museum
Thought to be at A-72 Mons-en-chaussee 1944. Note presence of Eisenhower's Driver/Secretary Kay Summersby and obscured left, Eisenhower's Pilot Larry Hansen.
By December 1944 Eisenhower was worried about the lack of progress that The Soviets were making in their part of invading Germany. A message was sent to Stalin to ask if he would meet two high ranking American Officers plus Eisenhower's Deputy, Air Chief Marshal Tedder for a full exchange of information in the hope of being able to coordinate the invasion of Germany on two fronts. To this end Tedder and his fellow travellers arrived at Bovingdon on the 30th December 1944 hoping to take off the next morning. Technical problems with the B25 (one assumes that it might be Eisenhower's aircraft) meant a delay of 24 hours on a journey that would subsequently take a fortnight. As Tedder later remarked, had he known this beforehand he would have walked to Moscow. The exchange of frequent messages between Stalin and Churchill as to the whereabouts of Tedder and his party of whom apparently nobody had heard from are quite amusing. Tedder finally saw Stalin On January 15th 1945.
Photo U.S. Army Signal Corps.
Air Chief Marshal Tedder, Lt Gen Spaatz and Marshall Zhukov prior to taking the German Surrender at Zhukov's HQ, Karlshorst, Berlin May 7th 1945.
Franklin D Roosevelt and General Eisenhower flying from Cairo to Tehran for The Tehran Conference (November 28th- December 1st 1943)
The aircraft is a C54 Skymaster operated by TWA under contract to the U.S Government.
Credit World War Photos
This is one of two C54s named 'Sunflower' and 'Sunflower 11' being rolled off the line at Santa Monica in 1945. Delivered to Washington on June 19th 1945 for the use of General Eisenhower. Now we can turn to a page of John Young's wonderful Bovingdon Diary.
Diary extract for Sunday October 13th 1946 with very many thanks to Keith Fletcher for permission to use. Well as usual I don't have an image of the aircraft at Bovingdon..........
Photo New Forest Knowledge.
Sunflower 11 (44-9146) departing Stoney Cross Airfield, Hants for Frankfurt 28th September 1946 with General and Mrs Eisenhower (who hasn't flown much nor been to Britain or Europe before) aboard. The Eisenhowers and their party arrived at Southampton on the Queen Mary on 27th September. Ike is undertaking one of his tours of inspection in occupied Europe. They will return next on October 1st when they fly from Berlin Templehof to Prestwick for a tour of Scotland which will include a stay with the Royal Family at Balmoral. Thence to London and a return to Frankfurt from Bovingdon on Sunday October 13th 1946. Mention of Templehof......
Photo eth-bibliothek Zurich.
4th December 1958. The arrival at Templehof on board 44-9146 of Chancellor Adenhauer who was not permitted to travel to Berlin on a German aircraft.
This particular aircraft continued service with the USAF until it was sent to the Storage Depot at Davis Monthan where it was scrapped in 1976.
Winston Churchill.
On Friday 29th December 1944 at 1530 hrs due to fog at Northolt Winston Churchill's C54 lands at Bovingdon. He has flown in following a night stop at Naples having previously departed Athens where he had tried with little success to mediate in the civil unrest that had broken out in Greece. (At the Air HQ at Kifissia north of Athens 600 RAF Servicemen had been captured and were forced-marched away, over the mountains, in very in harsh winter conditions by The Communists).
Winston Churchill's palatial C54 at Odiham. When becoming Prime Minister, Clement Attlee had short use of the aircraft before it was returned to the Americans along with those C54s which had apparently been 'loaned' to The Royal Air Force. On its return to the USA General George C Marshall made it his personal aircraft. It was damaged beyond repair in a taxying accident, Nanking China 13th October 1946.
W.Averell Harriman U.S. Ambassador to Moscow.
Credit GWU National Security Archive.
Diary entry for 4th October 1945 by Robert P Meiklejohn secretary to W.Averell Harriman. I cannot establish what sort of aircraft this is. I would guess perhaps a VIP B17 or a C87A Liberator. Perhaps not up to scratch for the Ambassador, for on the following day when they fly from Frankfurt to Berlin Mr Harriman cadges a lift on a C54 and Kay Summersby joins Kathleen and Lt Meiklejohn on their aircraft.
Photo Gen Stanley Scott U.S. Army.
Averall Harriman and his talented daughter Kathleen. Pictured here at Tehran in October 1943. They are about to board a C54 for Moscow where Harriman will take up the post of US Ambassador whilst his daughter will act as the Ambassador's hostess.
Photo Son of Sandor.
Presidential VC-54c Skymaster 42-107451 at Bolling Field Washington D.C. 1st August 1947. Delivered June 12th 1944. Nicknamed 'Sacred Cow'. Crew of seven and accommodation for 15 passengers. Fitted with an elevator to facilitate President Roosevelt's wheelchair. Later used by President Truman until 1947. Continued use as VIP and general transport a/c until October 1961. Preserved Wright Patterson AFB.
Crown Prince Saud Ibn Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia.
The Prince is seen here at Bovingdon arriving on the American President's VC-54c on February 21st 1947. He is returning from a visit to President Truman in America where I think he was hoping to acquire some financial support and encourage expanding American interests in his country. When King in five or so year's time he will acquire his own C54 (second-hand).
I will post part two this evening.........
Sources: Laurence Hansen 'What it was like flying for Ike.' Largo, Florida 1983 and J.Kemp McLaughlin 'The Mighty Eighth in WW11.' Lexington 2000.
The proximity of Bovingdon to London and The 8th USAAF and Royal Air Force Bomber Commands' Headquarters at High Wycombe meant that there was lot of Coming and Going at the airfield by senior Military figures and Diplomats during the period of The Second World War and the immediate post-war period. It would seem that nearly every General in the 8th USAAF had a personal aircraft which at one time or another would have visited Bovingdon. Mention is often made of 'Ike' keeping an aircraft at Bovingdon but further details are scant. During the period in question Eisenhower had the use of several B17s, two C54s, one B25 and an L5. Not all of these aircraft were based at Bovingdon but some of the B17s and the B25 were.
In November 1942 Operation Torch, the Allied Invasion of French North Africa took place. Two VIP config B17s that I know of, carrying a small number of senior military passengers, with crews from the 92nd Bomb Group at Bovingdon were dispatched to Maison Blanche Airfield near Algiers. Routing Bovingdon-Portreath-Gibraltar-Maison Blanche. On departure from Portreath on November 6th 1942 Capt Tom Hulings and second pilot Kemp McLaughlin, flying B17 41-24414 'Jarrin Jenny 11' , flew through the smoke from an aircraft which had just taken off and crashed ahead of them. This was Hudson AM660 (4 of the 5 crew injured) bound for Gibraltar. A month later on December 6th 1942 Capt Jack Reedy and second pilot Larry Hansen flying B17 41-9082 were at the holding point at Portreath when two departing aircraft flew into the cliffs. As a result the RAF Station Commander immediately grounded all aircraft and full inspections were undertaken for fear of sabotage. Reedy and Hansen were delayed until the following evening. The crashes on the morning of December 6th 1942 involved Beaufort DD980 at 0521 hrs and Hudson FK522 at 0525 hrs, the latter was to have flown to Gibraltar. (I had to re-write this. Got the dates wrong).
On arrival in Algiers 41-24414 and its crew were assigned to General Carl Spaatz and 41-9082 and its crew to General Eisenhower. Incidentally Larry Hansen would shortly be assigned Personal Pilot to Eisenhower a position he held until the end of the war. On one occasion during this period flying Ike to The Casablanca Conference in January 1943 the B17 suffered an engine failure. On arrival at Casablanca Ike told the engineers to change not one but all four engines. I think this was 41-9082 which was by then needing a lot of maintenance both in North Africa and at Bovingdon. A brand new replacement B17 was coming.
Photo American Air Museum in Britain.
In the spring of 1943 an envious General Montgomery obtained the use of a personal B17 (41-9082) and a crew by way of a bet with Eisenhower's Chief of Staff General Bedell-Smith. The wager being that the Eighth Army would not take Sfax in Tunisia by April 15th. The town was captured on April 10th. Unfortunately no one, apart from Montgomery had taken the wager seriously. On winning his wager Monty insisted on the bet being honoured. The whole affair led to some ill-feeling on the part of the loosers who presented the B17 to the General on April 17th.
Photo American Air Museum in Britain.
This is Monty's second crew period June-August 1943. Captain Richard E. Evans standing far right. Unfortunately the crew names are not captioned with this image. They were however: Lt Johnson 2nd pilot, Sgt Austin Ball turret Gunner, Sgt Ward Tail Gunner, Lt Beringsmith Bombardier, Lt Carver Navigator. *Sgt Owens Crew Chief. *Sgt Morris Radio Op and *Sgt Kennedy Waist Gunner. * Killed in another aircraft. General Montgomery was greatly saddened by their loss.
In May 1944 General Eisenhower took delivery of a modified B25 34030. It had accommodation for ten persons including the crew. Based initially at Bovingdon and flown by Larry Hansen it was very much used to follow the battle by Eisenhower after the Allies' D-Day invasion. The B25 was used by Ike until May 1945 and returned to to the USA in 1947 where it is now preserved.
Photo Eisenhower Presidential Library Museum
Thought to be at A-72 Mons-en-chaussee 1944. Note presence of Eisenhower's Driver/Secretary Kay Summersby and obscured left, Eisenhower's Pilot Larry Hansen.
By December 1944 Eisenhower was worried about the lack of progress that The Soviets were making in their part of invading Germany. A message was sent to Stalin to ask if he would meet two high ranking American Officers plus Eisenhower's Deputy, Air Chief Marshal Tedder for a full exchange of information in the hope of being able to coordinate the invasion of Germany on two fronts. To this end Tedder and his fellow travellers arrived at Bovingdon on the 30th December 1944 hoping to take off the next morning. Technical problems with the B25 (one assumes that it might be Eisenhower's aircraft) meant a delay of 24 hours on a journey that would subsequently take a fortnight. As Tedder later remarked, had he known this beforehand he would have walked to Moscow. The exchange of frequent messages between Stalin and Churchill as to the whereabouts of Tedder and his party of whom apparently nobody had heard from are quite amusing. Tedder finally saw Stalin On January 15th 1945.
Photo U.S. Army Signal Corps.
Air Chief Marshal Tedder, Lt Gen Spaatz and Marshall Zhukov prior to taking the German Surrender at Zhukov's HQ, Karlshorst, Berlin May 7th 1945.
Franklin D Roosevelt and General Eisenhower flying from Cairo to Tehran for The Tehran Conference (November 28th- December 1st 1943)
The aircraft is a C54 Skymaster operated by TWA under contract to the U.S Government.
Credit World War Photos
This is one of two C54s named 'Sunflower' and 'Sunflower 11' being rolled off the line at Santa Monica in 1945. Delivered to Washington on June 19th 1945 for the use of General Eisenhower. Now we can turn to a page of John Young's wonderful Bovingdon Diary.
Diary extract for Sunday October 13th 1946 with very many thanks to Keith Fletcher for permission to use. Well as usual I don't have an image of the aircraft at Bovingdon..........
Photo New Forest Knowledge.
Sunflower 11 (44-9146) departing Stoney Cross Airfield, Hants for Frankfurt 28th September 1946 with General and Mrs Eisenhower (who hasn't flown much nor been to Britain or Europe before) aboard. The Eisenhowers and their party arrived at Southampton on the Queen Mary on 27th September. Ike is undertaking one of his tours of inspection in occupied Europe. They will return next on October 1st when they fly from Berlin Templehof to Prestwick for a tour of Scotland which will include a stay with the Royal Family at Balmoral. Thence to London and a return to Frankfurt from Bovingdon on Sunday October 13th 1946. Mention of Templehof......
Photo eth-bibliothek Zurich.
4th December 1958. The arrival at Templehof on board 44-9146 of Chancellor Adenhauer who was not permitted to travel to Berlin on a German aircraft.
This particular aircraft continued service with the USAF until it was sent to the Storage Depot at Davis Monthan where it was scrapped in 1976.
Winston Churchill.
On Friday 29th December 1944 at 1530 hrs due to fog at Northolt Winston Churchill's C54 lands at Bovingdon. He has flown in following a night stop at Naples having previously departed Athens where he had tried with little success to mediate in the civil unrest that had broken out in Greece. (At the Air HQ at Kifissia north of Athens 600 RAF Servicemen had been captured and were forced-marched away, over the mountains, in very in harsh winter conditions by The Communists).
Winston Churchill's palatial C54 at Odiham. When becoming Prime Minister, Clement Attlee had short use of the aircraft before it was returned to the Americans along with those C54s which had apparently been 'loaned' to The Royal Air Force. On its return to the USA General George C Marshall made it his personal aircraft. It was damaged beyond repair in a taxying accident, Nanking China 13th October 1946.
W.Averell Harriman U.S. Ambassador to Moscow.
Credit GWU National Security Archive.
Diary entry for 4th October 1945 by Robert P Meiklejohn secretary to W.Averell Harriman. I cannot establish what sort of aircraft this is. I would guess perhaps a VIP B17 or a C87A Liberator. Perhaps not up to scratch for the Ambassador, for on the following day when they fly from Frankfurt to Berlin Mr Harriman cadges a lift on a C54 and Kay Summersby joins Kathleen and Lt Meiklejohn on their aircraft.
Photo Gen Stanley Scott U.S. Army.
Averall Harriman and his talented daughter Kathleen. Pictured here at Tehran in October 1943. They are about to board a C54 for Moscow where Harriman will take up the post of US Ambassador whilst his daughter will act as the Ambassador's hostess.
Photo Son of Sandor.
Presidential VC-54c Skymaster 42-107451 at Bolling Field Washington D.C. 1st August 1947. Delivered June 12th 1944. Nicknamed 'Sacred Cow'. Crew of seven and accommodation for 15 passengers. Fitted with an elevator to facilitate President Roosevelt's wheelchair. Later used by President Truman until 1947. Continued use as VIP and general transport a/c until October 1961. Preserved Wright Patterson AFB.
Crown Prince Saud Ibn Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia.
The Prince is seen here at Bovingdon arriving on the American President's VC-54c on February 21st 1947. He is returning from a visit to President Truman in America where I think he was hoping to acquire some financial support and encourage expanding American interests in his country. When King in five or so year's time he will acquire his own C54 (second-hand).
I will post part two this evening.........
Sources: Laurence Hansen 'What it was like flying for Ike.' Largo, Florida 1983 and J.Kemp McLaughlin 'The Mighty Eighth in WW11.' Lexington 2000.
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 5th Aug 2023 at 21:44. Reason: Correction to dates VIP B17s at Portreath + Sources.
Post-War Civil with a scattering of High Flyers
In the previous post in relation to Eisenhower's C54 'Sunflower 11' at Bovingdon John Young's Diary mentions the aircraft as having a larger than usual passenger window. Below is a brief excerpt from long interview given by Sunflower 11's Captain (Retired General Charles Bennett).
Source: Charles Bennett Oral History Eisenhower Presidential Library.
January 1946. John Young's Diary. With many thanks to Keith Fletcher !
In October 1945 the US Embassy in London asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation to allow US Civil Airlines to use Bovingdon as an alternate to Hurn and Prestwick. I don't know if this came to anything. In the event the airfield wasn't released by the USAAF to the RAF until 15th April 1946. It is interesting that John Young spotted the American Overseas Airlines Skymaster. This was a company that was operating scheduled services from Boston and New York to London and The Continent. London Airport was yet to open officially. That took place on May 31st 1946.
An early undated image of NC90901 'Flagship America' at Oslo, Norway. This company was forever changing the smaller details and titling of its livery.
It became King Saud's Private Aircraft c 1952-1954 before being transferred to Saudi Arabian Airlines as HZ-AAW period 1954-64.
Photo Ken Fielding. At Heathrow 1964.
Next it was sold to a couple of small German outfits as D-ADAB 1966-69 and it is said that it ended its days as an eating place at Lampertheim, Germany. As far as I know it was scrapped near there in 1979.
In his diary for December 1946 John Young records A Pan American Lockheed Constellation NC88868 at Bovingdon but the date is not clear. A few images (as usual not at Bovingdon) follow.
An early image of NC88868 at an unknown location. Pan Am was another company that sometimes changed the name of its aircraft.
.
With Delta 1956-1960 at an unknown location.
Photo as captioned. Looks like the end of the line. Scholes Field Galveston, Texas. July 1970.
John F Kennedy.
I was looking at a Website called ' Finding Presidents and their Ancestors in The Strangest Places' by Stephen P. Morse and came across this:
Now what brought Jack Kennedy to England is all rather sad and I don't have enough room here to post the pictures. So I'll do a miscellany after this called Tail-Enders....
Meanwhile we have this AOA aircraft at Bovingdon. Constellation NC90922. It departed from Bovingdon for New York on the 8th October 1948. All rather strange. I've checked the weather and it was 600 yards viz that morning at London Airport where GCA had been available since 1947. Next I looked at the timetable below for that day of the week and it looks like a lunchtime arrival at London from New York is scheduled. Perhaps they were just having a bad day? Early morning fog and freezing temperatures were a feature of the UK weather that week.
Airline Timetable Images with thanks !
A few Connie Snaps:
Images Leslie Jones Collection Boston Public Library .
Undercarriage collapse on landing at Boston 3rd May 1947.
On lease from Pan Am - Mexico City 1957.
For Scrap at Galeao Brazil 1970.
Congressman John F Kennedy at the Voting Booth. 11th District Boston September 1948.
Source: Charles Bennett Oral History Eisenhower Presidential Library.
January 1946. John Young's Diary. With many thanks to Keith Fletcher !
In October 1945 the US Embassy in London asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation to allow US Civil Airlines to use Bovingdon as an alternate to Hurn and Prestwick. I don't know if this came to anything. In the event the airfield wasn't released by the USAAF to the RAF until 15th April 1946. It is interesting that John Young spotted the American Overseas Airlines Skymaster. This was a company that was operating scheduled services from Boston and New York to London and The Continent. London Airport was yet to open officially. That took place on May 31st 1946.
An early undated image of NC90901 'Flagship America' at Oslo, Norway. This company was forever changing the smaller details and titling of its livery.
It became King Saud's Private Aircraft c 1952-1954 before being transferred to Saudi Arabian Airlines as HZ-AAW period 1954-64.
Photo Ken Fielding. At Heathrow 1964.
Next it was sold to a couple of small German outfits as D-ADAB 1966-69 and it is said that it ended its days as an eating place at Lampertheim, Germany. As far as I know it was scrapped near there in 1979.
In his diary for December 1946 John Young records A Pan American Lockheed Constellation NC88868 at Bovingdon but the date is not clear. A few images (as usual not at Bovingdon) follow.
An early image of NC88868 at an unknown location. Pan Am was another company that sometimes changed the name of its aircraft.
.
With Delta 1956-1960 at an unknown location.
Photo as captioned. Looks like the end of the line. Scholes Field Galveston, Texas. July 1970.
John F Kennedy.
I was looking at a Website called ' Finding Presidents and their Ancestors in The Strangest Places' by Stephen P. Morse and came across this:
Now what brought Jack Kennedy to England is all rather sad and I don't have enough room here to post the pictures. So I'll do a miscellany after this called Tail-Enders....
Meanwhile we have this AOA aircraft at Bovingdon. Constellation NC90922. It departed from Bovingdon for New York on the 8th October 1948. All rather strange. I've checked the weather and it was 600 yards viz that morning at London Airport where GCA had been available since 1947. Next I looked at the timetable below for that day of the week and it looks like a lunchtime arrival at London from New York is scheduled. Perhaps they were just having a bad day? Early morning fog and freezing temperatures were a feature of the UK weather that week.
Airline Timetable Images with thanks !
A few Connie Snaps:
Images Leslie Jones Collection Boston Public Library .
Undercarriage collapse on landing at Boston 3rd May 1947.
On lease from Pan Am - Mexico City 1957.
For Scrap at Galeao Brazil 1970.
Congressman John F Kennedy at the Voting Booth. 11th District Boston September 1948.
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 5th Aug 2023 at 10:13. Reason: Tidy Up
Tail-Enders.
Kathleen Kennedy (sister of JFK) with her brother Joe jnr on their way to Chelsea Registry Office 6th May 1944.
Kathleen marries William Cavendish, Lord Hartington heir to the Duchy of Devonshire.
Very sadly on 12th August 1944 her brother Joe is killed near Blythburgh, Suffolk piloting an 'Aphrodite Drone' which blew up.
William Cavendish, a Captain in The Coldstream Guards is killed in action in Belgium 10th September 1944.
In 1947 whilst on a working tour of Europe John F Kennedy visited his widowed sister in Ireland probably in early Autumn. Later in London, already of frail constitution, Kennedy is taken seriously ill and is diagnosed as suffering from Addison's Disease which is incurable. Still in the poorest of health he cuts short his tour and on October 11th sails for New York where on arrival he takes a chartered plane to Boston where he is immediately admitted to Hospital.
On 13th May 1948 Kathleen leaves by plane from Croydon for Cannes with her lover Lord Peter Fitzwilliam. Planning to spend a few days on the Riviera they are hoping to see Kathleen's Father in Paris to discuss their future together. Unfortunately they, together with the crew, are killed when the aircraft crashes in poor weather conditions.
Source BNA
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=15
On the 24th June 1948 John F Kennedy leaves by ship for England to settle his Sister's Estate. There is no record of his return to America but he was back there by mid July. I can only assume that his next trip to England was made in the Fall of 1948 and was perhaps again in part connected with finalizing his Sister's Estate. In the event her Will was filed for Probate on 2nd December 1948.
Now for something a bit more Jolly:
General Spaatz and his B17G 44-83259 circa 1944. Named after his daughter. Location unknown.
And now for that exclusive club of Tail-Enders:
The Truly Indefatigable and Energetic Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt. (Crikey it's Bovingdon)
Photo American Air Museum in Britain.
'Phyllis' at Bovingdon following a mid-air collision 9th October 1942. Pilot James Dempsey standing left.
Mrs Roosevelt visited Bovingdon on 29th October 1942 seen here with her Son Elliott. Col Roosevelt was attending a two week course at Bovingdon together with his men of the 15th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron before deployment to North Africa with the 12th USAAF.
The Illustrated London News 7th November 1942. (BNA).
Poor Mrs Roosevelt, it always seemed to be raining on her airfield visits. Everybody got absolutely soaked when she visited the ATA at White Waltham. She travelled with the minimum of clothing and had only two hats. Seldom in bed before 1 a.m. with breakfast served promptly at 08.30 every morning.
Press and Journal 30th Oct 1942.
Guess where ? (B17 Tail Gunner's Access Door)
American Air Museum in Britain
41-9020 'Phyllis' 92nd BG on a later date at Alconbury.
Mrs Roosevelt boarding a C47 at Eglington bound for Prestwick.
Photo New Forest Knowledge.
This one is rather a mystery. Mrs Eisenhower appears to be boarding this aircraft. She is at Stoney Cross Airfield and her husband Ike is standing near his C54 chewing the cud and having a fag with his pals before they both leave for Frankfurt.
There's a fellah here just standing and gawping with his hand in his pocket (don't think the General would be impressed) and there is another chap here who appears in all the other photos I've seen to be chained to his bag. No seats in the aircraft and Mrs E not a keen flyer - indeed she had never flown before that year of 1946. Perhaps she is just having a quick look...........?
Operating in Vietnam as a Douglas EC-47Q, whilst on a radio location mission, this aircraft 45-1133 was shot down over Laos by ground fire on 5th February 1969. All 10 crew members perished. They were located on 16th May 1969.
Finally - c1942- B15s and I'm sorry it is not Bovingdon but Bolling Field, Washington DC. Home to many of the USAAF VIP aeroplanes.
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 8th Aug 2023 at 17:02. Reason: Tidy Up
A few more snippets
Photo Randy Malmstrom.
Mitchell 34030 c1946 somewhere in Occupied Europe (D.Day Stripes removed). Note Bomb Damage. Images of 34030 at that time are very few and far between.This aircraft is preserved today at The South Dakota Air and Space Museum.
More on Sunflowers in Germany here: https://www-fliegerhorst--eschborn-d..._x_tr_pto=wapp
More on Churchill's C54 here:https://airscapemag.com/2020/01/15/t...-ew999-part-2/
Having bored the pants off you all, you will be greatly relieved to learn that I think I have nearly run out of steam. If you can make fresh contributions with any fading memories or photographs that you might have of Bovingdon then please do so.
Leading to the Threshold of 04. To think we used to stand near here between the Traffic Lights...............
Photo Peter Wiles with thanks !
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 8th Aug 2023 at 17:11. Reason: Tidy Up
Thread Starter
Here's hoping you find more items, Q'. It'd be great to keep this thread's momentum going. I've learned so much from all its contributors.
Back in the 70s or 80s, a Cessna 172 would operate in/out of Bovingdon, landing on runway 02/20 and taxying through those gates (which of course weren't there at the time) across the main road to park in the field opposite.
Here we are chevvron....The progress of 'Over-runners' was often arrested by the slight ditch and hedge to the right of the gate. I did once see one foggy morning the splendid sight of a Shackleton landing short in this field - Crikey it must have been well over sixty years ago !
This was one of the more spectacular 'Bolters' 26th October 1951.
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 7th Aug 2023 at 10:41.
South Pacific - The White House - Set in Stone (Concrete actually) !
SOUTH PACIFIC - THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A DAME
Mrs Roosevelt conducted a South Pacific Tour during the period of September 13-18th 1943. Guadalcanal was included in the itinerary. By then she had been travelling non-stop for a month, had lost 30lbs in weight and was becoming exhausted - So What ? She just carried on..........
Image by 'John' VPB-104PB4YSquadron website. Mrs Roosevelt wears her Red Cross Uniform.
I hope you don't mind as it's not really Bovingdon but Mrs Roosevelt made an impression on me.
THE WHITE HOUSE
While I was tapping away on my last epic I was writing about VIP B17s being flown out from Bovingdon to Maison Blanche in Algeria. You will have to forgive me here when I say that in my Mind (what is left of it ) at that time I imagined a fine White House surrounded by gardens, orchards heavy with fruit overlooking the sparkling, warm Mediterranean........
Alas nothing could be further from the truth..........
Wikimedia
Maison Blanche Airfield Algiers. Captured by elements of the British and American Armies from The Vichy French 8th November 1942.
Quoting from Gen Kemp McLaughlin's book on his B17's arrival at Maison Blanche from Bovingdon and Gibraltar on 9th November 1942 'We arrived in mid-afternoon to find the airport under Allied control but jammed with fighter, bomber and transport airplanes. The field was very muddy and when we attempted to taxi to our designated parking area we promptly became mired to the wheel hubs. Someone found a farm tractor and towed us to our parking spot, where we were again stuck deep in the mud'.
While looking at images at Maison Blanche I came across this:
American Air Museum in Britain.
Now who would parade his troops just after a cloudburst ?
American Air Museum In Britain
27 Dec 1942. Lt Col Elliott Roosevelt receiving The DFC from General Jimmy Doolittle for the outstanding services performed by Roosevelt's Third Reconnaisance Group in the African Campaign.
Someone is going to have to step through a puddle sooner or later. Have you seen that ole' B17 in the background ? That's Stinky who in a couple of weeks' time will visit Ireland while attempting to return to Bovingdon. I'll give a link to Stinky to save you having to wade way back through this thread.RAF Bovingdon - 1960s
Image Asisbiz
Maison Blanche June 1943.
SET IN STONE
Image WW2 Irishaviation.com.
Rocks were painted white and embedded in concrete. This particular example Marker 77 Horn Head, County Donegal.
As if to emphasize their neutrality in 1943 The Republic of Ireland placed markers at coastal locations to warn foreign aircraft off. They would not have been introduced in time to assist the passage of Stinky who was lost and running out of fuel. Stinky eventually force-landed in the grounds of the Agricultural College near Athenry in County Galway on 5th January 1943. If you have the time to listen, Gen McLaughlin who was Stinky's 2nd pilot and based at Bovingdon in the early days of the 92nd BG and the 1/11th CCRC recorded an extensive interview which is well worth visiting. He died in 2019 aged 101 years.
https://www.ww2online.org/view/james...#first-mission
Eisenhower's Pilot Larry Hansen's return to Bovingdon from North Africa was slightly fraught. To quote from his book 'What it was like flying for 'Ike' 'In December 1943 General Eisenhower was selected to command all allied forces in Europe. I had the responsibility of getting the complete office staff from Africa to England and having his staff in England ready to operate when he arrived. Elliott Roosevelt asked me if he could borrow my navigator to make a special flight to England and so, naturally, since he was a full Colonel and also the son of the President of The United States, I had to give in. However I took my remaining crew with a borrowed navigator, Lt Webber and departed for England by the way of Marrakech, French Morocco. This day I will always remember as it was New Year's Day 1944. We departed with the B17 completely filled with office equipment and 17 passengers. Enroute we had engine trouble and continued on three engines. We checked our position periodically as best we could. However after some nine or ten hours from North Africa over the sea, the navigator frankly admitted to us that he was not sure where we were. This was a sad thing to hear after all those hours of flight. Dick Underwood (2nd Pilot) and I immediately began to navigate ourselves. Most of the radio signals we received were false German signals used to lure us to German positions in order that they could shoot us down or attract fighters.
During this hectic period a WAC, Sue ........had a call from Mother Nature and came up to the cockpit to whisper in my ear. She asked what she should do about this situation. I told her to use the relief tube in the bomb bay. Naturally, after a short period of time, she came back up to the cockpit and told me she could not use "that thing as it was too small and male oriented." The only answer I could think of was that my outer helmet at that time must serve a dual purpose. As the weather started to improve, we noticed on the horizon a large formation of clouds to the west and to the east far up ahead and knowing something about weather I elected to head for the large formation to the west. As is well known, land creates clouds because of reflected heat from the sun during daylight and that formation of clouds was the surface of the earth to head for. Prior to our departure we were briefed that, should we come over Ireland, there would be large numbers laid out on the ground to enable aircraft to locate their position and stay away from Ireland. We had this in mind, of course, and were hoping we would see such a thing. After a short while we came upon a very large rock sticking out of the water. We continued on, remembering however, that if we had to ditch our airplane, we would want to land it on the water near this rock. We soon came across land and discovered it to be southern Ireland as we spotted a large number 16. We knew our exact location and flew on to the base that had been expecting us in Southern England. We soon had the fourth engine fixed and flew on to our base on the north side of London (Bovingdon).'
Larry Henson's Landfall. Marker 16. Hook Head, County Wexford. The lighthouse here is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the world. Link follows:
https://coastmonkey.ie/world-war-two...-head-wexford/
RED - Stinky near Athenry
YELLOW - Marker 16 Hook Head
ORANGE LOWER - Portreath
ORANGE UPPER - St Mawgan
BLUE - Bovingdon
Portreath and later St Mawgan had special despatch units (Both RAF and USAAF ) for movements to Gibraltar and North Africa during the period of Operation Torch. Both were large busy airfields. Portreath still exists today, unused apart from a Remote Radar Head. St Mawgan remains in civil use - perhaps now better known as Newquay.
Histories available here:https://www.americanairmuseum.com/ar...lace/portreath
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/ar...lace/st-mawgan
Portreath Airfield 1944.
Photo Rossographer Geograph.
Much interest is shown in Ireland today in locating and restoring these unusual relics from The Second World War.
Mrs Roosevelt conducted a South Pacific Tour during the period of September 13-18th 1943. Guadalcanal was included in the itinerary. By then she had been travelling non-stop for a month, had lost 30lbs in weight and was becoming exhausted - So What ? She just carried on..........
Image by 'John' VPB-104PB4YSquadron website. Mrs Roosevelt wears her Red Cross Uniform.
I hope you don't mind as it's not really Bovingdon but Mrs Roosevelt made an impression on me.
THE WHITE HOUSE
While I was tapping away on my last epic I was writing about VIP B17s being flown out from Bovingdon to Maison Blanche in Algeria. You will have to forgive me here when I say that in my Mind (what is left of it ) at that time I imagined a fine White House surrounded by gardens, orchards heavy with fruit overlooking the sparkling, warm Mediterranean........
Alas nothing could be further from the truth..........
Wikimedia
Maison Blanche Airfield Algiers. Captured by elements of the British and American Armies from The Vichy French 8th November 1942.
Quoting from Gen Kemp McLaughlin's book on his B17's arrival at Maison Blanche from Bovingdon and Gibraltar on 9th November 1942 'We arrived in mid-afternoon to find the airport under Allied control but jammed with fighter, bomber and transport airplanes. The field was very muddy and when we attempted to taxi to our designated parking area we promptly became mired to the wheel hubs. Someone found a farm tractor and towed us to our parking spot, where we were again stuck deep in the mud'.
While looking at images at Maison Blanche I came across this:
American Air Museum in Britain.
Now who would parade his troops just after a cloudburst ?
American Air Museum In Britain
27 Dec 1942. Lt Col Elliott Roosevelt receiving The DFC from General Jimmy Doolittle for the outstanding services performed by Roosevelt's Third Reconnaisance Group in the African Campaign.
Someone is going to have to step through a puddle sooner or later. Have you seen that ole' B17 in the background ? That's Stinky who in a couple of weeks' time will visit Ireland while attempting to return to Bovingdon. I'll give a link to Stinky to save you having to wade way back through this thread.RAF Bovingdon - 1960s
Image Asisbiz
Maison Blanche June 1943.
SET IN STONE
Image WW2 Irishaviation.com.
Rocks were painted white and embedded in concrete. This particular example Marker 77 Horn Head, County Donegal.
As if to emphasize their neutrality in 1943 The Republic of Ireland placed markers at coastal locations to warn foreign aircraft off. They would not have been introduced in time to assist the passage of Stinky who was lost and running out of fuel. Stinky eventually force-landed in the grounds of the Agricultural College near Athenry in County Galway on 5th January 1943. If you have the time to listen, Gen McLaughlin who was Stinky's 2nd pilot and based at Bovingdon in the early days of the 92nd BG and the 1/11th CCRC recorded an extensive interview which is well worth visiting. He died in 2019 aged 101 years.
https://www.ww2online.org/view/james...#first-mission
Eisenhower's Pilot Larry Hansen's return to Bovingdon from North Africa was slightly fraught. To quote from his book 'What it was like flying for 'Ike' 'In December 1943 General Eisenhower was selected to command all allied forces in Europe. I had the responsibility of getting the complete office staff from Africa to England and having his staff in England ready to operate when he arrived. Elliott Roosevelt asked me if he could borrow my navigator to make a special flight to England and so, naturally, since he was a full Colonel and also the son of the President of The United States, I had to give in. However I took my remaining crew with a borrowed navigator, Lt Webber and departed for England by the way of Marrakech, French Morocco. This day I will always remember as it was New Year's Day 1944. We departed with the B17 completely filled with office equipment and 17 passengers. Enroute we had engine trouble and continued on three engines. We checked our position periodically as best we could. However after some nine or ten hours from North Africa over the sea, the navigator frankly admitted to us that he was not sure where we were. This was a sad thing to hear after all those hours of flight. Dick Underwood (2nd Pilot) and I immediately began to navigate ourselves. Most of the radio signals we received were false German signals used to lure us to German positions in order that they could shoot us down or attract fighters.
During this hectic period a WAC, Sue ........had a call from Mother Nature and came up to the cockpit to whisper in my ear. She asked what she should do about this situation. I told her to use the relief tube in the bomb bay. Naturally, after a short period of time, she came back up to the cockpit and told me she could not use "that thing as it was too small and male oriented." The only answer I could think of was that my outer helmet at that time must serve a dual purpose. As the weather started to improve, we noticed on the horizon a large formation of clouds to the west and to the east far up ahead and knowing something about weather I elected to head for the large formation to the west. As is well known, land creates clouds because of reflected heat from the sun during daylight and that formation of clouds was the surface of the earth to head for. Prior to our departure we were briefed that, should we come over Ireland, there would be large numbers laid out on the ground to enable aircraft to locate their position and stay away from Ireland. We had this in mind, of course, and were hoping we would see such a thing. After a short while we came upon a very large rock sticking out of the water. We continued on, remembering however, that if we had to ditch our airplane, we would want to land it on the water near this rock. We soon came across land and discovered it to be southern Ireland as we spotted a large number 16. We knew our exact location and flew on to the base that had been expecting us in Southern England. We soon had the fourth engine fixed and flew on to our base on the north side of London (Bovingdon).'
Larry Henson's Landfall. Marker 16. Hook Head, County Wexford. The lighthouse here is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the world. Link follows:
https://coastmonkey.ie/world-war-two...-head-wexford/
RED - Stinky near Athenry
YELLOW - Marker 16 Hook Head
ORANGE LOWER - Portreath
ORANGE UPPER - St Mawgan
BLUE - Bovingdon
Portreath and later St Mawgan had special despatch units (Both RAF and USAAF ) for movements to Gibraltar and North Africa during the period of Operation Torch. Both were large busy airfields. Portreath still exists today, unused apart from a Remote Radar Head. St Mawgan remains in civil use - perhaps now better known as Newquay.
Histories available here:https://www.americanairmuseum.com/ar...lace/portreath
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/ar...lace/st-mawgan
Portreath Airfield 1944.
Photo Rossographer Geograph.
Much interest is shown in Ireland today in locating and restoring these unusual relics from The Second World War.
Last edited by OUAQUKGF Ops; 13th Aug 2023 at 10:52. Reason: Portreath -St Mawgan Links.
I'll give a link to Stinky to save you having to wade way back through this thread.RAF Bovingdon - 1960s
Fortunately there is a working record of the original site available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20160318...nd.site50.net/
FP.