Belvedere

[BEagle]

Olly - brilliant! Always good to see photos from the days when the UK had a proper air force....

Seriously though, photos from those days are becoming increasingly rare and we should all be very grateful that you've seen fit to preserve your priceless photos for posterity.

Thank you very much!

[sycamore]

Concur with BEags; changed a bit now though,Thanks ..

[Old-Duffer]

Polite Question!

The photo collection of 26 Sqn are absolutely fantastic - well done and thank you.

However, if we are talking Far East Air Force and 26 disbanded in Aden and sent the cabs to Singapore, isn't this really 66?

O-D (standing by for smacked knuckles!!!)

[Gainesy]

Great pics Olly, thanks.

Are the ones of burnt out aircraft a result of AvPin starts going Pete Tong?

[teeteringhead]

However, if we are talking Far East Air Force and 26 disbanded in Aden and sent the cabs to Singapore, isn't this really 66?

..... up to a point O-D ...

.... Halley has it that "...(26 Sqn) provided transport support for the Army in the Radfan until the end of November 1965 when it was transferred to Singapore, being merged with No 66 Sqn at Seletar on 30th November 1965" [my bold italics]

Which would suggest an existence - albeit brief - of 26 in FEAF. 66 of course moved to FEAF in June 1962 until disbanded in March 1969.

What think you O-D? I'm sure you'll put me right if necessary - as you often have!

[PhamousPhotographer]

Coventry Cathedral

The beast in action in Coventry

72 Squadron’s first rotary type as well. The late “Mr Helicopter”, John Dowling, OC 72 at the controls of XG466 for those two lifts on 22nd April 1962.

[Old-Duffer]

26 or was it 66???

I think one might need to treat Halley's comments in a general rather than precise way and Jefford and J D R Rawlings (Coastal & Support sqns of the RAF) are a little more emphatic that 26 sent its aircraft to Seletar (and probably some personnel as well.

In any event, we're only talking about a single month and the Form 540 for that month will tell all. It's not really important -- it's the photographs that are.

COVENTRY CATHEDRAL:

Incidentally, John Dowling - who could be a difficult cuss at times - was aided and abetted by Jim Martin and Ron Salt, the last named is certainly still with us. JD departed a decade ago, leaving me to deliver a major presentation on the origins of rotary winged aircraft in the RAF, which was really 'his subject' by right - I hope I didn't let him down!

A few years ago, whilst serving with the RAFVR(T), I got into a debate with the then Bishop of Coventry - an avowed pacifist, which he's entitled to be - but I drew the line when he appeared on TV and described Bomber Command aircrew as 'mass murderers'. I challenged him to debate this matter but he told me he had more important things which claimed his time and refused all further contact. I later had cause to criticise the church authorities at Coventry when they refused to allow a service in honour of the Air Training Corps to be held in the cathedral because of their (then) anti-military stance. I responded with photos of the spire and flechette being put on the cathedral roof and reminded them that the military they so despised had topped off their building for them - free of charge. I got no reply!

O-D

[barnstormer1968]

I am sure the churches view was a major annoyance in your life at that time, but then it sometimes seems that the C of E's role is to change its mind whenever it suits!

I seem to recall the Queen is the head of the UK Church of England......Oh and the military too (which she supports). Maybe the chap you dealt with was trying to make amends for all the killing that was not only done in the name of Christianity, but in the name of the C of E.

It did always make me chuckle when trying to organise ATC events, that so many folks would turn down ALL cadets, but were happy to do anything for the scouts, an organisation not originally designed to be just somewhere to keep kids off the streets.

Sorry for going off thread.

[Saint Jack]

26 or was it 66???

It was 26 Sqdn. at Khormaksar and to the best of my recollection it was diapanded in late 1965 and the Belvedere's were allocated to 66 Sqdn. based at Seletar with a permanent detachment at Labuan. The helicopters were shipped out of Aden on either HMS Bulwark or Albion, I can never remember which, together with a detachment of engineers to look after them enroute. The remainder of the engineers, myself included, flew to Manama in a Hastings and then to Changi in a Comet. I don't recall the aircrew, if any, that transferred with the helicopters.

Upon arrival at Seletar, OC 66 Sqdn. Sqdn. Ldr. 'Bunny' Austin, got all the former 26 Sqdn. groundcrew together for a 'welcome' talk and finished by saying "... I don't want to see a squadron wthin a squadron....". I never heard any references to 26 Sqdn. subsequent to that. Therefore I don't believe it would be correct to say 26 Sqdn. was merged with 66 Sqdn.

[OLLY HOLBROOK]

26 For Sure

Saint Jack just a quickie, the period of 26's tenure of Kuching was before Bunny

Austin became C O to 66 i.e. Nov. 1963 to their repat starting around June/July

1964 .Mr Austin became CO in about March 1964 I believe.

Olly

[OLLY HOLBROOK]

Avpin I Believe

The aircraft fire, shown was a most inauspicious occasion,fortunate to relate

I was not present having departed for Kuching to dig monny drains and set up tents

and other most exhillerating exercises.However I understand it decicided to try

barbecuing itself in front of the A.O.C.

regards Olly

[OLLY HOLBROOK]

Photo's

I cannot take all the credit for those photos BEagle they belong to various blokes who were on 26 in Borneo,The site was set up(well actually that's ongoing) by my granddaughter

olly

[brakedwell]

Here are some YouTube clips of a 26 Sqn Belvedere, 84 Beverleys and Tin Pins at Thumeir in the Radfan. I shot them over Christmas 1964

YouTube - ‪Thumier Two‬‎

YouTube - ‪Thumier One‬‎

Later in my tour on 105 I was approaching Khormaksar in an Argosy when we saw a big flash in the darkening sky. Sadly it was a Belvedere, exploding after an engine shed a turbine blade, which entered the avpin tank

[Echo 5]

Thumier

brakedwell,

Thanks for the memories of Thumier aka Habilayn. Served with some great guys there and believe it or not had a great time.

Regards,

E5

[pzu]

From a BP families website

Apologies for the intrusion, but some may find this link interesting - especially round 2.50min in

http://www.bpadenkids.com/output2/Landingstrip.html


PZU - Out of africa (Retd)

[Saint Jack]

OLLY: Thanks for the info. My time with 66 Sqdn. was spent entirely at Seletar although there were many detachments into what is now West Malaysia. It always appeared that the 66 Sqdn. detachment at Labuan was a fully autonomous unit as neither helicopters, aircrew or groundcrew had any rotation schedule.

'Bunny' Austin was my first CO and then sometime in 1966 he was replaced by Peter Grey. The two couldn't have been more different, Austin was outgoing and forthright while Grey was very quiet spoken and impeccably polite. In fact, I've often thought that 'Bunny' Austin and Alan Bristow had very similar personalities. By the way, is this Peter Grey that same person who does helicopter flight tests for Flight International?

Finally, what is about this ungainly helicopter with its rather checkered record that keeps people coming back to it?

[Senior Pilot]

Another film clip, maybe a company promotional production?

[OLLY HOLBROOK]

26 0r 66 ?

OD,
you have the answer,if you go to the 26 sqdn site look in DOCUMENTS

26 Squadron Far Eastern Air Force

the last in the first row should be scan 0022.jpg.This is taken from 66sqdn's 540

dated June 1964.Need I say more.lly