Gloster Javelin XH762
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Gloster Javelin XH762
Having a minor disagreement on another forum as to the authenticity of this photo. Said person quite insistent that all Javelins were returned to Shawbury in 1966 before being scrapped. Whereas I am equally insistent that this photo was taken at RAF Sharjah in 1966. Anyone know what XH762 was doing at Sharjah? I believe that it was just passing through, but to where?
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XH762
placed into storage at No.5 MU Kemble before delivery, to Gloster Aircraft Company by road during 12/1959 for conversion to FAW9 standard, d/d 02/06/1960, to Bitteswell 12/10/1962 for re-conversion to FAW9R standard, returned to service on 01/04/1963, to No.27 MU Shawbury 11/05/1967 and declared non-effective and sold as scrap on 19/04/1968
placed into storage at No.5 MU Kemble before delivery, to Gloster Aircraft Company by road during 12/1959 for conversion to FAW9 standard, d/d 02/06/1960, to Bitteswell 12/10/1962 for re-conversion to FAW9R standard, returned to service on 01/04/1963, to No.27 MU Shawbury 11/05/1967 and declared non-effective and sold as scrap on 19/04/1968
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Not all Javelin scrappage took place at Shawbury. When 64 & 60 Squadrons were disbanded at Tengah in 1967/68 their remaining Javelins were disposed of in Singapore.
XH762 was the airframe number of a Mark 9. 762 doesn't feature in my logbook, so I doubt it was a 60 Sqn aircraft. The only time I'm aware of this type being at Sharjah was when we ferried them from the UK to Singapore for 60 Sqn's re-equipment in 1961; we staged through Sharjah as one of the refuelling stops.
I'd be very interested to hear whether anyone knows of other visits, I don't know of any operations or exercises involving Javelins as late as 1966 which would have meant flying into Sharjah.
XH762 was the airframe number of a Mark 9. 762 doesn't feature in my logbook, so I doubt it was a 60 Sqn aircraft. The only time I'm aware of this type being at Sharjah was when we ferried them from the UK to Singapore for 60 Sqn's re-equipment in 1961; we staged through Sharjah as one of the refuelling stops.
I'd be very interested to hear whether anyone knows of other visits, I don't know of any operations or exercises involving Javelins as late as 1966 which would have meant flying into Sharjah.
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There is a B&W photograph in circulation of the aircraft with the serial clearly visibly whose description is given as:
This is a profesionally printed 6x4 copy from the original b/w photograph of 29 Sqn Javelin XH762. Taken at Sharjah 11/8/66
This is a profesionally printed 6x4 copy from the original b/w photograph of 29 Sqn Javelin XH762. Taken at Sharjah 11/8/66
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Javelin at Sharjah
I certainly remember it turning up at Sharjah. I think they did a night stop and then departed to I know not where!! First time I had been close to a Javelin a big bit of kit!
When I was a young lad on Valiant tankers we used to tow Dragmasters out to Bahrain and back; it probably continued until 1966. A night stop in Sharjar could have been part of the deployment.
Ask Tankertrashnav, he was on Victor Tankers at the time.
Ask Tankertrashnav, he was on Victor Tankers at the time.
In November 1965, Ian Smith declared UDI in Rhodesia (as it was) and 29 Squadron Javelins were sent out to Ndola in Zambia to act as some sort of air defence. I was on Argosys at the time and we got involved in taking a mobile air defence radar system out there.
On the night of 08.08.66 I was in the circuit at RAF Khormaksar in Aden (I was a captain on 105 Squadron there) when we got involved in giving some navigation advice to a Javelin crew who were getting very short of fuel coming north from Ndola. I guess they were headed back to Akrotiri eventually.
One of my Air-Britain books gives XH762's last owners as 29 Squadron and it is given as Struck off Chrage on 19.04.68.
So perhaps XH762 was passing through Sharjah on the way back from Ndola?
On the night of 08.08.66 I was in the circuit at RAF Khormaksar in Aden (I was a captain on 105 Squadron there) when we got involved in giving some navigation advice to a Javelin crew who were getting very short of fuel coming north from Ndola. I guess they were headed back to Akrotiri eventually.
One of my Air-Britain books gives XH762's last owners as 29 Squadron and it is given as Struck off Chrage on 19.04.68.
So perhaps XH762 was passing through Sharjah on the way back from Ndola?
29 Squadron RAF (Gloster Javelin) deployed from RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus to Ndola to provide air defence following the announcement of Unilateral Declaration of Independence by the Rhodesian government. Air defence radars and ancillary equipment were flown into Zambia by No.114 and No.267 Squadrons (Armstrong Whitworth Argosy). No.29 Squadron returned to Akrotiri in August 1966.
They flew south with a full load of six external tanks, raising a protest from the Egyptian government when they simply overflew Egyptian airspace to get there. Conditions were primitive, with one Javelin losing a Firestreak missile when a nest of termites crawled up the landing gear and ate the solid propellant out of the missile.
Air defence radars and ancillary equipment were flown into Zambia by No.114 and No.267 Squadrons (Armstrong Whitworth Argosy). No.29 Squadron returned to RAF Akrotiri in August 1966.
They flew south with a full load of six external tanks, raising a protest from the Egyptian government when they simply overflew Egyptian airspace to get there. Conditions were primitive, with one Javelin losing a Firestreak missile when a nest of termites crawled up the landing gear and ate the solid propellant out of the missile.
Air defence radars and ancillary equipment were flown into Zambia by No.114 and No.267 Squadrons (Armstrong Whitworth Argosy). No.29 Squadron returned to RAF Akrotiri in August 1966.
Seems a long way round but I guess could have been for diplomatic (clearance) reasons !
edit - sorry - quoted from this website...
Javelins at Ndola - Great North Road
greatnorthroad.org/boma/Javelins_at_Ndola]Javelins at Ndola
I'm surprised that they would have to overfly Egypt. El Adem and Libyan airspace was still available. The Javelins of 29 Sqn had been practising deployments using tankers for years and to get them from Akrotiri to Ndola would have taken about 30 minutes planning and a day or so to position tankers at El Adem.
Just to clarify the Argosy bit. I was a co-pilot on 267 Squadron at Benson when we got called out to go to Lyneham, get on a Comet 2 and go to Akrotiri. After a few hours sleep, we left Akrotiri in the middle of the night of20.11.65 in XP443 (the captain was Dave Rowe) and flew to Bahrain via Tehran on the CENTO route. We took off at 105,000 lbs Military Operating Standards and our first cruising height was 7,000 feet (which is a lovely height to be at when headed through the Turkish and Iranian hills at night).
On arrival in Bahrain, the aircraft were then flown south to Ndola (via Khormaksar) by 105 Squadron crews which had been prepositioned in Bahrain.
I got back to UK, did my command course at Thorney Island and got posted to 105 Squadron as a captain when 29 Squadron were headed home. It is entirely possible that the Javelins were having to use the CENTO route from Sharjah to Akrotiri. That's the way the Hunters went home from Aden so why should they be any different?
On arrival in Bahrain, the aircraft were then flown south to Ndola (via Khormaksar) by 105 Squadron crews which had been prepositioned in Bahrain.
I got back to UK, did my command course at Thorney Island and got posted to 105 Squadron as a captain when 29 Squadron were headed home. It is entirely possible that the Javelins were having to use the CENTO route from Sharjah to Akrotiri. That's the way the Hunters went home from Aden so why should they be any different?
I remember lots of Javelins (and Beverleys and Shack Mk IIs) at Shawbury in 67-68, wating for their appointment with the scrapman.
How on earth do you put a Javelin on a Queen Mary? How many loads?
before delivery, to Gloster Aircraft Company by road
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I remember seeing them stored in a corner of Seletar back in the 70's
Would this be from 23 Sqn 1960's at Colt
Uploaded at ImageFra.me
Would this be from 23 Sqn 1960's at Colt
Uploaded at ImageFra.me
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Conditions were primitive, with one Javelin losing a Firestreak missile when a nest of termites crawled up the landing gear and ate the solid propellant out of the missile.
jet-propelled termite corpses would be quite a diversion, I'd think.
