Memories of RAF Benson
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Have a 1947 and a 1991 aerial pic of Benson. Both pics show the peculiar dot dash marking (although the 91 version is hard to see). If you also have a look at Google Earth you can still see the vestiges of the 2 dots and the top of the dash.
The only explanation I can come up with the small building behind is an air raid shelter or a blast screen. No trace of the building remains now as a concrete hardstanding now covers the site. It does show up on the 47 pic though.
The only explanation I can come up with the small building behind is an air raid shelter or a blast screen. No trace of the building remains now as a concrete hardstanding now covers the site. It does show up on the 47 pic though.
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I was stationed there in 1960/1 as a National Service type Junior Tech [Ground Wireless] and spent most of my time in the Glideslope hut surrounded by hares and leverets and plovers nests. A good place to watch the active runway and see such excitement as a Swift taking off [with lots of airframe and engine mechs watching with fingers crossed as reheat was engaged] and the Swift avoided splashing into the watercress beds at Ewelme as others had done in the past. There was a Ferry Flight there because we had quite a few Swifts, Hunters, Javelins, Meteor NFs and Lightnings staging through to various overseas airfields. The Argosy was going to be taking residence [shortly after I left] and Queens Flight were always bulling their aircraft late at night. I remember them polishing a Dakota until it shone like a silver dollar as it had to transport Her Maj and Consort when in Nepal in 1960.
One of my duties was to keep the ILS in good shape and we had quite a battle with Queens Flight pilots who complained the ILS was badly maintained. In the end it turned out to be a huge deposit of ironstone in a farmers field on the hill behind the approach which was somehow 'bending' the beam.
Watton sent a Signals Varsity to check and I was shown how close the Varsity came to the field while the pilot kept the two needles glued to their required position. We did about four approaches and for me it was great to be airborne with those Hercules engines throbbing away. Not long afterwards the latest [Plessey?] ILS set up was fitted to keep Queens Flight happy. Air Commodore Fielden was the Big Boss.
We had two Meteor T7s for local desk types to keep their currency and some of these guys were a bit rusty and whenever a 'Meatbox' was doing a flying pay flight the edge of the airfield would have plenty of spectators ready for a dramatic 'event'. Only once, when a T7 undercarriage refused to lower and the pilot did such a soft landing on the grass that the T7 was back in the air within a month. Just the underside of each nacelle was 'kissed'.
A Lightning on an engine run had a WAAF driven 3 Tonner blown over as she stupidly ignored the sign to avoid the Lightnings rear end and she was lucky not to be badly injured.
For me the best moment was when sheltering in the Glideslope hut and listening to the approach frequency I heard a Vulcan call up for an ILS approach. Outside it was raining buckets from a huge CuNim and as the sun was setting and the resultant light very pink, the runway very wet, the sight of the pink/white Vulcan emerging from a wall of pink water and
then briefly touching down and suddenly those Olympus engines blasting the spray in all directions, the hut vibrating and my chest doing likewise and mighty Tin Triangle hurling itself over the setting sun was just the most amazing sight and one I will never, ever forget.
Our outer marker was sited at Martin Bakers airfield at Chalgrove. The perimeter track was also used by British Leyland to test the then new Mini and 1100s. I remember an F-100 Super Sabre being tested and also many low level Two Seat Hunter flybys.
Bring back National Service I say!
One of my duties was to keep the ILS in good shape and we had quite a battle with Queens Flight pilots who complained the ILS was badly maintained. In the end it turned out to be a huge deposit of ironstone in a farmers field on the hill behind the approach which was somehow 'bending' the beam.
Watton sent a Signals Varsity to check and I was shown how close the Varsity came to the field while the pilot kept the two needles glued to their required position. We did about four approaches and for me it was great to be airborne with those Hercules engines throbbing away. Not long afterwards the latest [Plessey?] ILS set up was fitted to keep Queens Flight happy. Air Commodore Fielden was the Big Boss.
We had two Meteor T7s for local desk types to keep their currency and some of these guys were a bit rusty and whenever a 'Meatbox' was doing a flying pay flight the edge of the airfield would have plenty of spectators ready for a dramatic 'event'. Only once, when a T7 undercarriage refused to lower and the pilot did such a soft landing on the grass that the T7 was back in the air within a month. Just the underside of each nacelle was 'kissed'.
A Lightning on an engine run had a WAAF driven 3 Tonner blown over as she stupidly ignored the sign to avoid the Lightnings rear end and she was lucky not to be badly injured.
For me the best moment was when sheltering in the Glideslope hut and listening to the approach frequency I heard a Vulcan call up for an ILS approach. Outside it was raining buckets from a huge CuNim and as the sun was setting and the resultant light very pink, the runway very wet, the sight of the pink/white Vulcan emerging from a wall of pink water and
then briefly touching down and suddenly those Olympus engines blasting the spray in all directions, the hut vibrating and my chest doing likewise and mighty Tin Triangle hurling itself over the setting sun was just the most amazing sight and one I will never, ever forget.
Our outer marker was sited at Martin Bakers airfield at Chalgrove. The perimeter track was also used by British Leyland to test the then new Mini and 1100s. I remember an F-100 Super Sabre being tested and also many low level Two Seat Hunter flybys.
Bring back National Service I say!
Last edited by aviate1138; 21st Jun 2010 at 13:07. Reason: typo
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DB/267Sqn
"Cobber Edwards" not I.
While I have fond memories of the high tech roller board I wish I had been that smart.
I was part of a threesome - Captain, every girls version of Tab Hunter - Navigator, a cousin to Ned Kelly and myself a bi-metaled Vietnam Veteran who became a Captain.
Great memories of flying with Master Engineer "Knocker" Knowles
While I have fond memories of the high tech roller board I wish I had been that smart.
I was part of a threesome - Captain, every girls version of Tab Hunter - Navigator, a cousin to Ned Kelly and myself a bi-metaled Vietnam Veteran who became a Captain.
Great memories of flying with Master Engineer "Knocker" Knowles
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For Once a Captain: M.Eng "Knocker" Knowles....
Ah, "Knocker", I remember him well. I did a Caribbean Trainer with Knocker as it was his "swan song".
When well on the way... one side of Knocker's face would fall asleep while the other side would insist on speaking in a sort of strangled slurry !!
Two bottles of "Orange Squash", innocently ordered from the Line Supplier in the Bahamas (who had a three wheeled bicycle with a basket full of booze) ... suddenly turned into two bottles of Cutty Sark "Scwotch"... which Knocker promptly hid in the Accessories Bay behind the Flight Deck.
We got stuck in Barbados for about a week with very rapid Hydraulic Cycling and Knocker formed a friendly association with a lady from Vancouver Island B.C., and he claimed his "cycling" was almost as rapid as the Wheelbarrows Hydraulic system... It was one hell of a trip all the way around and when they arrived in Barbados with big smiles on their faces, the beers were on the Hercules rescue crew !
I can see Knocker now, sitting on his bed in the Royal Caribbean Hotel in Barbados after our foray into "Harry's Nitery" (the theme song there was "Stick your finger in !!!"), glass of Scotch in hand, extolling the praises of the lady from B.C. with one side of his face frozen. Henrietta thought Knocker was unique as did we all.
Knocker bought a Hardware Shop in the Midlands somewhere (might have been Crewe). He was 55 in 1969 so he would be 95 now if still "flying".
He was a pleasure to be with.
Those were the days....
DB
When well on the way... one side of Knocker's face would fall asleep while the other side would insist on speaking in a sort of strangled slurry !!
Two bottles of "Orange Squash", innocently ordered from the Line Supplier in the Bahamas (who had a three wheeled bicycle with a basket full of booze) ... suddenly turned into two bottles of Cutty Sark "Scwotch"... which Knocker promptly hid in the Accessories Bay behind the Flight Deck.
We got stuck in Barbados for about a week with very rapid Hydraulic Cycling and Knocker formed a friendly association with a lady from Vancouver Island B.C., and he claimed his "cycling" was almost as rapid as the Wheelbarrows Hydraulic system... It was one hell of a trip all the way around and when they arrived in Barbados with big smiles on their faces, the beers were on the Hercules rescue crew !
I can see Knocker now, sitting on his bed in the Royal Caribbean Hotel in Barbados after our foray into "Harry's Nitery" (the theme song there was "Stick your finger in !!!"), glass of Scotch in hand, extolling the praises of the lady from B.C. with one side of his face frozen. Henrietta thought Knocker was unique as did we all.
Knocker bought a Hardware Shop in the Midlands somewhere (might have been Crewe). He was 55 in 1969 so he would be 95 now if still "flying".
He was a pleasure to be with.
Those were the days....
DB
Spent happy fortnight with 114 Sqn in 1965 (self arranged visit, the Towers course showed you everything but the RAF). memories of SEAC packs at Watchfield, MSPs going out the back and the crew lending me a loadie's flying suit so I could attend on the Towers Junior Entries returning from King Rock in Germany - got some VERY funny looks. Years later, like 30 odd, when I was at the Royal Lymington a guy came round flogging gismos to put on gas and water pies to reduce usage and save money (no I did not buy it either); turned out he was the captain I had done most of my 114 flying with. Sorry, name won't come
Spent a very happy 3 weeks there in the summer of 82. Lovely place, you can't beat an RAF airfield on a fine summer morning, the smell of fresh grass and aviation fuel was a heady mix. I wasn't too impressed at being told off by the NCO in the guardhouse for not returning the key to the gym ontime, I had left it in my flying suit. I did however perfect my Staish salute, as he seemed to be everywhere in his Austin 1800.
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I'd forgotten all about Oz and his wagon. Just the job after night flying. I was at Benson several times and latterly as the first full time Reservist Crewman in the mob to be offered a 10 year contract. Years' ago, I did the Wessex course with 60 Sqn (WCU?)during which we had a pilot who had been working the Nigerian oil fields for sometime in a Wessex, so he thought he was a highly experienced Wessex operator until he got to 60 Sqn! The poor bloke was barely cracking it the 'RAF way'and had taken lots of criticism, so off we went, me in LHS night flying outbound on Route 4 (towards the Didcot direction IIRC) and he was fiddling about with the overhead panel trying to sort the Decca out. 'I'll do that for you' I said, but he was rapidly losing his rag. He couldn't see anything because he was wearing his civvy specs and hadn't got the 3 lens aircrew specs which were in their infancy. 'Boll@x to this' he said, 'We are going back I've had enough of this f@cking place'. Sure enough, we shutdown on the pan and he VW'd from the course and hasn't been seen since...sad really...
I remember looking out of the squippery window and watching a whistling t*t cartwheel down the runway after some sort of aircrew switchery pigs (allegedly). It conveniently ended up next to Passey`s? yard (IIRC) so close he only had to bring his crane up to his back fence to lift the scrap over.......
Must have been 70 or 71 time. I liked Benson and the Argonuts.
Must have been 70 or 71 time. I liked Benson and the Argonuts.
I remember it well. XP441 on 04.06.70. In fact, Passey's chain link fence stopped one of the detached engines from ending up in the village. It was a beautiful day and I was inbound from Wildenrath in XN850 when London ATC called us to say that we might have to divert due to a lack of fire cover at Benson. I remarked to my co-pilot that on such a nice day perhaps the only reason for that would be if there had been a prang? We thought about that for a couple of minutes and came up with a name. We were right. I've never forgotten it. Luckily, no one got hurt.
I did 2 tours at Benson, my first in 1981 on 72Sqn when we departed Odiham prior to the Squadron moving on to Aldergrove and second on 60Sqn in 1992/95. It has to be the happiest and most helpful Station I served on in all of my career. It was like living in a small village, everybody knew each other and got on. I have some very happy memories including meeting my wife when I was CMC of the Sgts Mess and as we are about to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary it must have worked. By the way Dundiggin I guess we must know each other though I cannot place the ex Civvie Pilot?
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I had a cracking time at Benson in the late '70's. The Shepherds Hut, The Farmers Man etc etc Many a jolly jape.
One in particular. The Oxford Mail were reporting big time about the closing of Oxford Jail. Gripes about overcrowding, Victorian accommodation and so on.
Coincidentally, the chain link fencing around the airfield was being replaced.
Self and pal, drinking in the bar at The Shepherds Hut were asked about the fencing renewal. We couldn't resist. "All because of Oxford nick being closed. Lock, stock and barrel of the prisoners are being transferred to Benson as it's being run down". we responded.
The locals went ballistic. Letters to MP's, questions to the Home Secretary, letters to MoD.
Whoops. We had to drink in the Skinny Dog until the uproar quietened down.
Happy Days.
One in particular. The Oxford Mail were reporting big time about the closing of Oxford Jail. Gripes about overcrowding, Victorian accommodation and so on.
Coincidentally, the chain link fencing around the airfield was being replaced.
Self and pal, drinking in the bar at The Shepherds Hut were asked about the fencing renewal. We couldn't resist. "All because of Oxford nick being closed. Lock, stock and barrel of the prisoners are being transferred to Benson as it's being run down". we responded.
The locals went ballistic. Letters to MP's, questions to the Home Secretary, letters to MoD.
Whoops. We had to drink in the Skinny Dog until the uproar quietened down.
Happy Days.
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The structure surrounded by Earth in front of the 1939 watch tower (later Customs building) is a machine gun emplacement. Many airfields had them just in case of invasion of enemy parachutist.
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Hello, I am Michael Prendergast, I am the volunteer who looks after RAF Benson's historical items and wondered if there was a chance of getting a copy of the three photos. We have another three after he had landed but not his actual arrival.
Gentleman Aviator
Very much enjoyed our brief time at Benson in '81, same time as Huge 72's first when 72 Sqn were doing their "happy wanderer" year (3 Stations in about 6 months!!)
Certainly our best MQ - until our last (ahem
) - was at Benson: a 4 bed semi with gas cooking and gas CH! A wonder having moved from Shawbs with the dreaded "Tardis" storage heaters, which expensively heated one room until about 1000 when they ran out.
9 Baker Avenue it was ....... probably conceived the younger Teeterette there - she's 36 this year!
Benson nicely placed between Oxford and London, both places I had connexions with....
And we were in the quarter for about 5 months!
Certainly our best MQ - until our last (ahem
) - was at Benson: a 4 bed semi with gas cooking and gas CH! A wonder having moved from Shawbs with the dreaded "Tardis" storage heaters, which expensively heated one room until about 1000 when they ran out.9 Baker Avenue it was ....... probably conceived the younger Teeterette there - she's 36 this year!
Benson nicely placed between Oxford and London, both places I had connexions with....
And we were in the quarter for about 5 months!
Last edited by teeteringhead; 30th Apr 2017 at 14:39.
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Going back even further remembering the Attackers, Sea Fury's and assorted Seafires in the mid 50's, used to cycle out from Oxford to watch, then go over to Culham to watch similar there, Benson had the last surviving Firebrand and Sturgeon parked outside the bottom hangar (never saw them fly), along with a York near the scrap yard, which was full of Harvards, used to sneek in and sit in the cockpits,Kings/Queens Flight had the Valetta then, polished silver, little did I know then that in back end of 1961 I would end up there on the Argosy before heading to K/Sar with 105 in early 62, oh joy.
