Where would be be without chinagraphs?
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Where would be be without chinagraphs?
The Regt was 5 weeks old when he joined it; life seemed simpler then - "Smith, have you got a pen on you?".
"The Association is sad to announce the death of one its most distinguished officers, RAF Regiment Group Captain Mark F HOBDEN OBE; born 13 Mar 22, died unexpectedly on 7 Apr 13, aged 91. He was commissioned into the Corps on 20 Mar 42.
Serving throughout WW2, he commanded 2726 Sqn RAF Regt and was held up at the Kiel Canal by an SS brigade comdr who refused to believe that his ...war was about to end. After an hour of delicate negotiations, he was eventually allowed to proceed and resumed the advance ahead of the Army to Flensburg, where the RAF Regt force secured the airfield there. He was in attendance when Adm Donitz, Hitler’s successor as Fuhrer of the German Reich, and his staff were flown to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe for interrogation.
As a Wg Cdr and OC 3 Wg RAF Regt in 1963, he was responsible for drawing - with a Chinagraph pencil on a Jt Army-RAF HQ map of Nicosia - ‘the green line’ - dividing the Turkish and Cypriot communities. Thus the famous Cyprus ‘Green Line’ was established, which exists still today in the UN-controlled border. In one notable incident, which was reported widely in the UK press at the time, he went ‘striding unarmed and accompanied by his Adjt, Flt Lt O’Dwyer-Russell, into a meat-factory in Nicosia, where armed Greek insurgents were preparing to massacre unarmed Turkish workers’. According to the Daily Mail, the only weapon between the officers was a Sterling sub-machine gun, carried by the Adjt. Without firing a shot, the two offrs placed themselves between the factions and extricated the Turks.
He was subsequently awarded the OBE for Meritorious Service in 1965. Later, he was posted to Aden during the troubles as the Senior Ground Defence Staff Officer and OC Security Wg at RAF Khormaksar. He was promoted to Gp Capt on 1 Jul 70 and retired on 5 Jul 72. During his service, he received no less than three MIDs. The short committal will take place at Hastings Crematorium at 14.45 on Tue 24 Apr 13; there will not be a funeral service as such. Donations in his name may be made to the charity, Cancer UK. He is survived by his wife, Ella, of Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex to whom the Association and the Corps extends their sincere condolences"
"The Association is sad to announce the death of one its most distinguished officers, RAF Regiment Group Captain Mark F HOBDEN OBE; born 13 Mar 22, died unexpectedly on 7 Apr 13, aged 91. He was commissioned into the Corps on 20 Mar 42.
Serving throughout WW2, he commanded 2726 Sqn RAF Regt and was held up at the Kiel Canal by an SS brigade comdr who refused to believe that his ...war was about to end. After an hour of delicate negotiations, he was eventually allowed to proceed and resumed the advance ahead of the Army to Flensburg, where the RAF Regt force secured the airfield there. He was in attendance when Adm Donitz, Hitler’s successor as Fuhrer of the German Reich, and his staff were flown to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe for interrogation.
As a Wg Cdr and OC 3 Wg RAF Regt in 1963, he was responsible for drawing - with a Chinagraph pencil on a Jt Army-RAF HQ map of Nicosia - ‘the green line’ - dividing the Turkish and Cypriot communities. Thus the famous Cyprus ‘Green Line’ was established, which exists still today in the UN-controlled border. In one notable incident, which was reported widely in the UK press at the time, he went ‘striding unarmed and accompanied by his Adjt, Flt Lt O’Dwyer-Russell, into a meat-factory in Nicosia, where armed Greek insurgents were preparing to massacre unarmed Turkish workers’. According to the Daily Mail, the only weapon between the officers was a Sterling sub-machine gun, carried by the Adjt. Without firing a shot, the two offrs placed themselves between the factions and extricated the Turks.
He was subsequently awarded the OBE for Meritorious Service in 1965. Later, he was posted to Aden during the troubles as the Senior Ground Defence Staff Officer and OC Security Wg at RAF Khormaksar. He was promoted to Gp Capt on 1 Jul 70 and retired on 5 Jul 72. During his service, he received no less than three MIDs. The short committal will take place at Hastings Crematorium at 14.45 on Tue 24 Apr 13; there will not be a funeral service as such. Donations in his name may be made to the charity, Cancer UK. He is survived by his wife, Ella, of Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex to whom the Association and the Corps extends their sincere condolences"
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O’Dwyer-Russell
Al R - I believe OD-R went on to become a Gp Capt in the Regiment (possibly even an Air Cdre). His son was a Harrier pilot whom I last saw on 3 Sqn in Gutersloh in about 1980. CB
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IIRC Tim O-D was the Harrier driver, who at the end of his education, had no idea what he wanted to do. Lying on the ground in the sunshine, he saw a white contrail run across the sky. "I could do that" thought he, so he did.
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CB
He was indeed the dad of Tim, retired as a Wing Commander and commanded II Sqn.
O'DWYER-RUSSELL - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements
Ah, The Cricketers Arms at Hartley Wintney - many happy afternoons there.
Edit: Looking again at Group Captain Hobden's superb record, I'm not sure what the form was then, but I'm sure a man of his wisdom, experience and calibre was canny enough to do 2 years and 5 days (just enough time in rank?) for the pension..! Nice that he fairly spanked those actuarial odds.
He was indeed the dad of Tim, retired as a Wing Commander and commanded II Sqn.
O'DWYER-RUSSELL - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements
Ah, The Cricketers Arms at Hartley Wintney - many happy afternoons there.
Edit: Looking again at Group Captain Hobden's superb record, I'm not sure what the form was then, but I'm sure a man of his wisdom, experience and calibre was canny enough to do 2 years and 5 days (just enough time in rank?) for the pension..! Nice that he fairly spanked those actuarial odds.
Last edited by Al R; 18th Apr 2013 at 23:42.
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And talking of spanking the actuarial odds..
BBC News - Sheffield RAF veteran UK's new oldest man
Bleep tests?
Well done Ralph.
BBC News - Sheffield RAF veteran UK's new oldest man
Britain's new oldest man is thought to be 109-year-old Ralph Tarrant from Sheffield. The RAF veteran, born in 1903, has taken the title following the death of 110-year-old Reg Dean. Mr Tarrant said: "I was very healthy minded in my young life. I did smoke at times but I cut it out because I started running."
Well done Ralph.
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Not forgetting "Sergeant Mac" the chinagraph wielder who was the only man at Finningley mid 1970s who had the least idea regarding Ground School programming, and ran the display boards with a cheerful despotism.
"Mac, I need to bin my lecture mid afternoon!"
"Today?"
"No, tomorrow"
"Tomorrow is a piece of piss, today could have been managed by, lets see, moving A to X, B to Y, phoning so-and- so, .................
and can you you do it first thing the day after?"
This before flow diagrams, PCs, and the rest. Timetabling on the hoof.
But after chinagraph.
"Mac, I need to bin my lecture mid afternoon!"
"Today?"
"No, tomorrow"
"Tomorrow is a piece of piss, today could have been managed by, lets see, moving A to X, B to Y, phoning so-and- so, .................
and can you you do it first thing the day after?"
This before flow diagrams, PCs, and the rest. Timetabling on the hoof.
But after chinagraph.
No Chinagraphs....why you would use the common ol' Grease Pencil of course!
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Gp Capt Hobden
May flights of angels sing thee to they rest. RIP Sir
Chinagraphs,
I've tried on many occasion to explain to folk on the outside the workings of "the plastic brain". They look at me as though I'm an idiot - I smile and move on, I know I aint! No boot up, no firm ware updates, no viruses, no freeking apps with crap advertising. Progress you got to laugh.
May flights of angels sing thee to they rest. RIP Sir
Chinagraphs,
I've tried on many occasion to explain to folk on the outside the workings of "the plastic brain". They look at me as though I'm an idiot - I smile and move on, I know I aint! No boot up, no firm ware updates, no viruses, no freeking apps with crap advertising. Progress you got to laugh.
Last edited by TomJoad; 29th May 2013 at 21:44.
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Chinagraph.
ricardian,
(Your #12) - without Chinagraphs no ATC Tower in the land could have functioned in the '50s, '60s and early '70s ! It was to the AT Controller what his trowel is to the bricklayer.
The propelling Chinagraph was particularly useful: it stopped you having to hunt about for a pencil-sharpener (and busting the end through overdoing the sharpening). Got one somewhere still.
Eraser ? Fag-ash (in ready supply then) and a bit of cloth.
Our perspex "Arrivals" board in Approach was back-lit, the Assistants got very good at "mirror writing" with white Chinagraph on the rear surface.
D.
(Your #12) - without Chinagraphs no ATC Tower in the land could have functioned in the '50s, '60s and early '70s ! It was to the AT Controller what his trowel is to the bricklayer.
The propelling Chinagraph was particularly useful: it stopped you having to hunt about for a pencil-sharpener (and busting the end through overdoing the sharpening). Got one somewhere still.
Eraser ? Fag-ash (in ready supply then) and a bit of cloth.
Our perspex "Arrivals" board in Approach was back-lit, the Assistants got very good at "mirror writing" with white Chinagraph on the rear surface.
D.
During the F-4 OCU, we didn't have the usual Met Brief - instead we had to give our own briefs as part of the pre-flight brief. My Nav had recently been given a hard time for 'poor use of colour' by an OCU Nav instructor having used nothing but black on his slides. Next time he improved a bit, using brown and black.....but he was a Plt Off, so was reasonably immune from serious guano.
Anyway, back to the Met Brief. I went over to the weather-guesser's domain of pipe smoke and tweed and obtained the gen. One of those typical warm front / cold front plus a bit of occlusion was over the country, CGY being just ahead of it. "Right", I thought, "much opportunity for good use of colour!". I carefully drew the warm front in red chinagraph, filling in the bumpy bits, the cold one in blue and I even found a purple one for the occlusion. A few black isobars and the masterpiece was complete....
Into the briefing room and on with the OHP. My glorious work of art was lovingly displayed in startling monochrome. "Bugger", thought I, staring at the OHP with veiled hatred - before announcing "Oh, I'm sorry - it's an old B&W projector"....
A loud sniff from the staff pilot at the back of the room, who was to fly with my nav whilst I flew with a staff Nav and perhaps even a hint of a smile? It was the well-known Bastard Bill - who simply said "Next time use transparent pens" at the end of the sortie.....
Anyway, back to the Met Brief. I went over to the weather-guesser's domain of pipe smoke and tweed and obtained the gen. One of those typical warm front / cold front plus a bit of occlusion was over the country, CGY being just ahead of it. "Right", I thought, "much opportunity for good use of colour!". I carefully drew the warm front in red chinagraph, filling in the bumpy bits, the cold one in blue and I even found a purple one for the occlusion. A few black isobars and the masterpiece was complete....
Into the briefing room and on with the OHP. My glorious work of art was lovingly displayed in startling monochrome. "Bugger", thought I, staring at the OHP with veiled hatred - before announcing "Oh, I'm sorry - it's an old B&W projector"....
A loud sniff from the staff pilot at the back of the room, who was to fly with my nav whilst I flew with a staff Nav and perhaps even a hint of a smile? It was the well-known Bastard Bill - who simply said "Next time use transparent pens" at the end of the sortie.....
Last edited by BEagle; 30th May 2013 at 08:13.