RAF Laarbruch memories
The On-camp airmen's married quarters were below standard as they should have been full size cellars but were only built with two small rooms. I don't believe there was any recompense from the builders.
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At least they had cellars. The London street/York way quarters in Weeze built in the mid 80's didn't have any cellars. The word was that the first couple built did have cellars but they kept filling up with water so they completed the rest without them.
Laarbruch was blessed with the worst weather of the five RAFG bases in my time ............ inevitable because of exposure to any filth from West round to North. When at JHQ first time I had oversight of all RAFG TAFS as issued ................ poor old Laarbruch [EDUL ?] was usually the gloomy one.
In later life I was its inspector, and visited several times a year for six years. It seemed that every time I was driven or drove from JHQ to Laarbruch, the vis decreased, the cloud base lowered, and the windscreen wiper came on.
Perhaps I do Laarbruch a disservice, but in retrospect I am glad by junior forecaster stint was at EDUO !
Good luck with the project, very worth while.
In later life I was its inspector, and visited several times a year for six years. It seemed that every time I was driven or drove from JHQ to Laarbruch, the vis decreased, the cloud base lowered, and the windscreen wiper came on.
Perhaps I do Laarbruch a disservice, but in retrospect I am glad by junior forecaster stint was at EDUO !
Good luck with the project, very worth while.
Laarbruch was blessed with the worst weather of the five RAFG bases in my time ............ inevitable because of exposure to any filth from West round to North. When at JHQ first time I had oversight of all RAFG TAFS as issued ................ poor old Laarbruch [EDUL ?] was usually the gloomy one.
In later life I was its inspector, and visited several times a year for six years. It seemed that every time I was driven or drove from JHQ to Laarbruch, the vis decreased, the cloud base lowered, and the windscreen wiper came on.
Perhaps I do Laarbruch a disservice, but in retrospect I am glad by junior forecaster stint was at EDUO !
Good luck with the project, very worth while.
In later life I was its inspector, and visited several times a year for six years. It seemed that every time I was driven or drove from JHQ to Laarbruch, the vis decreased, the cloud base lowered, and the windscreen wiper came on.
Perhaps I do Laarbruch a disservice, but in retrospect I am glad by junior forecaster stint was at EDUO !
Good luck with the project, very worth while.
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By some strange coincidence, I had cause to open our ornaments cabinet yesterday, then saw this thread.
The one item I had cause to move in the cabinet was a stemmed, 0.2 litre drinking glass for "Stern" beer, given to me in 1972 when I visited Laarbruch on a CCF cadet camp.
It has the crests of the local town Weeze and of RAF Laarbruch and below them states "Britisch-Deutsche Maiwoche, Anglo-German May Week, RAF Laarbruch-Weeze".
How it's survived 47 years and at least 14 house moves I don't know.
The one item I had cause to move in the cabinet was a stemmed, 0.2 litre drinking glass for "Stern" beer, given to me in 1972 when I visited Laarbruch on a CCF cadet camp.
It has the crests of the local town Weeze and of RAF Laarbruch and below them states "Britisch-Deutsche Maiwoche, Anglo-German May Week, RAF Laarbruch-Weeze".
How it's survived 47 years and at least 14 house moves I don't know.
I can add some detail to this photo:
Personnel are L > R: Wg Cdr P D Oulton - OC XV Sqn - January 1976 - July 1978 / Flt Lt Martin Spalding - OC Aircraft Servicing Flight (OC ASF) / Flt Lt Pete Rolfe - Navigator XV Sqn
The aircrew are handing over the Aircraft Form 700 for a Buccaneer S2B - that they have just delivered from the UK to RAF Laarbruch - to OC ASF for "Acceptance Checks" in ASF (the 2nd Line servicing facility in Hangar 1).
It is most likely XZ432 - the last Buccaneer S2B manufactured - one of a batch of 3 built in 1977 originally for the Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive) [MOD(PE)] for trials - which arrived with very low flying hours on it compared to rest of the fleet.
It was essentially still a "new" aircraft compared to some ex-Royal Navy aircraft built 10 years prior or the RAF new build batch of 46 from 1973 onwards.
Personnel are L > R: Wg Cdr P D Oulton - OC XV Sqn - January 1976 - July 1978 / Flt Lt Martin Spalding - OC Aircraft Servicing Flight (OC ASF) / Flt Lt Pete Rolfe - Navigator XV Sqn
The aircrew are handing over the Aircraft Form 700 for a Buccaneer S2B - that they have just delivered from the UK to RAF Laarbruch - to OC ASF for "Acceptance Checks" in ASF (the 2nd Line servicing facility in Hangar 1).
It is most likely XZ432 - the last Buccaneer S2B manufactured - one of a batch of 3 built in 1977 originally for the Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive) [MOD(PE)] for trials - which arrived with very low flying hours on it compared to rest of the fleet.
It was essentially still a "new" aircraft compared to some ex-Royal Navy aircraft built 10 years prior or the RAF new build batch of 46 from 1973 onwards.
Ahh, my old mate Martin Spalding. Average glider pilot IIRC 🤔 Last seen (by me) back in the 90’s I think. Is he still around?😉
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According to 'Peter', the photos were 1975 for the XV Sqn 60th anniversary. I asked him. He apologises for the poor definition and, thus, the unidentifiable members!
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Peter Rolfe photos
Maybe the photos are taken in february, but I wonder, whether these Buccs have a camouflage painting all around. I thought this was from mid 1976 on ....
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18 Sqn
I moved to Laarbruch from the G-spot with 18 Sqn in 1993 and was there nearly until the end. We are banned from saying it was Better at Gutersloh, hence the phrase it was Guter at Bettersloh.
I think that at the time the 18 Sqn site (formerly 20 Sqn) at the NW corner was called Bronze.
When the Chinook apron was built there, the question was asked what the minimum clearance required from the rotor tips was. I think the answer was 3 metres. The apron and lamposts were then built with exactly 3 metres clearance from the rotors tips. Taxying in and out of there concentrated the mind as a tipstrike in a Chinook would be really bad.
I think that at the time the 18 Sqn site (formerly 20 Sqn) at the NW corner was called Bronze.
When the Chinook apron was built there, the question was asked what the minimum clearance required from the rotor tips was. I think the answer was 3 metres. The apron and lamposts were then built with exactly 3 metres clearance from the rotors tips. Taxying in and out of there concentrated the mind as a tipstrike in a Chinook would be really bad.
I moved to Laarbruch from the G-Spot with PCSF in 1993 to form the Chinook Team in PCMF. I was there for just a year, but this was the second of my three tours there on Buccaneers, Chinooks and Harriers. I returned again in 96 and decided to PVR as it closed in 1999. It was my only regular posting. Laarbruch was indeed the best of all the RAFG bases for its location and mostly for its local population of which I still have many friends in that area. I was there again this year.
Last edited by Rigga; 4th Jan 2020 at 05:43.
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I moved to Laarbruch from the G-Spot with PCSF in 1983 to form the Chinook Team in PCMF. I was there for just a year, but this was the second of my three tours there on Buccaneers, Chinooks and Harriers. I returned again in 96 and decided to PVR as it closed in 1999. It was my only regular posting. Laarbruch was indeed the best of all the RAFG bases for its location and mostly for its local population of which I still have many friends in that area. I was there again this year.
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I may well be wrong about the Laarbruch weather .................. I often was back in the day.
Forecast: sunshine and snow.
Forecast: sunshine and snow.
I was on our squadron's transport Comet, in the middle 60's,
We had landed on 27 and taxied all the way past the ASF pan and to the right turn off to the pans at the bottom of 27.
After travelling a few yards into the dispersal we found that trees and pitot tubes are not good friends.
Fortunately no serious damage, one pitot head replaced and no Comet into dispersed pans again.
We had landed on 27 and taxied all the way past the ASF pan and to the right turn off to the pans at the bottom of 27.
After travelling a few yards into the dispersal we found that trees and pitot tubes are not good friends.
Fortunately no serious damage, one pitot head replaced and no Comet into dispersed pans again.