Binbrook Boots
That's either RFK.....or Grant Shapps, who bears a resemblance in all but hooligan manner!
The Binbrook Boots are a part of the local history of the area - I really hope that some gastropub hasn't ruined the relevance, much as the White Hart at Brasted 'renovation' has for the Battle of Britain.....
Out of town pubs can only survive if they sell food these days, it is true. But surely they can do that without losing historical connections?
The Binbrook Boots are a part of the local history of the area - I really hope that some gastropub hasn't ruined the relevance, much as the White Hart at Brasted 'renovation' has for the Battle of Britain.....
Out of town pubs can only survive if they sell food these days, it is true. But surely they can do that without losing historical connections?
BEagle
I hear you about history and I agree about it’s importance. I feel a touch of realism may be required though.
Binbrook closed in 1988. How many locals to the area were ever employed on the base or even remember it?
If the pubs local to ex-RAF Coltishall were to similarly expunge such relics I couldn’t really complain. I don’t live there any more and it’s up to the landlord at the end of the day.
Of course it’s sad for items to be consigned to history but that’s life.
BV
Binbrook closed in 1988. How many locals to the area were ever employed on the base or even remember it?
If the pubs local to ex-RAF Coltishall were to similarly expunge such relics I couldn’t really complain. I don’t live there any more and it’s up to the landlord at the end of the day.
Of course it’s sad for items to be consigned to history but that’s life.
BV
I live locally
[QUOTE=Tarnished;10782072]Tradition had it that any successful ejectees nailed their flying boots to the ceiling of the Binbrook officer's mess bar. When Binbrook closed, the boots were relocated to the "Blackies" aka the Nickerson Arms nearby. It appears that in the course of redecorations the boots have gone into hiding. Any information regarding there whereabouts would be appreciated.
[/QUOTE
I live fairly locally and have been an infrequent visitor over the last several years. I can confirm that they definitely aren’t there now.
[/QUOTEI live fairly locally and have been an infrequent visitor over the last several years. I can confirm that they definitely aren’t there now.
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Rubic, it may be that you could be the gumshoe who can locate them...
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I live in the next village, and occasionally visit the Blacksmith’s Arms at Rothwell. There haven’t been boots there for a very long time, but Nigel runs quite a nice gastro pub.
I’ve always been a local, and served through the 80s. In fact Ray Knowles (RIP) in that picture was an instructor of mine.
Although I said I’m an occasional visitor to the “Blackie”, I pretty much always drive straight past it on my way to the Click’em. (Another Binbrook regular haunt!) A much better pub that hasn’t changed at all in 40 years! Better beer. Better food, great crowd and still loads of RAF memorabilia all over the place. The boots should have been left there. They’d still be on show!
If you visit. Just ask for Terry. Either of them!
Binbrook closed in 1988. How many locals to the area were ever employed on the base or even remember it?
Although I said I’m an occasional visitor to the “Blackie”, I pretty much always drive straight past it on my way to the Click’em. (Another Binbrook regular haunt!) A much better pub that hasn’t changed at all in 40 years! Better beer. Better food, great crowd and still loads of RAF memorabilia all over the place. The boots should have been left there. They’d still be on show!
If you visit. Just ask for Terry. Either of them!
Thread Starter
I live in the next village, and occasionally visit the Blacksmith’s Arms at Rothwell. There haven’t been boots there for a very long time, but Nigel runs quite a nice gastro pub.
I’ve always been a local, and served through the 80s. In fact Ray Knowles (RIP) in that picture was an instructor of mine.
Although I said I’m an occasional visitor to the “Blackie”, I pretty much always drive straight past it on my way to the Click’em. (Another Binbrook regular haunt!) A much better pub that hasn’t changed at all in 40 years! Better beer. Better food, great crowd and still loads of RAF memorabilia all over the place. The boots should have been left there. They’d still be on show!
If you visit. Just ask for Terry. Either of them!
I’ve always been a local, and served through the 80s. In fact Ray Knowles (RIP) in that picture was an instructor of mine.
Although I said I’m an occasional visitor to the “Blackie”, I pretty much always drive straight past it on my way to the Click’em. (Another Binbrook regular haunt!) A much better pub that hasn’t changed at all in 40 years! Better beer. Better food, great crowd and still loads of RAF memorabilia all over the place. The boots should have been left there. They’d still be on show!
If you visit. Just ask for Terry. Either of them!
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Regards to the Binbrook Boots...
My mother Sandra passed away 1990, and after that my father Maurice, only remained until 1991, so any trail... of the boots would be 1991 until now 🙄 sadly slim chance!
My mother Sandra passed away 1990, and after that my father Maurice, only remained until 1991, so any trail... of the boots would be 1991 until now 🙄 sadly slim chance!
Thread Starter
My son did a bit more digging and got this reply:Hi, Chris,
Good to hear from you and please give my best wishes to your father. I know that he was badly injured in the Hunter crash and I hope he has made a good recovery.
When the base closed, the boots were mounted on wooden shields carrying a small brass plate with the name of the pilot, the date of the ejection and the serial number of the aeroplane. As you know, they were then displayed at the Blacksmith’s Arms in Rothwell during a ceremony attended by many of the ejectees themselves.
The then landlord, Morris Phillips, was a strong supporter of the armed forces and not just the air force. In his hallway at home, he had an original painting of the SAS raid on the Iranian embassy showing two troopers shooting a terrorist on the stairs, and he certainly had many military connections. There were a number of other Lightning artefacts displayed in the pub, such as the cracked windscreen from T.5 which had been on a missile-firing exercise at Aberporth against a Jindivik-towed flare. The missile came off the rail and exploded about 100 metres in front of the jet, which then flew into the rocket motor and severely damaged the windscreen, but it did not penetrate.
When the new landlord took over, I briefed everyone to keep an eye on him to see what his attitude would be to the various military displays. We soon got an answer, when he scrubbed all the many squadron zaps off the canopy over the bar, so all the history of the RAF and visiting units going back to 1940 was immediately lost. I went down with a bunch of Lightning Association guys and spoke to the landlord’s wife, who confirmed that everything was going. In fact, some pieces were already in a skip in the yard. We rescued everything we could, including all the boots we could find, although I cannot guarantee that we got them all. If not, it certainly was not for want of effort.
One or two of the guys wanted to divvy up the boots amongst ourselves, but as chairman of the Association I stamped firmly on that one. I insisted that we contact the original pilots and return their boots, and this was done for all but three of them. One was the French Mirage III pilot whose single boot (more of a shoe) had started the tradition. One was an Australian exchange pilot who had returned to Australia and who we were never able to trace. The last pair belonged to a pilot who was still in the Service, but who wasn’t interested in having his boots back.
The three shields were displayed in a room at my house called the Lightning Room, effectively a small Lightning museum which is visited by people from all over the world. One year, I received a letter from an Englishman who had been travelling in France and stayed at a gite in the grounds of an old mill. The owner turned out to be the French ejectee (who it turned out had also thrown away another Mirage III) and the letter provided his name and address. At that time we holidayed in France several times a year, so we sent the pilot photographs of the Room with his boot and eventually visited him during one of our trips.
It was clear that his military days were still very important to him. He had a bar in his house festooned with flying helmets, photographs and prints, control columns and flying suits. He eventually became a colonel and was the French liaison officer in the first Gulf War, although most of his photographs are of American female soldiers! We became and remain good friends. On our next trip we dismounted his shield from the wall and took it out for him, but as a surprise. The look on his face when he opened the box is impossible to describe. He had obviously wanted to have his boot returned but was too well-mannered to ask. Anyway, it was definitely the right thing to do.
If Craig’s boot was not returned to him and as I do not have it, either we did not find it while searching at Rothwell, or someone may have taken it, although I would be extremely disappointed if that were the case. However, I am still in touch with many of the surviving members of the team and will make enquiries to try to find out any further information.
I hope this is of some help and I’m sorry that I have not been of more assistance. If I find out any more, I will let you know immediately. In the meantime, please give Craig our very best wishes for his 60th birthday from all here at Binbrook and in the Lightning Association.
Best wishes,
Charles
Good to hear from you and please give my best wishes to your father. I know that he was badly injured in the Hunter crash and I hope he has made a good recovery.
When the base closed, the boots were mounted on wooden shields carrying a small brass plate with the name of the pilot, the date of the ejection and the serial number of the aeroplane. As you know, they were then displayed at the Blacksmith’s Arms in Rothwell during a ceremony attended by many of the ejectees themselves.
The then landlord, Morris Phillips, was a strong supporter of the armed forces and not just the air force. In his hallway at home, he had an original painting of the SAS raid on the Iranian embassy showing two troopers shooting a terrorist on the stairs, and he certainly had many military connections. There were a number of other Lightning artefacts displayed in the pub, such as the cracked windscreen from T.5 which had been on a missile-firing exercise at Aberporth against a Jindivik-towed flare. The missile came off the rail and exploded about 100 metres in front of the jet, which then flew into the rocket motor and severely damaged the windscreen, but it did not penetrate.
When the new landlord took over, I briefed everyone to keep an eye on him to see what his attitude would be to the various military displays. We soon got an answer, when he scrubbed all the many squadron zaps off the canopy over the bar, so all the history of the RAF and visiting units going back to 1940 was immediately lost. I went down with a bunch of Lightning Association guys and spoke to the landlord’s wife, who confirmed that everything was going. In fact, some pieces were already in a skip in the yard. We rescued everything we could, including all the boots we could find, although I cannot guarantee that we got them all. If not, it certainly was not for want of effort.
One or two of the guys wanted to divvy up the boots amongst ourselves, but as chairman of the Association I stamped firmly on that one. I insisted that we contact the original pilots and return their boots, and this was done for all but three of them. One was the French Mirage III pilot whose single boot (more of a shoe) had started the tradition. One was an Australian exchange pilot who had returned to Australia and who we were never able to trace. The last pair belonged to a pilot who was still in the Service, but who wasn’t interested in having his boots back.
The three shields were displayed in a room at my house called the Lightning Room, effectively a small Lightning museum which is visited by people from all over the world. One year, I received a letter from an Englishman who had been travelling in France and stayed at a gite in the grounds of an old mill. The owner turned out to be the French ejectee (who it turned out had also thrown away another Mirage III) and the letter provided his name and address. At that time we holidayed in France several times a year, so we sent the pilot photographs of the Room with his boot and eventually visited him during one of our trips.
It was clear that his military days were still very important to him. He had a bar in his house festooned with flying helmets, photographs and prints, control columns and flying suits. He eventually became a colonel and was the French liaison officer in the first Gulf War, although most of his photographs are of American female soldiers! We became and remain good friends. On our next trip we dismounted his shield from the wall and took it out for him, but as a surprise. The look on his face when he opened the box is impossible to describe. He had obviously wanted to have his boot returned but was too well-mannered to ask. Anyway, it was definitely the right thing to do.
If Craig’s boot was not returned to him and as I do not have it, either we did not find it while searching at Rothwell, or someone may have taken it, although I would be extremely disappointed if that were the case. However, I am still in touch with many of the surviving members of the team and will make enquiries to try to find out any further information.
I hope this is of some help and I’m sorry that I have not been of more assistance. If I find out any more, I will let you know immediately. In the meantime, please give Craig our very best wishes for his 60th birthday from all here at Binbrook and in the Lightning Association.
Best wishes,
Charles
Tarnished,
As a nav I have never had a direct connection with Binbrook but do remember a couple of very happy nights in the Bar and being emotionally struck by the boots on the ceiling.
So, as an innocent bystander, if you like, I'd just like to recognise your tremendous efforts by saying thank you.
Frangas non flectas
As a nav I have never had a direct connection with Binbrook but do remember a couple of very happy nights in the Bar and being emotionally struck by the boots on the ceiling.
So, as an innocent bystander, if you like, I'd just like to recognise your tremendous efforts by saying thank you.
Frangas non flectas