'Shackleton Boys'
 

The next book I am doing in Grub Street's 'Boys' series will be 'Shackleton Boys' which is planned for publication in 2018. As with all the other titles in the series, the book will be mostly comprised of first-hand accounts from air and ground crew who flew in or worked on the Shack at any time during its long and illustrious service life.

I am already in contact with quite a few 'Shackleton Boys', but now the call is going out for as many more as possible who are willing to share their memories and anecdotes. No matter how long or short your association with the type was, I would love to talk to you about it.

So please get in touch - I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you

Steve Bond

Excellent resource here - https://www.thegrowler.org.uk/
I think they keep a list of members so you could pop an ad in the next edition of the growler.
Are you going to call the MR chapter "Shackleton Buoys"? ;)

Hi Steve,

I was expecting to see this here. However suggest you also put it on the 'Aviation History & Nostalgia' thread too? I'm sure this will make 'riveting' reading! ;)

Adrian

and hurry to publish.

My Dad is 80 - he'll want to read this having been on 37 and 38 Sqn in the 50's at Luqa (Air Radar)

In fact can we have a lot of stuff on 37 & 38 in the book ??, they seem to be the least documented Shack Sqns IMHO..........

Arc

Thanks Arclite. Private message sent.

Thanks for the heads up about the Shackleton Association - I am a member!

Any aircrew lurking out there? Come on chaps.

I believe Dunhovrin off this parish was a shack driver.

Of the six aircraft types that I flew in the RAF the Shackleton was the one on which I was the most unhappy. But then, it might just have been Ballykelly.

To my regret, after 41 years serving mostly on RAF stations, I never ever saw a Shackleton except once as a fly-by at a B o B Day at Finningley. I suspect that, by the very nature of the aircrafts' tasks, there will be a fair few RAF folk who were similarly denied the growl [and the rattling!].

I recall the story of the Mk 3 at Farnborough. On day 2 the second aircraft departed and the the first landed. On day 3 the first aircraft for and the 2nd landed.

They had spent 24 hours trawling up and down the Channel turning Avtur in to noise while the crew got scurvy and grew beards.

I wondered why they didn't work up at St Mawgan and have a few beers and not shave or change .

One time I was at an Air Day at St. Mawgan with a couple of friends, one of whom had been Shackleton aircrew.

So the Shackleton was doing it's display and we could see it turning in a mile or so away. The tannoy then announced it was going to do a 'fast pass' and the ex-Shack mat just said "ok, we've got time for a coffee then".

Did they have the turboprop conversion?

I had the dubious honour of being on the third Shackleton trip from the September 1960 Farnborough on the 7th/8th. We didn't 'trawl up and down the channel' but trudged towards the Canary Islands, Azores and back. The sorties were 22 hours, not 24 as the takeoff was the last event one day and the return the first event of the next. We had the bomb bay fuel tank fitted, an 'enhanced' crew and flew at endurance speed which was more uncomfortable than normal! Oh, and lots of pies!
I too didn't understand why we didn't just fly down to St Mawgan and return the next day, but then we did have the intrepid (maybe most junior?) reporter aboard to scupper that idea.

212man. There wasn't a turboprop version. There was, however the addition of 2 Viper turbojets, but much later than this.

I think 212man was making a wry statement. The Vipers burnt Avgas ...

Dear Steve, if you will put your address on prune I will send you some papers. Thank you

Not too long ago one of the Flight Engineers on BBMF was ex-Shack. Might make for an interesting comparison Shack Vs Lanc.

Thanks chaps. Ormeside28 I have sent you a private message with my address; I look forward to seeing the papers!

I've enjoyed the whole series Steve, is there a 'Canberra Boys' planned ?

Stilton.

According to Amazon, "Canberra Boys" is due out on 31st May 2017.