VMARS Container Sale
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Issue 124 A publication of the Vintage and Military Amateur Radio Society July 2013 www.vmars.org.uk M0VMW Affiliated to the Radio Society of Great Britain VMARS Committee Chairman: Ian Underwood M0YMK Roundwyck Farm Pipers Lane, Balls Cross Petworth, West Sussex GU28 9JZ +44(0)1403 820185 [email protected] Secretary: John Keeley GW6RAV 93 Park Crescent Abergavenny, Gwent NP7 5TL +44(0)1873 850164 [email protected] Treasurer & Publications Manager: Bronek Wedzicha M0DAF 22 Farmers Way Copmanthorpe, York North Yorkshire Y023 3XX +44(0)1904 708704 [email protected] [email protected] Membership Secretary: Peter Shepherd G7DXV 25 Tomkins Close Stanford-Le-Hope Operating position of Jan 2E0UPA aboard the lightship SULA in Gloucester Essex SS17 8QU Docks. Report on page 4. +44(0)1375 640618 [email protected] Ordinary Member: VMARS Container Sale Peter Jones G8CDC Tudor House Stoneleigh Road th Blackdown, Leamington Spa Saturday 7 September 2013 Warwickshire CV32 6QR +44(0)1926 883345 Rosswood Farm, Baginton [email protected] Ordinary Member: 10.30 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. Ron Swinburne M0WSN 32 Hollywell Road Please see back page for details Sheldon, Birmingham B26 3BX +44(0)1217 421808 [email protected] From our Chairman members and the VMARS event. On the day before the Co-opted Member and AGM, Carolyn and I visited Gerald G3LEO and Jo Brigham Public Relations Officer: Thirty or so Members (see who live nearby, and were entertained by them to a very page 7) attended the 14th Stuart McKinnon G0TBI pleasant afternoon tea in their lovely garden where we were 145 Enville Road Annual General Meeting of joined by another VMARS Member, Peter Norris G4VUN. VMARS, held on Saturday The Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington proved to be an Kinver, Near Stourbridge th West Midlands DY7 6BN July 6 at the Yorkshire Air ideal venue for our meeting and, following the successful +44(0)1384 872157 Museum, Elvington, about meeting and a convivial lunch in the NAAFI, Members took [email protected] eight miles southeast of the the opportunity to spend the afternoon exploring the various Co-opted Member: historic City of York. galleries and aircraft exhibits at this superb award-winning Carolyn’s brother lives Philip Staplehurst museum. 2 Sussex Cottages close to the Royal Air Force station at Leeming, 35 Royal Air Force Elvington was originally opened in the late Bluebell Lane, Sharpthorne 1930s as a grass airfield but was soon rescheduled for the West Sussex RH19 4PF miles away, so we took the +44(0)1342 810299 opportunity to combine a construction of three hardened runways to enable it to have rare stay with family an all-weather capability for the heavier aircraft being 1 July 2013 Issue 124 The VMARS News Sheet introduced to the RAF at that time. On reopening in October after the keel had been laid, while continuing to fund the 1942, the airfield was occupied by No. 77 Squadron, having development of the B36, which they irreverently named, with recently converted from ageing Whitley bombers to more considerable justification, the ‘Lumbering Cow’. While the effective four-engine Handley Page Halifax heavy bombers. B36 was, for a while, the nuclear deterrent platform of the As part of No. 4 Group, 77 Squadron played a major role in United States, the maiden flight of the all jet B52 in April the bomber offensive against Germany and mounted 1952 heralded its imminent eclipse. At a crucial time in numerous raids from RAF Elvington against industrial modern history, the B36 succeeded in bluffing the USSR targets in the Ruhr Valley. The squadron suffered heavy into believing that it could deliver a decisive nuclear blow casualties, with over 450 British, Canadian, Australian and against them, but the B36’s more valuable, though less New Zealand aircrew killed on bombing operations flying advertised, role was as an extended endurance, high from Elvington between October 1942 and May 1944, at altitude photo reconnaissance aircraft and for this role, which time they relocated to nearby RAF Full Sutton. In the without being encumbered by a 10,000 lb nuclear bomb same month, and with much excitement locally, the airfield load, it could operate directly from bases on mainland USA. became the operational base of 346 and 347 RAF Despite the preparation work carried out at RAF Elvington, squadrons flying Halifax heavy bombers crewed by a which included a new control tower and a 49 acre hard sudden influx of Free French aircrew, whose Gallic charms standing as well as the runway lengthening, the airfield was proved irresistible to some of the local ladies. This sudden never made operational by the US Air Force and it was arrival had been the result of the Allied occupation of Vichy- handed back to the RAF in 1958. controlled French North African territories, aided significantly by the forces of General Henri Giraud, who had colluded For the next 34 years, RAF Elvington was maintained as a with the Allies to place himself and his 60,000 troops under relief airfield and as a training runway for Central Flying Allied control following invasion. In retaliation, the infuriated School students from the RAF stations at Linton-on-Ouse Germans occupied the Vichy French-controlled southern and Church Fenton. In the 1960’s, the Blackburn Aircraft half of France. This, in turn, was the final straw for legions of Company, based at Brough near Hull, used RAF Elvington patriotic Frenchmen of General Giraud’s army, causing as a flight test base for the Blackburn Buccaneer nuclear many of his aircrew and ground support staff to volunteer to strike aircraft procured initially for the Royal Navy and later serve directly under Royal Air Force command so that they for the Royal Air Force to fill the gap left by the cancellation could strike a vengeful blow for France against Germany. of TSR2 and F111 aircraft. The Yorkshire Air Museum has a While at Elvington, 346 ‘Guyenne’ and 347 ‘Tunisie’ very fine Blackburn Buccaneer in their collection on display Squadrons were heavily engaged in night bombing missions at the former airfield, which was finally closed as an RAF over Germany, suffering numerous casualties. At 01:50 on station and was disposed of by the Ministry of Defence in the night of March 3rd 1945, while returning from a raid on 1992. synthetic fuel plants in the Ruhr, the French squadrons were The VMARS AGM held at the former RAF Elvington also attacked by Luftwaffe Junkers 88G night fighters of 13 provided a golden opportunity for Members to spend a few Nachtjagdeschwader Gruppen as they were coming in to days in the area with their partners and take advantage of a land at Elvington. Escaping after being hit several times, the visit to the ancient walled City of York, founded by the crew of one Halifax survived a crash landing at a nearby Romans nearly 2000 years ago with the name of Eboracum, airfield, while one of the attacking aircraft, re-forming for a view the magnificent York Minster cathedral and the latest further low level attack, hit a tree and crashed into a nearby extravaganza of steam engines dating from the 1930’s at house killing all 5 crew, a local farmer and his wife and the splendid National Railway Museum. On Sunday, some mother. A black cross commemorating the tragedy can be Members drove a few miles south to RAF Waddington, seen by the roadside in front of the farmhouse near the Lincoln, to enjoy the warm and sunny weather and join the Museum on the York road. In October 1945, both squadrons crowds watching the spectacle of the RAF’s largest annual were placed under French control in the Armée de l'Air and air display. It was a great pleasure to meet, for the first time, relocated to Bordeaux, ending their formal association with with several Members who live in the region and have been the RAF and with Yorkshire. The only remaining Handley unable to attend previous meetings further away. They Page Halifax bomber can be seen in the hangar at the made the rest of us feel very welcome and I would like to Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, in original Free French extend my thanks for their consideration and hospitality. livery. The 2014 VMARS AGM is to be held at the home of the With military hostilities now over, RAF Elvington settled into Royal Signals at Blandford in Dorset and the plan is to hold its peacetime role as an RAF Maintenance Unit until 1952 it on the Saturday in the same weekend as the highly-rated when the airfield came to the attention of the United States Hamfest organised by the Flight Refuelling Amateur Radio Air Force Strategic Air Command. As a counter to the Society at nearby Wimborne on Sunday. This will present an growing Soviet threat, the US concluded an agreement with ideal opportunity for Members to spend some leisure time the British Government to use RAF Elvington as a dispersal exploring the extraordinary Jurrasic Coast nearby and to base for the massive B36 ‘Peacemaker’ strategic bomber, investigate the excellent local museums such as the with its six Pratt & Whitney piston engines, two outrigger jet Bovingdon Tank Museum. engines and 230 ft wingspan. Everything about this aircraft was on such a large scale that a B29 Superfortress, the There is a 15 minute video consisting of extracts from the previous largest US strategic bomber in service, would meeting and views of the museum on our VMARS website almost fit under one wing of the B36.