Jump to content

A prowl around Ox and Wilts 1975.


Paul J

Recommended Posts

Decided to attempt scanning my slides in date sequence where poss. The ones below were taken around the June time of summer of 1975 on one fine Sunday with a couple mates. We did this sort of thing frequently all year round but this particular day was fun and I hope you all enjoy a trip back.....

 

First, Upper Heyford.....

20170212210357_11_zpsuowbxphq.jpg

 

20170212210357_09_zps9rqrnbtv.jpg

 

20170212210357_08_zpsqgyl2fkw.jpg

 

20170212210357_12_zpsnuk3rxdj.jpg

A couple 17 Squadron Phantoms made it worthwhile. One was XV467.  Then on to Brize.....

20170212210639_01_zps7afbny6g.jpg

Among the Brits I logged this day were XL638,657, XM496, 516.

20170212210639_03_zpsz3erh1kj.jpg

 

20170212210639_02_zpsi1qentfl.jpg

 

20170212210639_07_zps5wxhpjwl.jpg

 

20170212210639_05_zpsdo4vv3ip.jpg

 

20170212210639_04_zpsqah2ckfu.jpg

Among the Belfast and VC s were XR808 and XV103( not those in the above pic!) for the 10s and XR365 Belfast.

A few miles drive took us to Lyneham....

20170212210727_02_zpsn1jtw1zf.jpg

 

20170212210727_01_zpstboiygpl.jpg

Comet C.4 XR398,399,396 and another.  All ending up with Dan Air!!!

20170212210639_12_zpsx2vvbp3n.jpg

Meteor T.7 WF825

20170212210639_11_zpscjh15qlb.jpg

Above and below, around the other side of the airfield...

20170212210639_09_zpsp7zewbyx.jpg

 

20170212210639_10_zpssqdpxy4y.jpg

 

20170212210639_08_zpsrt9tujpt.jpg

Other herks logged were,XV183,188,203,207,215,291,294,296,301, 302, 304, 307. Note the slight variations in the way the camo was applied!

20170212212657_02_zpsaxpoggvj.jpg

With one of two Iranian Herk visitors. The other was 5-129

20170212212657_03_zpsygnqkefd.jpg

..and this USAF one passing overhead.

20170212210639_06_zpsyquqhhrn.jpg

This Varsity(WJ889) with a flat looking nose too. I think this was at Brize.  The nasty flare in the pic was due to the camera back opening I think. It was a nuisance as it happened several times while I had the Zenit E!!! Which got replaced by a Nikon FM in 1978/79.

20170212212657_06_zpsp4gbsoeo.jpg

 

20170212212657_07_zpsyujpyuax.jpg

On our way home we stopped by Farnborough to get this Hastings WD480 parked out on the North side if I recall right.

Cheers for now many more goodies to come...

 

  • Like 19
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

Nice :). I had summer camp at Brize in 1973 and a 5 hour trip in XN404 BZZ-MAN-PIK-BZZ, including 1.5 hours circuit bashing at BZZ on return..... A few were a bit green after that ;)

Sounds a bit like my ATC camp at nearby Bicester. We were taken to Brize for some flying and I got 3 hours circuit bashing in  Belfast XR367. Other groups during the week got trips in the Brit and VC10 jammy so and so's

 

However am glad I have entertained you all. As mentioned I have many more to come. Thanks for comments and looking in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic peak over the fence Paul. I find the "quality " of photo lends itself to the nostalgic feel of the time,a little like black and white images from many years ago. Keep up the good work. I will try and join in with some myself later if I may. The potential to peek into other people's photo albums is amazing isn't it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for sharing your excellent selection of photographs. If only we could see such diversity of subjects these days. Instead we have very little to be cheerful about. Oh those halcyon days of old. We can only but dream off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow - Thanks for sharing Paul :)

 

The Hercs bring back many memories. I was a forces kid at RAF Colerne in 75 living virtually slap bang on the airfield. Then it was onto Lyneham. Its also great to see Britannias , Belfasts and Comets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started out with a Zenit as well - and had the same issues..... Switched to a Praktica later, not that it was much better....:lol:  But it was all I could afford at the time. Saved up my pennies when I started working for real to invest in an Olympus in around 1983/4 and never looked back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, Paul Bradley said:

I started out with a Zenit as well - and had the same issues..... Switched to a Praktica later, not that it was much better....:lol: 

Me too!! Zenit E, then a Praktica LTL? and then Olympus OM1N. I found that the Zenit always left a slight lighter shadow on each frame. My dad said it was a fault in the design of the shutter. For the time and for the budget they were okay and certainly the Praktica served me well. The Olympus was great. I still have it. It did fail me at least once. It was my first day of a 2 week US trip and the cap holding the winder fell off. For the trip I had to hold it in place with a finger when I wanted to wind on! :(...... "Wind on" I hear the youngsters say, what was that! ;)  

 

M  

Edited by RidgeRunner
Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, RidgeRunner said:

The Olympus was great. I still have it. It did fail me at least once. It was my first day of a 2 week US trip and the cap holding the winder fell off. For the trip I had to hold it in place with a finger when I wanted to wind on! :(...... "Wind on" I hear the youngsters say, what was that! ;)  

 

M  

 

Hmmm...I had an Olympus OM10 that suffered exactly the same problem when I was on deployment in Africa.  My problem was that the winder disappeared.  Managed to find an old guy in a shack of a workshop in Mombasa who made a new winder out of a piece of metal and then attached it with a new screw.  Still have the camera, with the mod intact, to this day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do like pictures of home. I'm not on any ! I was on Base 3s then in Base Hangar in Summer '75. Upper Heyford once a week in the NCO or Airmen's clubs

Roughly within 12 months of your visit the Brits & Belfs were gone, 99 and 511 Sqns disbanded in June 76 and 53 SQN Belfasts September 76.  Replaced by JATE, No1 PTS,TCW and 115 SQN Argosys and Andovers..Those Comets were out of service in summer 75 so either already dead or just about to be.

How (if you can remember!) did you get that photo of VC10 XR806 down by ESG with  Bampton Church in the background? From the Main Gate (Gate 2) ?

 

Great photos, even greater memories woken up,thanks very much for showing them, brilliant.

Pictures of when we had an Air Force.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, bzn20 said:

 

How (if you can remember!) did you get that photo of VC10 XR806 down by ESG with  Bampton Church in the background? From the Main Gate (Gate 2) ?

 

Great photos, even greater memories woken up,thanks very much for showing them, brilliant.

Pictures of when we had an Air Force.

Hi. Re the pic of the VC10, I really don't recall. But possibly as you mentioned. We drove around all these bases to find suitable photographic  points.  The Herk tail line up was from the deadend lane by Lyneham near a place called 'New Zealand'.  But also back then security isn't like it is now.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brilliant pics,.......these were my old stomping grounds only 10 years later but things had changed so much,.......no Belfast`s, Briiannia`s or Comet`s anymore (apart from the Lyneham gate guard!) and the Herks were wearing grey and green camo,.......  I`d have loved to have been serving in the 70`s.

Cheers

            Tony

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 15/02/2017 at 7:54 PM, Paul J said:

Hi. Re the pic of the VC10, I really don't recall. But possibly as you mentioned. We drove around all these bases to find suitable photographic  points.  The Herk tail line up was from the deadend lane by Lyneham near a place called 'New Zealand'.  But also back then security isn't like it is now.

 

Security at Upper Heyford in the 60s was very high.  I stood at the fence photographing B47 Stratojets on the flightline through the mesh wire, when after 5 minutes, 2 american security pick ups converged on me inside the fence.  At the same time 2 security pick ups turned up alongside me on the outside of the fence.  I was placed in one of the pick ups and taken back to the guard room.  Never forget the guys name, Sgt McClusky took my camera from me, opened the back up and pulled the film out, unrolled all the film so the daylight hit it, then gave me back my camera.  He told me I was taking unauthorised photographs of the flightline...................You have to remember, although I was ignorant of it at the time, this was a SAC(Strategic Air Command) base and security was extremely high.  Its only as I grew older I began to find out just how high SACs security is and the reason for it.  After they gave me a cup of coffee I was sent on my way, well, I was only 15 at the time.......

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...