2024
February 2024
The regular meeting convened as usual at Mundford Bowls Club where a near (if not actual) record attendance was recorded to hear a talk by Ian Brown on Atomic Sculthorpe. Ian is the Curator of The RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre and as he explained fell into the roll purely because of his interest in the place having lived close by.
This was a very interesting presentation on the history of RAF Sculthorpe which is really a flag of convenience as in reality its all about the United States Air Force(USAF) and their operations predominantly in the late 1940’s and early 50’s when Sculthorpe was a base for B29 aircraft carrying the various models of Atomic Weapons, bombs to you and I, in defence against the Soviet Union under the appropriately named MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) protocol. This is exactly what it says on the tin, you lob an Atomic Bomb at us and we will lob a bigger one back, ending as it were with a BIG BANG for everyone. Ian has made many interesting discoveries of the history around Sculthorpe inc the various unique installations such a turntables to align the aircraft more accurately with the loading trolleys. Me thinks this is a good idea as I don’t reckon you, or indeed Usain Bolt, could run fast enough to escape a blast if you dropped one when loading…….
Ian explained a number of myths about RAF Sculthorpe of which the 3 main ones were:
Heated Runway ….Absolutely not
Underground Installations ….Nope
Alternative Space Shuttle Landing Airfield….Again No, that was RAF Fairford
So that's put all that to bed then! But wait there was more.
Operation Jujitsu spy missions took place from Sculthorpe in the early 1950’s when the RAF operated USAF B45 aircraft with RAF roundels but no registration numbers. The B45 was never on the inventory of the RAF, but it undertook manned spy missions over the USSR crewed by RAF crews, thus creating ultimate deniability using the argument, sic the RAF; not us ‘gov’ we don’t operate those aircraft and sic USAF; not us ‘gov’ not our aircraft or crews. In the end the arguments weren’t required as the missions were completed successfully! High risk nonetheless and approved by the then PM Winston Churchill as a way for us to get back in the good books of our US allies. The reason why Sculthorpe was chosen was because it was already home to the 91 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing operating the B45 aircraft. A further operation was cancelled due to the risk and eventually manned flights over the USSR were cancelled when Gary Powers in a Lockeed U2 aircraft was shot down from ‘very high indeed’ by a Soviet missile, and amazingly survived to tell the tale.
For further information on Atomic Sculthorpe and Operation Jujitsu a visit to the RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre is recommended. On the other hand if you like the sound of our group why not come to the West Norfolk Aviation Society meetings on the first Tuesday of every month at Mundford Bowls Club where you will be guaranteed a warm welcome with tea, biscuits and light snacks provided by our hosts Val and Len and an aviation themed evening amongst like mind individuals. Can’t say fairer than that!
Mark Burch, Stand In Scribe.
January 2024
No Meeting was held in January 2024
March 2024
Amanda Harrison, latter-day Amy Johnson, was our celebrity guest speaker this month. We say 'celebrity' because she has rubbed shoulders with the famous:- sports personalities, politicians, film stars and royalty, the latter being, in her own words, the least self-opinionated and the least pretentious. The opportunity for this privilege resulted from becoming, later in her career, a commercial pilot instructor.
Her fascination for flying began when she was a schoolgirl. Her father and brother were both aero-modellers; the seed was sown; it germinated and, now she has her own full grown 1930s Tiger Moth in which she is re-enacting her hero's epic journey, some of it already completed. Much of Amanda's story is common knowledge and references to her achievements are well documented online. Her presentation at our meeting together with the book she has published help fill in the gaps in this incredible saga.
This vivacious but modest 46 year old trod the Mundford Bowls Club boards with confidence, humour and enthusiasm. It seemed, almost, as if she was enjoying the company of the WNAS as much as she does her beloved aeroplane.
There was an underlying message in her story that was not just about the thrill of flying her own aeroplane but by how much the sensation was magnified by circumstances leading up to her success. Amanda wears her heart on her sleeve: as a teenager with few academic achievements and, being diagnosed with dyslexia, her peers regarded her as a 'no-hoper' destined for a career stacking shelves. Now, she seems to have another quest: to right some of the wrongs our education system has over-looked. She gives up some of her precious spare time to children with learning difficulties; to demonstrate that: 'where there a will there's a way'. She encourages them into the belief that learning is exciting rather than a chore. In a rather perverse way facing adversity seems to have strengthened her resolve: after undergoing an operation for a double mastectomy, her father dying a few days later and a broken Gypsy Major engine in Beirut her spirits are still high and she is confident that, after she receives air clearance over the war torn Middle East, Australia is only a step away.
Our society's thanks must also go to Techie Steve for discovering this treasure trove.
Our chatty chairman, Chris H, addressing the floor, closed the meeting with the pithy afterthought: try not to die before the next installment.
May 2024
May 7th dawned bright, sunny and warm after many days of blooming cold and wet days, thank goodness. West Norfolk Aviation Society (WNAS) were up for a day out, well afternoon anyway with a visit to the Sculthorpe Heritage Centre now settled in their new home in the old RC church on the former RAF Sculthorpe base. This wasn’t any old trip however, oh no, we were going to travel by bus, a 1952 AEC Regal Four or AEC RF as its apparently known in the trade. Fortunately one of our members is a member of the group responsible for this vehicle and he drove it beautifully, what an experience in time travel it was.
For you technophobes it has a 9.6 litre 6 Cylinder AEC horizontal diesel engine and a pre selector gearbox which meant no big gear lever just a small lever on the steering wheel which pre selects the gear required, the actual change is made by operating the ‘clutch’ pedal which selects the pre-selected gear if you see what I mean! Anyway, very clever technology and seemed to work perfectly and very smoothly. First up, literally was couple of steep steps, no kneeling flat platforms here thank you. Once on board, the bus was respectably quiet and pretty comfortable cruising happily on the main roads at 45mph.
The trip from Brandon to Sculthorpe was about one hour and we all settled happily into chatting about all things aviation. Soon we were at our destination and a fine job they have done as well having spruced up the old RC church with loads of interesting displays and memorabilia, parts of old aircraft, histories of various aircraft flying suits. Operation Jiu Jitsu (see February’s WNAS report) and even some old Air Traffic Control Tower bricks and glass for sale, a subject close to my heart as a former Air Traffic Controller for 46 years. The Heritage centre was opened especially for our visit and included tea and some especially delicious cake, homemade by the curator’s wife - lovely!
After about 2 and half hours it was time to go so we all boarded the AEC RF (think I’m getting the hang of the terminology!) for the return trip. It only reminded us to fill the bus with diesel, about 10 mpg on average. We say thank you to our fantastic driver John. The picture opposite is NOT driver John but your ‘stand in scribe’ sitting in the driver’s seat making ‘brum brum’ noises whilst pretending to be driving the bus - another bucket list item fulfilled!
Picture in the Gallery Section
April 2024
‘Commander’ David Allen, founder member of the WNAS (29 years), saved the day by standing in for a speaker who - was unable to be sought. He called his impromptu alliteration Allen’s Airline Anecdotes. ‘Commander’ is our pseudonym for a confident gentleman with bearing and presence worthy of the rank but, alas, not official.
He landed in Mundford 40 odd years ago chasing a job as a teacher. Being a polymath and a polyglot it was not surprising that he secured the position. His fascination for aviation began when, at the age of six, his father, a WW2 Curtiss KittyHawk pilot, took him and his mother for a spin in an Avro York (derivative of the renowned Lancaster bomber). A fire in one of the engines did little to dampen his enthusiasm for flight…… nor did the fact that a landing was forced as a result of a strut becoming detached from the undercarriage…..nor did the fact that a priest committed suicide by jumping off the tailgate; one would have thought a mission in the upward direction would have been more appropriate. The strut falling from the undercarriage was eventually recovered from someone’s garden.
David, forever the aficionado, was well supported, with hand-outs depicting thumbnail images of all the civil aeroplanes with which he had been associated. He only mentioned once that he took the helm of an airliner at the age of six but, he did, subsequently, have administrative positions at airports like Luton: loadmaster; ensuring balanced luggage distribution: pumping water to balancing points in the wings and tail. Security was another of his briefs; terrorist control you might call it now. On one occasion at night he apprehended a suspicious looking chappie snooping around a Handley Page Herald. The culprit told David that he had once flown this particular aeroplane. When it was revealed that the culprit was the Duke of Edinburgh, David was discomfited but, was spared insubordination charges.
Our man still has a close association with those fourteen aircraft depicted in the thumbnails; he now holds the honorary title of official guide at Duxford. Since retirement he has now sampled the real thing: he now holds a glider pilot’s licence. If there’s one aircraft that could be used to personify David’s character it would be the Bristol Britannia (Whispering Giant), it's quick and it's quiet whereas, this reporter is slow and deaf. This is not a good combination if the object of this exercise is to convey the maximum amount of accurate information.
June 2024
Once again we applaud the initiative of our resourceful Commander for his efforts in filling the vacancy this month’s speaker was scheduled to fill; no, not a film show or a quiz, but a panel game based on television’s ‘Would I Lie to You’. The floor was randomly divided into two teams each member being ordered, nay, elected to recount an aeronautical experience in their life; humorous or dangerous. The stories could either be fact or fiction. Because fact, in most renditions, was so close to fantasy it was difficult for verdicts to have a convincing conclusion. And, because all members and their guests were such honourable individuals it was difficult for them to conclude that their opponents would lie and therefore, their conclusion would have to be ‘true’.
Should this good-humoured shenanigan ever occur again it was decided that, in order to balance the chances of the tales being fact or fiction then, participants should be forewarned such that creativity/lying could be introduced into the equation. As is usual with our quizzes there didn’t appear to be a winner; a good thing; competition can so often be ugly!
It oft times happens that when our club hosts a celebrity speaker the floor is full. There was no exception on this cheerful occasion, thanks to Chairman
Chris’ guests who are all members of another jolly outfit: The Narborough Museum (well worth a visit).
The evening ended with a party spirit thanks to the kindness of our charming Mundford Bowls Club hosts, Val and Len, who always supply us with such a wonderful spread of delicacies.
July 2024
Once again the club found itself devoid of a scheduled speaker but, thanks to RAF Marham and another of its one-time protégés, the ‘show went on’ thanks to the resourcefulness of our Chairman, Chris Halliday, ex- armourer, and now, accomplished raconteur, humourist and modeller. He again proved that ‘home-cooking’ can sometimes surpass the performances of the professional caterers of comedy and stage craft. Not only did his job require that he equip aeroplanes with bombs and bullets but he also provided their crews with survival equipment, in the form of: rapid egress for Americans and fast escape systems for the British; commonly known as ejector seats.
Chris was cautious to mention that whilst his delivery was aimed at fact, anecdotal influences were introduced to add flavour to the moment; the aeronauts in attendance added more to this effect. One time member of our esteemed crew, Chuck Pettit of Crown Road, Mundford, now deceased, flew Mirages and Phantoms in the Middle East and survived a skirmish thanks to, the now famous Martin-Baker ejection system. He proudly displayed the certificate he was awarded on his office wall.
Equally proud was Chris who accompanied his presentation with a home-grown simulator; Mr Martin and Mr Baker would have been impressed by this Flintstone-Robinson creation. Comprising mainly of wood, string, elastic, cloth and toilet roll tubes all of which cross represented seating, leg straps, bungee cord, upholstery and rocket motors; not forgetting the sheepskin posterior comforter.
Flippancy aside, Chris did display a few genuine trophies from his past, like: explosive canopy release mechanisms, anti-guillotine sensors, and barometric control sensors to prevent pilots from exploding should they try to exit at the wrong moment.
Flippancy returning, Chris further demonstrated the simulation of an ejection using a puppet on a string.
Picture evidence in the Gallery Section
August 2024
WNAS took a summer break in 2024
September 2024
Temporarily devoid of an official speaker-seeker the WNAS was once again resigned to play the DIY card. Three societies joined forces in the production of a melodrama of memorabilia and mystery. The Mundford Bowls Club provided the venue. The hospitality and banquet were provided by resident stewards, Val and Len and, the show was produced and directed by the WNAS. This was entitled The Mountain comes to Mohammed. The Narborough Museum complex provided the cast and the props. The leading roles were played by Bill and Chris; it was Bill who brought the contents from his own museum to the Bowls Club stage. Chris, also a member and, chairman of the WNAS, provided the narrative. Chris, ex-armourer at RAF Marham and native of Narborough, is gifted with an enthusiasm and humour which brings out the best in any society; so much so that we now have six new members from Narborough all giving good reviews about the hospitality they receive at our club. There was an eclectic collection of artifacts on display, mainly connected with wartime activities and we were allowed to play with exhibits from both world wars: a 303 Lee Enfield rifle, a German replica sten gun, hand grenades and fuses, detonators, bayonets, 150mm artillery shells and, of course, a trench coat, gas mask and ration book; nobody was hurt. When compiling copy for an aeronautical society it is customary to mention the word aeroplane - well, there you have it. If the readers of this epistle are feeling deprived of a picture to accompany this report then they should visit the Narborough Museums and secure a much better one than we can provide. Anyone is eligible to join our club for £10 a year or have a free trial for £1 per raffle ticket
October 2024
Speaker Seeker John B and his recruit, speaker extraordinaire and multi-disciplined aviator Steve d'R, both submitted their apologies for being ill and unable to attend the meeting this month. The chairman, Chris H wished them well for their speedy recovery and once again took over the reins for the rest of the evening. His presentation was simply: "Missiles and their Evolution".
As is usual with this talented speaker and comedian he is always accompanied by a plethora of assorted props, courtesy of Blue Peter - his words. The first was a spear, fortunately with a rubber tip, which he hurled with gusto down the aisle between the two ranks of the assembly. He progressed with the description of a number of developments of this missile which, he said, included the arrow, the bullet, the torpedo, heat seeking, TV guided, anti-missile missiles and finally his beloved Side Winder, a weapon with which he had had a personal experience during his time spent at RAF Marham as an armourer.
To add more glamour to his delivery and, again with some help from Blue Peter, he has built a life size model of the Side-winder (in cardboard) with the three main sections: the control module at the front, the explosive charge in the middle with encompassing shrapnel and, at the rear, the rocket motor. At this end too, are the four wings each with wind turbine inertial stabilisers on their tips. Derisory perhaps but this led to the missile's nickname: 'The Wheelbarrow'.
There were enlightened guests and members who gave their own account of personal experiences. One such was the story of a Phantom that mistakenly took down a Jaguar over Germany during exercises. There were no casualties apart from the Jaguar. With Chris' inimitable satire he concluded, 'What's a couple of million quid; the tax payer can afford it. The two pilots were probably congratulating each other in the bar afterwards'.
November 2024
Military Bases in the Arctic since WW2 - Part One
Our Speaker this month was John Blakeley who presented a very interesting talk (Part 1 of 2) on military bases in the Arctic. The Arctic has been a hotbed of contention for many years and there is still a very active ‘Cold War’ going on in the latitudes above 66.30 degrees North where temperatures can be as low as minus 40 degrees.
Thule Air Force Base was built in Greenland and is the highest latitude Air Force base in the USA remaining in use today. Constructed in 1951, as the Cold warkicked off, it remains a vital USA and NATO base. John showed us an interesting film of its construction. The Arctic Air Ferry route was established under Operation Bolero to move aircraft across the North Atlantic in WW2 into the European Theatre of Operations. A series of bases was established to allow a maximum distance between bases of 750 miles. The route was from Newfoundland via Greenland, Iceland and onto the North of Scotland. Due to weather, mechanical and navigational difficulties, the many single-engined aircraft attempting the journey needed the assistance of an escort in the form of a well-equipped multi-engined aeroplane. An expected loss rate of 10% was anticipated but, luckily, 5.2% was the reality. However, losses roseexponentially in the winter and all crossings were suspended from Nov to March.
There is a number of amazing survival stories including that of a B17 crew surviving or 100 days in the tail section of their crashed bomber waiting for the weather to improve enough for them to be rescued. There is also the remarkable story of a P38 Lockheed Lightning fighter which crashed in Greenland after returning in bad weather and was very recently recovered from under the ice and restored to flying condition. Appropriately named Glacier Girl, it remains in operational condition; Google it - it’s a remarkable story.
Little known facts emerged like: the UK ‘politically invaded’ Iceland and the Faroe Islands to prevent them falling into the hands of the Germans. The USA took over ‘protection’ of Greenland which was semi-autonomous with Denmark. However Denmark had been invaded and subjugated by Nazi Germany. The Germans were unable to counter this because until late 1941 the USA was a Neutral country and any action against Greenland would have meant war against the USA. All highly intriguing. Meanwhile back in the present the vast majority of populated areas in the Arctic fall within Russia so maintaining a western ‘presence’ in the area is vital, hence the continuing cold war in the region which brings us to the end of Part 1.
We look forward to welcoming John back in January with Part 2 which John says is even more interesting which makes it a definite do not miss in my book.
Mark Burch, Stand In Scribe
December 2024
Annual General Meetings in many societies are commonly associated with a shortage of enthusiasm but, uncommonly, our attendance figures were surprisingly high (15) despite the absence of the Narborough Museum pack and our Commander who tendered his hush-hush apologies; rank needing no excuses. The more than capable Chairman Chris H, dealt professionally with matters arising, punctuating his delivery with the usual large calibre wit. Some of the topics fit for discussion: membership fees (£10 retained), Kevin C's allegiance badges and, society accounts which can be viewed on line.
The question of speaker procurement and their associated fees was a high ranking topic for debate. We have shown that we are capable of producing our own speakers but to complement our endeavours it was suggested that we, as members, should resource possible recruits ourselves and ‘focal point’ them to our website manager Steve C. New member, Chris P (Sculthorpe Museum) said he would assist in this respect. If anybody out there reading this article should have a story to tell about aviation and, a desire to exercise their oratorical skills, we would love to hear from you.
Steve rounded off with a short film entitled ‘The Shepherd’, a euphemism for a ghost pilot who escorts another pilot to safety after losing the way, the fuel, and the instrumentation.
The evening finished with booze and bounty courtesy of Val and Len who received marks of appreciation from the squadron.