The Brabazon

[Henry]

Does anyone remember the Brabazon?
It used to fly over Colerne in the late 40's and early 50's, generally as I recall in a direction roughly in line with Colerne and Malmesbury. Somebody once told me it followed the line of airfields, which in this area would have given plenty of choice! but whether or not this was so, I do not know.
The sound of the Brabazon was an unmistakeable beating drone. It seemed to crawl very slowly across the sky, but as a youngster used to seeing the small Mosquito's coming and going fast and low, I obviously had no comprehension of it's size and height, so the slowness was an illusion.
I remember the tiny Meteor and Vampire, which were often seen around that time.
The big Sunderland flying boat used to go over fairly regularly as well.
I remember the great Air Shows put on at Colerne, the first aircraft I ever went on was a Lancaster bomber in the static display, I went in the bomb bay doors, then clambered forward and out near the nose (and no queueing!).
Who remembers the Vulcan coming low and slow above the runway, and standing on end and vanishing vertically upwards in front of the crowd with an impressive, body shaking, thunderous roar? It would not be allowed now!!
What I see now is a sad reflection of the time when Britain was Great!
Henry

[COLERNE'SNO1G]

Na henry, i'm not old enough to know but i do remember seeing an AC130 flying towards, what i guess would be RAF Yeovilton...? If your not familiar with it, the AC130 is an assault version of the "fat albert". Also, as we are on the subject of military aircraft! Does anyone know where it was that a plane crashed during the war in colerne? Old myth has it that the ghost of the airman walks the stretch of land it crashed.

[Henry]

I'm no follower of aircraft COLERNE'SNO1G, just interested in anything. I can't place the 'fat albert' (but I did know a Tubby Hale who fell off the parapet of a railway bridge. Very lucky really as he missed some pointed wooden railings and only broke a few ribs at ground level).
I do recall being told quite recently, that a plane crashed during the war, on the edge of Kingsdown (somewhere near Totney corner), and that every year on its anniversary, someone still goes up there to speak to the pilot.
I will try to find out a bit more about it.
When I was young I made a few model aircraft. I used to like the Skyleda kits they seemed more robust than the Keilkraft. Any way, when I flew them it was never long before they got broken, and I never repaired them. My solution was to make (wooden) model boats (nothing pre cut then, I used to have 'Hobbies Weekly' at 4D (old pence) a week (what indulgent parents)). Who uses a fretsaw, and little metal plate clamped to the kitchen table these days? Very few kids develop those kind of practical skills now, which is a great loss to the country.
Henry

[Henry]

I did not immediately associate the AC130 with the 'Hercules'! As I live virtually under the main flight path into RAF Lyneham (sadly scheduled for closure), I see Hercules every day. I have seen many variations, and colourings, including unmarked matt black, and I do recall seeing one (in the past couple of years) with armaments (I'm pretty sure that was black as well). Last year I saw a Victor very low over Lyneham (I was walking up the Avon, and it looked like it had taken off), and the massive Globemaster, and various fighter aircraft. Chinooks (of varied appearance) often come to Lyneham, including again an unmarked matt black one.
Henry.

[NormanC]

I had not heard of a c130,described as a modified ground attack Hercules
(Fat Albert!) before. I tried entering C130 on Google and found a comprehensive and very interesting article about it. Worth looking up if you have an interest in such things.
I was a night fighter instructor navigator on Brigands at Colerne afterwards on the Communicatioons flight mainly on Ansons. My last tour (again at Colerne) was operations officer, a ground job but not so interesting. If any of you phoned to complain about night flying noise they may have spoken to me-I hope I was polite!

[COLERNE'SNO1G]

I suppose they modified the hercules, so enemies dont think its an attack aircraft, but a transporter! Little do they know that its a savage beast. Anyway i have still not found out where it is that a war plane crashed in colerne, or is it just a myth?

[allstamps]

Does anyone know where it was that a plane crashed during the war in colerne? Old myth has it that the ghost of the airman walks the stretch of land it crashed.

From Allstamps
There was a dog fight over Colerne it was in the daytime, I remember at school we had to shelter under our desks, The plane Crashed at the triangle where Eastrip lane meets Watergates just to left of the road that goes to Box I have no idea what plane or even if it was English or German.

[Henry]

I would have been a bit too young (or maybe not born) to remember that crash! I remember the Anson. One sound that would be very difficult to beat, is a quick succession of Mosquitoes coming in low and fast overhead to land, that's a sound to last a lifetime.
I was a (the!) 'Development Engineer' at the Peradin Rubber Company about 1966, and I had to make a set of clamps for putting the deicing strip on the leading edge of a Gannet prop. blade and a Brittannia prop. blade and the Gannet blade was massive and about twice the weight of the Brittania (and completely different to look at).
Does anyone know what happened to the Lodge at the airfield end of the Lucknam Park drive? It was dismantled as a possible hazard near the runway. Everything was numbered and stacked with the intention of rebuilding, I believe around the start of the war (certainly before my time!). I don't know where it was stacked, but there was a large amount of stacked stone tiles, and other stonework, near the woodshed in the wood between the second lodge and the keepers lodge on the Ford road. Of course the end of the war saw the end of the 'good days' for the 'aristocracy', so any plans for rebuilding were probably impossible.
There used to be an old Fordson (I can see the radiator now) tractor that drove the big saw in the woodshed, and the tractor had all cast iron wheels, the big multi spiked ones on the back.
There was a huge Rookery in that wood (a sad sight now), and every year there was a Rook shoot (when the young were about to fly). There were hundreds shot (which were laid out up the drive from the keeper's (Mr Langford) lodge). I believe many would have gone to the kitchens. The noise of the Rooks and the guns was continuous. It seemed to make little difference to their numbers. That was when the Rooks used to follow the plough, in a great rolling flock, now it's an infestation of seagulls. When we started controlling the crop pests with pesticides, we took away the food for Rooks (and other birds) who used to control them, and you rarely see a good sized Rookery now.
I seem to be having a 'senior moment', so I'd better stop!
Henry