Burtonwood, the USAF Armed Forces Days 1954-1958, and more!

[viscount]

THE ALAN PRITCHARD COLLECTION

Liverpool Airport photos from the '50s can be found elsewhere on NWAN: www.derbosoft.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=history&action=display&thread=11425
Also RAF Hooton Air display 1956: www.derbosoft.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=history&action=display&thread=6279

Although a selection has been shown on page one of this thread, to illustrate each aircraft (if possible), here are all his Burtonwood shots together as a collection.

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1956. C-124 Globemaster II simulating loading F-86D 210019 for transport back to the USA.



1956. 26713 Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, 77th FBS



1956. 22678 Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter.



1956. 17045 Boeing B-47E Stratojet.



1956. 210110 NA F-86D Sabre, 406th Wing



1956. XF324/D Hawker Hunter F.4, 92 Sqdn.



1956. XB268 Blackburn Beverley C.1, 47 Sqdn.

1 9 5 7

1957. 90281 Boeing WD-50D Superfortress, 53rd WRS "Weather"



1957. 50010 Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, MATS Atlantic Division. 13827 Douglas C-118A Liftmaster of MATS is beyond.



1957. 131620 Douglas R6D-1 Liftmaster (in USAF 'speak' a C-118A, in civilian terms a DC-6).



1957. 91941 Convair T-29A, 47th Bomb Wing, Sculthorpe.





1957. 35150 Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, NAMA at Burtonwood



1957. 4506 Douglas RB-66B Destroyer, 19th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Sculthorpe



1957. 210028. NA F-86D Sabre, 406th Fighter Interceptor Wing, Manston.





1957. 4630 Fairchild C-123B Provider, Troop Carrier.



1957. 210028 NA F-86D Sabre. 406th FIW.



1957. WH727 EE Canberra B.2, 231 OCU Bassingbourne.



1957. WZ405 Vickers Valiant B(PR)K.1, 207 Sqdn, Marham



1957. XG185/T Hawker Hunter F.6, 19th Sqdn.



1957. WR783/A DH.112 Venom NF.2, 33 Sqdn.



1957. XB285/J Blackburn Beverley C.1, 47 Sqdn

[Beemer]

And to think my Dad used to go to the base on a regular basis picking up bits from the dump like electric motors, bearings etc. and I should have gone with him and I could have had a log book like that one. Regards Beemer.

[viscount]

So we swing 60 years from a post about the USAF at Burtonwood mid 1950s to an advertisement 'flyer' regarding an event commemorating the USAF at Burtonwood mid 2010s. Well spotted and the link passed on by 'Beemer'.

[viscount]

Taken back at the end of May 2016, the nose of one of the North Weald Douglas C-54s has now been erected in position inside the Burtonwood Museum on the Gulliver's World Theme Park site.

Well worth a visit.

[viscount]

THE PETER QUAILE COLLECTION

These images were kindly passed on to me by Don Stephens and were taken or collected by Peter Quaile.

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1954. 9070 Grumman SA-16A Albatross,582 nd Air Rescue Squadron



1954. 12443 Boeing B-47E Stratojet

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1956. 22678 Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter



1956. 210110/FU:110 NA F-86D Sabre, 406th Wing from Bentwaters



1956. 26713/FS:713 Republic F-85F Thunderstreak, 77th Fighter Bomber Squadron





1956. 7047 NA B-45A Tornado, 86 Squadron, 47th Bomb Wing (Light)



1956. TG525/JAV HP.67 Hastings C.1, 511 Sqdn (511 on yellow diamond on fin) from RAF Lyneham



1956. XB268/D Blackburn Beverley C.1, 47 Sqdn (47 on a green diamond in fin) from RAF Abingdon



1956. WS810/B Gloster Meteor NF.14, 264 Sqdn, RAF Linton-on-Ouse.



1956. XF324/D Hawker Hunter F.4, 92 Sqdn, Linton-on-Ouse

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1957. Douglas R6D-1 Liftmaster, U.S.Navy, VR-6 Squadron at Maquire AFB



1957. 90261 Boeing B-50E Stratofortress, "Weather", 53rd WRS, Burtonwood.



1957. 12630/630 Fairchild C-119C Flying Boxcar, 322nd Air Division at Evreux, France



1957. 0-223966 Douglas C-47A Skytrain, MAAG Holland.





1957. 91941 Convair T-29A, 47th Bomb Wing at Sculthorpe. Note aerials on fuselage top.



1957. 35150 Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star, NAMA Burtonwood



1957. 4606 Douglas RB-66B Destroyer, 19th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Sculthorpe.



1957. 4630 Fairchild C-123B Provider, marked Troop Carrier



1957. 26534/FS:534 Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, "The Little Lady", 55th Fighter Bomber Squadron, Wethersfield



1957. XA731/-, Gloster Javelin FAW.4 from 23 Squadron at RAF Horsham St Faith (and soon to move to RAF Coltishall





1957. WZ405 Vickers Valiant B(PR)K.1 from 207 Sqdn, RAF Marham.



1957. XD458/49 DH.115 Vampire T.11 from 7FTS at RAF Valley



1957. XG185/T Hawker Hunter F.6, 19 Sqdn RAF Church Fenton.



1957. XK695/695 DH.106 Comet C.1, 216 Sqdn, RAF Lyneham



1957. WR785 DH.112 Venom NF.2, 33 Sqdn RAF Driffield.

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1958. 26808/FS:808 Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, 92nd Squadron, 81st Fighter Bomber Wing, Bentwaters.









1958. 63898 NA F-100F Super Sabre, 55th Squadron, 20th Fighter Bomber Wing, temporarily based at Alconbury





1958. 26137 DHC L-20A Beaver, USAF.



1958. 30004 Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, MATS Atlantic Division



1958. 10151 Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, Air Materiel Command



1958. 70454 Lockheed C-130A Hercules, 317th Troop Carrier Wing - departed around 12:30



1958. 0-348905 Douglas AC-47D Skytrain, with AACS tail unit letters, from the 1858th ACCF at Bovingdon. Designation SC-47D indicates radar and navigational mods.





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1958. 7087 NA B-45A Tornado, 85th Squadron, 47th Bombardment Wing, Sculthorpe





1958. 5302 Douglas B-66 Destroyer, 84th Squadron, 47th Bombardment Wing, Sculthorpe





1958? 210035 (52-10019) NA F-86D Sabre a grounded aircraft for instruction at Burtonwood.



1958 210035 (52-10035) close-up on the cockpit area.





1958. WD980 EE Canberra B.2 of the BCHU, Bomber Command Holding Unit



1958. XF527/P Hawker Hunter F.6, from 19th Squadron at RAF Church Fenton





1958. XA631/- Gloster Javelin FAW.4, 23 Squadron at RAF Coltishall

X X X X X X X X X X

DISTRACTIONS, MOSTLY BURTONWOOD, BUT PROBABLY NOT AT AN A.F.D. EVENT

One photo of interest in the Peter Quaile collection of Burtonwood AFD photos is this delightful study of a Douglas DC-6 that does not appear in any of the Logs, so may, or may not be an AFD day!



On the underwing and nose wheel door of this Trans-Caribbean Airlines Douglas DC-6 can be made out N90873, which according to my reference book was with the airline 1955 to May 1957 and named 'Katy Leigh' initially - although it is clearly(!) 'Kathy Leigh' on the nose of the aircraft. The passenger steps clearly confirm the photo is taken at Burtonwood. IF the aircraft was there during an AFD it would almost certainly have to be May 1956 - for which I know the Log is not absolutely complete. Confirmation anyone?

Another photo of interest, and certainly not an AFD as it is captioned KB-29P Superfortress 4484007 on 9th February 1957. While clearly showing the limitation of the fixed focal length cameras of the time, it is clear that this aircraft has only the nose gear extended! What happened next is not captioned, but presumably after a pass for Tower to confirm why 'three greens' were not showing in the cockpit, the main gear was released manually and the aircraft landed without further incident.

A tiny original, which will not enlarge further, an airborne C.123 Provider. Look carefully and it appears that only the nose wheel has extended. There is no caption or date provided, so there is little opportunity to investigate further.



Again illustrating the limitations of cameras available to the enthusiast at the time, a Boeing B-47 Stratojet is pictured landing. Despite the long runway at Burtonwood this swept wing long range bomber still required the deployment of a 'brake' chute to aid slowing down once on the tarmac. Like the previous shot this picture has already been enlarged in the dark-room before being digitised. Just possible this was a late morning arrival for either the 1954 or 1956 AFD.



Looks to be a taxiing in shot of a C-119 Flying Boxcar '149' at Burtonwood. Not one that is identified in any of the AFD logs available, so likely at another time.



A mid 50s shot of a R.A.F. Beverley C.1 before the white cabin roof scheme was applied. Presumably a mis-file as it does not fit any Burtonwood AFD, indeed very little about this shot says Burtonwood at all. The original print has been marked, possibly by being pressed against the spine of a spiral bound book many years before.

[andyc]

Extremely interested in this, please post more!!! I lived in Sycamore lane near the tobacco houses and would walk past the base daily to get to school. Fond memories.

[viscount]

A quick (mid September 2016) update on the status of the Skymaster as an exhibit with the Gulliver's Theme Park/Burtonwood Heritage Museum.

Access stairs have been built from ground level to fuselage level. The 'Berlin Airlift' display boards have been moved from inside the Heritage Centre to inside the Skymaster and audio-visual projector set up to run a film on post-war activity at Burtonwood, utilising the four seats.

The Skymaster as an exhibit is not yet open to the public, a Heath and Safety assessment should be complete in the next couple of weeks. Although open daily via the theme park entrance, the Heritage Centre is only open free, direct from the car park after 3pm.



The imposing C-54 Skymaster front section mounted with nose wheel extended



The newly erected stairway which enters at the rear of the fuselage section.



Bits and pieces stacked underneath, including the fuselage 'star and bar'. engine nacelle and cooler air intake and a Pratt & Whitney R-2000 engine from the C-54 peeping out from under the tarpaulin.

[viscount]

THE DON STEPHENS COLLECTION

Always delighted to get fresh images from Burtonwood's AFDs, even if most duplicate shots already posted. These come from Don Stephens, although they are not all his work. Some he e-mailed me in 2013, however then realised that around half were actually a Bentwaters AFD. At the time I did not have all the Burtonwood AFD logs, so could not work out which were which event - I can now!

There are more of Don Stephens' images at Liverpool Airport in the '50s on thread: derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/38215/1950s-collections-photos-speke-airport

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From 1954 further views of the mighty Boeing B-47E Stratojet 51-2443



1954. An unusual shape, that of the Grumman SA-16A Albatross 9070, at that time based at RAF Molesworth with the USAF's 582nd ARS (Air Rescue Squadron).



1954. 17266 Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter, no unit or command markings. Although 17266 was at the 1954 Burtonwood AFD, Don Stephens thought the photograph more likely snapped at a Bentwaters AFD.



1954. A Fairchild C-119C Flying Boxcar 12533, also from the 582nd ARS at RAF Molesworth

1 9 5 6

From 1956 a Burtonwood based Lockheed T-33A 41538 with buzz-number TR-538 hidden below the tailplanes. NAMA = Northern Air Material Area, an alternative name for Burtonwood from September 1953. The 1956 year is confirmed by the tail with number '47' of the B-45A Tornado.



1956. Boeing WB-50 Stratofortress 90275. At first difficult to work out if this was 1956 or 1958, as this aircraft featured in the static line-up both years. Eventually twigged that the aircraft behind with an identical tail profile was not another B-29/WB-50, but the KC-97G Stratofreighter 52678.

1 9 5 7

From 1957 Gloster Javelin FAW.4 XA731 from 23 Sqdn, but without wearing any unit markings or code.



1957. Fairchild C-123 Provider 4630 marked 'Troop carrier' from the 322nd Air Division at Evreux.



From 1958 Douglas C-124J 55-004 (the '4' can just be made out on the nose). A reminder that the A.380 was not the first time (or even the second) that a 'double-decker' aircraft has been produced.

1 9 5 8

1958. A photo of the L-20A Beaver, which shows why the other shots I have are of the starboard side, without the taped on paper explaining what the aircraft is!



1958. A good shot of the NA F-100F Super Sabre 63898



Finally, again 1958, the RAF Hawker Hunter XF527/P from 19 Sqdn.

X X X X X X X X X X

A PERSONAL RECOLLECTION

If I may be permitted a a slight drift away from images for a moment. I can recall, shortly after the M62 opened, being driven somewhere by Don, who suddenly with one of his dramatic finger waggles, stated "I once watched an F-86 Sabre land at this point with his undercarriage retracted. The pilot leapt out of the cockpit and ran towards us stood on the outside of the fire gate, until he was collected by the base fire service. He must have thought the aircraft was fire and would explode, but it wasn't." The position was not far from a bridge over the M56 at a point where the edge of a runway could still just be seen beside the south side of the slightly raised M62, at the east end of the airfield, not too far from the new service area. That must now be some 50+ years ago and the event some 15 or so years earlier but I can remember it clearly, but certainly not the type of car we were in or where we were going!

X X X X X X X X X X

A DISTRACTION - NOTE, THESE ARE NOT BURTONWOOD

The next batch are all 'strays', some likely an AFD at Bentwaters, but having loaded them up, as they are 65 year old images shame not to use them!



This T-33A Shooting Star 35056 buzz TR-056 could well be at a Burtonwood AFB, but not included in the 1954 or 1956 lists as both could be incomplete.



A Douglas C-124 Loadmaster from a Troop Carrier unit. Certainly not a Burtonwood AFD, something that big should have been recorded! Background is all wrong too.





Rebublic F-84F Thunderstreaks 1616 'FS-616' and 26655 'FS-655' are not at Burtonwood, so very likely an AFD at Bentwaters.



With fancy tip-tank and tail-band art work, this is a NA B-45A Tornado 8022 'BE-022'. Not at an AFD at Burtonwood though.

[viscount]

BURTONWOOD PHOTOS FROM RICHARD WARD

These were supplied by Richard Ward, who will be best remembered, not for his youthful pursuit of aircraft while growing up on Merseyside, but for a lifetime of contribution to aeromodelling. Indeed these photos are meticulously labelled on the reverse with the date, where, what and colour scheme/markings. I do question just a few of the when and where though.

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1954. 349250 Douglas C-47. AACS Radar calibrator. Natural metal, white top. Somewhat over-exposed. Although Dick Ward gives this a 1956 date, my lists only show 349250 as being at the 1954 Burtonwood AFD, but I do suspect the 1956 could be missing some of the 'based' regulars. Could be either 1954 or 1956.

1 9 5 6

1956. 9275 Boeing WB-50, silver o/a, arctic red markings. "Weather", Tail beyond is a KC-97G 22678.



1956. 51-0152, Douglas C-124C, natural metal, white top, Atlantic on tail



1956. 0-316379 Douglas C-47 Skytrain, natural metal overall, black and yellow stripes on rudder tab. Another that is not on the 1956 Burtonwood AFD list, but again that could be to it being a 'regular' so not recorded.



1956. 37848 C-119G Packet 322nd AD, natural metal. Aircraft later became a AC-119G



1956. 0-483906 Boeing KB-50P, silver overall, badge on fin



1956. 210110, buzz FU-110, NA F-86D Sabre, silver overall, yellow marking on fuselage



1956. 17045 Boeing B-57E, natural metal fuselage with white underside.



1956. 17045 Boeing B-57E, natural metal fuselage with white underside.



1956. 7047 NA B-45A Tornado

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1957. 4506, buzz BB-506, Douglas RB-66B, 19th TRS, 10th TRW Sculthorpe



1957. 210019, buzz FU-019, NA F-86D Sabre, instructional airframe at Burtonwood



1957. XA731/- Gloster Javelin FAW.5, 23 Sqdn, RAF Coltishall.



1957. XA731/- Gloster Javelin FAW.5, 23 Sqdn, RAF Coltishall, nose detail.

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1958. 30046 Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, MATS., silver with white top.



1958. 90275 Boeing WB-50 "Weather"









1958 5302, buzz BB-302. Douglas B-66B 47 BW



1958. 10109 Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, Air Materiel Command (AMC), arrived after the main display.



1958. 10151 Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, Air Material Command (AMC)



1958. 30004 Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, MATS, 1607th ATW (H)



1958 7087, NA B-45A Tornado, 47 BW, detail of the nose.


A DISTRACTION



Stated on the reverse to be Burtonwood AFD 1955 (when there wasn't one held) and in the background is a Vampire T.11 XE878 which is not recorded at any of the Burtonwood AFDs - so the conclusion is that this is a 1955 AFD somewhere else. 210050 is a NA F-86D Sabre.

[viscount]

This e-mail from Aldon Ferguson has been forwarded to me by a former MAS member, who feels that as there is an invitation to pass the information on, and given the forum's (well mine certainly) current interest in Burtonwood, these talks in January may well be interest to some.


Subject: RAF Burtonwood - evening lectures, January 2017.

Gentlemen

After collecting material on the history of Burtonwood for over forty years I have built a vast archive of material and video clips and am still receiving new material weekly. In an effort to bring Burtonwood to the new population of Warrington and also to the aviation fraternity in the area we have decided to hold a series of three consecutive evening lectures on the complete story of RAF Burtonwood.


Part 1 will be the initial construction of the airfield and BRD site, the opening and operation of BRD, 37 MU and other RAF elements, American interest, transfer to the USAAF and USAAF operations until the end of WWII

Part 2 will be the RAF occupation 1946 to 1948, the Berlin Airlift and the USAF occupation up to 1955.

Part 3 will be the USAF occupation from 1955 to 1964 and the US Army occupation from 1967 to 1999


All will be by PowerPoint presentation with as many video clips as I can find. They are to be held at the Gulliver's Hotel at Gulliver's World, Warrington on Monday evenings 16, 23 and 30 January 2017. Parking is free, there is a bar and soft drinks available and I will have a break half way through. Timing is 7 pm to 10 pm. All are welcome, Burtonwood Association members gain free access but I have to charge a flat rate of £5 per person for any or all the lectures, whether you come to one or all, paid at the door.

Burtonwood had a fascinating history and I have unearthed a vast amount of material including clandestine operations undertaken by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Sqn with their WB-29's and WB-50's in the 1950's. All will be revealed.

I attach a flyer and would be delighted if you could kindly forward copies to anyone you feel may be interested. If you need any more information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please consider joining me.

Aldon Ferguson

[andyc]

Excellent work, I'm really interested in Burtonwood's history and this insight into the 50's helps build a picture in my mind if how it was... Thank you.
NB I will definitely be attending Aldon's lectures

[Deleted]

Following Viscount's request, I have dug out a few of my own photos, the top two certainly from the 1958 Open Day. Not great quality, but they were taken with my Box Brownie on what was clearly a wet day. The people in the second photo are worthy of a Lowry painting! Note the B-66 in the background, which from distant memory made a lot of noise (and smoke) on take-off.

[viscount]

The Final Burtonwood A.F.D.s - 1957 and 1958, James MacKenzie

In response to my appeal for any more Burtonwood AFD photos, James MacKenzie has sent me a number of 1957 and 1958 photos as e-mail attachment, scanned from both prints and negatives. The 4 of AFD 1957 are heavy damaged but I have improved them to a degree where they are presentable, while the majority of the 1958 images have cleaned up well. One has considerable flare, but I've included it, a few others had flare or water stains which I've either cropped out or concealed using Picasa. Bear in mind that affordable cameras at the time were either exceedingly basic with no control of focus, aperture or shutter speed (a Kodak Brownie 127 can be seen held in the foreground of the flared Globemaster shot). While even the better cameras required a manual calculation and input of focus, aperture and shutter speed before each shot, even with a hand-held light meter the settings were usually little more than a hopeful guess! Often film had to loaded and unloaded in the dark, if light did get into a roll of film, then flare along the top or bottom edge was the result, however the pre-loaded 35mm film cassette was available for those that could afford cameras that used that film size.

The blotches and spots have generally cleaned up well. On some the sky is ‘burnt out’, but the subject acceptably lit – a problem with b&w on cloudy days. I like the way that the photographer has stood back on some shots and got a wider view, while on others has not been afraid to get closer. A pity that there were not more aircraft there to take pictures of! From the lack of people and the dry conditions, it would appear that James MacKenzie was in fairly. However, the initial images here from 1957 show just how wet the conditions later in the day became that year, the images not helped by the prints being badly scratched.

I’m delighted that James MacKenzie has sent me these photos to share with everyone, a fascinating glimpse back some near sixty years. The new challenge is to find someone wealthy who was using colour film stock! In the colour the WB-50Ds look amazing.

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1957. Hawker Hunter F.6 XG185/T from 19 Sqdn, Church Fenton and XB285/J Beverley C.1 from 47 Squadron, Abingdon.



1957. Douglas RB-66B Destroyer of the 19th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Sculthorpe



1957. Republic F-84F Thunderstreak 26534, 55th Fighter Bomber Squadron, Wethersfield.



1957. The all bare metal finish Valiant B(PR)K.1 WZ405 in the morning rain with just a few sodden public around.

1 9 5 8

1958. A wide view of a section of the static display, clearly before most of the public arrived. Features: Chipmunk T.10, Canberra B.2, Hunter F.6, Vampire T.11, Javelin FAW.4, Provost T.1 and overshadowing then all a USAF C-124C Cargomaster.



1958. The Douglas B-66 Destroyer, was still a relatively young type at the time and continued on in specialist roles for several decades. This one was serving with the 20th FBW at Sculthorpe.

1958. Several studies of the Boeing WB-50D Superfortress - a mighty aircraft, in many ways the ultimate piston engine bomber, although by the late 50's was suffering from a shortage of spares, so was apparently prone to engine and undercarriage malfunctions, along with the tanker variant, the KB-50J.



1958. The Republic F-84 Thunderflash was in the process of being replaced in USAF front-line units, but went on for many years with other NATO Air Arms. This one is still in the markings of the 81st FBW from Bentwaters, although the unit was de-activated in 1955.



1958. Another type well on its way out of USAF service in Europe was the North American F.86D Sabre.



1958. In contrast the North American F-100 Super Sabre was only beginning to equip European Units. This is a two-seater F-100F version with the 20th FBW, the photo is presumably as the aircraft taxis onto the static park area.





1958. The de Havilland L-20A Beaver served in Europe with both the USAF and US Army in the late ‘50s, one did once call at Speke, however on another thread it is shown that they were not infrequent visitors to Burtonwood at the time.





1958.30004 Douglas C-124J Globemaster of MATS Atlantic Division



1958. The sheer towering height of the Douglas C-124C Globemaster II was quite remarkable at the time, remember that this is over a decade before the Boeing 747 first flew. The shot of the C-124C side on, full frame has the digital title 'Ted and Bill' - little did they ever imagine then that there would be such interest in the AFDs and these photos near 60 years later! Looking at the C-124C Globemaster II taxiing, it would appear that the photographer also took the next photo of a fire-fighting demonstration in the fire pit (which also held the remains of an F-84) from roughly the same position. The aircraft taxiing in is presumably 10109 recorded as landing after the AFD display was over.





1958. The RAF English Electric B.2 Canberra of the Bomber Command Development Unit still wearing night attack colour scheme.







1958. Gloster Javelin FAW.4 XA631 in the markings of 23 Sqdn, but not wearing an individual code. The fuselage and tail that frames the Javelin in one shot is that of the Percival P.56 Provost T.1, which also features in the final Globemaster II photo.





1958. Hawker Hunter F.6 XF527/P of 19 Sqdn and displaying their markings.

[viscount]

Two more shots at Burtonwood supplied by Ian Mackenzie, who was an Earlstown resident for a period from 1952. These though were taken in 1993 while on a tour of the former base facilities with the Burtonwood Association. No doubt these buildings have now disappeared for ever along with the wall-art decoration. Under the 'nose-art' style B-17 Flying Fortress, I reckon the wording is mundanely, 'No Smoking'.

[andyc]

Great additions to the thread!
I believe that most of the pics were taken at Mary Ann site? Would the whole of Burtonwood have been operational in the 50's?