Meteor, Hunter, Canberra, Vampire, JP, Gnat etc at Speke
Aug 19, 2024 17:53:29 GMT 1
deteulada likes this
Post by viscount on Aug 19, 2024 17:53:29 GMT 1
CONVERSION OF VAMPIRE NF.10s TO NF(T).10s
AT LIVERPOOL/SPEKE BY AIRWORK LTD., 1954-1956.
AT LIVERPOOL/SPEKE BY AIRWORK LTD., 1954-1956.
In the early stages of the cold war after the conclusion of WW II, it became evident that that RAF's Mosquito NF.36 were too slow at altitude to catch the new designs of Soviet long-range bombers and that new British jet fighters in the design stage would not be in series production for several years. As a stop-gap the Vampire jet was modified with two seats and an AI radar. The first of 75 Vampire NF.10s reached 25 Squadron in July 1951 with 23 and 151 Squadrons equipping soon after. With the Venom NF.2 and Meteor NF.11s entering service followed by the Javelin FAW, so the still fairly new Vampire NF.10s soon required a new role. A number were sold to the Indian Air Force second-hand, while 36 were to be modified for the navigation training role as NF(T).10s. The contract was awarded to Airwork Ltd and all the work undertaken at Liverpool/Speke alongside work on F-86 Sabres, mostly in No.1 and No.2 hangars.
The first Vampire NF.10s to arrive at Liverpool came on 5th March 1954, with 14 more following in the next 10 weeks. The 36th and final aircraft to depart, did so on 23rd July 1955. The overhaul and modifications were fairly extensive and included the removal of the AI (Air Interceptor) radar unit from the nose and changes in the cockpit, including the replacement of roof hatches with the single-piece cockpit canopy as developed for the Vampire T.11. The converted aircraft went to No.1 ANS (Air Navigation School) at RAF Topcliffe, No.2 ANS at RAF Thorney Island and the CNCS (Central Navigation and Control School) at RAF Shawbury. All Vampire NF(T)10s were retired by September 1959.
In an earlier post on this thread, some 14 years ago, with the aid of Phil Butler, we tried to trace the registrations and arrival of most of the 36, but not all. Since then, further information has been discovered when typing onto digital Phil's records copied from the ATC logs. That information is abstracted and included as a table in registration order. I cannot find any list on the internet that lists all 36 aircraft - I suspect the information is in Air Britain's 'R.A.F. Serials WA100 to WA999'. I won't be able to collect the copy I've bought until next in the UK sometime '25, so will go ahead with this post now as it is also an opportunity to use a number of photos from the Don Stephens Collection to illustrate a mark of Vampire that has had very little coverage but has strong links to Speke Airport.
The cockpit 'pods' of two Vampire NF(T)10s are preserved in the UK, WM729 in store with the Mosquito Museum and WP255 in store with South Yorkshire Aviation Museum, Doncaster. An NF.10, serial ID606, ex RAF, was preserved at Palam, New Delhi in India but newer lists indicate just a single-seater Mk.52 is there now and an export NF.10, the NF.54, mm6152 initially at Vigna di Valle, Italy is now on display at the Italian Air Force Museum at Bracciano, Lazio.
While these photos are credited to the 'Don Stephens Collection', I suspect most these are b&w prints that he collected from a number of his friends over the years. Who provided the originals is now lost in the mists of time, apart from one that has been posted on the Internet by Alan Schoefield.
De Havilland Vampires at Liverpool with Airwork Ltd, March 1954 to July 1956.
Arrived LPL info Regn/code Type on arrival Arrived from & notes Eventual fate
source
08.04.54 Thu a WM668 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Kemble SOC 6/10/55 Cat.5(c)
22.03.54 Mon a WM670/B DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Kemble, arr as B ex 25 Sqdn Scr 12/59 19MU St.Athan
22.03.54 Mon ap WM672/Q DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Kemble, arr as Q ex 25 Sqdn Scr 12/59 19MU St.Athan
02.02.55 Wed ac WM674 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hullavington Scr 3/58 10MU Hullavington
19.01.55 Wed ac WM677 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden w/o 3/3/56
20.12.54 Mon acP WM703 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hullavington Scr 3/58 10MU Hullavington
03.12.54 Fri acP WM704 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden Scr 3/58 10MU Hullavington
08.04.54 Thu aP WM705 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Kemble w/o 2/5/58 Church Fenton
15.06.55 Wed a WM707 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from not recorded sold to DH 3/57 and onto India
19.11.54 Fri ac WM708 or WM706 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden (source-c, states WM706) WM 708 to India 2/57 while WM706 w/o 4/57
31.03.54 Wed a WM711 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hullavington sold as scrap 11/59 Church Fenton
06.07.55 Wed ac WM712 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hullavington sold as scrap 11/59 Church Fenton
17.03.54 Wed aP WM713 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden sold as scrap 11/59 Church Fenton
30.12.54 Thu acP WM714 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hullavington, to Hullavington 02.01.56 sold as scrap 11/59 Church Fenton
06.12.54 Mon acP WM716 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Silloth Scr 12/59 19MU St.Athan
07.01.55 Fri a WM718 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden, of CSE Scr 3/58 10MU Hullavington
28.01.55 Fri ac WM727 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden sold as scrap 11/59 Church Fenton
05.03.54 Fri a WM729/E DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden, 1st to arrive, 25 Sqdn SOC 11/59 - pod now at London Colney (stored)
09.11.54 Tue ac WM730 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hullavington sold as scrap 11/59 Church Fenton
25.08.55 Thu ac WM733 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from 'MGXI', test flt 17.01.56 as NF(T)10 Scr 3/58 10MU Hullavington
27.10.54 Wed ac WP232 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden Scr 60MU
29.04.54 Thu a WP233 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden Scr 11/59 60MU
07.05.54 Fri a WP234/M DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from West Malling, arr as M ex 25 Sqdn Scr 12/59 19MU St.Athan
23.03.54 Tue a WP235/D DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from West Malling, arr as D ex 25 Sqdn Scr 12/59 19MU St.Athan
24.11.54 Wed ac WP236 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hullavington Scr 3/58 10MU Hullavington
07.05.54 Fri a WP238 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hullavington Scr 12/59 19MU St.Athan
c.05.54 P WP239 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 not recorded in the logs, clear on photo Scr 11/59 60MU
c.05.54 P WP242 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 not recorded in the logs, clearish on photo Scr 11/59 60MU
21.04.55 Thu ac WP243 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden Scr 48MU Hawarden
22.03.54 Mon aP WP245/O DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Kemble, arr as O ex 25 Sqdn Scr 12/59 19MU St.Athan
10.08.55 Wed ac WP247 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hullavington, dep to Hullavington 10.01.56 Scr 3/58 10MU Hullavington
07.04.54 Thu a WP248 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Northolt SOC 7/59 41 Group
25.05.55R Wed ac WP249 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 arr by road (test flt 05.04.56, final dep 23.07.56 to Hawarden) Sold to DH 2/57 and onto India 10/57
22.04.54 Thu a WP253 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Northolt SOC 10/57 to RAF Valley fire dump
10.11.54 Wed ac WP255 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Hawarden Scr 11/59, pod now at Aero Venture, Doncaster (stored)
26.04.54 Mon a WP256 DH.113 Vampire NF.10 from Northolt on fire dump Little Rissington 10/59
23.04.54 Fri af WZ498 DH.115 Vampire T.11 from Hawarden thought transferred in error, still present 20.05.54
23.04.54 Fri afP WZ512 DH.115 Vampire T.11 from Hawarden thought transferred in error, still present 20.05.54
Sources of information: a - Phil Butlers notes from ATC records; c - a spotter's list of 'cops' at Liverpool; f - info used by Phil Butler in
'Flypast' magazine; P - from surviving images. Note: Although there are 36 aircraft listed, no cross-check that the serials were noted correctly
from hand-written records.
IMAGES OF VAMPIRE NF.10s WITH AIRWORK AT LIVERPOOL/SPEKE - March 1954 to July 1955.
WM705 is seen parked at the front doors of No.1 hangar. The aircraft arrived Speke 8th April 1954, but this could have been a few weeks after.[/div]
This set of 3 are almost certainly taken on the same day. The nearer Starways Douglas C-47B Dakota 4 appears to be G-AMPO, if so then photo dates from between March 1952 to May 1954, or after October 1956. Delivery dates to Liverpool for WP239 and WP242 are not known, but Vampire T.11 WZ542 (and WZ512 at the hangar end of the line) arrived at Speke 23rd April 1954 and throughout May, departure date not recorded. So, a date of May 1954 is likely for these delightful West Apron shots. On the upper two, the aircraft parked on the outside edge (right of photo) of the apron is an F-86 Sabre.
In the light of the comments above dating this one is problematic, WM239 appears in this shot too, however WM714 was not delivered to Speke until the very end of December 1954, some 8 months later. This image is freshly scanned from a negative in the collection. Another negative can be dated to around late December 1954/early 1955, so this one could well be too.
Similar with WM239 and WM714, and could well have been taken on the same day and once printed given away to, or swopped with Alan. Indeed at first I thought this was a duplicate of the one above, but close comparison shows it not to exactly the same. It serves to show how a good, clean negative even 70 years later provides a better copier scan than a print, due in part I would suspect to issues focusing the lens onto the paper and in calculating the timing in room with only dim red lighting in a photographic 'dark-room'.
WM670 & F-86 Sabre 19174 in snow outside the front doors of No.1 hangar. Clearly work has been done on WM670 since arrival during March 1954 with panels missing (engine cover and on nose pod). One of the conversion tasks was to fit a T.11 style canopy (rather than a hatch in the canopy roof) which has clearly been done. The snow dates this to sometime winter 1954/55, unfortunately there is no record in the logs for any activity by F-86 Sabre 19174.
This is known to be an Alan Schoefield photo dated 4th April 1954 of WM713, still wearing 25 Squadron's markings. Don Stephens notes the photo at Speke as on 25th April - possibly the day he recorded seeing it. It had arrived on 17th March 1954. RAS makes no comment in his Wikipedia Commons caption regarding the next aircraft along having had the RAF serial removed. Somewhat unusual to see a serial removed, or maybe an enthusiastic workman, told to remove the squadron markings removed all markings off the boom!
WP245 on the West Apron, outside No.3 Hangar (years later the one used by Vernair), but in the mid '50s used by Starways. The aircraft is lined up with the side door of No.1 hangar. WP245 arrived at Speke 22nd March 1954, but this could be a few months after that.
This shot is clearly before the modification to become a NF(T)10 began - on a NF10 the pilot and his radar operator sit slightly staggered, rather than side-by-side and enter via a hatch in the cabin roof. One of the modifications to produce the NF(T)10 was fitting the large clear canopy of the Vampire T.11 with a massive increase in visibility out.
This shot has been freshly scanned from a negative in the Don Stephens collection of WM716, WM704 and WM703 lined up inside the Banks Road fence of the West Apron. All 3 aircraft arrived at Liverpool in December 1954, so a late December 1954/January 1955 date likely.