Ray Deacon's Photographs - Page 1

A selection of photographs taken by Ray during his time at Little Rissington.  

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All photographs ©Ray Deacon.     

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No.4 hangar, Little Rissington, viewed from a Vampire approaching the threshold in 1960. Four 2 HP T.11s can just be made out in front of the hangar.  

 

No. 2 HP ‘Crazy Gang ’ in 1960. Back row, L to R: Mick Bundy, Mick Brewer, Jock Dargue, A.N.Other, Bill Bailey, Taff Evans (demob day), Ray Deacon, Terry, Mike Newman, Willy Guilmant, front row, L to R: Denis Horsfall, John Hughes, Mick Blundell, Dickie Baston, ‘Fergy’

 

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2 HP mucking about! T to B, L to R: Dickie Baston, John Hughes, Mick Blundell, Willy Guilmant, A.N. Other, Jock Dargue, Johnny Johnson, Denis Horsfall.  

Was there no end to their talents! Left: Mick Blundell supported by Willy Guilmant watches Dickie Baston balancing precariously on the fingertips of Jock Dargue.  

Little Rissington, as seen from the Airmen’s quarters after heavy snowfall, looking across the MT Section and Football pitch towards the Officers Mess in the left background, February 1960. The houses on the right were allocated to the AOC and Station Commander.  

To see a WAAF on a Little Rissington flight line was a rare treat, but on the occasional summer weekend when aircraft were sent off to perform at various air shows, the regulations were relaxed and they were invited by members of the groundcrew to take a closer look at the action. Peering over the windscreen of a Vampire trainer with Mick Brewer were, if my memory serves me well, Eileen (on the left) and Carole, and the year was 1961.

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Posing by the Jet Provost they had just turned-round, this rough looking bunch of groundcrew were actually quite friendly and could occasionally be persuaded to smile. The only name I recall in the group is that of Dave Lee, second from the left, and the chap in the semi-prone position on the wing was called Taff.

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Looking across the Square towards the NAAFI, Cinema and shop on the right, with the WAAF quarters top left, February 1960.  

What began as 2 HP’s giant snowman evolved into this strange shape once it was realised that we couldn’t lift the head high enough to place it on the top. While we were away at lunch, the sporting crew from 1 HP smashed it to pieces, triggering the biggest of airfield snowball fights.  

The 2 HP Vampire line in the summer of 1960, comprising ten T.Mk.11s with XH586 (VO), XK582 (VB), XK633 (VA), XE831 (VH), XK627 (VC) and XE893 (VS) nearest the camera.  

Although the CFS was not renowned for its display teams prior to appointment of ‘The Red Pelicans’ as the RAF’s premier aerobatic team in 1963, it had a long association with them going back many years. Here we see the Vampire team known simply as ‘The Pelicans’, lifting off the Rissington runway prior to performing at the ROC Air Day on 28th August 1960.  

A shot of ‘The Pelicans’ taken during their ROC Air Day display.  

Before the introduction of purpose-built snow-clearing machines, 2 HP used its Vampires as blowtorches to blast stubborn ice from the taxiways and pans. It was the groundcrew’s responsibility to lean on the wing leading edges to prevent the aircraft sliding forward as the throttle was opened. XD376 (VZ), January 1961.    

Two T.11s, XK627 (VC) and XD376 (VZ), blast the ice from the 2 HP pan in January 1961.  

Turning round 2 HP Vampire XE893 (VS) and, while Jock Dargue aims his tank key at the photographer (Ray Deacon), Mick Blundell prepares the ejection seats for the next sortie and Mick Brewer begins to refuel the aircraft as Ted the bowser driver looks on.  

 CFS Vampire T.Mk.11, XK633 (VA), seen taxiing out at Little Rissington in the summer of 1960, displays the dayglo-orange and silver colour scheme adopted by Flying Training Command in the late fifties.  

CFS Vampire T.Mk.11, XD383 bears the new-style livery of dayglo-red stripes and silver and the new unit code (35) on the nose and tail boom, while parked on the pan at Kemble in March 1962.  

XM709 (95), the first CFS Gnat T.Mk.1 trainer and the first of the type to enter RAF service, taxies passed D-site at Kemble during its first week of service, February 1962.

The CFS Hunters were regular visitors to Rissy where they were handled by 2 HP. Depicted here is F.Mk.4, XF944, waiting to be turned round in 1961. This aircraft was one of several Mark 4s converted to F.Mk.58A standard for the Swiss Air Force in the 1970s.

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