Capt J E Johnson, xx Apr Still, morale, welfare and not offending the farmer were much higher priorities in my mind at the time as well as his daughter. Capt I G Broom, xx xxx 1964Gp Capt E B Sismore, xx xxx xxxxGp R Faville, 15 Dec 1947Gp Capt L F Sinclair, 23 Aug 1948Gp Capt Gp Capt J H Chaplin, xx xxx Gp Capt T L B McGuiness Deputy Commander Capability Air Marshal Sir Rich | Brussels-Evere | Buckeburg | Butzweilerhof Also on site were 724 Signals Unit (Fighter control radar) 402 Air Stores Park, a unit of the RAF Regiment and an Army detachment that maintained land lines (AFS). From the late 1950s to 1970, Wildenrath was home to 14 Squadron and 17 Squadron; the former flew B(I).8 Canberras, and was part of the 2nd ATAF tactical nuclear strike force. The ranks shown below, where above Group Captain, indicates higher ranks the former station commanders achieved. Aircraft and crews had been generated, and the aircraft loaded with live weapons in accordance with normal policy for exercising quick-reaction forces in NATO. Wg Cdr W H Kearney, xx Jun 1951 Known initially as 12 Independent Liaison Flight, it then was renamed to 31 Flight, then 131 Flight Royal Corps of Transport (ex RASC), No. Capt M L Feenan, xx xxx 1957 The report of the board of inquiry revealed that all of the safeguards provided for in the command and station operating and engineering orders relating carriage of live missiles were either ineffective or had not been complied with. Beadon, 21 Nov 1962 Wg Cdr T P McGarry, xx Mar (OC, No 145 Wing), 3 The domestic site is now predominantly military. The air base was initially used as an area for rock concerts. WebRAF Wildenrath. All but the western threshold and over-run of the runway had been covered with about 2-3 feet (0.50-1m) of dirt. The locations of their quick-readiness dispersals can still be seen to the south of the old main gate at the west side of the former airfield. Gp Capt P J Wilkinson, xx Jul 1991 Gp The north-east dispersal is completely taken over by sidings, workshops and shunting loops. RAF Station Commanders - 2 TAF, BAFO & RAF Germany. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); What are you waiting for? At this time, the CO of 2ATAF (former Battle of Britain fighter pilot, Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris) had a Vickers Valetta aircraft as his personal transport, its lower fuselage and wings kept highly polished by the ground-crew of the RAF Germany Communication Flight (who later took the colour of ex-Singapore Gloster Javelin No. I hear Paddys voice from the other aircraft yelling Eject! Wildenrath was the first of four 'Clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany during the early 1950s. The flight was manned by members of the corps under which the flight was named with the REME providing the technical servicing and maintenance of the aircraft. Look up and think, momentarily, that I might be in heaven (I was a young, bachelor flight lieutenant at the time) as a blonde vision of loveliness dressed in tight-fitting jodhpurs ran over to me, followed her father (blast!). Place of processing: Ireland , Former RAF Jaguar pilot tells the story of when he was shot down by a RAF Phantom interceptor, I confirm that I have read, consent and agree to The Aviation Geek Club. Gp Capt T O Prickett, 1 Dec 1955 They were questions for later, since a bottle of brandy had now been produced and hospitality offered (not by daughter, unfortunately). He flies the Spitfire and other similar aircraft at air displays. WebRoyal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that operated from 1952 to 1992. Smith, 21 Sep 1961 RAF Wildenrath Station Crest. Known intially as 12 Independent Liasion Flight it then was renamed to 31 flight, then 131 Flight Royal Corps of Transport (ex RASC), 669 Squadron Army Air Corps and then in its last colours with a return to the 12 Flight title. Photo credit: Rob Schleiffert from Holland via Wikipedia, MSgt. I was being helped to my feet and gathering my parachute and various bit together when a lone Phantom flew overhead, very low down. Unlike other former RAF airbases in Germany (such as Airport Weeze, previously named Niederrhein), it was not turned into a civilian commercial airport. Composite made with 35 screenshots from Flashearth.com whole: Number Of Items/reels/tapes 1. Facebook Like button and social widgets (Facebook, Inc.). G A Brown, 30 Jul 1957Gp Capt On 6 June 1972, the Squadron disbanded and on 16 October 1972 was reformed with the Buccaneer S2B aircraft. Capt C D A Browne, xx xxx 1968Gp Capt D C A Lloyd, 17 Apr 1970Gp Capt J B Curtiss, 11 Aug 1972Gp Capt D Gp Capt P H Hamley, xx Aug 1946 Wg Cdr L A Ferguson, xx Feb 1963 RAF career. Dumbfounded he watched, powerless to influence the outcome, (the Sidewinder being a fire-and-forget weapon) as the missile exhaust trail headed off towards my aircraft. Even Paddy was in the dark; he had just happened to look back at me in time to see the aircraft explode, and had had the presence of mind to immediately call for me to eject. 1974 It can be seen today in the RAF Museum at Hendon, London. C W Coulthard, 15 Apr 1964Gp Capt There was a violent explosion, my head was driven down to the breast plate of my lifejacket, I had a vision of the floor of the cockpit dropping away, a snatch of parachute opening, a wrenching pain in my right hand (fool, let go of the seat handle! In November 1956, the RAF operated a three-day airlift to fly over 100 short tons (91 tonnes) of humanitarian relief supplies from Wildenrath to Vienna, for the Red Cross to distribute in Hungary during the Hungarian uprising, before the revolt was ended with Soviet military intervention.[4]. WebRAF Wittering - Station Commanders Station Commanders The Station Commander ordinariily holds the rank of Group Captain. Despite these factors, and the absence of the vital tape on the master arm switch, the crew were deemed by the board of inquiry to be negligent and (eventually) faced a court martial which resulted in them being found guilty of negligence. John Rogerson SERGEANT Served from 1962 - 1975 Served in RAF Wildenrath John Newland CORPORAL Served from 1961 - 1976 Served in RAF Wildenrath Rob Howsam CORPORAL Served from 1985 - 1991 Served in RAF Wildenrath Jean Bowen (Tomlinson) Now what did the physical training instructors tell us about parachute rolls on landing? Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Since 1972, the Squadron WebRoyal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that operated from 1952 to 1992. Gp Capt D McL Scrimgeour, 14 Jan Air Cdre Dudley Radford CB 1948 AVM Sir Alan Boxer 1958-9 Gp Capt Leonard Trent VC DFC 1959-62 In the 1970s, Wildenrath became the home to the RAF "Harrier Force" which included 21(AS) Signal Regt. Published by at 30, 2022. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Wg Cdr S G Pritchard, xx Feb 1952 at me, I somewhat confusingly replied, no, thats not until September, which seemed to perplex them both. Unlike many other air bases, the airfield was not converted for civilian use as an airport. P H Cribb, 17 Sep 1959Gp Capt A very small part of the runway still exists, however, much of it is overgrown. In 19745, the Wildenrath station commander was Group Captain Patrick 'Paddy' Hine, who later rose to Air Chief Marshal and Joint Commander of all British forces during the Gulf War.[5]. At this time, the commanding officer of 2ATAF (former Battle of Britain fighter pilot, Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris) had a Vickers Valetta aircraft as his personal transport, its lower fuselage and wings kept highly polished by the ground-crew of the RAF Germany (RAFG) Communication Flight. Keppel-Compton, 26 Oct 1981 Wg Cdr P A Garth, 20 May 1985 Wg Cdr G M Goddard, 5 Apr 1961 Wg Cdr N W Sqn Ldr N R Stevens, xx Mar 1953 Stn Patch. 60 Squadron operated from the hangar close to the main Squadron Servicing hangar on the 'soft side' (northern) of the airbase. It was later that evening that the Brggen station commander discovered they were in the bar with me, and pointed out that this would not look good for the subsequent board of inquiry since we could be accused of collaborating. Aircraft went out at 750ft and back at 1,350ft for deconfliction. The organisation behind them was seen to be at fault, and following a comprehensive review numerous changes were made to procedures. There I was minding my own business at 1,350ft, returning to Brggen after a forward air controller training sortie as number two to Paddy Mullen, when the radar unit we were using warned of conflicting traffic ahead. WebRAF Wildenrath, RAF Brggen, and RAF Laarbruch were physically close to each other, and came under the auspices of NATO's Second Allied Tactical Air Force (2ATAF). See on the interactive map: 5106'54"N 00612'49"E Since I did not know the F-4 crew, I invited them to attend to show that there were no hard feelings. A 3 meter wide track had been recently (April 2011) cleared on the runway from treshold 09 towards the east, RAF Wildenrath (RonaldV) WebRoyal Air Force Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, that operated from 1952 to 1992. Always ready / ever prepared: RAF Phantom FGR2 XV439 'D' on short finals for runway 27, RAF Wildenrath, Capt C V Winn, 6 Jun 1959Gp Capt H N G In 1953, the Station Commander was Group Captain JE 'Johnnie' Johnson, a top-scoring British ' ace ' fighter pilot of the Second World War . D G Lewis, 19 Jan 1955 Gp Capt 1976 Gp Capt J B Mitchell, xx xxx 1979 1968 Gp Capt H L Maxwell por ; 1 de novembro de 2021 [1] Allison was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. RAF career. [8] He left as a result of restructuring following the sale of the company to Red Bull Racing and went to Rolls-Royce plc as Project Director for the redevelopment of the Bristol Site in February 2005. WebAir Chief Marshal Sir John Shakespeare Allison, KCB, CBE (born 24 March 1943) is a retired senior Royal Air Force (RAF) commander. 1974 Gp Capt P B Hine, xx Jul 1992 country = Germany allegiance = UK: British Armed Forces branch = Royal Air Force command_structure = RAF Second Tactical Air Force, then Royal Air Force Germany type = Flying station The aircraft was yawing violently to the right, and not responding to the controls; I heard the canopy shattering. The last flying squadron still present at the time the airfield was to close, 60 Squadron, moved to the nearby RAF Brggen. The following article contains excerpts from Group Captain Steve Griggss story titled With Friends Like These which appears in Ian Halls book Jaguar Boys. Gp Capt F D Hughes, 2 Aug 1961Gp Capt P de L Le Cheminant, 7 Dec 1963 [Ahlhorn| Bruggen| Brussels-Evere| Buckeburg| Butzweilerhof| Celle| Detmold| Eindhoven| Fassburg|Fuhlsbuttel| Gatow|Geilenkirchen| Goch| Gutersloh| Hambuhren| Jever| Laarbruch| Lubeck| Oldenburg|Rheindalen| Scharfoldenorf| RAF Wildenrath, presumably ca. Educated at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Allison entered the Royal Air Force College Cranwell as a flight cadet in 1961. By giving your consent, the data will be sent anonymously, thus protecting your privacy. ), then a moment of blissful quiet before the ground below began approaching rapidly. Crews were then to stand by to fly missions as directed by the SOC for training. Again names greatfully received. 1955 Gp Capt R The locations of their quick-readiness dispersals can still be seen to the south of the former main gate. Since 1997, the original airfield and immediate environs comprise the Wegberg-Wildenrath Test and Validation Centre, a facility for testing railway vehicles operated by Siemens AG.