Romanesque font, Avebury March 23, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England, Wiltshire, World Heritage Site.Tags: Wiltshire, Avebury, WW2, church, village, St James, wyvern, Romanesque, font, tub font, 12 century, 9th century, stone circles, crosier, bishop, nave, Saxon, Norman, aisles, font cover, carving, World War Two, wyverns, dragons, mythical beast, Wessex
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Romanesque font, Avebury
The church of St James, Avebury, Wiltshire, is an old one, with a nave that is part Saxon. It dates from around 1000AD and has had Norman aisles added to the original struture (there are still two Saxon windows high up in the nave). You could say that Christianity was the minor religion of this tiny village at the time the church was founded, as it is likely that veneration of the nearby massive stone circles continued for some time.
In the church is a splendid example of a tub font, which would have originally been plain, but has been carved in the Romanesque style. There is great debate on the dating of this font, with some authorities giving an estimate of the 12th century, and others a date of 880-890. I think that the carving may have been added during the 12th century, to the much earlier plain font. The carved wooden font cover is very pleasing, and is dates from 1941, the very darkest period of World War Two.
The design appears to be composed of flowing elements, including the figure of a bishop; he is carrying a crosier, and is either being attacked by two wyverns, or is treading on their heads! Some say that the animals are dragons, but the use of wyverns would be most appropriate, as that mythical beast is the symbol often used for Wessex, in which this church stands. It could be that this represents the church’s triumph over the primitive religion of the stone circles, which are very close at hand.
Avebury Manor – history and yet more history March 14, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in British Isles, England, Great Britain, World Heritage Site.Tags: 'clipping', 'timed tickets', 'white lady', 12th century, 16th century, 90 degree bend, abbey, apparition, Avebury, Avebury Manor, Benedictine, Bristol, businessman, chamberlain, Chamberlain of Normandy, Civil War, coinage, colonel, Colonel L.C.D. Jenner, ecclesiastical, Edwardian, Edwardian gardens, Elizabethan, English Civil War, gardens, ghost, ghost stories, glazing, Henry III, history, instruments of torture, ivy, Ken King, leaded glazing, limestone, manor, Master of the Mint, National Trust, Normandy, Oliver Cromwell, parking, Priory, property, religious house, rendered walls, roses, Rule of Saint Benedict, Saint Benedict, Saint-George de Boscherville, sarsen stone, Sir John Stavell, Sir William Sharington, tenants, theme park, through road, topiary, torture, UN-designated, village, waxworks, William de Tankerville, William Durch, Wiltshire, World Heritage Site
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- Avebury Manor
The National Trust owns the delightful Avebury Manor in Wiltshire; however, as with some of their other properties, it is leased by tenants, so only some of the property may be viewed and since access is limited, ‘timed tickets’ are issued.
The rare made commonplace – G-AIYS, DH 85 Leopard Moth March 6, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Museums, Royal Air Force, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: aeronautical engineer, Air Show, aircraft, aircraft disposal sales, airfield, Aston Martin, Baghdad, Biggin Hill, communications aircraft, De H 85, De Havilland, De Havilland Gipsy Major 1 engine, DH 80, Egypt, England, fabric-covered, folding wings, Geoffrey De Havilland, Gipsy Major engine, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, GVFWE, hangarage, impressed aircraft, Iraq, Keevil, King's Cup Air Race, Leopard Moth, liaison type, Mr Ronald Gammons, Mrs Valery Gammons, oil companies, plywood, prototype, Puss Moth, RAF, RAF Kemble, RAF Museum, Scotland, Second World War, Sir William James Denby Roberts, steel tube, Strathallan Collection, Surrey and Kent Flying Club, Torquil Norman, Victor Guantlett, Wiltshire, WW2
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- The rare made commonplace – De Havilland DH 85 Leopard Moth
Geoffrey De Havilland was a skilled aeronautical engineer, of that there was no doubt, but he was also a passionate lepidopterist, and named many of his early creations after various species of moth. The Leopard Moth was designed in the 1930s to provide a relatively swift (c. 130 mph) ‘gentleman’s aerial carriage’ (one pilot, two passengers). The prototype won the King’s Cup Air Race in 1933 at over 139 mph, flown by Geoffrey De Havilland himself. The fact that De Havilland had forsaken the fabric-covered steel tube formula of the Leopard Moth’s predecessor, the DH 80 Puss Moth, and instead built a strong, sturdy ‘box’ from plywood, giving a structure of lower weight, enabled the aircraft to fly faster and further. The DH Gipsy Major 1C engine puts out around 142 hp, which gives a cruise speed close to 120mph, and a range of over 700 miles.
Two classics – a Pietenpol Air Camper and Arthur Ord-Hume! March 1, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, aircraft.Tags: 'British Light Aeroplanes 1920-1940', Air Camper, aircraft, Alan James, Arthur Ord-Hume, Aviation, Berkshire, Bernard Pietenpol, Concours d'Elegance, Continental C90-8F engine, front seat, G-BUCO, Great Depression, GVFWE, Hullavington, Minnesota, Model A Ford engine, Modern Mechanics, musicology, Panama hat, Popular Flying Association, Reading, Sitka spruce, Wiltshire, wing struts
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- Pietenpol Air Camper
Sometimes the fates allow a most appropriate meeting. In this photograph (taken in the Historic Aircraft Park at GVFWE, Hullavington) we can see not one, but two classics of aviation.
A faster dragon………… February 20, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in 'warbird', Aviation, RAF, Royal Air Force, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: 'Valkyrie', 'warbird', 621 VGS, air ambulance, Air Atlantique, Air Atlantique Historic Flight, Air Show, aircraft, airliner, Aviation, Brush Coachworks, communications aircraft, crew trainers, Culham, De Havilland, De Havilland Major Six engine, DH 80A, DH 84 Dragon, DH 89A Dragon Rapide, DH Gipsy Queen 3 engine, Dominie T.1, Dragon Rapide, Dragon Six, Duxford, Edward Hillman, Fairey Reed propeller, G-ATGM, glider, GVFWE, hangar, HMS Hornbill, Hullavington, Imperial War Museum, Iraq, Iraq Transport Company, Jordan, JY-ACL, Leicestershire, light bomber, Lithuania, Loughborough, Mike Russell, NF875, Oxfordshire, Parachute Regiment, Puss Moth, RAF, RNAS Culham, Royal Air Force, Royal Naval Air Station, Royal Navy, Russavia, scheduled airline, Second World War, Spanish Civil War, Viking T Mk 1, Volunteer Gliding Squadron, Wiltshire, WW2
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- A faster dragon…..
Edward Hillman had built a economical charter and scheduled airline business using the safe, affordable De Havilland DeH 84 Dragon – the Dragon had arisen because Hillman’s DeH 80A Puss Moth wasn’t big enough, and he negotiated with the company for a ‘twin-engined Puss Moth’. What he needed now, in the late 1930s was a ‘faster Dragon’. Enter the Dragon Six (sometimes called the Dragon Rapide, and later just Rapide) with its Gipsy Major 6 engines of 200hp, and capable of carrying eight passengers, it was an instant success in the civil market. There was military interest too, with light bomber varients being used during the Spanish Civil War, and sold to smaller nations such as Lithuania. The Royal Air Force needed radio and crew trainers, as well as communications and air ambulance machines. The Dragon Rapide put on ‘warpaint’ and became the Dominie T.1, the vast majority of them being built by Brush Coachworks, at Loughborough in Leicestershire. G-AGTM was one of these, built in 1944 and originally bearing the RAF serial NF875.
The Taylor JT-1 Monoplane..and 1,000 tags! February 14, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, England, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, aircraft.Tags: 4th of July, aircraft, ARDEM 4CO2 engine, Aviation, bay window, Berkshire, blown canopy, Dart Kitten II, fuselage, G-APRT, GVFWE, homebuilt aircraft, Hullavington, J.A.P. 99 engine, John Taylor, living room, Portugal, spinner, Taylor JT-1 Monoplane, VW, White Waltham, Wiltshire, wings
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THE Taylor Monoplane
Very occasionally, someone does something quite startling. In this case it was John Taylor, who decided to design and BUILD this pretty little monoplane in his first-floor living room! It just so happened to be the first post-WW2 British homebuilt design to fly. Mrs Taylor must have had a heart of gold, is all I can say, particularly when it came to removing the bay window to get the fuselage and wings out (I have seen the photographs of the event). The aircraft first flew on the 4th of July, 1959, at White Waltham, Berkshire, powered by a J.A.P 99 engine (putting out about 37hp, and similar to the one in the Dart Kitten II), but it was subsequently fitted with a VW conversion, a more powerful ARDEM 4CO2, producing 45hp. John owned it from 1959 to 1961, then moved on; 4 owners later, it ended up on the Portugese register (1985 to 1989) but it has, fortunately, ended up back in the UK. There have been some alterations to the colour scheme, as well as the full-blown canopy being dispensed with, and a spinner added. The prototype Taylor JT-1 Monoplane is an absolute gem, and it is seen here at GVFWE, Hullavington. It has been followed into the air by over 110 others, over the years.
Oh, and it would appear that we have now generated over 1,000 tags!
In praise of the corrugated iron hut……… February 8, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, British Isles, England, New England, Royal Air Force, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: 29th Company, 81st Airdrome Squadron, AAF Station 471, Army Air Corps, corrugated iron, Davisville, Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center, displaced persons, DSO, England, farm animals, First World War, former airfield, Gliders, GSA Gliding Club, Herbert Hawkes, Keevil, Keevil Airfield, Major Peter Norman Nissen, New England, Nissen hut, North Kingstown, PoW, Quonset hut, Quonset Point, RAF, RAF Lyneham, Rhode Island, Romney hut, Royal Air Force, Royal Engineers, Second World War, US Army Air Corps, Wiltshire
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- Corrugated iron huts, Keevil
It all started with an officer in the 29th Company, Royal Engineers. Major Peter Norman Nissen (1871-1930), needed a fast, easy-to-erect building which would offer storage and living space in the field. Since this was 1916, the need was great indeed, and production of the hut, made from curved sheets of corrugated iron was approved immediately. A single hut took 54 sheets of curved corrugated iron, 10 ft 6 ins high and 2 ft 2 ins wide, and a specially braced framework. By the end of the First World War, around 100, 000 units had been manufactured.
Athough small scale production continued between the wars, it was only the outbreak of World War Two that caused a massive expansion of the building programme. Although the huts could be taken apart, and moved to new locations as required, many formed the backbone of ‘permanent’ buildings on airfields, army barracks, and naval bases worldwide. There were various versions of the hut built, including the Romney Hut (British) and the Quonset Hut (US). The Quonset Hut was named after Quonset Point, where the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center was located (Davisville being a part of North Kingstown, Rhode Island).
These huts are located on Keevil Airfield, Wiltshire, and look to be modified Quonset huts, as these were considerably larger than the British versons, and I have seen a photograph of similar huts at Keevil in 1943. This is possible as Keevil was, at one time, Army Air Force Station 471, home to several US Army Air Corps units. These included the 81st Airdrome Squadron, providing communications and other support to AAC flying units. Herbert Hawkes, who served with the 81st described the conditions at Keevil in 1943 as, ‘mud’!
The huts now serve a variety of uses, the one on the left of the photograph being used by Bannerdown Gliding Club, an RAF GSA Gliding Club, affliated to nearby RAF Lyneham.
Postwar, huts of all three types continued in use in the UK, and in other countries. They housed farm animals and equipment, many when former airfields reverted to agricultural use; they were used to house PoWs, as well as ‘displaced persons’, and, above all, they continued their military careers on bases both large and small. As for Major Nissen, he received a small payment for his efforts, but the Distinguished Service Order from a grateful nation.
The French build the most striking aircraft January 25, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, aircraft.Tags: aircraft, Aviation, Bristol, Continental A65 engine, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Keevil, NC 856A Norvegie, NC854S, Nord, nose art, SNCAN, Societe Nationale de Constructiones Aeronautique du Nord, Wiltshire
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SNCAN Nord NC854S
The French have a certain way about them. They tend to build aircraft which are striking, sometimes even odd. Here we have an example of the NC850 series of lightplanes (in this case an NC854S). Ninety two of these were built by two French nationalised aicraft factories between 1946 and 1953, this particular aircraft making its first flight in March of 1951. The NC850 was evaluated by the French military, but was originally rejected. Eventually, they bought a three/four seat development as the NC 856A Norvegie.
G-BJEL (named ‘Jessie’) is based in Bristol, and cheerfully potters around the local sky on the 65hp provided by a Continental A65-8F engine. Here she is at GVFWE, Keevil.
Airshow vs Rain…and the winner is….. January 24, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, England, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: Aviation, Air Show, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, Wiltshire, Hullavington, Second World War, WW2, rain, ambulance, crowd barrier, PA system, RV point, L type hangar, perimeter track, 8 octas, ice cream van
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'Oh! The humanity........'
This is every airshow organizer’s worst nightmare. The ambulances and rapid response vehicles are at their RV point, the steel crowd barriers are up, the PA up and tested, there’s a 5,000 gallon tanker of potable water off in the distance, and a prime mover is standing by, ready to…well…move primes, I suppose! There is even an ice cream van lurking under a hedge. Just two things missing – aircraft and a crowd. This photograph was taken about 15 minutes after ‘gates open’, and I had described the cloud state as ‘8 octas at a duck’s bottom!’ (sorry, I’m very old fashioned when it comes to Met).
The young stream you can see to the left USED to be a perimeter track, and this lot continued for hours.
All you can do is pray for a break and a drying wind, and that the second day will be better (it was).
Oh, and the green ‘lump’ to the left? A genuine, grass-covered L-type hangar from WW2 (this was at Hullavington).
D-Day, RAF Keevil January 23, 2009
Posted by shortfinals in Aviation, England, Great Vintage Flying Weekend, RAF, Royal Air Force, Second World War, aircraft.Tags: RAF, Wiltshire, D-Day, Second World War, WW2, RCAF, Normandy, Short Stirling, Airspeed Horsa, RAF Keevil, 38 Group, 196 Sqn RAF, 299 Sqn RAF, Airborne Forces, Ranville, S/Sgt R E White, DCM, 6th Airborne Division, British Army, RAAF, RNZAF, The Glider Pilot Regiment, Gliders, Overlord, Arnhem, Operation Market Garden, Holland, Operation Market
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It was 23.19hrs on the night of 5th June, 1944. A Short Stirling IV aircraft of 196 Sqn, RAF slowly accelerated down this runway at RAF Keevil, and took off for Normandy. It was followed by 45 others, from both 196 and 299 Sqns (38 Group), each carrying 20 airborne troops of the 6th Airborne Division of the British Army. 38 Group comprised crews from the RAF, RCAF, RAAF and RZNAF, with the Canadian and Australian contingents being particularly strong.
Units such as 12th Battalion (Yorks.) Parachute Regiment, and 225th Para Field Ambulance, 5th Parachute Brigade were headed for the Ranville area, and some heavy fighting. The Stirlings would return (minus casualties), and form up in a second wave – this time towing Airspeed Horsa gliders – with a take-off time around 1800hrs.
S/Sgt R. E. White, The Glider Pilot Regt., was awarded the DCM for conspicuous gallantry on D-Day; he single-handedly manned a 6 pounder anti-tank gun, destroyed a German self-propelled gun, and fought off tank attacks, just one of many acts of heroism amongst the Airborne Forces. RAF Keevil was also used to launch the abortive attack on Arnhem, Holland – Operation Market (part of Market-Garden). Keevil is still as lush and green as it was on that June day in 1944, and it was a moving visit for me.
S/Sgt R .E. White, DCM, died at Arnhem.
