Farnborough ATC Part 2

                   

I’ve started a second Farnborough post because the first post has become rather large and complex. The trigger was a set of photos from Colin Fisher, whose late father, Jack Fisher, worked in Air Traffic Control at RAE Farnborough from 1947 to 1974.

I’ve started with some general Farnborough material from Colin, followed by some more specific material about his father and a miscellany of related items.

2UF1 The original Farnborough watch office (but see comment below)

2UF2 “Interestingly, the view across the airfield shows two control towers”.

2UF3 The second Farnborough tower.

2UF4 The tower well with the military ops room functionality, two plotting tables – local and wide area.

2UF5

2UF6

2UF7

2UF8

2UF9

2UF10

2UF11

2UF12

2UF13

2UF14 For more on the AMES Radars click here. This link is about the Type 13, There are links from that page to data on the Types 14 and 15.

2UF15

2UF16

2UF17

2UF18 is this a predecessor of the D&D triangulation system? There seems to be a light projection of a line between Gloucester and Bedford.

Terry Clark quickly replied “This certainly was a predecessor of Auto Triangulation. Farnborough operated its own VHF ‘fixer’ system from 1948 using manually operated D/F stations at Cove (just north of the airfield), Medstead (Hants), Leckhampton (Gloucester) and later Twinwoods Farm (Bedford). Bearings from these stations were sent to Farnborough where they were projected, via selsyn powered projectors, onto a map of southern England etched onto a ground glass screen thus providing an accurate ‘fix’.”

2UF19 This is a largish file so when downloaded the names are easily read. Some I recognise; Ken Pearson, Len Vass (later SATCO Boscombe Down), John Termehr (was at Pershore in 1968), Ron Gee (later senior Civil ATCO at JATCRU Northern Radar, RAF Lindholme)

Jack Fisher

2UF20 “His favourite place was the runway caravan with Jack Ellison and Geoff Norrish. In the caravan might be Jack Ellison. It might be my Dad.”

2UF21 “My Dad in the Control tower. As a child visiting on air show week, I was always impressed by being allowed to turn on the tap which washed the control tower windows and also the magnificent binoculars. Next to the tower was the ‘Fido’ installation – a dog kennel.”

2UF22

2UF23

2UF24 “My Dad is pictured with the original short wheelbase ‘Mike’ with ‘tropical’ roof. I have no idea why he’s wearing a silly hat and ‘mucking about’.”

2UF25 “Wally Pilbeam in the later version (long wheelbase) of the ATC Land Rover ‘Mike’ (after my Dad’s time). Bird scarer loudspeaker and ‘follow me’ signs in evidence”.

2UF26 “Here’s one of the RAE Homer Stations. My Dad used to be seconded to a Homer Station on (I believe it was) Birdlip Hill just outside Cheltenham. My Dad used to rig me up a bed under the bench where the wheel which turned the DF aerial was situated. Breakfast was always a fry-up. A snared rabbit often made tasty evening meal.

I remember a Hunter pilot calling the Homer for a fix. My Dad said ‘transmit for fix’ The pilot said ‘Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was black as soot, and everywhere that Mary went, his sooty foot he put’. I don’t know why I remember that, but somehow it stuck.”

“I certainly remember the air show in 1952 when John Derry and Tony Richards died in the DH110. I was 9 years old. My Dad was working in the ‘Homer’ station on Observation Hill in the audience area. He let me walk down to the crowd line on my own. When the DH110 broke up over the Cove radio station, I watched the two engines whizz over my head at about 50′. The nose section crashed to the ground about 100 Yards in front of me. Luckily, I didn’t realise that the pilot and the observer were still in the nose section. I guess I thought it was all part of the show. I decided to return to my Dad and witnessed a lot of carnage – which didn’t really register. I also remember the flattened motor bikes and a very neat hole right through an electronic equipment caravan. For about twenty minutes after the crash (what I realise now was foil insulation) it seemed to be snowing. My Dad was extremely relieved when I returned.”

2UF27

2UF28 love the model aircraft hanging from the ceiling in the two pictures above; a P-38, Beaufighter, SR53 and another unidentified.

2UF29

Jack Fisher Miscellany

“I believe that the track which ran between the tower apron and the bottleneck at the beginning of runway 25 was named ‘Fisher Track’ in honour of my Dad.”

2UF30

2UF31 Jack and Iris Fisher at Jack’s retirement ceremony 1974

“My Dad’s retirement card. My Dad’s leaving card was signed by everybody in ATC Farnborough at the time (1974).”

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2UF33

2UF34 from Barry Davidson as are 35 and 36 below

2UF35

2UF36

2UF37 from Pete le Gros

“This picture is the Farnborough ATC staff, we had one taken at each airshow. I’m sure this was 1978 as I graduated (33) in 1977 and in the photo I’m wearing the course tie – probably the only one I owned at that time!  Probably over half in the picture are no longer with us, but Terry Clark etc will recognise themselves.”

and from Terry Clark……….

Back row L – R
Ken Colvin, Dennis (Chopper) Hill, Les Kemp, Rod Wilde, Ray (The
Colonel)Tanton, Ken Farthing.
Centre row
Haydn Roberts, Terry Clark, Frank Cassidy, Reg Ford, Jack Ellison, Norman Hewitt, Joe Tolley, Pete le Gros, Andy Hay
Front row
Stan Chapman, Allan Foster, Vic Gibson, Cliff Hudson (SATCO), Hilda Willats, Byron Jones, Alan Hayes, Don Binks.

“They were a mixture of ATCOs and assistants, the ATCOs in those days were employed by NATCS (later NATS) and the assistants (Experimental Flying Control Assistants later re-named Experimental Flying Support Officers) by RAE. All the RAE staff were awarded Imperial Service Medals (ISM) when they retired whereas the ATCOs got nothing.

I should add there should be another photo showing the rest of the ATC team who were actually on duty indoors when the first photo was taken, many of these being ‘guest artists’ who were detached to Farnborough just for the airshow; these were from RAE Bedford, RAE West Freugh, the ATCEU and the College of ATC and they should have at least a mention”.

2UF38 Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb AB910 BBMF Aircraft in 92 Squadron markings about 1966 ish.

2UF39

2UF40

2UF41

2UF42

2UF 43 Avro Vulcan prototype VX777 possibly at the SBAC show inn 1952.