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| Author | Topic: Edinburgh Field/Woomera/Maralinga |
| John Cooper |
posted 9/20/04 2:45 PM
Say whatever you want to about these three bases of the 1950's and 1960's. If you do not want to leave an email address that is fine. So to start off what went on in these Top Secret bases, have your say. http://splashdown2.tripod.com/handletpagehastings/ The Royal Air Force |
| Top Secret! |
posted 9/21/04 7:54 PM
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6407184%5E26839,00.html |
| Oz Boz |
posted 9/24/04 7:22 AM
I don't think you will find much around on this subject mate, even this one www.skomer.u-net.com/projects/colour.htm is not accessible on all search engines, I can get it on Yahoo but not Google, the other two posts the links don't work. In some places down here this is still a touchy subject, the link I have given you just about sums up all the projects taken up that we know of. There was also a link between Maralinga and Christmas Island and I think you will find that the route taken on some of these flights was via the US, Hawaii, Xmas Island and Oz. This way there was more water to fly over than land in case anything went wrong from England. The National Archives of Australia may/may not help you, their address is PO Box 7425 Canberra Mail Centre ACT 2610 Tel: (02)6212 3910 Fax: (02)6212 3913 http://www.skomer.u-net.com/projects/colour.htm |
| John Cooper |
posted 9/24/04 2:26 PM
Thanks for the info, I had heard that Transport Command flew Westabout via the USA but I thought that was to Christmas Island only. Sorry my website should read http://splashdown2.tripod.com/handleypagehastings/ http://splashdown2.tripod.com/handleypagehastings/ Royal Air Force |
| John Cooper |
posted 11/16/04 2:06 PM
David Eastwood picked up on a message from the BNTVA and wrote: 'John just viewed the BNTVA site – I went to Maralinga in Feb. 1958. Flew from RAF Lyneham in a Hastings 7 days Idris – Habbaniya- Karachi – Ceylon – Singapore – Darwin - Maralinga David http://splashdown2.tripod.com/handleypagehastings/ Royal Air Force |
| Anon |
posted 12/8/04 11:18 AM
My unit had no offical name, some times known as RAF Australia or RAF supply Australia. We were there to supply sample aircraft for the trigger tests and the weapons tests out of Woomera. This is a long story and would not help in your question to the truth in your plane crash, but it must show the cover up the MOD went to to keep secret what happened here.. all bomb tests had moved to Christmas Island. We did the trigger tests and the weapon tests here in Australia. Trigger tests were the dirty bomb you read about to day, if you want your bomb to go off you need a trigger. Its pure pluto, very dirty and leaves more pluto around than a full bomb. My aircraft sampled the trigger tests. I flew in the dickey seat of the Canberra at least six times in a sample aircraft. We also tested stand-off weapons at the trials....now to your problem, the secret load was at first for Valetta aircraft only ,as they became more and more u/s this switched to Hastings aircraft, the Comets and Britannias were good for the passenger traffic but the Hastings was a top freighter, and passengers took second place to freight. You guys were second place to your freight load, secret or not |
| Anon |
posted 12/8/04 11:19 AM
Hastings were used to carry special loads, late 1959 to 1962, large box A bomb, small box trigger, start base was Lyneham, end base was Edinburgh in South Aust., then turn around for return trip. New or serviced units on out trip, old and in need of service units on return trip. From memory a load was all one type. Were mixed loads carried? yes a mix off passengers and freight [special loads] did happen, I saw mix loads lots of times, again from memory they were mostly servicemen RAF and British Army looking for a trip to Changi or on to the UK. Your plane may have had a special load on board, and I bet your CO knew that, all the more reason for his extra effort in the rescue, etc. Why the MoD are so hard to get on with after ALL THESE YEARS, pension rights, bans on info, etc who knows? |
| Hunter DR. S.A.C. RAF |
posted 4/9/05 8:48 PM
Was at Edinburgh Field with Operaton "Antler", worked in Unit HQ for five months in 1957. Traveled out by Comet 2 from Lyneham via El Adem, Bahrein, (night stop after aircraft went tech.-Negombo (Ceylon),Changi(two night stop aircraft again tech.)- Darwen-Edinburgh |
| David Morgan |
posted 3/26/06 1:09 PM
Whilst assisting a Mountain Rescue Team at Nicosia in 1959? as a driver there was a bit of an emergency in Turkey to recover wreckage from a crashed civvy aircraft from the UK en route to Woomera. I have not heard about this incident since and can only think it was something important enough to send a team all that way just to bury the dead crew. |
| Lofty(Jim) James Hansford |
posted 4/11/06 3:30 PM
I(we) flew out from Heathrow BOAC Stratocruiser on the 19th July, 1956 via Manchester,Prestwick(for evening meal), Reykjavik(for coffee); New York(four hours - guarding our luggage); then DC7 to San Francisco (overnight in hotel); then a 5am. start in a Quantas Constellation to Honolulu (two hours for refuelling); to Fiji (one hour stop for refuelling); on to Sydney (a couple of hours stop); then on to Adelaide - an old coach to the Railway Station and train up to Salisbury - coach to Edinburgh Field - stayed there a couple of weeks as the accommodation was not ready due to having floods on the site at Maralinga; a Hastings up to Maralinga - and we had arrived!!! We had been originally been posted there for 2 1/2 years, but due to the Suez situation we were shipped back on the SS Orontes from Adelaide on the 19th November,1956 via Perth, Cape Town, Las Palmas and Tilbury - home on the 21st December, 1956 just in time for Christmas !! and a new Posting to St. Eval in the January. To us it was like a lovely holiday - we were young and daft then! |
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