Hastings C1 Leeming firedump 1983

[Treble111]

Does anyone have the serial of the Hastings which was on the Leeming firedump noted 3.3.1983? Or the 3FTS JP T3 coded /N at the same time please?

MTIA

Dom

[JAWS]

Here's what I found :

Hastings :

BAR/BARG 11/1982

LEEMING Further to S386, the sections of Hastings on the dump in fact consist of all of the fuselage apart from the tail section. A clue to its identity may lie in the fact that it carries 'Air Support Command' titles.

BAR/BARG 12/1982

LEEMING The dumped Hastings fuselage section is still the subject of controversy (see S386, N476). Several reporters have suggested that it is from T.5 TG505 (ex-Pontrilas ATA) which was noted road-running through Hereford on 5.5, but the colour-scheme of TG505 does not correspond to that worn by the mystery section. Anyway, we can now confirm that it arrived here by road on 30.3. some time before it actually appeared on the dump, thereby eliminating TG505 as even a possibility. One suggestion put forward is that it came from the dump at nearby Topcliffe, where the fuselage of "Valetta T.3 WJ462/8014M" was inspected at close quarters several years ago and found in fact to be that of a Hastings!

BAR/BARG 1/1983

LEEMING Continuing the saga of the dumped Hastings (see D527 etc), we are now able to confirm that the fuselage section here came from Topcliffe. It is from a Hastings (just in case anyone had any doubts about it being from the Valetta T.3 WJ462), and we have now been given C.2 WJ329 as its likely identity. This serial was gleaned from the inside of the fuselage section on Topcliffe dump in 1972 along with sundry references to RAF Colerne. However, the official records are not much help, as they show WJ329 as having passed from 24 Sqdn to 27MU on 15.1.68 followed by sale for scrap to Enfield Alloys on 25.9.69. Perhaps the rear fuselage was not involved in the sale! Topcliffe dump did once possess Hastings C.1 TG587 (declared
non-effective airframe 9.2.67 and allocated to the dump there on 17.8.67), however this is known to have been torched some considerable time ago. As the information is to hand, it may be worth mentioning that Valetta T.3 was allocated to the AES at Topcliffe for instructional use on 5.4.68.

I've looked through the next couple of years of BAR/BARG under Leeming but not come across any updates yet.

Jet Provost :

In BAR/BARG 12/1982

LEEMING Jet Provost T.5A XN502 (ex-5 MU Store) visited Abingdon on 17.11 as N/3 FTS so has presumably replaced XM419.

In BAR/BARG 2/1983

LEEMING Jet Provost T.3A XM419/N was reportedly still here with 3 FTS during 2.83

In BAR/BARG 3/1984

LEEMING Further to F67, XM419/N was confirmed as still current with 3 FTS on 6.3.84, while XN502 is the aircraft which has taken up code 'D'.

I think that confirms it as XM419.

[Treble111]

Thanks Steve for the super quick response.
The detail BARG provided was legendary.
I’ll have to see if I needed the JP.

I might pencil in WJ329 or just leave it blank, 39 years I can wait a bit longer.

Cheers Dom

[Mustang531]

Further to this, looking through Tim Senior's book about the Hastings (& Hermes), published in 2008, it mentions that WJ329 was SOC 25/9/69 to Leeming, then states, rear fuselage reappeared during 1982.
As for TG505, if the SAS had spent five years playing with it, there probably wouldn't have been much left by the time it was removed for scrap in May 1982.

[Mikepaparomeo]

Hi Dom
W&R9 lists Hastings WJ329 as fuselage section arrived 5/5/82 for the dump. Ex Topcliffe
Regards
Mark

[brumbee]

Further to the above, W & R 9 also states for Ewyas Harold :

Hastings T.5 TG505 left by road northbound on 5 /5 / 82 , and has not been seen since. ...

So there were 2 roadrunning hastings on the same day , no wonder they got confused at the time , but now corrected in the post further above by Jaws.

[Treble111]

Thanks all for the help with this

Dom