It is also of interest to note that at one time there were three Canberra gate guards on display at RAF Wyton together with a Comet C.2R also present on the airfield. Unfortunately, a misguided change of RAF Policy in 1989 meant that henceforth there would be only one gate guard per station. Sadly, the unique ex 51 Sqn Canberra B.6 (mod) WT305 was scrapped on site. Canberra PR.7 was acquired by the Gatwick Aviation Museum, leaving just PR.9 XH170 extant. Former 51 Sqn Comet C.2R XK697, which had been on loan to the local Air Scouts since 1973, was also scrapped on site in 1987.
To get some practice at scanning and post processing my slides, some of which are over 40 years old, I thought I would share some of the Wyton wrecks and relics that are in my collection.
wt305fw2 by Mark Young, on FlickrA former Wyton gate guard, Canberra B.6 (mod) WT305. This unique survivor, operated by 51 Sqn until its retirement from active duty in 1976, was unceremoniously destroyed on site in October 1989 following the gate guard policy change. It is seen here looking pristine in August 1981.
wh773j1a by Mark Young, on FlickrAnother former Wyton Gate Guard, ex 13 Sqn PR.7 WH773. This airframe was cared for and maintained for many years by the locally based 2331 (St Ives) ATC Sqn. Following the changed RAF Gate guard policy restricting each station to just one gate guard, WH773 was sold in 1990 to the Gatwick Aviation Museum. It now resides at the former RAF Laarbruch.
xh170z1a by Mark Young, on FlickrThird Canberra gate guard was PR.9 XH170 that had left service with 39 Sqn by end April 1982 and was destined to become the sole, permanent gate guard at Wyton. She is seen here in July 1982, 3 months after retirement, still looking very presentable. The names under the canopy and near the nose are all the assigned 39 Sqn pilots and navigators as of May that year.
WJ817T1z by Mark Young, on FlickrAt the time this photo was taken in Aug 1992, ex 13 Sqn Canberra PR.7 WJ817 - by now coded FU, had been relegated to the Wyton Station Fire Section. It was destroyed completely by March 1995.
WF890p2 by Mark Young, on FlickrFormer 360 Sqn T.17A WF890/EJ as she appeared in July 1993. Scrapped entirely by March 1995.
wh664b by Mark Young, on FlickrEx 360 Sqn Canberra T.17 WH664 seen withdrawn from use at Wyton in Dec 1991. It was scrapped in situ by July 1992. The blue ‘X’ applied to the nose, signified those airframes withdrawn from use and awaiting subsequent scrapping.
wk111z1 by Mark Young, on FlickrT.17 WK111/EA on site at Wyton and dismantled during 1995. The nose section was obtained by a private collector at Witherton but has evidently since been scrapped.
wt538m9 by Mark Young, on FlickrEx 100 Sqn PR.7 WT538/CJ in April 1991 ahead of being broken up later that year.
wh981s4 by Mark Young, on FlickrFormer 100 Sqn E.15 WH981/CN photographed at Wyton in May 1992. This aircraft was unusual in being the only example withdrawn from service and earmarked for scrapping, but not disposed of onsite. It was purchased by a scrap dealer at Stock, Essex and transported there for subsequent scrapping in 1995.
wk127z1a by Mark Young, on FlickrTT.18 (WK127)/FO had been consigned to Battle Damage Repair Training (BDRT) at the end of its service with 100 Sqn in Feb 1989. It was subsequently scrapped on site in September 1993.
WE113K1_edited-2 by Mark Young, on FlickrFormer 231 OCU B.2(T) WE113/BJ. The nose survives at the Tangmere Aviation Museum but the rest of the airframe was scrapped on site at Wyton in 1993.
xk697g1a2 by Mark Young, on FlickrEx 51 Sqn Comet C.2 was preserved at Wyton at the end of its flying days in 1973. It was loaned to the Wyton Air Scouts before being scrapped in September 1987.
IMG_4514 by Mark Young, on FlickrA more recent 2017 image of sole gate guard XH170 that makes an interesting comparison to the earlier shot taken in 1982.
Hope these have been of interest and stirred up a few memories.
TR
It's a slow process as each slide takes about 15 minutes to make as good as possible, but I am generally pleased with the results.