Anw Brookes - Canberra Boys: Fascinating Accounts from the Operators of an English Electric Classic.

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CANBERRA BOYS

For my much missed friend and former Canberra pilot, Tim Garden

GRUB STREET | LONDON

Published by

Grub Street

4 Rainham Close

London

SW11 6SS

Copyright Grub Street 2017

Copyright text Andrew Brookes 2017

A CIP record for this title is available from the British Library

ISBN-13: 9-781-910690-33-8

eISBN-13: 9-781-911621-51-5

Mobi ISBN-13: 9-781-911621-51-5

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

Cover and Book Design by Daniele Roa

PUBLISHERS NOTE

The reader will note that there are two styles to the text layout in this book. Indented and full out.

Indented text indicates when a contributor is speaking, whereas full out text signals the words of Andrew Brookes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For all the Canberra old and bold who gave of their reminiscences and tales of derring-do unstintingly and without whom this book would never have achieved lift-off.

FOREWORD

In Canberra Boys, Andrew Brookes weaves together reminiscences from hundreds of Canberra aircrew into a collection of narratives. Deftly, he brings the story of this remark-able machine and the men who flew it together to life. The reader is reminded of the amazing versatility by role and mission type of over 20 marks and variants, the spirit of innovation by the men that flew the aircraft and maintained it and the genuine sense of affection that crosses the generations. Coupled with high loss rates, which to the contemporary eye, looks shocking.

I was posted to Canberras in 1979 flying, as a navigator, the Canberra PR7 out of Wyton in the photographic-reconnaissance role almost all over the globe (we could not cross the Pacific). And I led the fond farewells to the PR9s of 39 Squadron in 2006. Therefore I connect with this volume of well-written recollections and anecdotes and reflect that, in the history of air power, few other aircraft can match the record of the Canberra. But that is to miss the point. The point is this book reflects the worldwide sense of spirit, leadership and adventure by the men who flew them and I commend it to the general and specialist reader alike.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach GBE KCB ADC DL

UK Chief of Defence Staff

CHAPTER 1

IN THE BEGINNING

BOB FAIRCLOGH joined English Electric as an apprentice in 1960. He was co-author of the English Electric volume in Putnams company histories series.

During the 1930s, English Electric (EE) made electrical products at five main factories, ranging from small electrical items to the heaviest power station generation plant. One factory was at Strand Road, Preston, its main products being tramcars and tramway electrical equipment. In 1938, as part of the huge re-equipment programme for the RAF, EE received contracts to build bomber aircraft. These were allocated to the Preston factory, and were initially for the Handley Page Hampden medium bomber. After 770 had been completed, production switched to the Halifax heavy bomber. Between 1941 and 1945, 2,145 Halifaxes were produced; always at a higher rate than the minimum specified in the contract, and at a lower cost than any comparable factory. Quality was also high, in spite of the works staff increasing in number from under 1,000 in 1938 to over 14,000 in 1944, and the factory doubled in size over the same period. In addition, a new flight test airfield with three hard runways and five hangars was built at Samlesbury, a few miles from the Preston factory.

In 1944, the company decided that it would stay in aircraft work at Preston after the end of the war. However, it was obvious that post-war contracts would not be available to build other companys aircraft; EE would have to design and build their own aeroplanes, in competition with the older established manufacturers. EE therefore needed to create a design team with suitable staff and facilities, and the first steps in that direction were taken in 1944. That year, the Air Ministry decided that EE should receive contracts to build the new De Havilland Vampire jet fighter; the first was completed in 1945, and in the period to 1951, 1,369 were delivered. After Halifax production ceased in 1945, Vampire work provided valuable continuity of aircraft work for the Preston factory, until EEs own design could enter production.

TEDDY PETTER

Probably the most critical step in setting up EEs new design team was the selection of the leader, who would have to form the team and conceive the first new design. At the right time, in 1944, a suitable man became available. He was William Edward Willoughby Petter (known as Teddy) who was, at the time, technical director/chief designer at Westland Aircraft. His father was the founder of Westland, but the company was controlled by major shareholders. By mid-1944 Petter had conceived the basic design for a fighter-bomber that was regarded as a jet replacement for the Mosquito. The Air Ministry showed real interest in the proposal but the board of Westlands decided that they should proceed with the design of a strike fighter for the Royal Navy. This was to be propeller-driven and regarded as a lower risk; it became the Wyvern and had very limited success. Teddy Petter did not agree with this decision, and he resigned from Westland. Probably through the Air Ministry, he was contacted by EE and in July 1944 he joined the company as chief engineer of the aircraft division at Preston. At that time he was 35 years of age.

As the founder member of the design team, Petters first task was to recruit the key senior members of the new team. His first recruit, in March 1945, was F. W. (Freddie) Page, who was to have a critical role in the future of the Canberra. He soon effectively became Petters deputy. The teams home was a building occupied by EE in Corporation Street, Preston, about a mile from the Strand Road factory. These premises were controlled by the Ministry of Labour, and had been used as a training centre for building workers. They were officially known as the government training centre or GTC; during EEs occupancy this was shortened to just TC. The TC building had been built in the 1930s for Barton Motors, a large firm of car dealers, and had spacious showrooms, offices and workshops. EE occupied the building initially for overflow work from the Strand Road factory, but in 1944 most of the building became the home of the new design team and other technical support functions, plus the development workshops.

While Petter was leaving Westland, he had obtained their agreement that he could take with him the embryonic ideas for his jet fighter-bomber. As these ideas had already received favourable comment from the Air Ministry, it was potentially EEs first new and original project. The first important task for Petter and Page, therefore, was to prepare a brochure describing their ideas for the new aircraft for submission to the ministry so that funding could be obtained for a full study of the proposed jet bomber. This brochure was submitted in May 1945, and a study contract, valued at 1,000, was received on 13 June. This enabled more staff to be recruited, which Ministry of Labour regulations would not permit unless there was a contract to prove they were necessary. The contract was for work on a high-speed, high-altitude jet bomber to specification E3/45.

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