The 'Introduce yourself' Thread

welcome from another new member looking forward to seeing you pictures Norfolk is one of are fav locations

Welcome to AiX slarti

As an aviator you probably have some aerial photographs of south Wales airfields and military areas to share.

Hello Ben and welcome from yet another Norfolk guy !
Steve

The Welbeck Estate Group have been involved in the acquisition of ex MQ estates for the past 33 years starting with
the NCO MQs at RAF Faldingworth Market Rasen Lincolnshire in 1979 and we are currently involved in our 36th ex MOD estate.
This is not just a business to me - it is a whole way of life. I am a typical 'service brat' being the son of an RAF aircrew officer
with 40 years of service from 1939 to 1979 starting with Bomber Command on Halifax and ending up on Devons and Pemrokes
at RAF Wildenrath and RAF Northolt and finally with AIDU at the latter. I lived in MQs for over 20 years of my life.
By luck and coincidence I ended up buying some of my former homes and even some hirings and entire airfields the likes of
RAF North Coates and the tech and domestic site at RAF Hemswell. Along the way was the Bomber Command HQ at RAF Bawtry.

I am more than happy to share my experiences on sites that I have owned and lived in since 1946 staring with RAF Driffield
through Hemswell, Marham, Waterbeach, Watton, Tangmere, RAF Khormaksar Aden, RAF Wildenrath Germany.

Also I have experiences I can share at any of the ex MOD establishments we have been involved over the past 3 decades. Whilst any of
these former sites have been in our ownership I have always ensured that their ambiance is retained.

Over the years I have made many good friends in both the former defence estates world as well as civil aviation. My love of classic aircraft included
owning DH 104 Dove G-APZU and the ex Queens Flight Devon G-HBBC (VP961), Sea Devon G-RNAS and the formation of
Macedonian Aviation operating DC3s out of Southend starting with the ex British Aerospace Filton based DC3 G-AMPO followed
by another 4 ex BIA Dakotas.

Please feel free to visit our website at www.welbeckestate.com and click on 'Management Profile and Projects' also 'Aviation'
I would love to hear from any members who would want to exhange views and experiences.

Roger Byron Collins

Dear Roger:

Welcome to AiX and the ARG. That's some CV and I am sure our members will be very interested to learn of your exploits at the various stations you mention.

Indeed, it was only last Sunday that I made a return visit of my own to North Coates, to join members of the North Coates Flying Club, huddled in their crew room as a gale swept in from the North Sea and the rain lashed down. I am sure you will remember how cold the place could be, but how delightful it was when the weather was good.

Welcome aboard.

Bill

Hello Bill

Much appreciated your good wishes and I will stay closely in touch with AIE. Amazing I had not been here before.
Yes RAF North Coates I bought back in 1992 and set about upgrading the Officers and NCO MQs abutting the airfield.
I absolutely loved working there as a few years earlier I had purchased the pre war Carlton Park RAF Manby MQs and
made some good friends in the area including Richard Lake who was for a couple of years using one of the hangars at NC.

Of course Richard has done well with the establishment of Eastern Airways operating out of RAF Kirmington (Humberside).
Had a great guy I inherited at North Coates who was with the PSA before - Henry Dempsey who also bought an Officers MQ.
We made some good end users at the station as well. I remember being intrigued with the very luxurious ladies cloakrooms
complete with gold fittings in the Officers Mess. I then learnt it had been specially fitted out for a visit by HRH the Queen.
To this day I still have a massive wall mounted steak grill I requisitioned from the Mess.

In the late 1990s I sold the airfield itself to the local farmer George Henry Parker whom I got to know well especially as we both had a great love of Great Danes.
However I must admit I was saddened to learn after we sold the airfield the runways and some of the peri tracks were dug up
to provide hardcore for the new Lincoln-Newark road. It would not have happened under my control.

I had the North Coates Aero Club in the Eastern hangar whilst I was there and delighted they appear to have gone from strength to strength - good news!
For 3 years I stored in the middle hangar my ex Admirals Barge from RNAS Yeovilton, a Sea Devon G-RNAS (XK896) before I removed
it to Filton.

Stay in touch

Roger

Hi Norwich Paul

Pleased to know you have a collection of MQ plans which similar ones have proved invaluable to me in the past.
I remember whilst I owned RAF West Raynham we had the most amazing collection of original plans stored in the
main guardroom.

We only owned RAF West Raynham for less than 2 years. We had started works in relation to the infrastructure
with the various authorities as the MQs were base dependent. We also started works upgrading some of the MQs
but then a local businessman made us an offer for the entire station including the 4 hangars, tech site, accommodation
blocks, Officers and NCO MQs the mess buildings, indeed everything except the actual airfield with main runways.
The offer was attractive enough to accept and we sold just before the start of the finance crisis. Good timing but
more luck than judgement!

I have been back to RAF West Raynham a few times to see how the new owner is getting along. I also revisited
another site I owned close by some 15 years ago which were the ex USAF MQs 220 tobacco houses and the entire
tech site at RAF Sculthorpe. When we owned RAF Sculthorpe we maintained the site in first class order but was very
disappointed at it's deterioration. These sites should be cared for as they represent recent historical military aviation
heritage.

I wish you well at Alconbury which is one of the few I never became involved although I owned and refurbished the
NCO MQs at nearby RAF Upwood. Please let me know of your progress and thank you for your welcome.

Roger

Roger

Thanks for the update. I'm sorry to say that George Henry died a couple of years ago. A fascinating man.

Regards

Bill

Hi I am Chris and I live in the ex married quarters in Kaimes Crescent in Kirknewton. I am looking to chat with anyone who served in Kirknewton or stationed with family in the married quarters during the period 1963 - 1988 when the houses were sold off.