Welcome to the International Auster Club. Were you there page.

Were you there and do you recognise anyone?

During the research and interviewing of the folk for the oral history project the following group photographs have been collected. Can you tell us who the people in them are?

Bagington 56/57 Shell Tent Picture 1
Repairing Tiger Moths in No2  Works Picture 2
In the Park at Syston Picture 3
In the Woods with B4 Picture 4
The Staff of the Woodlands Picture 5
Group of Workers on Rearsby Aerodrome 1944 Picture 6
Helicopter Project Team circa 1955 Picture 7
Arthur Pickett's Repair and Service Gang circa 1947 Picture 8
Two Ladies Awaiting a Flight 1947 Beryl Sharp and Peggy Edwards Picture 9

Some of the people in the groups have been identified. But we now need your help to identify the remainder. If you have any ideas then please contact either the webmaster or Mike@mepreston.com with any information. It would be great if we could identify most of the people in the photo's.

Many thanks Mick Ames and Mike Preston - the Time Team

The Auster Time Team]

It was a wet evening in January, the team had gathered in Melton Mowbray, prior to venturing out into the wilds of Leicestershire to interview an ex employee of the Auster Aircraft Company.

In the rear of the car is the recording equipment painstakingly checked and polished a carefully complied checklist supplements it. The interviewers have been trained and are ready for any eventuality.

The team has now completed several of these missions and have been completed hence the patter is well rehearsed

The interviewee lives in a small village, the team have the usual problem finding the venue, navigation via pubs the team eventually locate the house.

The equipment is removed from the car boot and the door knocked nervously, the door opens to revel a cheery faced gentleman inviting us in and offering

tea and a comfortable settee near to the fire. It looks as if this could be a difficult mission, tea, a hot room and the need to focus on events many years ago can be the cause of sleep.

The equipment is set up and the microphone carefully set up not to pick up the clanking of teacups and the crackle of the fire.

The interview begins, could you give us an idea how you became involved with the Auster Aircraft Company, what were your first reactions to the company,

what contacts with aircraft did you have, what did you earn, how did you get there from home, what about the weather, do you have any funny stories, what about the canteen, do you remember Mrs Reed?

Why and when did you leave Auster, what sort of aircraft did you work on or remember, did you ever fly. What bits of the company did you work in, what contacts did you have with other companies. Which people do you remember? Did you travel on the firm’s bus, who says company transport is new?

Too soon the interview is over, information recorded. More memories but too late, the disc has stopped, more tea. The evening comes to and end it is considered a good way to spend a winter evening.

The interviewers take our leave and go back into the cold night. The return trip is lightened by the discussion about the evening and the new information gained.

Our own latent memories stirred by the interview. Plans for the next interviews and the logistics to arrange the venue and planning needed.

The next day the processing of the discs transfer to tape, the essential chore of making backup copies and the distribution of these to a second safe site.

The additional transfer of the disc to CD and preparation of the second tape to go for transcription. All this forms the stuff that oral interviewing and compilation oral archives are made of.

We tell ourselves it will all be worth it in the end.

the two Mick`s

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Note: Vol 24 No. 2 Summer 2001, was a special edition entitled Austers at War

Auster Emporium

By Terry Dann

I’ve been an Auster enthusiast for about as long as I can remember: one of my earliest flights at age 10 was in Southend Corporations J/1 G-AGTX. Along the way I have part-owned J/5L G-APLG and Terrier 1 G-ARSL but most of my “Austering” was with the Rochford Hundred Flying Group at Southend in their Terrier 2 G-ASAK from 1977 until its disposal in January 1995. When it became apparent the Rochford Hundred would not continue to operate Austers, I began to look for my own - this Auster bug is hard to shake. After some time, several false starts and some negotiation I purchased Terrier 1 G-ARUI from our now Secretary, Colin Ladd, in November 1997. The subsequent C of A in 1998 led me to my encounters with Auster Spares and the amazing Baker family.

As always when you purchase a “new” aeroplane you go a little overboard in repairing and replacing items and I very soon became a regular customer of Cliff, his son David and wife Jean as they helped me identify parts I required and dispatched them to me with impressive speed. I had read of the many Austers in Cliff’s possession and I was anxious to see them for myself. The opportunity arose when I decided to replace the top Perspex on RUI. No way this could be sent through the post. In due course my wife Margaret and I arrived at Carr Farm on a Sunday morning in April 1998. Jean gave us a warm welcome and led us through into the workshop hangar to meet Cliff and David.

The workshop itself was impressive. A large area of the building was partitioned off for Auster Spares storage and Cliff and David were working on an Auster 5 undercarriage on the bench. The rest of the space was taken up with Auster fuselages in various states of repair. It didn’t take long for us to get the business matters out of the way and then, recognising my interest, Cliff and David led us on a tour of the Austers in residence.

The first frames we came across were incomplete aircraft, which have travelled with the remains of the Auster enterprise from Rearsby to White Waltham and then to Newark. These wereD6/180 c/n 3705 and Terrier 3 c/n B648. Both of these are in excellent condition, the Terrier is distinguishable as a Mk 3 by its dorsal fin and it also features a beautifully pristine panel.

D6 /180 C/N 3705

Terrier 3 C/N B648

Next to these was the dismantled frame of Auster 5 F-BBSO, one-time G-AMJM. Three derelict frames were also nearby, these being J/ 1N G-AIJI which came from East Midlands, having been damaged in gales at Kirmington in January 1975, Auster 5D G-ANHW ex-Shipdham, having force-landed at Canton Manor, Norfolk in 1970, and Auster 6A G-ARGB which came from Waddington, its C of A having expired at Southend in June 1974 (although I must admit I don’t recall ever having seen it at Southend).

Auster 5D G-ANHW

Near the hangar doors of the workshop building were the three airframes on which Cliff and David were most active at that time. Recovering had just been completed on the fuselage of the first of these, AOP9 WZ729/G-BXON. This had been stored away in a hangar in Singapore after the British Army left and only recently rediscovered, having been imported in late 1997. The interior is of course completely original, an excellent find. Next to the AOP9 was the real star though- an Auster B4 Ambulance fuselage under construction. This 1951 freighter design had been evaluated by the A&AEE at Boscombe Down but had not been successful and the prototype G-AMKL/XA177 was dismantled at Rearsby in 1956. This airframe contains some of the original parts. The final fuselage in the area was Airedale G-ARXC ex-Kirton-in-Lindsey, having been withdrawn from use at Leicester in November 1976. This aircraft is remarkable in that it has not been modified to replace the bolted fuselage joints with welded ones, a major cause of high weight in the original design. The fuselage was in an advanced stage of fitting out but was waiting for attention behind the AOP9 and B4. We moved on into the main hangar. This was incredible - a true “Auster Emporium”. I have never seen so many Auster airframes in one place. Every inch of the hangar was taken up with frames, wings, engines and other parts.

Auster AOP9 WZ729 / G-BXON

Auster B4 Ambulance

Airedale G-ARXC

The first aeroplane we encountered was a very significant one for me. This was Auster 5D G-ANHX, the machine with which the Rochford Hundred Flying Group began flying in 1964 and which it operated until replaced by the ill-fated J/5B G-AMFP in 1968. G-ANHX had subsequently crashed in March 1970 and had arrived at Carr Farm from Leicester. The fuselage was complete and covered with the engine installed. Hopefully, she will be back in flying trim before too long.

Auster 5D G-ANHX

Next to HX was a camouflaged Auster 4 fuselage, complete with engine, cowlings and propeller. This was EC-AXR/G-ANHU, which had arrived via Shoreham and still had evidence of its Spanish ownership on the fin and rudder. Also in the vicinity was anotherAiredale, G-AROJ almost hidden under fins, tailplanes and other parts. The C of A on this had expired in January 1976 and the fuselage retained its covering.

Airedale, G-AROJ

Of further interest in this corner of the hangar was the fuselage of Terrier I G-ARTM, which showed signs of excellent workmanship in its restoration with a fresh bulkhead and forward fuselage metalwork fitted. This had crashed at Priory Farm in May 1970 and had arrived via Sywell and Chirk.

Terrier I G-ARTM

Several fuselage frames lay around the hangar, which were clearly beyond hope - either being badly out of shape or in an advanced state of corrosion. Cliff identified these to us asJ/5F G-AMUJ,J/1N G-AIGR and the rear fuselage of Airedale G-ARNR. MUJ had crashed at South Rauceby, Sleaford in June 1960 and arrived ex-East Midlands.

The history of IGR is interesting -the aeroplane was rebuilt in 1953 with a spare fuselage and subsequently damaged in gales at Cranfield in March 1986. Cliff’s fuselage is the second one ex-Sywell. RNR was the fourth development Airedale, a rebuild to lightweight standard was commenced when its C of A expired in July 1963 but this was not completed and the airframe was reduced to spares in March 1964, the remains going to Burton-on-the-Water, with the rear fuselage eventually reaching Carr Farm.

Another frame present was Auster 6A G-ARGI which looked in better condition and capable of restoration. This had been withdrawn from use in July 1973 and arrived ex-Chirk. Against the far hangar wall were several more bare frames, along with wings, fins, tail planes etc. Cliff identified the fuselages as all being Auster 5s : G-AKWT, OCP and LNV. KWT had crashed at Tollerton as long ago as August 1948, only 4 months after being civilianised and is also reported as having been later fire damaged. It arrived at Carr Farm from East Midlands. OCP was withdrawn from use (wfu) at Hemswell in June 1968 and is a composite having consumed parts of G-AKOT while at Carr Farm. Both KWT and OCP were lying inverted. LNV is of great interest, it was dismantled at Leicester between 1950 and 1957 after C of A expiry in July 1950 and returned to Rearsby for the fuselage to be alloy coated and was never rebuilt once this was done. The fuselage frame is in its silver finish with wooden plugs still in place in the wing and undercarriage fitment points that ensured the holes were not filled with the metal coating.

Auster 6A G-ARGI

There were two other dismantled fuselages in the hangar that still retained their covering. The first of these was Auster 5 G-AIKE, a significant aeroplane in that it was Cliff’s first Auster acquisition. It had been damaged in gales at Luton in September 1965. It still has engine and cowlings in place. As Cliff said, he then bought another for spares to rebuild IKE and it just grew from there! The second fuselage was that of Airedale G-ASWF whose C of A had expired in April 1983 and arrived from Leicester. Among all the fuselages etc were three complete Austers. Two of these belong to Cliff and have been wfu for the time being. These are J/lN's G-AJAS (C of A expired April 1990) and G-APTR (C of A expired April 1987). The other aeroplane was Auster 4 G-AJXV belonging to Barbara Farries and was resplendent in D-day colours as NJ695 “Little Lulu’.

Auster 5 G-AIKE

Auster J/1N G-APTR

Completing the collection was Cliff and David’s latest acquisition, Taylorcraft Plus D El-AMF, the former G-ARRK. David had only recently returned from Ireland with the aeroplane, which fills a gap in the early part of the collection. The partly restored fuselage frame was present along with the front bulkhead and perspex. This aeroplane was built at Rearsby in 1961 from several others, the fuselage and tailplane coming from G-AIIU, the wings and c/n from G-AHUM and other parts from G-AHXG. Having been registered in June 1961 it was exported to Ireland in April 1962, eventually being damaged in gales at Cork in February 1974. David was very proud of this addition.

Taylorcraft Plus D El-AMF, the former G-ARRK

In case you’ve lost count that makes 26 Auster/Beagle variants at Carr Farm! For completeness I suppose I should also mention that Jodel DR1050 G-ATFD was also present and was the only non-Auster resident. I asked Cliff why he kept so many airframes, particularly those, which were clearly beyond redemption. His reply was “to preserve their identities”. I understood completely, this was the sign of a true enthusiast! Long may Cliff, David and Jean continue with their work and the excellent service they supply to all of us who maintain the Auster tradition. Terry Dann, Rayleigh, Essex. January 2000

Acknowledgements

My thanks are due to Cliff, David and Jean Baker for their assistance in the preparation of this article. I also acknowledge reference to Ken EIlis' Wrecks and Relics 14th Edition (Midland Publishing), Beagle Aircraft (Midland Counties Aviation Research Group), Auster (Images of Aviation) by Ken Wixey (Tempus Publishing), Air Britain 1999 UK and Ireland Civil Aircraft Registers and Michael Austen's mammoth tome British Civil Aircraft Registers 1919-1999 (Air Britain).

Postscript

Since my visit Auster 6A G-ARGI has left for Yorkshire, the remains of J/5F G-AMUJ and Airedale G-ARNR have finally expired and Jodel G-ATFD has taken up residence elsewhere. Auster Emporium

"......To preserve their identities ....."

Cliff Baker

Winner of the 1999 Auster Cup for his contribution to preserving Austers

Note: This article was originally published in the International Auster Club Magazine, Volume 23, Number 1 Spring 2000.

Modified and extended for the Auster club web site 29^th May 2000 by Mike Preston

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November 2003 Vol 26 No. 4

August 2003 Vol 26 No. 3

May 2003 Vol 26 No. 2

February 2003 Vol 26 No. 1