1ACC's New Home...?

[tourettes]

Will have a dig through the F540s and let you know what I find out.

 

[NotAnIDOYet]

Get in there... Lol.::

Not often that someone can correct MAINJAFAD in fairness, just happen to know a little bit about 1ACC and its history.

I think I still have some slides somewhere of 1 ACC in Cyprus (1968?) with their inflatable radome! (No I'm not that old but I once had a WO that was there, tall scottish chap is the only clue I am giving!)

 

[MAINJAFAD]

Not often that someone can correct MAINJAFAD

and in this case you haven't as it is you that are wrong. 1 AAC formed on 27 August 1965 at guess where, RAF Wattisham, with a AN/TPS 34 radar. They then deployed to Zambia in the November of that year thanks to the UDI by Rhodesia, not returning to Wattisham until mid to late 1966.

144 SU never disbanded while it operated the Type 94 radar. The T94 was deployed to Ty-Croes between 1-2 July 1991 (I left Wattisham after the convoy left and was at Ty-Croes when it arrived). The unit was not officially opened until May 92 by the AOC 11 group, though it was operational in late 91 after major problems in getting it working after the ACU power supply breaker in the P+C Cabin tripped on a night shift and both the 5 bay and 3 bay racks got cooked. The nameplate was shared with 144SU(designate) at Boulmer with a T93 who should have replaced the T94 during mid 93, the T94 was then going to have been deployed to 280SU on Cyprus. Of course the T93 never left Boumler (the Ty-Croes site was totally unsuitable for deployment of the equipment), 280SU was shut and the T94 was moved to Locking in mid December 95, the 144 SU nameplate then going to the designate SU at Boulmer.

 

[Datalink Squirrel]

'Scuse my ignorance, I'm not as long in the tooth as some. Some Qs:
Wasn't the T94 from Locking eventually swapped with one from FI that had so many problems? Heard that went to Tea Cosy.
If 1 ASOp Correction Centre was in Rhodesia, where was 2 ACC then? Thought they were there, or was it another African country?
As for Kirton-in-Lindsey, I'm not surprised it's in a mess after the Army's stewardship. I saw the state of ex-Army OMQs at Longstanton being sold by Annington in 2001 - just like battlefields with holes in the walls and different shades of magnolia. This place used to be RAF Oakington, so, always the same, RAF decency degrades with Army abuse.

 

[MAINJAFAD]

'Scuse my ignorance, I'm not as long in the tooth as some. Some Qs:
Wasn't the T94 from Locking eventually swapped with one from FI that had so many problems? Heard that went to Tea Cosy.
If 1 ASOp Correction Centre was in Rhodesia, where was 2 ACC then? Thought they were there, or was it another African country?
As for Kirton-in-Lindsey, I'm not surprised it's in a mess after the Army's stewardship. I saw the state of ex-Army OMQs at Longstanton being sold by Annington in 2001 - just like battlefields with holes in the walls and different shades of magnolia. This place used to be RAF Oakington, so, always the same, RAF decency degrades with Army abuse.

Locking's T94 Antenna pallet was shipped to FI, Twice!!!!.

First one went to 7SU in 1991 after the top of the radome collapsed on the scanner there in high winds. We got a 2nd hand Antenna pallet from another nation that used the kit and that went into 8 Area. The orignal damaged pallet was shipped back to the UK (where the hatch on the hold of the ship fell on it and damaged it even more), and it ended up being shipped to Valley, where it was stripped for spares and scrapped. (the road running gear for the T94 force being stored at Valley at the time).

The replacement antenna at Locking also ended up on Byron in 95 after the whole dome let go in a 150-knot gust during a storm and ripped the first Locking scanner off its mountings. The Locking rig's pallet was replaced with Ty-Croes’s pallet when the Ty-Croes kit was moved to Locking.

The Ty-Croes T94 was the one from Wattisham, I should know I worked on it at both places, and very nearly went to Locking with it as well.

 

[NotAnIDOYet]

No1 ACC official home unit was at RAF Rattlesden from 01/03/1965 however they worked from RAF Wattisham until the poor condition of the buildings at Rattlesden had been rectifed.

But all in all the official line according to the F540 is the first home of 1ACC was RAF Rattlesden.

MAINJAFAD I normally bow to your superior knowledge of all things RAF-like but on this one occassion my dogged tenacity (and the fact that I know a bit about 1ACC history) has paid off.

The early F540's make interesting reading and I am informed that they are currently being declassified so they can be sent to the PRO.

One of the first entries is the letter from Fighter Command giving the instruction to form 1ACC - a great piece of history.

NotAnIDOYet Wins!

 

[MAINJAFAD]

No1 ACC official home unit was at RAF Rattlesden from 01/03/1965 however they worked from RAF Wattisham until the poor condition of the buildings at Rattlesden had been rectifed.

But all in all the official line according to the F540 is the first home of 1ACC was RAF Rattlesden.

MAINJAFAD I normally bow to your superior knowledge of all things RAF-like but on this one occassion my dogged tenacity (and the fact that I know a bit about 1ACC history) has paid off.

The early F540's make interesting reading and I am informed that they are currently being declassified so they can be sent to the PRO.

One of the first entries is the letter from Fighter Command giving the instruction to form 1ACC - a great piece of history.

NotAnIDOYet Wins!

Not yet!!!

So 266 Sqn left Rattlesden in a sh!t state (which I know about since they burnt the Bloodhound Mk1 airframes on the airfield from reading the Sqn F540) and 1 ACC were at Rattlesden (I know that as well, seeing that a Missile section of 41 Sqn from West Raynham deployed to Rattlesden to do trials with 1 ACC's TPS-43 on the intergation of a data link system between the GL161 data handling system tacked on to the 43 (Elliot 920C processor to an old JAF) and the Argus 200 system fitted to the Bloodhound Mk2 LCP thus allowing the DC mode of Bloodhound Mk 2 operation to be employed sometime in mid 1966. The fact that 1ACC was formed at Rattlesden seems to be missing from a lot of histories about the place though. I'll have to look at Wattisham's F540 next time I'm at the National Archives (which is the correct name for the PRO now) and see what they say.

 

[NotAnIDOYet]

Not yet!!!

So 266 Sqn left Rattlesden in a sh!t state (which I know about since they burnt the Bloodhound Mk1 airframes on the airfield from reading the Sqn F540) and 1 ACC were at Rattlesden (I know that as well, seeing that a Missile section of 41 Sqn from West Raynham deployed to Rattlesden to do trials with 1 ACC's TPS-43 on the intergation of a data link system between the GL161 data handling system tacked on to the 43 (Elliot 920C processor to an old JAF) and the Argus 200 system fitted to the Bloodhound Mk2 LCP thus allowing the DC mode of Bloodhound Mk 2 operation to be employed sometime in mid 1966. The fact that 1ACC was formed at Rattlesden seems to be missing from a lot of histories about the place though. I'll have to look at Wattisham's F540 next time I'm at the National Archives (which is the correct name for the PRO now) and see what they say.

Will agree that you can only go with what is in the public domain reference Wattisham/Rattlesden. I have had the priviledge of reading the early volumes of F540s for 1ACC as part of a presentation I gave whilst on a course once (facinating reading!). I also had access to a couple of personnel who served there in 67 onwards. As I said earlier, 1ACC are working on declassifying these to allow them into the National Archives. I have had some mates at 1ACC check up on my research and I am sure if you give Tourettes a pm he will back up the facts on this as much as he ican.

 

[MAINJAFAD]

Will agree that you can only go with what is in the public domain reference Wattisham/Rattlesden. I have had the priviledge of reading the early volumes of F540s for 1ACC as part of a presentation I gave whilst on a course once (facinating reading!). I also had access to a couple of personnel who served there in 67 onwards. As I said earlier, 1ACC are working on declassifying these to allow them into the National Archives. I have had some mates at 1ACC check up on my research and I am sure if you give Tourettes a pm he will back up the facts on this as much as he ican.

They have already been declassified up to 1975 and are in the National Archives, check Here

 

[tourettes]

Just to verify what NAIY said. I just finished going through the F540's (Vol 1,2&3) rubber stamping about sixteen hundred pages in the process.

In accordance with HQFC Admin Order 17/64 Appendix 1 No1 Air Control Centre was stood up at RAF Rattlesden on 1st March 1965, but operated from RAF Wattisham until the accomodation at Rattlesden was brought up to a suitable standard.

Being impartial as I can be I would say that NAIY wins this one.

 

[nofinliver]

I've also heard on the grapevine that 16AAB and RAPTROOP are amalgamating and will be based at N Luffenham???

 

[Shinyscot]

Was at the HQ 16AAB last week, judging by the amount of building work that is (and already has been) carried out there I can't see them moving anytime soon.

 

[NotAnIDOYet]

I've also heard on the grapevine that 16AAB and RAPTROOP are amalgamating and will be based at N Luffenham???

Tis all true I tell ye! Elements of 16 have already moved and there is a bit of a reorg going on in the AMRAP world which would make them/RAP Troop available to more Army units as required.

Think of the medals lads!

On a serious note, the job they do and the service they provide are essential to the modern army commander in the field.

 

[Downsizer]

Was at the HQ 16AAB last week, judging by the amount of building work that is (and already has been) carried out there I can't see them moving anytime soon.

Come on, day1, week 1 that. Any building work is a sure sign something is going to move/close.

 

[Contact Zero]

Just to verify what NAIY said. I just finished going through the F540's (Vol 1,2&3) rubber stamping about sixteen hundred pages in the process.

In accordance with HQFC Admin Order 17/64 Appendix 1 No1 Air Control Centre was stood up at RAF Rattlesden on 1st March 1965, but operated from RAF Wattisham until the accomodation at Rattlesden was brought up to a suitable standard.

Being impartial as I can be I would say that NAIY wins this one.

Who rubber stamped them??

And you can't read either.

IAW HQFC Admin Order 17/64 Appendix 1 - Number 9 Signals Unit is to form at RAF Rattlesden on the 1st November 1964. (volume 1 page 1)

According to Enclosure #27 of F540 Vol 1 the title of the Unit was changed to Number 1 Air Control Centre w.e.f. 9th September 1965

 

[tourettes]

Contact Zero, i have but a few words for you and they are "Picky Tw@t".

 

[Biggles.]

Contact Zero, i have but a few words for you and they are "Picky Tw@t".

Hand bags at 10 places please children.

Whats up Tourettes, took you some time to have a go. Anyone would think you were not able to log on...........

 

[tourettes]

Ah biggles old chap what insult could I possibly direct at you, tell you what I hope youre enjoying your brews at work. I p!ssed in your kettle last time Iwas in your section, Cheers mate.


Back next week & I've got some pressies for you!

 

[Scots-scopie]

1 ACC to move to the home of the typhoon???

 

[tourettes]

1 ACC to move to the home of the typhoon???

I have heard that rumour with increasing regularity. But to be honest anything is a possibility until the minor basing study comes out.