Ternhill gate guard

[Spad]

Can anybody tell me, please, the serial of the Sycamore that was on gate guard duty at Ternhill at the end (1976)? And, maybe, what became of it?

Thanks in advance
Rick

[David Thompson]

Wrecks & Relics 5th Edition , April 1976 , gives Sycamore HR14 XJ385/S-J which moved to Shawbury and became 'XG540/S-Y' .
The same edition does say that XJ385 is on display inside the camp near the main gate while XG540 was thought to be kept somewhere on the station ?
W&R 12 in 1990 gives XG540 offered for sale by tender and moved to Drighlington in West Yorkshire .
W&R 15 in 1996 gives XG540 moving to Eccleston .
W&R 16 , 1998 and XG540 moves to Chorley .
W&R 17 in 2000 is bad news for XG540 as it is reported as scrapped by March 2000 at it's home in 'Botany Bay Village' .
Others may know more ?

[Mark]

Remember seeing it at Chorley and I do believe all the aircraft that were at Botany Bay were indeed scrapped.

[Spad]

So it was actually XG540, painted as XJ385 (which was written-off in 1963). Was moved when Ternhill closed to Shawbury at end of 1976, still as XJ385?

[DickFlute]

Hi Rick

I think the quoted data from W&R 5th edition is causing confusion here. It would appear that - as has been mentioned - XJ385 (the real XJ385 to avoid any further confusion!) bit the dust in 1963, but contrary to the W&R data suggesting it was on display at Tern Hill, I've not seen any evidence to suggest that this airframe was retained by the MoD/RAF in any capacity.

Indeed, the following info copied from 'BARG Roundel' magazine published in Sept 1983 alludes to the accident & status of this airframe...
-------------------
25.10.63 XJ385/S-J Sycamore HR.14, CFS, Cat.5 accident at Tern Hill and SOC
as Cat.5(C). Re-Cat.5(S) on 5.11.63
-----------------
And for info the quoted accident categories are thus...
Cat. 5(COMP) Beyond economical repair or surplus, but salvage of components or spare parts is possible.
Cat. 5(SCRAP) Beyond economical repair or surplus, and suitable for scrap only.

Thus it seems evident from the above that post-accident, XJ385 was only fit for the scapman's axe, and so - contrary to W&R 5 - never made it to the gate at Tern Hill.

That leaves XG540, which is widely quoted as being painted up as "XJ385/S-J", and it is this airframe that was on the gate at Tern Hill, but which later made the move to Shawbury.

There's a pic of it in place at Shawbury in 1977 at the URL below - still in false marks...
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1153345

Finally, at some point prior to June 1983 it appears to have lost its false marks and was painted as XG540/S-J, but by September of that year had adopted the code "S-Y" - while still carrying its legitimate ID XG540. Its subsequent locations & fate are as per David's post.

Hope it helps.