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Carpetbagger
Aviation Museum
Harrington,
Northamptonshire
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MEMORIES
OF RAF HARRINGTON
1959 to
1963
By Squadron Leader Colin J. Burch
Sqn Ldr Colin Burch, Officer Commanding 218(M) Squadron RAF Harrington 1959 - 1963 My RAF career started in April 1941, and
subsequently I flew in Bomber Command, 1943 to 1944 on operations over
Germany and France.. On completion of my operational tour, I was posted to
RAF Desborough as an instructor where I remained until the end of the War in
Europe. In July 1959 whilst holding a Staff
Appointment as "Cadet I" at No 64 Group Headquarters, RAF Rufforth,
York, I was appointed to command a Ballistic Missile Site with its base at
RAF North Luffenham, a Bomber Command establishment in Rutland. This was then
known as No 144 Squadron which had five satellite IRBM sites under construction
at Polebrook near Peterborough, Folkingham, near Bourne in Lincolnshire,
Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, Harrington and the 5th on the main base at
North Luffenham. Later, Bomber Command in their wisdom decided to designate
all the Thor Missile sites as individual squadrons each with their own
distinctive number and motto. In order to become familiar with ballistic
missiles, and to some extent nuclear weapons, I attended the Empire Air
Armaments College at RAF Manby near Louth in Lincolnshire and upon graduating
was informed that I was to command No 218(M) Squadron at RAF Harrington. I moved with my wife and two daughters into married quarters at North Luffenham where I was to rejoin them on my return from the USA following training, first at Davis Monthan, USAF Base near Tucson, Arizona, and then at USAF Base Vandenberg in California where I launched my first Thor IRBM. |
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Sqn Ldr J.C. Burch=s 1st detachment to USA during 1959, taken at Davis Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona
Back row L-R
Mr APete@ Pederson (Douglas A/C Co), Capt ABill@ Ott (USAF), Flt Lt ADavid@ Scott (LCO), Sqn Ldr AColin@ Burch (Sqn Commander / Detachment Commander)' Flt Lt AGwyn@ Parry (LCO), Mr ABill@ Taylor (Douglas A/C Co)
Front row L-R
Flt Lt AToby@ Meyers (LCO), Capt AFrank@ Harvan (USAF Authentication Officer), Flt Lt APeter@ Adams (LCO)
Thor missile No. 47 being launched at Vandenberg AFB 13th December.1960
I commuted daily between North Luffenham and
Harrington in a small bus in which I carried about 15 or so service personnel,
a distance of around 30 miles. During the early days we would stop en-route in
either Desborough or Rothwell and purchase food for a mid-day meal as the
catering arrangements had not been properly established, although married
personnel were expected to make their own arrangements for feeding. However, we
were soon provided with a fully equipped kitchen and a cook so we managed quite
well. A number of the married officers and airmen soon found themselves private
accommodation in the Kettering area and thus made their own way to and from the
site. At this time the site was left in charge of the RAF Police and dog
handlers who were transported daily from and back to North Luffenham
One of my first administrative tasks was to
find a suitable plot of land which the Air Ministry could purchase and on which
they could build a house for the Squadron Commander, it being belatedly
believed that he should be within easy reach of the Squadron at all times. This
became a time consuming exercise that was eventually left to Air Ministry
Public Buildings and Works Department to pursue and subsequently build a house
in Harrington village. By the time it was built however, my 'tour' as OC No 218
Squadron was completed and I was appointed Training Officer for the whole North
Luffenham Complex, and therefore never occupied this Officer's Married
Quarters. My successor, Squadron Leader Slaughter, was an
"unaccompanied" officer and did not occupy the OMQ either so it was
assigned to one of my launch control officers.
Rapport was soon established with the local
farmers and some local inhabitants, including a retired Civil Service engineer
who had supervised the construction of the original airfield and who was now
landlord of the public house in Harrington. A farmer with whom I had regular
contact was the original owner of the airfield land before the Government
compulsorily purchased it. I cannot recall his name (Mr Woods) but he was by
birth a New Zealander, and he lived in Draughton. He was somewhat upset when he
was unable to repurchase the land that he originally farmed and which was now
declared surplus to Air Ministry requirements. lt was sold to someone else
allegedly in controversial circumstances.
Another of my many administrative duties was
to establish the badge and motto of No 218 Squadron as the one assigned
appeared to be inconsistent with its history. On visiting the Air Ministry
Archives Dept. in London I discovered that the badge was an egg - timer with
the motto," In Time", quite appropriate with it being first formed
just prior to the end of World War 1
Being somewhat remote from the parent
station I was faced with a several problems not normally associated with RAF
squadron administration. I had to make arrangements to pay all non-commissioned
personnel, which meant me, in the company of an armed escort, drawing money
from the bank in Rothwell. I also needed to set up a pseudo NAFFI on the site
where airmen could purchase confectionery and tobacco etc. Disposal of Mess
swill had to be dealt with, but fortunately I found a local pig farmer who was
willing to collect it. The surrounding grassed areas had to be frequently mown
so contracts for this had to be let. I had to employ a civilian 'cleaner' and
make available separate cooking and eating facilities for him. There were no
leisure facilities provided and so I was quite grateful to the USAF when they
donated a wooden hut used by them during the construction of the Squadron and
which with a great deal of self help and the efforts of my wife and others who
made some curtains, it was soon converted into a very desirable rest room, the
envy of other Thor squadrons. We also managed to 'rescue' a discarded flag pole
from the Administrative site of the old USAAF Base which after de-rusting, a
little painting, and the construction of a suitable base, it became the
Squadron flag pole proudly flying the RAF Ensign and the Squadron Leader's
pennant.
The flagpole on the administration site before its "rescue" by Sqn Ldr Burch
Towards the end of 1959 and whilst the site
was still under construction, I was alerted to a pending mass demonstration at
Harrington by the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). The chairperson for
this organisation, Miss Pat Arrowsmith and some of her associates were
incarcerated before the event for failing to give an undertaking to "keep
the peace", but this did not deter many hundreds of followers from staging
the protest. By this time we had organised a considerable force to protect the
site and its personnel from any attempted assault; this force comprising police
from the Northamptonshire Constabulary, the Air Ministry Constabulary, and RAF
Police and dog handlers. The surrounding fence was quickly completed and barbed
wire erected at strategic points; and as one newspaper reporter wrote,
"Even a mouse would find it difficult to get into the site". I,
personally received abusive letters, but at no time did I feel concerned for my
personal safety or for that of my staff.. The demonstration lasted only 48
hours and a few of the demonstrators were arrested for obstructing the highway,
which amounted only to erecting tents etc on the grass verges. There was no
violence, and a first class relationship developed between us inside the
compound and the police; and to some extent with the CND themselves, who
finally admitted. that the whole episode had been handled with great diplomacy
and left earlier than expected promising not to return to Harrington. This did
not however, prevent the National Front from staging a demonstration only 48
hours after the CND had left, but they quickly dispersed without incident.
Several days later a youth aged about 14 yrs
was detained by the Squadron MPs when found setting up a one-man demonstration
near the site entrance. He had hoped to join the CND but was unaware that they
had left prematurely. He was brought onto the site to protect him from the
adverse weather conditions whilst the Northamptonshire Police were being
informed. It was subsequently established that the youth had travelled from
London alone without his parent's knowledge, and he was quickly returned home.
Construction work was completed early in
1960 and vast amounts of missile equipment started to arrive from the USA via
North Luffenham from where it was transported by road. The number and size of
the crates in which the equipment arrived created a problem of disposal and
much of it had to be burnt, this in itself creating a bit of a hazard.
Thor missile Number 51 on its launching trailer in Harrington Road at Rothwell
The Thor missiles, attached to their launch
vehicles and with additional rear steering, had to negotiate many narrow roads
and steep bends on their way to Harrington and were escorted by both military
and civilian police. It all arrived without incident and was quickly installed.
Then followed an intense period of training and acceptance trials and the
missiles were soon declared operational. A total of five crews gave continuous
cover, 24 hours a day and every day. Delivery of warheads was conducted under
extreme security with a large escort that could hardly conceal the fact that
something important was afoot. The movement of warheads demanded special
nuclear disaster procedures which were regularly put into practice along the
delivery routes causing the occasional disruption to the local population going
about their business, but it was reassuring to all.
A Chief Technician in the Electronics Control Trailer
The warheads were under the complete control
of the USAF at all times but whether or not the warheads mounted on the
missiles were dummies or the real thing was known only to the hierarchy, but we
believed that once fitted we were 'in business'. There was from this time
onward a USAF officer on duty at all time with the RAF Squadron crews,
ostensibly to prevent any unilateral launch of a missile. The Americans became
a little concern when one of my launch crews demonstrated how it was possible
to launch the missile without their participation. Technical experts from
Vandenberg were quickly brought over to modify the countdown circuitry to
prevent such a possibility. The missile systems were regularly exercised with
shelters being withdrawn and the missiles erected i.e. to the end of phase 2,
but special procedures and preparation were required to go beyond this phase
when propellants would normally be loaded. For instant the RP1 fuel line into
the missile was disconnected and the fuel flowed into a catch tank. Liquid
oxygen, however, was flowed into the missile but this did not create any
"political" or technical headaches. Because of the potential hazards
associated with the fuels it was essential that a close liaison be established
with the Northamptonshire Fire Authority, who regularly participated in
emergency exercises alongside the RAF crews. Such exercises involved not only
the participation of full-time firemen but also the retained firemen from
Rothwell as well as Kettering and other stations.
Thor missile being elevated into launch position following retraction of the shelter
Annually, in May, the Squadron, along with
all the other Thor and Bomber Command aircraft squadrons, would participate in
a full scale training operation whereby missile crews would be doubled and
brought to a high state of alert. This meant that I, along with all the duty
crews, had to remain on site until the exercise was complete, which lasted
about a week. Whilst not affecting other operational requirements this did
create additional administrative problems such as feeding and accommodation for
those on stand-by duties.
Thor being elevated to launch position
During the preparation for one wet' normal
training countdown, RP1 fuel was accidentally flowed into a missile whilst it
was still in the horizontal configuration, a somewhat heinous offence in a
political sense, although it created no physical hazard. It did become the
subject of an official enquiry and a SNCO was disciplined, as on no account
should RP1 be put into a missile unless it was to be launched. The incident did
however, have its plus side as it revealed one or two slight design faults
which were duly rectified. This missile was duly returned to the USAF Base at Vandenberg
and I shortly follow it with a Detachment of several launch crews to give them
continuation training and subsequently launch it successfully into the Pacific
Ocean range.
Detachment commanded by Sqn Ldr J.C. Burch on WELCOME 6 continuation training at Strategic Air Command's Vandenberg AFB, California, USA from 1st Nov - 22nd Dec 1960. The Thor missile No. 47 was taken from Harrington and launched from Pad #8 on 13th Dec 1960. This photo was taken on Pad #8 the following day
Front Row: L-R Cp/T Stewart, F/Sgt Reding, F/Sgt Copley, M.S. McLeod, Flt Lt Shaw, Flt Lt Couts, Flt Lt Parry, Sqn Ldr Burch, Sqn Ldr Chappell, Flt Lt Groves, Flt Lt Cumpsty, Fl Off Hughes, M Sgt Archer, M. Pl Turtle, F Sgt Batchelor
Whilst at Harrington I was once confronted
by a very irate local farmer who accused me of poisoning his ducks by allowing
contaminated water to get into a stream from which his animals drank. I was
completely unaware that the water used in cleansing the launch pads led via our
drains into the local watercourses. This headache was not so easily resolved as
it was essential that the missile launch pads be kept absolutely free from any
contamination, any substance coming into contact with a mixture of RP1 and
liquid oxygen (LOX) created an explosive hazard. It must be said however, that
spillage of fuel rarely occurred.
I also recall another occasion whereby a
light aircraft landed on the old 180* runway which at the time was still
uncovered. The pilot obviously failed to see that this runway was blocked but
nevertheless managed to stop before hitting the site boundary fence. The aircraft
then needed to be dismantled and taken away on trucks as there was insufficient
runway available for a safe take-off. The pilot had mistakenly and surprisingly
identified Harrington for an airfield nearer to Northampton.
Harrington airfield during WW2
Security at the missile site had to be
maintained at a high level at all times and trained 'saboteurs' from the RAF
Police HQ who used many and various guises to gain entry regularly tested it.
They never managed to breach the security, and on one occasion complained that
the Squadron personnel were 'not playing the game' when picked up by my patrols
on the highway whilst still approaching the site. They were dressed in civilian
clothes and claimed to be bona fide civilians, but it so happened that one of
them was recognised by my Sergeant MP. Another attempted break-in was foiled
when two separate 'saboteur' teams each being unaware of the presence of the
other, were flushed out when one of their RAF vehicles was found secreted in
one of the old wartime buildings during one of my routine inspections of the
site surrounds. On finding the driver we were able to locate the remainder who
became too curious to know why one of their driver was openly driving their
vehicle around the area of their operations. We apprehended about 15 of them
whilst they were still contemplating why their strategy had gone wrong. Another
attempted break was uncovered when a visitor purporting to be an official from
a Government environmental department, having given advance notice, appeared at
the guardroom with all the accredited documentation and requested admission to
the site to inspect drains etc. The phone number he gave for his department did
not tally with what we thought it should be, and so we were alerted to the
possibility that he was not bona fide. A slight error on his identity card
completed the ' give away' and he was detained.
An ex USAF airman dressed in civilian clothes
was also detained whilst photographing the site from the B576 road. He was
released, after the police verified his identity and discovered that he had
served with the USAAF at Harrington during the war and was on holiday in the
UK. He was puzzled by the changes at Harrington and completely unaware of the
site' s current role. He fully appreciated our position and left with no
recriminations. Even a local huntsman seemed unaware that he was breaching
security when he parked his car and trailer at the site entrance, and was a
little bemused when told to leave the area claiming that he had always parked
his vehicles there when he went riding. Fortunately, there was no mistaking him
for an intruder and he left bearing no grudges.
During the winter of 1961-1962 when there
was an extremely heavy snowfall I had to literally break in when the site was
cut off and the crews could not be relieved. Although there was plenty of food
and cooking facilities on the site for the Squadron personnel who could have
existed quite adequately for some time, there was no proper facility for the
guard dogs that needed to be returned to North Luffenham. Even I had to abandon
my four-wheel-drive Jeep a quarter of a mile from the entrance and trudge
through rather deep snow to get to the site and bring the dogs out. These
animals were very well trained and although sitting alongside they caused me no
concern.
There were lots of times when the launch
crews were not engaged in either training or servicing duties and I became a
little concerned as to their continuing morale, as did my superiors. There was
never any cause for concern and morale did appear to be very highs even though
we were all literally confined behind a chain-link fence. The main worry was
what we should do following any launch of missiles in anger. There would
inevitably be retaliatory action so no place could be considered safe. The only
logical course would be for married personnel to return home to their families
but fortunately the situation never arose. The provision of a soccer ball and
erection of some football posts did provide a suitable diversion although we
were never in a position to invite visitors to participate in any competitive
games. In any event there was insufficient space for as full-size soccer pitch
being a relatively small unit. There did exist a very close relationship
between all ranks thus enabling me to keep my finger on the pulse at all times.
My two and half year tour at RAF Harrington
was a very happy experience and I was very sorry when I had to hand it over to
Squadron Leader Slaughter. It was only a short time later that the Cuban crisis
arose in 1963 and as I was then the Training Officer for all five of the North
Luffenham Squadrons I was very much involved in this operation. Crews were
brought to a higher state of alert which again meant them staying on the site
along with their relief crews, and I became an Operations Officer at the Main
Base The Cuban crisis is currently being researched by many academics following
the release of the previously secret documents held under the 30 years law.
Abandoned Thor launch pads at Harrington (1998)
When, in 1963 the Thor project was abandoned
and the equipment was to be returned to the USA there was an amusing incident
at RAF North Luffenham when the Customs and Excise Officers questioned the USAF
aircrews. They thought that they had been cleared to leave the UK having been
checked at Mildenhall and did not realise that they must be cleared at their
last point of departure. The Customs Officers jokingly reminded the USAF crews
that there had been a 'great train robbery' and that they were looking for the
missing loot.
©
Copyright Harrington Aviation Museum Society 2001 - 2