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Norton Aerodrome


DaveH

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Wasn't it called "Patnick's Junkerama?

Possibly.

I know I have heard the name Junkerama somewhere before in relation to a Sheffield business.

But not one that sells stuff on eBay

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Guest tonywinfield

Does anyone remember the air shows put on at Norton Aerodrome inte late 50,s early 60,s.

Planes were brought to the shoe on large low loaders and all aerial displays were purely that with no planes landing or takeing off.

My first memory of the air show was being allowed in the kitchen huts to sample Mandarin Oranges a delicasie never experienced before .

To a child of the fifties Norton Air Display was a magical event.

pp

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Guest tonywinfield

Yes, I clearly remember the airshows at Norton.I have a programme from the 1960 Airshow.I used to live nearby and in the two weeks leading up to the show, aircraft would come and fly low over the site obviously practicing.Great day out. Can anyone remember the Spitfire and Vampire aircraft either side of main gate?. I think the Spitfire is now an exhibit in the RAF museum at Hendon.

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Yes, I clearly remember the airshows at Norton.I have a programme from the 1960 Airshow.I used to live nearby and in the two weeks leading up to the show, aircraft would come and fly low over the site obviously practicing.Great day out. Can anyone remember the Spitfire and Vampire aircraft either side of main gate?. I think the Spitfire is now an exhibit in the RAF museum at Hendon.

The "gate guard" planes have been mentioned on here a few times tony. Starting here.

Then they get a few more mentions throughout the topic.

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Yes, I clearly remember the airshows at Norton.I have a programme from the 1960 Airshow.I used to live nearby and in the two weeks leading up to the show, aircraft would come and fly low over the site obviously practicing.Great day out. Can anyone remember the Spitfire and Vampire aircraft either side of main gate?. I think the Spitfire is now an exhibit in the RAF museum at Hendon.

So the other aircraft was a Vampire. ;-)

Now was it the Vampire, or the Venom, or both, that had the twin boom fuselage and so looked very different to other aircraft.?

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So the other aircraft was a Vampire. ;-)

Now was it the Vampire, or the Venom, or both, that had the twin boom fuselage and so looked very different to other aircraft.?

Got me wondering straight away that one so I have answered my own question, - it was both of them.

For anyone wondering what a twin boom fuselage is, a Vampire looks like this

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Guest wapntake

Got me wondering straight away that one so I have answered my own question, - it was both of them.

For anyone wondering what a twin boom fuselage is, a Vampire looks like this

I can tell you a bit about the aerodrome's later life, i started as an apprentice electrician on South Yorkshire County Council in 1977, it was called Lightwood Training centre then the old runways were marked out as roads for driver training, it also had a skid pan which was a large area covered in oil, the police used it for training their drivers. i often worked in the main building, i was told also it had a ghost that they nicknamed "Fred". apparently a few of the staff had seen it while alone in the building and was dressed as an airman. I was never sure whether they were kidding me because i was a young naive apprentice. I think it was still being used up to the demise of the County Council in 1986.

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Guest tonywinfield

I can't remember the plane, first went up there in the 1960's and I don't remember seeing it. It was not a place we went past often though.

Thanks for confirming the dates around which many of the original buildings were removed (early 70's). as my photo was taken in October 1971 it seems I must have been lucky to capture them before they finally disappeared forever.

There were two aircraft ,one either side of the main gate.One was a Spitfire and the other was a De Havilland Vampire.The Spitfire, PK724 now resides in the RAF Museum at Hendon.Both were silver in colour although the Spitfire now wears a camouflage scheme.I read on the net that the vampire was later scrapped.I used to ride past on my bike and peer at them through the fence.That would be mid 1950's and I was about 10 years old.

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Guest tonywinfield

I wasn't born till 1962, so no memories of it for me.

I wasn't born till 1962, so no memories of it for me.

I have in my possession a program from the RAF Norton 1960 Open Day.The date of the Airshow is given as 17th September 1960. I attended them every year.There is a colour photograph of an early English Electric Lightning on the cover. We lived on Eastern Avenue near to the Manor Top.Every year a week or so before the airshow,aircraft of all kinds would turn up and circle for a short time before heading off obviously practicing locating RAF Norton.Going back to the 1960 programme,the commanding officer is given as 'Wing Commander J H I Stirling,Officer Commanding No 3 Ground Radio Servicing Squadron'. I remember the airshows clearly with fly by's by Meteors, Canberras, Vampires and the like.I also remember USAF participation with a memorable fly by of a KB50 tanker aircraft trailing a Voodoo and Super Sabre fighter aircraft from each wing tip.I also saw my first glimpse of the Valiant and Vulcan V bombers overflying the venue.What would the 'Health and Safety' brigade make of 70 ton bombers loaded with thousands of gallons of 'avgas' flying at under 500 feet over a built up area?. Man they've never lived.

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Guest tonywinfield

So the other aircraft was a Vampire. ;-) Now was it the Vampire, or the Venom, or both, that had the twin boom fuselage and so looked very different to other aircraft.?

No doubt at all, it was a single seat Vampire.Your photo shows the two seat trainer variant of the Vampire.The Venom was a later improved variant of the Vampire,slightly larger with a swept leading edge to the wing.The twin boom concept of these De havilland aircraft finally resulted in the mighty 'Sea Vixen' flown by the Royal Navy.Just thought I'd mention it.

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There were two aircraft ,one either side of the main gate.One was a Spitfire and the other was a De Havilland Vampire.The Spitfire, PK724 now resides in the RAF Museum at Hendon.Both were silver in colour although the Spitfire now wears a camouflage scheme.I read on the net that the vampire was later scrapped.I used to ride past on my bike and peer at them through the fence.That would be mid 1950's and I was about 10 years old.

There were two aircraft ,one either side of the main gate.One was a Spitfire and the other was a De Havilland Vampire.The Spitfire, PK724 now resides in the RAF Museum at Hendon.Both were silver in colour although the Spitfire now wears a camouflage scheme.I read on the net that the vampire was later scrapped.I used to ride past on my bike and peer at them through the fence.That would be mid 1950's and I was about 10 years old.

Welcome to Sheffieldhistory tonywinfield and many thanks for posting and identifying for us the gatekeeper aircraft at Norton.

Much appreciated.

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I have in my possession a program from the RAF Norton 1960 Open Day.The date of the Airshow is given as 17th September 1960. I attended them every year.There is a colour photograph of an early English Electric Lightning on the cover. We lived on Eastern Avenue near to the Manor Top.Every year a week or so before the airshow,aircraft of all kinds would turn up and circle for a short time before heading off obviously practicing locating RAF Norton.Going back to the 1960 programme,the commanding officer is given as 'Wing Commander J H I Stirling,Officer Commanding No 3 Ground Radio Servicing Squadron'. I remember the airshows clearly with fly by's by Meteors, Canberras, Vampires and the like.I also remember USAF participation with a memorable fly by of a KB50 tanker aircraft trailing a Voodoo and Super Sabre fighter aircraft from each wing tip.I also saw my first glimpse of the Valiant and Vulcan V bombers overflying the venue.What would the 'Health and Safety' brigade make of 70 ton bombers loaded with thousands of gallons of 'avgas' flying at under 500 feet over a built up area?. Man they've never lived.

Sounds like you lived very close to me (lived on Eastern Avenue from 1965, before that Algar Place in the old prefabs). Sounds like you are only about 5 or 6 years older than me but I can't remember the air shows at all.

To make matters worse from 1959 my grandparents lived on the new Herdings estate and we went passed Norton Aerodrome frequently.

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No doubt at all, it was a single seat Vampire.Your photo shows the two seat trainer variant of the Vampire.The Venom was a later improved variant of the Vampire,slightly larger with a swept leading edge to the wing.The twin boom concept of these De havilland aircraft finally resulted in the mighty 'Sea Vixen' flown by the Royal Navy.Just thought I'd mention it.

I have an older friend (also off the Arbourthorne) who did his National Service in the RAF in the late 1950's' He served with a squadron on Sylt, a German island just off the west coast of Denmark. He worked as an armament fitter on Vampires, Venoms and another aircraft I can't remember, - possibly Meteors. Most of my knowledge of these aircraft comes from him.

You sound as though you have similar RAF experience although you are younger and wouldn't have been called up for National Service.

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Guest CJax kid

I grew up on the gleadless valley estate close to the old base at Norton. I regularly would take the family dogs down Lightwood lane for long walks and on some occasions would walk on a foot path across farm land that took you to the south eastern side of the old camp. At the edge of the camp on the edge of woodland there is a big concrete bunker. It was a considerable structure, Steel doors either end and inside chairs, steel frame bunk beds, a couple of decades of rubbish and graffiti. It was a wellies on exploration inside as there always seemed to be about a foot of water in it. Growing up during the cold war I was convinced that if the russians had pressed the button that bunker may have been one of the few places to shelter. Being so close to sheffield city centre..probably not!! but the thought was comforting to at least one young gleadless lad..wonder if anyone else came across it?? Its not visible on google earth..Ive looked. Will take a walk down memory lane during the summer and take some photos of it and post.

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I grew up on the gleadless valley estate close to the old base at Norton. I regularly would take the family dogs down Lightwood lane for long walks and on some occasions would walk on a foot path across farm land that took you to the south eastern side of the old camp. At the edge of the camp on the edge of woodland there is a big concrete bunker. It was a considerable structure, Steel doors either end and inside chairs, steel frame bunk beds, a couple of decades of rubbish and graffiti. It was a wellies on exploration inside as there always seemed to be about a foot of water in it. Growing up during the cold war I was convinced that if the russians had pressed the button that bunker may have been one of the few places to shelter. Being so close to sheffield city centre..probably not!! but the thought was comforting to at least one young gleadless lad..wonder if anyone else came across it?? Its not visible on google earth..Ive looked. Will take a walk down memory lane during the summer and take some photos of it and post.

Welcome to Sheffield History CJax kid and thank you for posting

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Guest CJax kid

Welcome to Sheffield History CJax kid and thank you for posting

thankyou for the welcome... really great website...have really enjoyed this thread about the old camp...

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Norton wasnt an Aerodrome it was a Ballon Barrage, I can remember the great airshows that they had every year, all the planes of the day performed a flypast, the Vulcan, the Valiant, the Vampire, the Hawker Hunter & so on, on site they would have exhibitions and planes on the ground for you to look or sit in the cockpit. I also remember the Spitfire & the Hurricane in the flypast. Im sure the Spitfire? at the gates was painted sky-blue.

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Norton wasnt an Aerodrome it was a Ballon Barrage, I can remember the great airshows that they had every year, all the planes of the day performed a flypast, the Vulcan, the Valiant, the Vampire, the Hawker Hunter & so on, on site they would have exhibitions and planes on the ground for you to look or sit in the cockpit. I also remember the Spitfire & the Hurricane in the flypast. Im sure the Spitfire? at the gates was painted sky-blue.

Someone has mentioned before about barrage balloons at Norton, but the expert on these matters of usage of the site for different purposes by the MOD / RAF is our member Nortonfacts who has written a book on the history of the place after working there during his days in the services, - see earlier posts in this topic for details and for access to his book.

British WW2 fighter aircraft in standard camoflage colours wer painted sky blue on the underside and "earthy" colours (dark greens, greys and browns) on the top to increase the camoflage effect if the plane is viewed from above (against the ground) or from below (against the sky), with this in mind the naval air force may have used just blues (for against the sea) The shade of sky blue used on the Spitfire underparts is a tone called duck egg blue.

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Photo-reconnaisance spitfires flying at high altitude were painted light blue overall. Perhaps this was a PR version?

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Someone has mentioned before about barrage balloons at Norton, but the expert on these matters of usage of the site for different purposes by the MOD / RAF is our member Nortonfacts who has written a book on the history of the place after working there during his days in the services, - see earlier posts in this topic for details and for access to his book.

British WW2 fighter aircraft in standard camoflage colours wer painted sky blue on the underside and "earthy" colours (dark greens, greys and browns) on the top to increase the camoflage effect if the plane is viewed from above (against the ground) or from below (against the sky), with this in mind the naval air force may have used just blues (for against the sea) The shade of sky blue used on the Spitfire underparts is a tone called duck egg blue.

I know why the Spitfires were painted blue, I was just saying about the one that was parked at the gate, because lots of people assume that all warplanes at the time were painted in camoflage.

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Photo-reconnaisance spitfires flying at high altitude were painted light blue overall. Perhaps this was a PR version?

If so I wonder what cameras, lenses and photo equipment it would be carrying?

That would be interesting.

I have a friend who has a Spitfire gun camera, designed to take bursts of pictures when the guns are fired for more accurate recording and identification of hits, kills and enemy aircraft grounded. It's actually a fairly simple but well made device, but not made for the sort of quality images that high altitude reconnaisance would require.

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I know why the Spitfires were painted blue, I was just saying about the one that was parked at the gate, because lots of people assume that all warplanes at the time were painted in camoflage.

There were several variations on camoflage colourings depending on the aircrafts role and location.

I seem to remember seeing a Spitfire Mk IX at some time which had seen service in the North African campaign and was camoflaged in a sandy khaki looking colour.

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Old topic but never mind, I just found this in the Sheffield forum

Back around 1959 when I was 14 or 15 I was a member of 317 sqdn Air Training Corps based on Norton camp,  right turn after the gate and we had the two long huts adjacent to the road about 500 mtrs up on the right. between the two huts was the silver Spitfire talked about earlier in this topic, I was too young to know what mark it was but do remember it was a fairly late model with clipped wings and four blade prop. somewhere.  I have a picture of it with me and some other ATC sprogs standing in front of it.

The only NCOs I remember were WO Nichols, Flight Sergeant Aston, and a corporal Tinsley

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Back in the very early 1980's Lightwood Training centre was used as the finishing point for the Lorry Driver of the Year competition, I used to sign post it for the RAC.

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I grew up about a mile from it, in Gleadless Avenue. My parents always referred to it as "The Balloon Barrage", although I never saw a barrage balloon flying over it as far as I can remember. Did it fly them during the war?

Apologies if this has been mentioned in earlier pages - the site will not let me scroll back to previous pages (well, I can, but the spinning wheel and "Loading page" message stays on the screen indefinitely).

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