At Southend Airport from 1955 by Barry Cole |
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My father, James Henry Cole, DFC, was a great influence in my decision to follow in his footsteps and work at the airport in 1955. He had joined the airport around 1948 following his release from the RAF (where he was a Wireless Operator/Bomb-Aimer with 644 Halifax Squadron), and held posts of Senior Crew Leader and later, until his retirement in 1979, was Tarmac (Apron) Supervisor. |
After leaving school I worked for a time at St. Ann's, and Smith's Glass. In 1955, I started work at the Southend Municipal Airport as a Baggage Handler. I was 19 years of age and had a starting rate there of £9. 4/- per week. There were two shifts; 7am to 3pm, and 3pm to 11pm. Under the charge of Bob Saker and Ron Turner, my duties involved collecting and loading luggage via the Operator's Kiosk onto the aircraft for departing passengers. We had to follow a strict Loading Schedule, supplied by either the operator's staff, their aircraft engineers or sometimes the pilots themselves, for the different aircraft types that used the airport. |
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For arrivals, we would use a Bantam-Karrier vehicle, which was a small trailer, and transfer luggage to the custom's examination hall. Once the relevant checks had been made, we would reload the trailer and take the luggage to the awaiting coaches in the coach park, which was on the right as you came in the main gate. The worst baggage to load or unload was the twice-weekly troop runs to Germany. Their baggage included each soldier's back-pack and suitcases, and on occasions, their firearms and ammunition. |
Freight Cargo was perhaps the most challenging for me at the time was when Air Charter were experiencing staff problems, and I was often called upon to load or unload cars from the Bristol B-170s. Some of the cars that passed through were James Bond's Aston Martin DB5, and Sterling Moss's car along with those of many other celebrities. |
One particular job I felt a bit windy about was a consignment of Bullion that was unloaded and placed in the brick-built ‘Freight Only’ shed, and was constantly surrounded by numerous security personnel. |
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We also unloaded hundreds of those low 3-wheeled cars that were popular in those days. These are probably in the 'Classic Car' category now. In late 1959, my first Airside station of employment was in the fitter's shop in the Blister Hangar. The airfield fuel dispersing was originally accomplished with Shell Refuellers and Oil Dispensers, but the decision was taken for the airport to use their own dispensers. It was at this time that Peter Palmer needed an assistant for these duties, and so I transferred from 'Baggage' to 'Spanners'. I'm glad I made the move, because I was soon training and working on the AEC Matadors, the Bedford QL, and the Zwicky Trailer Bowsers, etc. |
The Matadors were 3-axled, 6-wheel drive and held 2,500 gallon tanks fitted with Stolhard & Pitt pumps, and left and right Avery Hardall meters offering left or right refuelling or defuelling possibilities through two steel booms elevated through double (heavy) springs via a 360º swivel. From the booms were 2" I.D. rubber hoses that terminated in a discharge gun to achieve overwing refuelling. Two of the Matadors were driven to Thompson Brothers at Bilston, Staffordshire, for conversion to underwing (pressure) fuelling. This involved retractable hose-reeling (left and right) terminating with coupling connectors which were filtered down to 50 micron for the use of Kerosene. |
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The Bedford and Zwickies were aslo overhauled for use at the airport; repair of pumps, adjustment and recalibration of the meters. Two Merryweather fire-tenders were purchased new, which had 850 gallon water, and 150 gallon foam tanks. A Landrover equipped to tow a CO2
Powder Trailer was the No.1 fire tender, with the Merryweather tenders as Nos. 2 and 3. An Ambulance was also purchased at the same time. |
I am proud to have been involved with the conversion of an AEC aircraft refueller into a water bowser & foam storage vehicle that was capable of backing up the rather low water/foam capacities of the two Merryweather fire tenders. In addition, two 'Knap-Sack' tanks were purchased allowing foam produced through two No. 5 FBX nozzels making the Water Bowser a fire-tender on its own. |
Late 1957 saw the arrival of the "King's Flight", Vikings G-APOP and G-APOR. They gleamed like chrome. Inside, they were luxuriously fitted but to the extent that they could not carry more than thirty passengers comfortably. |
(Date unknown) |
In 1960 I witnessed the first Carvair conversion (from a DC-4) preparing for its first flight. Water tanks were loaded as ballast at strategic places through the fuselage, and the aircraft commenced take-off runs that were deliberately aborted within the runway's length. More water ballast was added and the procedure was repeated many more times until sufficient information and adjustments had been recorded. "Yankee B " finally took off and performed a circuit, looking magnificent with its high cockpit. The following days consisted of many more circuits and bumps, when the ballast was increased for tolerance tests. In a short time, these huge aircraft were a common sight over the skies of Southend. |
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One of my most frightening experiences was using a new vehicle to start prop-jets whose requirement in supplied amperage was a short fall on this (G.P.U.) ground power unit. To reach the aircraft’s requirement to ignite the fuel, the GPU had to be over-revved while the aircraft started each engine. On one engine a wet-start resulted in the premature ignition of fuel being pumped into the atmosphere. The result was a 15-20ft long flame somewhat reminiscent of a paraffin blow-lamp that has not ignited sufficiently and produces a long narrow strand of paraffin that then ignites. The aircraft on this occasion shut off the fuelling cycle and restarted the sequence with success. Note: Aircraft have a 28 volt system. The GPU had 24 volt. Prop-jets required 1800+ amps. The GPU supplied 1700 amps…just! |
Crashed Hermes On 9th October 1960, a Handley Page HP.81 Hermes IV overran the runway when landing at Southend. The aircraft struck an earth bank adjacent to the airport boundary. Contact with this bank broke the nose wheel strut from its upper attachment. The plane came to rest on an adjoining railway track. |
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After British Rail lifted the aircraft off the railway tracks I assisted to implement jacking the raised tail-end of the aircraft down onto a large tyre placed on top of the AEC (Water Tank) via a ????? connected to the AEC and onto the Hermes’ damaged rudder supports inside the tail cone. Next was the positioning and connecting of two long wire towing cables to the right and left undercarriage oleos and connecting these to two AEC aircraft refuellers. We now had three AEC Matador tankers connected to the Hermes, and with ATC clearance we commenced to slowly tow the aircraft onto the runway. |
The two outer tankers were then disconnected and the towing cables removed leaving the damaged Hermes connected to the airport’s water-bowser and held in an almost level attitude ready for towing down the eastern peri-track to a position of safety and allowing the runway to be opened for use again. |
I can't remember when the actual date was, but a Channel Airways short-nose B170 carrying passengers was held at the western taxiway prior to the entry point to the runway awaiting an aircraft on long-finals. A light aircraft was allowed to enter the runway for its take-off by ATC. This aircraft having to pass the B170 had insufficient space to pass. Its propeller hit and entered the fuselage badly injuring a female passenger seated near the window.
The fire-engine I was driving at this time was not required and I should have taken the ambulance instead. I was pleased to see one of my crew attending this call-out, who had arrived with the ambulance. |
On Christmas Eve, 1961, Southend Airport was the only airport operational and received over half of BEA’s fleet along with numerous other aircraft from European countries that were then able to return to their base (field) airports, leaving Southend to contain BEA’s parked fleet of aircraft. A number of freight aircraft were instructed to park beyond the north hard standing (on the grass). These were inspected after Christmas and found to contain Pineapples, Fabrics, Birds, etc, etc. Two Air Bridge 170’s had sunk into the soft ground. ATL’s Combined & Tandem connected its largest vehicles in an attempt to pull the aircraft out but failed. They were finally recovered and pulled onto the hard-standing using the AEC’s winch. |
In 1964 I transferred to the Freight-Shed Service, which again was operated in two shifts, 7am to 3pm, and 3pm to 11pm. The Blister Hangar I worked from was the original fitter's shop. It went on to become the freight-shed until the main Channel Airways hanger became available when the Company moved to the Northern Maintenance Area. One of the less strenuous duties I had was 'Customs Openers', where I was required to search and remove pre-selected items of freight randomly chosen by the Customs Officer. This was just the task of 'open and display' for customs inspection. Indoors and quite cushy although it soon became too tedious for me. |
Towards the end of the year I transferred to 'Duty Crew', which covered three fully rotating eight-hour shifts; 7am to 3pm; 3pm to 11pm; 11pm to 7am. We were paired up for refuelling duties: Overwing (gravity) refuelling required guiding the twenty-plus ton Matador driver to the trailing edge of the starboard wing of the Bristol Freighters, or the leading edge of either wing of most other (petrol fuelled) aircraft. Underwing (pressure) refuelling only differed from overwing in setting the fuel-flow rate to the data recorded on the inlet panel of the aircraft being refuelled. There were standard rates for 'resident' aircraft, but non-resident aircraft accepted a wide variety of fuel-flow, and you could not walk on the wings of the smaller aircraft. |
Being proficient in fire-fighting and manning the fire tenders was another duty you would perform. Lectures and tests were held on a monthly basis and were compulsory. Occasionally we attended special classes at Stansted Airport; for instance the use of asbestos suits, and the practical test being a walk through a burning aircraft fuselage. Team work was essential as the man behind you who extinguishes the fire as you progress. Training was given on all types of extinguishers employed; CO2, CO2 and Powder, and Chemical. Experience was further gained at the north-west (fire) area at Southend, where regular 'test' fires onboard aircraft were carried out. |
I can't remember when the actual date was, but a Channel Airways short-nose B170 carrying passengers was held at the western taxiway prior to the entry point to the runway awaiting an aircraft on long-finals. A light aircraft was allowed to enter the runway for its take-off by ATC. This aircraft having to pass the B170 had insufficient space to pass. Its propeller hit and entered the fuselage badly injuring a female passenger seated near the window.
The fire-engine I was driving at this time was not required and I should have taken the ambulance instead. I was pleased to see one of my crew attending this call-out, who had arrived with the ambulance. |
Marshalling The 11pm to 7am shift required all Apron services to be carried out in the absence of Marshallers. When aircraft were approaching, a system of arm movements that would be carried out with flags during dayight, would be made but using torches instead of flags, and guided the pilots in to park in the appropriate bay. For aircraft departing, you were required to familiarise yourself with each different aircraft type for the engine starting sequences. Removing the wheel chocks was the last action to be made by the crew and the pilot informed that the undercarriage was clear. |
The Docks Strike of 1970 |
A Note about my Father |
© The South East Echo 2010 (Edited from a series of interviews by Peter Brown)
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