CBFS: News & Membership

Our AGM was held at the end of November - another well-attended event for the volunteers. There were various presentations - the one below for Tim Clarke for his Level 2 Certificate in Aviation Heritage (BAPC). Most of our volunteers undertake the excellent training which is offered at Duxford. We have had a good increase in membership which is very encouraging.

We have recently been featured in FlyPast magazine's 'Hurricane supplement'. Unfortunately we were not consulted on the content or the image supplied. Neither had been given our permission and we are therefore seeking further advice on this matter. However, we have no problem with any media using our pictures providing that permission has been granted by us prior to publication.

The presentation of our cheque for Children in Need was highlighted in the local newspaper during October.

We are opening our facility to visitors on Sunday 30 August 2009 between 10.00am and 5.00pm in conjunction with Children in Need at Little Gransden. There will also be military vehicles, classic cars and vintage aircraft flying throughout the day. There will be an information and museum section dedicated to 85 Squadron together with other audio visuals running throughout the day. Refreshments will be available. Please telephone Paul Rogers on 01223 767713 (day) or alternatively email to book your visit whether a group or an individual. Booking is necessary to enable proper co-ordination for this event. However, tickets will also be available on the day from the CBFS marquee. We will be accepting bookings for this event from January 2009.

We have just been informed that RAF Church Fenton has been assigned squadron number 85R. It was one of the many RAF stations built in the mid-1930s and intended to provide fighter defence to areas of West Yorkshire. Gladiators and Gauntlets were the first squadrons to arrive in 1937 and in the following years Demons, Spitfires, Hurricanes, Blenheims, Battles, Buffaloes, Typhoons, Mustangs, Beaufighters and Mosquitos equally operated from here. The first Eagle Squadron (no. 71) was formed at Church Fenton in 1940. Let's hope Church Fenton will help take our aspirations forwards.

Our workshop is open for visitors on Saturdays between 2pm and 5pm, however large groups should make a prior booking by contacting Paul.

Throughout the year we have had various articles published (click on image for article in the Cambridge Evening News - August 2008). Others include: Flight Journal published in America and New Zealand/Australia; books such as The Hurricane Story by Peter March and Hawker Fury and Nimrod by Alex Crawford. One of our volunteers, Bryn, spoke about our project on BBC Three Counties radio.

Following discussions with Terry, his line-up for the proposed band could be: Bruce Springsteen, Robert Plant, David Gilmour or Mick Taylor and, of course, Terry (himself). Watch this space! We believe Terry will in the UK later this year (October?) featuring Mick Taylor we think!

Our Open Day (in conjunction with the Little Gransden Show for Children in Need) was once again very successful, well up on numbers and contributions from last year. A big thank you for everyone's continued support, not only in the media, but also from David Poile and all the volunteers who made the event such a great success.

A new arrival on the display front - a Griffin Rolls Royce engine - for our museum section in the near future.

Once again, our membership numbers are on the increase thanks to local advertising/flyers etc.

After 70 years, our Merlin engine will be ready to run in the near future (so Rod says!)

2007

Our AGM and Christmas dinner took place at the end of November (see photo left).

A DVD of the aircraft in action at the annual BBC Children in Need flying display at Little Gransden is now available. Paul contributed an interview on the 'Battle of France' Hurricane. The film, known as 'Litle Gransden DVD' costs £9.99 and is available at local outlets and mail order at Countrywide Productions All profits will go to Children in Need and other causes.

A number of our volunteers have completed various modules of the BAPC training course which will lead to a City and Guilds qualification in Aviation Heritage. Further modules to be undertaken during 2008.

In the forthcoming months, we will be announcing the engine runs as the engine is 98% complete - watch this space!

We have recently recovered quantities of bi-plane joints, propellor hub, strut connectors etc etc - pictures to be shown soon.

There is an article pending in 'Flight' magazine - due to be released March/April 2008.

The 2007 Open Day was one of the best we have had with a centre spread in the Cambridge Evening News showing our donation to David Poile for Children in Need. We would like to thank all the volunteers and helpers who made the event such a success.

Terry Reid toured the UK during the summer and received great reviews. He was also interviewed on BBC Radio 2. More details/feedback can be found on his web site and video clips are available on YouTube.

The fuel tank has be made and is soon to be fitted in the correct stations along with the firewall and engine frame Great!!!! Another move forward.

Just located a rare pilots notes and service manual very much like the Hurricane format but dated 1933 for the Hawker bi-plane. This is a limited edition as only 800 were printed. This will be a valuable resource alomg with the vast collection of plans in our library.

One of our volunteers, Phil, has just started to make a selection of museum display boards to honour the pilots, machines and the remains of these aircraft that only exist today. The aim is to have approximately twelve of these in due course.

We have just received a very large consignment of Hawker plans for the Fury bi-plane.

The Hawker Fury framework is now at the half-way stage - pictures to follow. We have also acquired 50% of the instrumentation we need plus navigation lamps and tail lamp.

Paul and some volunteers appeared, briefly on Anglia TV during March 2007. The main interview was aired at 7am with snippets on the later bulletins.

A three-page article written by Michael Shreeve was published in FlightPath magazine during February 2007. This magazine is sold in America and Australia.

In January 2007, Paul and the volunteers occupied the centre page feature of the Cambridge Evening News.

As you can see from the recent workshop pictures, the Hurricane is now finally on its undercarriage legs and having its side ribs put on with its hatches. This year we shall be working on the control wires, engine frame etc.

The engine that is going into the Hurricane is now eighty-five per cent complete and may be run late 2007 (if we're lucky!)

2006

The AGM was held in December 2006 in conjunction with the Christmas dinner, with very good attendance once again. We discussed our strategies for 2007 with regards to publicity, project management etc.

During September 2006, Terry Reid toured the UK, from Scotland to Dingwalls in London. Hopefully he will visit the Little Gransden hanger to view the Hurricane, and talk further about the fund-raising state-side.

Paul and Tony (longest serving volunteer) have been on Radio Cambridgeshire's Drive Time during August 2006, following on from his previous interview in March 2006 talking about the Battle of France hurricane.

We have also located various Fury wrecks which we are about to recover in 2007. We have now received an early engine for the Fury and others.

Paul has once again been invited to lecture on the Battle of France and Malta IIa Hurricane during 2007.

We have recently put together my father's story (A Pilot's Story) on DVD, approximate running time 1 hr 10 mins. This will also be available on the Open Day and other events during 2006/07. There is also Hurricane recovery DVD which is available via mail order.

We have taken delivery of a few Hawker Fury fuselage components and will start building the standard framework mid-2006 in our new, larger workshop which will accommodate both aircraft.

We have located an organisation that will help us cover the early wings in fabric and also help us cover the fuselage once the wooden formers are in position.

This is the type of aircraft that Townsend's flew at 43 Squadron during the 1930s.

He has kindly painted a typical set of pictures of 85 Squadron Battle of France scenes at Seclan, Abbeyville and Lille which are available on our Open Day and other events throughout 2006/07. These are brilliant paintings and will be available as a limited edition to help fund our restoration work.

View larger image These are available mail order plus p+p
© Thomas Gower Studios

The 2006 Open Day at Little Gransden during August was a huge success with many visitors from all over the UK, as well as the surrounding area. We would like to thank the volunteers (and their partners) who helped co-ordinate and make the day such a success. Here are a couple of images of the days events:

The new workshop is now complete. We have relocated machinery and fixings for the Hurricane and the power plant that was moved in June 2006. I would like to express my gratitude to all those volunteers who have made this possible.

With regard to the Hawker bi-plane project, i.e. the Fury, we have acquired an original spade grip circa. BSA 1935 and an original, boxed Sutton harness. We have now received the early engine which will be dismantled during 2007. The basic fuselage tubes are now taking shape and will be put together as the fuselage this year.

Just recently, we have had an article published in the Best of British magazine (2006).

We have recently acquired new workshop premises to accommodate the Hurricane and the Fury. As of June 2006 the workshop is now complete and all units moved.

2005

Terry Reid was filming in Canada in 2005 having been spotted at his regular club, The Joint in L.A. More information about the fund-raising to follow.

Open Day 2005 - This year we had a nice selection of military vehicles, classic cars and, of course, the Merlin engines running throughout the day.

I must say that this was probably the best open day we have had so far and to cap the celebration, we had a brilliant aerial display from the European aerobatic champion, Mark Jefferies.

We would like to say thanks to Radio Cambridgehsire and Radio Essex, AirPlane Monthly, Cambridge Evening News and the Cambridge Weekly for their support again this year.

A very, very special thanks to all the volunteers who helped manage the event and make it a very successful day.

Our president, Giles Townsend, dropped by a few weeks ago to see our progress. He was 'very impressed' with our workmanship and dedication shown by all concerned.

As usual we have been promoting and attending various airshows and county fayres. This year we are promoting a selection of Thomas Gower limited edition prints entitled 'Remember the Hurricane' (VYQ), 'Early Morning Return' and 'Remember the Spitfire'. These can be obtained from us at the airshows and lectures. A selection of other spectacular prints are available.

We have recently had discussions with Thomas Gower about painting a unique Battle of France Hurricane scramble, including aircraft VYQ, VYG and VYX. We hope to have the draft picture for our perusal during 2006.

So far this year we have had visits from the Hawker Hurricane Society, Bomber Command Association (Kent). Our facility is available to visitors/associations providing prior arrangements have been made

You will see that we have added a Links page to our site which includes national and international organisations

Membership and Constitution

Cambridge Bomber and Fighter Society (CBFS) was formed by several aviation enthusiasts. Its aim is to restore and perpetuate the advancement of aviation preservation in the UK. We are mainly concerned with fighter aircraft at present: the rebuild of our very early Hurricane and Fury will be a tribute to 85 and 43 Squadrons and especially to Squadron Leader Peter Townsend. We are currently looking for volunteers (male or female) with or without mechanical/engineering backgrounds (great enthusiasm is all that's needed), to assist with restoring and refinishing components.

We have two workshops - one at Little Gransden, the other in the Warboys area. Work on both the Hurricane and Fury takes place in either workshop.

Training

Until 2010, the BAPC are offering its members a whole range of aviation based courses which we offer to all our volunteers, free of charge. The courses, held at Duxford, lead to a City and Guilds qualification in aviation heritage.

Friends of CBFS

If you wish to support our Society, but are unable to become a working volunteer, please contact Paul Rogers on 07703 832099 or email

The Society is run as a charity, i.e. a non-profit making organisation, and all monies are used purely for restoration work.

Donations

If you wish to make a donation of parts, e.g. Merlin engines, aircraft (for our future museum display & restoration), or a monetary donation please contact us by email

As you will see from our Welcome page, we are a member of 85 Squadron Association and wish to advertise on their behalf. Any person wishing to join this Association should contact:

News & Membership