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#Post#: 15441--------------------------------------------------
Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: William Jones
Date: October 29, 2013, 8:51 am
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There's a song "Swinders it's gone now" sung to the tune of
Grandad by Clive Dunn. Is there a thread about Swinderby or am I
blind?
#Post#: 15442--------------------------------------------------
Re: Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: Wolf
Date: October 29, 2013, 2:20 pm
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Only yours Bill.
#Post#: 15443--------------------------------------------------
Re: Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: William Jones
Date: October 29, 2013, 5:02 pm
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Thanks Nigel, eyesight's playing up a bit. Sad to see an old
station reduced to nothing especially as one considers it was
300 bomber sqn in WW11 and all the activity of 30 years of
recruit training. I logged into a video lasting 7 minutes and
felt very sad to see it the way it is now. The song goes
"Swindes, Swinders it's gone now, but we still think about you."
which is amazingly true.
There must be something about what we did in the armed forces
that makes us closer to what we had than civvies did. I remember
drilling and watching cars speed by and I thought"You lucky
civvies living in freedom whilst I'm being put through this
torture." But I look back and see now that I was the lucky one
to have such memories. I'm in contact with Dave"I'm from
Salford" Sighe who was in the pit opposite me. I still have the
group photo with me and him in it. Strangely enough he's worth
going up to Manchester to visit with the photo, it would bring
back some awesome memories. I was there at the same time as Len
Mainprize and Rein only they were a flight earlier. They
remember me because i went up in front of the whole NAAFI and
played the William Tell Overture on my teeth, seriously, it's a
bit too fast for me nowadays so I stick to smoochie numbers.
Half way through we had a break and I recall meeting an old
woman who talked about her boyfriend sitting next to her and
hoping to marry. He was bent double and slightly mentally
retarded because he was a pow of the Japanese who turned him
from a six foot tall man to a thin emaciated wreck. To me at 17,
1969 seemed a long way off from the war but looking back it
certainly wasn't. I was with lads who fought in campaigns a
decade or so earlier. Yes, I was the lucky one alright.
#Post#: 15509--------------------------------------------------
Re: Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: Ian Brade
Date: November 2, 2013, 6:52 am
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I remember that song Bill,I think it was on the Swinderby page
on Facebook.Went past the place about three years ago,hangers
and runway were still there,but the domestic site had been
turned into a new housing estate.
#Post#: 15558--------------------------------------------------
Re: Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: William Jones
Date: November 4, 2013, 5:32 pm
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I think they've kept one block Ian and the estate is now Lytham
St Hughes or something. I remember parading outside Gray block
and being marched over to our opposition which was 4 flight in
Ward block and shouting "GOOD MORNING 4 FLIGHT" to which
ashtrays,boots and tins of blanco came flying out of the windows
at us. I'll never forgive the drill corporal for that one.
#Post#: 15576--------------------------------------------------
Re: Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: guest66
Date: November 5, 2013, 11:09 am
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Witham St Hughes, Bill :D
#Post#: 15581--------------------------------------------------
Re: Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: William Jones
Date: November 5, 2013, 3:17 pm
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That's it Tommy. When were you at Swinders, let me guess, just
as the wrafs arrived?
#Post#: 15594--------------------------------------------------
Re: Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: Ian Brade
Date: November 6, 2013, 7:44 am
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Bill you were there before me,when you did the cross-country run
round the airfield was there a Lightning airframe dumped at the
far side of the airfield?
#Post#: 15596--------------------------------------------------
Re: Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: guest66
Date: November 6, 2013, 8:13 am
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--- Quote from: William Jones link ---
>
> That's it Tommy. When were you at Swinders, let me guess, just
as the wrafs arrived?
>
--- End Quote ---
Feb 5th 1968 onwards! Plenty of girls at Spitalgate!
#Post#: 15655--------------------------------------------------
Re: Swinderby,it's gone now.
DIR By: laurieb
Date: November 9, 2013, 8:21 pm
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Started gliding again at Swnderby from March - October 1972.
Travelled across from Manby where I was stationed at the time.
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