RAF Haydock

[Greyhound]

Jimbo,

I have also searched the web and come up with nothing, hope you can see why I said " it was an  hush hush base" cannot find anything.

regards
greyhound

[jimbo737]

Greyhound,

I've sent an email to the RAF News asking if they know of any info or photos from the closing ceremony. If I receive a reply I will forward it to you.

Jimbo

[Greyhound]

Jimbo,

thanks a lot, you are working hard for me. I never gave it a thought about the RAF news, I still havn,t spoken to the fellow who did his NS at the camp, work is in the way at the moment.
regards
Greyhound.

[JAMIEKLUTE]

Have accidentally come across this site just browsing. Haydock was my 1st posting after trade training in 1961.

I worked in the Headquarters in the General Office and it holds many fond memories for me.

It was, as you say a Signals Unit, certainly no more secretive than any other.

There wasn't a lot of personnel there, certainly no more than 300.

At the bottom of Haydock Lane (as we called it) was the British Legion Club and many a pint of Double Diamond was drunk there.

One interesting anecdote was that the famous rugby league player Alex Murphy was stationed there, he also belonged to and played for St Helens.

Alex was a great guy and I often stood in for him as the duty Fire Picket when he had to play for his Club, mind you, I was always well paid for doing so !!!

He was demobbed either in 62 or 63, I specifically remenber this because he was pictured by the local press sitting at my desk with his discharge papers in hand.

I hope this helps "put more meat on the bones". I will keep a look out on the site and perhaps come up with some more info.

Regards

JAMIEKLUTE

[jimbo737]

Hi Jamie,
That was interesting re Alex Murphy. Don't remember any mention of him while I was there. It wasn't my first posting after training, that was to Aden, but it was my first UK posting and I loved every second of it.

What you called Haydock Lane I thought we called it Slag Lane. I remember the British Legion, a few of the guys went there on a Sunday lunchtime for the "entertainment" if you know what I mean.

Did you ever visit the Greasy Spoon Transport Cafe on the other side of the East Lancs Road? When we were on camp on a weekend it was an absolute must. Bacon and egg butties like doorstgops and a massive mug of tea, absolutely delicious.

Something else that comes to mind now, probably in 1966 after I left, was that a body was dumped at the top of the sports field, just off the East Lancs Road. My mate from those days, who I am still in touch with, wrote and told me, but I seem to remember it was also in the national papers.

I was in private accommodation with my wife in Grosvenor Road, St Helens when I first moved to Haydock, right opposite the Pilkington Glass factory, and just round the corner from the Saints ground. The people whose house we rented the top floor from were big Saints fans, and even now I'm still a bit of a fan.

[Greyhound]

I have also heard about Alex Murphy being at the camp, as for the British Legion, I used to go there every Saturday night with the lads,around 1970s  it was  a great meeting place but sadly it no longer exists( gone forever) 
Slag lane was just off Haydock lane, it is the road which leads to what was the officers accommodation, still a few of the original houses still standing, but nothing else of the camp.
Jimbo I am still waiting to hear from the bloke who did his NS if I get anything from him, I will pass it on.

Greyhound.

[JAMIEKLUTE]

Thanks for that. Remember now Slag Lane - What a stink came from the slag heaps.

Remember the cafe too, good food compared to dried egg!

Also recall Gerry Marsden's (The Pacemakers) then girlfriend being typist in the HQ.

Many good nights  had in and around St Helens ' Remember going to a small club in Newton lee Willows when the "Beetles" were playing, One of them (George Harrison, I think) asked one of our WRAFs home. When she said no, he asked "Do you know who we are?" "  Yes", she said, " one of the Coakraches". "no" he said, "the Beetles".
"I knew it was something that crawled " was her put down line, he wasn't too impressed at all !

Remember also the camp was in two halfs? with the lane in the middle.

Anybody remember a guy called Gerry Scotland from Bolton who served there same time? .

I left when posted to HQ BAOR (Rheindahlen) in 1966.

I liked St Helens very much and would love to see how it's changed. Is Carr Mill still there?

Good to talk and if you want to persue this further, I would suggest you contact "Air Clues" which is a periodic magazine issued by the RAFA. I will get address if you are interested.

Regards

JAMIEKLUTE

[jimbo737]

JAMIEKLUTE

We must have been at Haydock at about the same time. I arrived there in September 1964 and left in December 1965, just one week before Christmas, for HQ2ATAF, which was thought to be Rheindahlen, but I ended up in Belgium.

You were lucky, you were on the side of the camp away from the slag heap, we worked right next to it. The scary part was when it caught fire and the fire brigade had to come out to douse it. Happened too often for my liking. Hope they did some serious clearing up if they built houses on it.

Have a look at this link to my website, there are a couple of photos of people you may or may not recognise.

http://www.lowergornal.freeserve.co.uk/RAF_PHOTOS__index.html

All I remember of the WRAF contingent is that one or two caused a bit of trouble amongst the lads, but they all moved out shortly after I arrived there.

[JAMIEKLUTE]

Jimbo,

I left Haydock to go to Germany in Nov 63, so missed your arrival.

Did 3 years at Rheindahlen ant hen went to HQ Strike Command and was based at Stanmore Park.

After a couple of years there, I was posted to Episkopi, where I worked with a lot of Telegraphists within Joint Intelligence.

Eventually I went to RAF Scampton where I was invalided out after being knocked off my motorbike and suffering bust eardrums.

All told, I did 15 years and never regretted a minute of it, maybe apart from some days at Bridgenorth !!.

Your pics very interesting, didn't recognise anyone though.

As I recall, our R&I camp was at a place called Halfpenny green, which was in the Wolverhampton area.

I also come from Scotland, here in the Orkney Isles there are plenty of Andersons and Williamsons. No relatives here?

Anyway, good to talk again, and thsnks for the memories.

Cheers

Jamieklute