Commissioning of 91 SU – Sep 1957

The equipment for Saxa started arriving on Unst in 1955 and there was an influx of civilian contractors and servicemen from that time onwards. The construction phase was eventful, delays in equipment arriving, some very bad weather and the loss of the first Type 80 radar head early in 1956 being some of the problems faced. However, by the autumn of 1957 the civilian contractors and RAF signals staff were ready to transfer the equipment and buildings to RAF Fighter Command for operational use.

A large number of Officers & Civilians assembled on Unst in Sep 1957 for the handover of both the Technical and Domestic sites. The 3 pictures below show extracts of the first month’s entry in the Official Unit History (The Unit F540) - now declassified. The first CO, Sqn Ldr Millar, notes the lack of spares, stationery and furniture in his summation at the end of the extract.

I apologise for the poor quality of the pictures below but it was the best I could achieve at the time. (Left click on pictures to enlarge and some zooming will probably be necessary).

I started this section with a photo of a station plaque. It is unlikely that anyone posted to Saxa in the very early days would recognise it. I don't know who designed it or when it originated but I do know it was in existence in the mid 60's. I have read somewhere that it did not receive formal approval from the College of Arms/Inspectorate of RAF Badges until the 80's. If anyone has any information about the designer and the early history of the crest I would be pleased to hear from them. (Added 5 Nov 14 - see http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/saxa-vord-first-commanding-officer.html )

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The Fire Section Part 1

I have a number of pictures of the Fire Section during the Units History. I will be issuing at least one more section sometime in the future. One of the tales (from about 1970) which have been sent to me goes as follows:-
“ An anecdote came into my memory when I read your piece about the fire service. I remember when that new fire engine was delivered to replace the old Dennis. The Landrover came complete with a long ladder on top which went through the rear windows of the fire station the first time it was reversed in. Ooops.”
The pictures below don’t follow any particular sequence though they have been “grouped” as much as possible. I thank Andy Parkinson and Lee Edmonds for their assistance with this section. (Left click on pictures to enlarge and where printed material is used you may have to “zoom” as well).


Fire Tenders

The picture below is an enlargement of one used earlier in the blog but is worthy of being repeated here. In the days before the RoRo ferries this is how heavy equipment arrived at Saxa. This picture was taken at Baltasound in 1963.

The next photo, unfortunately somewhat blurred, was taken in the early 60’s near the gate to the Domestic Site.

The next 2 pictures show the cover of the Spring 1983 issue of the Fire Brigade Journal and the small amount of text inside referring to the cover.

The 2 pictures below were taken in 1996.



I have no date or other information on the Fire Tender below:-

Buildings

The following 3 photos are of buildings. The first is of the Fire and Ground Defence Section on the Domestic Site – probably in the early 70’s. This is followed by 2 photos, taken in 1983, showing the location of the Fire Section at the Top Site.

People

The next 3 photos were taken in 1993 or 94. The first two were taken at the south side of Haroldswick and the third by the oil tanks at Baltasound.

Two more taken at the oil tanks at Baltasound follow.

Three group photos are below. The first was taken in 1998, the second in 1999 and a third is just an enlargement of the second to help identify individual people

The 2 pictures below were taken on 20 Apr 2003 just outside the Officers’ Mess main entrance – part of Nordabrake can be seen in the background in the first picture. Either the Fire Section had some very young recruits or it was the occasion of a Station Open Day or charity event:-

The last two pictures in this section are reproduced from the station magazine – “The Saxa Voice".

 

Links to a few more pieces in the blog about the Saxa Fire Section here:

http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/fire-section-part-1.html

http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.com/2011/01/fire-section-part-2.html

http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/fire-section-part-3.html

http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.com/2012/02/memories-of-fireman-nick-broom.html

http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/fire-practice-at-inner-skaw.html

http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/neale-bulbeck-firefighter-saxa-1998-2000.html



 

CONTENTS LIST

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Rebuild of the Airmen’s’ Accommodation 1981 to 1994

During the years 1981 to 1994 there was a phased rebuild of practically the whole of the Domestic Site with the Guardroom, Power House and “Ice Cap area” being the only major parts being left intact. The old mid-50’s buildings had done well but were very far past their sell-by dates. The standard of accommodation had long been surpassed on other Units.


The “new-build” led to a far more comfortable way of life for most servicemen. There were even new quarters at Nordabrake and Taftens, plus an all weather soccer pitch. One of the sensible ideas was a centralised catering/kitchen area with the messes radiating off a central hub. The earlier phases were to include the single accommodation for other ranks and new Mess’s for the Officers & SNCOs. It is difficult to reconstruct the chronology of the reconstruction without access to official documents so I have had to give the subject a fairly broad-brush treatment.


Some pictures of the demolition of the old buildings and the erection of new ones appeared in an earlier section of the blog:-

http://ahistoryofrafsaxavord.blogspot.com/2009/11/raf-saxa-vord-domestic-site-rebuild.html

In this section there will be pictures of the new build as it affected the normal serviceman. I hope to do a further section or sections on the other parts of the site -  Nordabrake, Taftens , Officers’ and Sergeants‘ Messes, Sick Quarters etc later. (Left click on picture to enlarge).

 

Whilst a great deal of effort went into the exterior of the buildings, the interiors were not forgotten. Those who had been used to the old billet blocks noticed a vast improvement.

The first phase of the development was completed by the summer of 1983 and was officially opened by AVM Ken Hayr, AOC 11 Gp. An article about the event from the Press & Journal newspaper is below:

The attempt at planting a second "Unst Forest" mentioned in the Article was a dismal failure. A picture of some of the saplings in 1983 is below, followed by a photo of the same area taken in 2010.

CONTENTS LIST

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Visit of Gp Capt Mike Shields – 1993/1995

I apologise about having few details regarding this Visit. It took place whilst Sqn Ldr Kevin Hahn was the CO and therefore occurred in the period Sep 93 to Sep 95. I recognise Gp Capt Mike Shields and the venue – the Viking Club. I have the names of 2 of the recipients of the awards – Sgts Day and Dodds but regrettably I don’t know which is which and I’m afraid the name of the Corporal is also unknown.

From the certificate being awarded to one of the Sgts I can just make out the words “British Forces Cyprus” and from the “colour” of the medal ribbons in the black and white photos it appears that the other Sgt and the Corporal are being awarded Long Service and Good Conduct Medals. If anyone can offer more information I will update this section at a later date.

The first 3 photos show the recipient of the British Forces Cyprus Commendation? (Left click on photos to enlarge).

The next 2 photos show the award of LS&GCMs:



The last 2 are group photos:

CONTENTS LIST

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