buried Hurricanes....

[RoyalGreenJacket]

yeah that happens here too.

what a terrible terrible waste of such beautiful aircraft.

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi there,
The Museum hangar is getting repair work done so may not be open for public access right now.You'd have to check with Mick Whelan....By the time the Hurricanes were broken up, they were regarded as obsolete rubbish and the RAF didn't want them back. In Ireland, then, nationally, preservation of historical items wasn't a priority.
regards
GttC

[Goldie fish]

Hi there,
The Museum hangar is getting repair work done so may not be open for public access right now.You'd have to check with Mick Whelan....By the time the Hurricanes were broken up, they were regarded as obsolete rubbish and the RAF didn't want them back. In Ireland, then, nationally, preservation of historical items wasn't a priority.
regards
GttC

More so if it originated in the "auld enemy" as we suffered from a FF government, intent on settling old scores.
Another example of this mentality was when the Guns were removed from Fort Davis. The 9.2 inch were sent to be melted down for scrap, but they were deemed unsuitable, and one ended up being used as a gate pillar "somewhere in cork".
Similarly, the MTBs, were abandoned first, then aquired by an officer who thought he could convert them into houseboats... it is not clear what became of them after that venture failed.

[yooklid]

More so if it originated in the "auld enemy" as we suffered from a FF government, intent on settling old scores.

I doubt there's very few FF fans left these days, but it's hard to imagine someone in the DOD saying "Good, we should break these down because they used to be ENGLISH planes". Easier to believe incompetence/lack of foresight/not wanting to pay anybody anything and the war ending being a good enough reason for getting rid of them.

The Irish Military's biggest enemy is not a foreign power, it's always been the Department of Finance.

[Goldie fish]

Good point, however it is worth noting the amount of equipment-post war when there was plenty of surplus stock available from allied countries, we went elsewhere.

True what you say though, when we did buy post war surplus, it was in very small quantities.

[The real Jack]

I doubt there's very few FF fans left these days, but it's hard to imagine someone in the DOD saying "Good, we should break these down because they used to be ENGLISH planes". Easier to believe incompetence/lack of foresight/not wanting to pay anybody anything and the war ending being a good enough reason for getting rid of them.

The Irish Military's biggest enemy is not a foreign power, it's always been the Department of Finance.

Cough...."economic war" with england

[sofa]

I doubt there's very few FF fans left these days, but it's hard to imagine someone in the DOD saying "Good, we should break these down because they used to be ENGLISH planes". Easier to believe incompetence/lack of foresight/not wanting to pay anybody anything and the war ending being a good enough reason for getting rid of them.

The Irish Military's biggest enemy is not a foreign power, it's always been the Department of Finance.

They were tearing down Georgian Dublin. as well. So it was probably

a mind set of Peasant begrudgery and thick uneducated people in positions of

responsibility

[Flamingo]

They were tearing down Georgian Dublin. as well. So it was probably

a mind set of Peasant begrudgery and thick uneducated people in positions of

responsibility

Never!!!!!

[hptmurphy]

Similarly, the MTBs, were abandoned first, then aquired by an officer who thought he could convert them into houseboats... it is not clear what became of them after that venture failed.

Col Fitzmaurice of the Bremen Flight fame to be exact and they were in the Passage west are of Cork up to 1979 when they were broken up as the hulls had rotted beyond restoration.

More so if it originated in the "auld enemy" as we suffered from a FF government, intent on settling old scores.
Another example of this mentality was when the Guns were removed from Fort Davis. The 9.2 inch were sent to be melted down for scrap, but they were deemed unsuitable, and one ended up being used as a gate pillar "somewhere in cork".

No I don't agree with this.

The problem is related to recognition of heritage , the equipment served us well but we are such a young nation with a very limited military heritage the significance of the items in question was never highlighted.

Given we wore out the stuff as oposed to going out in a blaze of glory and the DF were so cash straped to keep the equipment it had in everyday use ,preservation was the furthest thing from their minds.

the corner how ever has been turned but how do you select for preservation any item especially from the recant past where there was such a diversification of such equipment.

The AC has done this very well given 10 years ago there was nothing, the cavalry again have filled all the armour slots, but lest say the NS....virtually impossible given the complexities involving maintaining ships safely.

A national maritime museum would be nice but given its taken nearly 80 years to get a military one, I wouldn't be holding my breath.

[pym]

Post war, the Air Corps purchased Spitfires, Vampires, Doves, Chipmunks, Provosts - all from the "aul enemy" - in the other branches of the DF came Flower Class corvettes, Churchill tanks...

Even after things had kicked off in the North came the HS.125 from the UK, not to mention the Minesweepers - right in the midst of "the Troubles" the Scorpions were also purchased

Versus... what? F. Magisters, Allouette, Gazelle, Puma(briefly) & Dauphin? Of those, even the UK used the Gazelle and Puma.

The Navy went with home built vessels and 2 ex-Royal Navy examples.

I really don't think an Anti-British sentiment came into what happened to the Hurricanes - perhaps it's more likely it was something to do with the mechanism under which they were procured, furthermore I don't really believe an Anti-British sentiment played much role in later procurements - it was down to money and a lack thereof.

[RoyalGreenJacket]

The 1st Apprentice Class ... were marched to the dump ... were handed picks, shovels, sledgehammers and cutting tools and ordered to reduce the derelict aircraft ... to pieces, which they duly did. They were not allowed off site until the aircraft were completely demolished and reduced to scrap. This included the deliberate smashing of every instrument, windscreen, engine parts, gun mountings, gun sights, propellors and so on. The whole lot was then driven over. A lot of stuff was also set alight, to assure destruction.

any chance of borrowing the 1st Apprentice Class again for their services?

we have some nice Nimrods that need 'getting rid of'



MOD: Warning any further attempts to drag threads off topic will result in points

[RoyalGreenJacket]

i was only trying to highlight another stupid act in which history is repeating itself in the destruction of great aircraft.

seemed pretty on topic to me. i wasn't expecting points.

but back on topic, if the 1st Apprentice Class is free for a couple of weeks - they could earn a few bob cutting up our Nimrods.

[Barry]

Is it really dragging it off topic? Seems to have a relation to the original one, even if it's not entirely on topic. Threads should have some latitude, otherwise they'll die pretty quickly and there'll be no real discussion.

There is already a thread about the retirement of the Nimrod fleet. This thread is about the Irish air corps and their treatment of aircraft after disposal. The link is at best tenous, but RGJ might have gotten away with it if he didn't try to make every thread he posts in about something British.

seemed pretty on topic to me. i wasn't expecting points.

You didn't get points.

[DeV]

MOD: 2 warning issued

[hedgehog]

But surely Mr Administrator, you must understand that the British Military recruiting sergeants will never miss an opportunity to get their message across, including the Oirish ones who talk about OUR army and Our boys. There is only one Army here, get it right. Any one agree?

No mate- I dont agree, I took RGJ's post to be that we are not the only clowns

to have destroyed something -

but dont let that stop you having a sly dig at the big bad greenjacket,

Slightly off topic but on an allied point- I rememeber having to break up the big cast iron

turf bins because they were going to be scrapped- I have a portion of one still here

with the Crown (not the real crown) on it and dated 1863