Dauphin & Gazelle retired by Irish Air Corps

[Tony Kearns]

Papa242
I sent them by e mail and they seemed to go OK
Tony K

[papa 242]

Thanks Frank and Tony,got those photos now!
They certainly brought a lump to the throat!I can still remmember standing in the p***ing rain for group shot!Happy days!
Back row.Me.Mick Dunican.Flan Garry.Jim Durkin?.Possibly Billo Booth(RIP)with face hidden.Paddy Carey.Dave(Spike) McCormick.Noel Donnelly.Willie Byrne.
Front row.Pat Donnelly.Hugh O'Donnell.Frank Condon.Paul Fry.Barry Hannan.
Its lovely to see all the faces again.

[Tony Kearns]

Thanks Papa242,
Glad you got the pictures. It is great to get all the names. I have put them all on the back of the photo. I have lots more of unidentified people in such photos covering the whole spectum of the Air Corps history in my archive. This is yet another project to put names to people, something I neglected for years through my own fault.
Clear safe skies Papa242.
Tony K

[John K]

Jim Durkin? I don't think so, Papa 242, he was on my crewmans course and that was a couple of years after that photo. I remember getting the pilot to smack his head with the l/h mainwheel when he was trying to hook up the underslung load! "...right 2, right 1, steady, steady!" he did have his helmet on!
Could it have been Dick sully?
Tony, thanks for putting me right about not being in the second last aircraft. It certainly seemed that way from my memory! maybe I remember a different formation flight. Have you got access to the records to find out where I was?

[John K]

I've just had a thought, Tony, if it was A/M J. Manning it was before my time in Baldonnel 'cos John was a Corporal when I was in the Hostel. I know that 'cos he had me digging trenches up the 'drome! was there a later formation flight of Allouettes?

[Tony Kearns]

Hi John K,
If it is of any help the date of the flight of 8 Alouettes was 27 August 1975 and was the first formation flight of the full squadron. I do know that there was a later picture of a formation flight but it was of 7 Alouettes, perhaps this is the one that you were involved in. I do not have a copy of that picture unfortunately.
Any takers for naming the personnel with the attached photo (no date)of 242, I can put some names up but not all.
Tony K

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi all
Ah,yes.The massed Alouette flights...the stuff of legend! Wasn't there a big photo up in the Heli crew room? I think the second mass formation happened in the early Eighties (7 up) with the unpublicised almost mass-grounding of four after they landed.Word had it that they juggled the books a bit to get them all airborne and that certain senior NCOs were none too pleased to have the arm put on them to get the full lot up and that they only relented on condition that the needy would be grounded for work after the show was over.Also, there was a degree of callow slagging from the unwashed in other hangars, that such an event would never happen again because Heli were just lazy b'stards anyway.Perish the thought!
regards
GttC

[papa 242]

Hi.All/
You're right John K!Too early for Jim and Billo.The only other names that might fit are Pat McCarthy and Aidan Carey???I would love to find out.Am working on the names in front of
242.What a mob!!!
GttC....callow slagging from the crude and licentious?surely you jest!!!   sensitive fellows such as they would never stoop so low!!
Regards.

[John K]

Thanks for those notes, guys. I've just had another look at the photo I've got and there were 7 A111s over the taxiway. I wasn't in the 'Don in '75!
GttC, how can you say Helis were lazy b'stards? We were described as "....the best outfit in any mans army!" by Kenny Byrne. That was after the snow relief of '82.
As for the photo of P242, Tony, I've got that hanging in my hallway! Just for good measure I wrote everyones name on the back in case I was ever asked to name them!
Front row L-R (Rank at the time!): Lt. Harvey O'Keeffe, Lt. Jurgen Whyte, Lt. Brian Cosgrove, Lt. Barry Hannan, Lt. Donal Cotter, Capt. Pat Donnelly, Capt. Frank Condon, Comdt. Hugh O' Donnell, Comdt. Kenny Byrne, Comdt. Frank Russell, Capt. Aiden Flanagan, Capt. Paul Fry, Lt. Andy McIntyre, Lt. Jim Corby.
Back row L-R: Sgt. Mick (Mucky) Corcoran, Cpl. Richard O'Sullivan, Lt. Gerry O'Sullivan, A/M Jim Durkin, Cpl. Paddy McGurke, A/M Thomas o'Loughlin, A/M Eamonn O'Connell, Cpl. Kieran (Sacky) Ferris, A/M Sean (Paddy) Myles, Cpl. Cammillus Woolhead, Cpl. Owen Sherry, Sgt. Flan Garry, Cpl. John Kealy (me!), Cpl. John Kenny, F/Sgt. Willy (Shakey) Byrne, Cpl. Mark (Sacky) Hayden, Sgt. Mick Dunican, Cpl. William (Billo) Booth (RIP), A/M Al Colley (RIP), A/M Maurice Dixon, A/M Matt Crowe, Sgt. John Manning, Lt. Donal Scanlon, Lt. Colm O'Dwyer, A Chair!
I've also put that the photo was taken in the summer of '82, I've put peoples nicknames in brackets as this is what they were known as-apart from one or two of the officers! I still don't want to incriminate myself as to what their nicknames were amongst us! when I get time I'll see what's wrong with my scanner and try to get some photos to you.
Best wishes, JK

[John K]

OOPs! I got a bit carried away there, I was next to Owen Sherry and Flan Garry was just behind John Kenny.
I know a couple of them are still in the 'Don, a couple have sadly passed on, but what about the rest of them? Where did they end up? Any news? Will there be another get together?
Also noted by their absence, probably 'cos they were on the border, Richie Lynch? Graham (Malvenas) Melia? John Keane?

[GoneToTheCanner]

Hi there
Yeah! Heli are lazy so-and-sos! Do you remember the glaring difference in the amount of regimental duties "Heli" did compared to Tech Wing? When quizzed, the reply was "We don't do duties 'cos we're operational!". Many long hours were passed on guard and fire picquet, seeing the Heli lads streaming out the gate, giving the fingers to the poor saps on guard from every other unit.We were doing an average of four guards and two fire buckets a month until the bosses realised that the overhauls were taking months longer than usual, because so many people were on barrack duties.It slowly changed until it was down to one each a month, but it remained a serious bone of contention between Heli and the others for a long time, especially with the BFTS and GP/Maritime bods. We knew that the Border was a pain in it's own way,but losing ten days a month out of your life in the guardroom was just as bad.
regards
GttC
PS: Matt Crowe has also gone from the Roll Call.

[Tony Kearns]

Hi John K,
I am delighted to get all the names, many thanks for taking the trouble, as I mentioned before I have a lot of photos of personnel but I am afraid there are too many and would block up and or hog the board. It is great to get the names though.
Tony K

[Frank]

Hi Tony,

Please don't think you will block or hog the board, please feel free to post your pictures in a new thread or threads in the Air Corps section or you could create new posts in the "Irish Aviation History" section.

This board is here for people to request & provide / share information so please feel free to use it for that purpose.

Regards,

Frank.

[Tony Kearns]

Thanks Frank I will do that, best I think under Irish Aviation History.
Regards
Tony K

[John K]

Good stuff, Tony, I'm looking forward to seeing your photos.

GttC, yeah I know what you mean about the duties! In '78 when I left the hostel there had been such an exodus from the hangars that most of the techies left were on duty back to back! It really pi55ed us off! The powers that be even looked to transfer all staff from Fighter Sqn. to Helis and AFTS 'cos these units needed to keep going. That's how I transferred to helis, along with a couple of others and some went to AFTS.
Soon as heli crew I didn't have to do any guards, stand toos or fire picquet. 'Till someone decided that ALL NCO Flight Crews had to do guard commander twice a year. I had a right b'stard for orderly officer on my first guard! I couldn't remember what I was supposed to do when he said "..take post" luckily there was a rookie next to me and he gave me a nudge. We weren't asked to do any more after that!
None of the duties that you have to do are welcome, after a while they really become a chore. I dunno what they can do to make them more palatable.