Bloodhound Stories about
Places and People

Introduction

This is a new page as of July 2019. Please feel free to send us your Bloodhound story for adding here be it of place or people from experiences both in the any service user or industry.

Terry "Andy" Andrews from Chris Andrews
My father was Terry Andrews, who was known as 'Andy'. He was an armourer/fitter. He started off with Bloodhounds and Thunderbirds in the early fifties at Ty Croes Camp on Anglesey (Security Headland) as part of the Joint Guided Weapons Trial Unit. (you may have these details already, but I've attaced scans from a Army magazine). It was while he was here that he met my mother in Bangor.

From Ty Croes he went to Sevenoaks and Farnborough and was for a time part of the Blue Streak project. However, when that was cancelled he was sent to RAF Rattlesden to 266 Squadron. In 1964 he was posted to RAF Marham to work on Valiants. We were barely there six months when the Valiants were finally grounded for good and scrapped. So he was the packed off on a years unaccompanied to Sharjah (Hunters and Canberras).

From there it was on to RAF Valley, where he maintained ejector seats and the armoury. In 1970 he was sent to RAF Wildenrath working on Harriers there was a brief period when he was up at Bruggen working on Phantoms and I think Buccaneers. He decided to come out at forty so before leaving Germany he was assigned to 25 squadron on Bloodhound Mk2 before finishing his time (1972-75) at Aberporth.

Provided are are a number of photos. There are two taken at RAF Rattlesden with a Bloodhound Mk1 of 266 Squadron. My father is third from the left in the one with the trailer and on the extreme left with the launcher. Also possibly of interest is the 266 squadron christmas card from about 1962 or 1963. The final scan is the gateguard at RAF Aberporth.