Comments on: Vindolanda and Housesteads http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/ Airpower and British society, 1908-1941 Sun, 20 Jul 2008 10:27:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-72930 Brett Holman Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:18:25 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-72930 Oh, I love things like that. If I ever make it back to Newcastle (I changed trains there twice on this trip, but that was all), I'll keep an eye out for bits of Wall! Oh, I love things like that. If I ever make it back to Newcastle (I changed trains there twice on this trip, but that was all), I’ll keep an eye out for bits of Wall!

]]> By: Simon Fielding http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-72804 Simon Fielding Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:27:14 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-72804 Glad you enjoyed the wall. I was at University at Newcastle upon Tyne in the 80s, and remember with particular fondness the pieces of the wall that cropped up in suburban Newcastle - segments of wall embedded in garage forecourts and long-buried shrines in the back gardens of 1930s council houses (with access rights for the casual antiquarian cited in their tenancy agreements). A friend of mine was brought up at Otterburn in Northumberland, an area steeped in the history of the rievers, and now the site of an army firing range... Glad you enjoyed the wall. I was at University at Newcastle upon Tyne in the 80s, and remember with particular fondness the pieces of the wall that cropped up in suburban Newcastle - segments of wall embedded in garage forecourts and long-buried shrines in the back gardens of 1930s council houses (with access rights for the casual antiquarian cited in their tenancy agreements).

A friend of mine was brought up at Otterburn in Northumberland, an area steeped in the history of the rievers, and now the site of an army firing range…

]]> By: Chris Williams http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-70371 Chris Williams Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:29:00 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-70371 Blimey - I never knew that. And some of my mates did apprenticeships there. My main involvement with that site was watching the 146 prototype fly endless circles round my school, testing something or other. Hypnotic, it was. Certainly more hypnotic than German. Blimey - I never knew that. And some of my mates did apprenticeships there. My main involvement with that site was watching the 146 prototype fly endless circles round my school, testing something or other. Hypnotic, it was. Certainly more hypnotic than German.

]]> By: Ian Evans http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-70369 Ian Evans Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:37:53 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-70369 The bits of Blue Streak I was working on were definitely at Hatfield - contracted out to the fitting shop of De Havilland Aircraft. Other bits were made at the De Havilland Propellers site on the other side of the airfield, up the road at Stevenage (that is still a working site, as Astrium, they build satellites) and at Lostock in NW England. There was a fairly fully assembled Blue Streak in a test stand on one of the more out of the way corners of the airfield, near the apprentice hostel. It was said that they tested the turbo pumps one night without providing adequate warning, and collected fire engines from four counties. The bits of Blue Streak I was working on were definitely at Hatfield - contracted out to the fitting shop of De Havilland Aircraft. Other bits were made at the De Havilland Propellers site on the other side of the airfield, up the road at Stevenage (that is still a working site, as Astrium, they build satellites) and at Lostock in NW England. There was a fairly fully assembled Blue Streak in a test stand on one of the more out of the way corners of the airfield, near the apprentice hostel. It was said that they tested the turbo pumps one night without providing adequate warning, and collected fire engines from four counties.

]]> By: Brett Holman http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69076 Brett Holman Sat, 26 Jan 2008 04:20:53 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69076 Ah, Blue Streak -- what would British aerospace tragics pine for without it? (<a href="http://airminded.org/2007/07/07/leaving-on-a-jet-plane/" rel="nofollow">TSR.2</a>, obviously.) Thanks for the anecdotes, Ian, you've clearly got the hang of this commenting thing! mercuriuspoliticus: LOL! 'It's not for me, you understand, it's for the other guys ...' Ah, Blue Streak — what would British aerospace tragics pine for without it? (TSR.2, obviously.) Thanks for the anecdotes, Ian, you’ve clearly got the hang of this commenting thing!

mercuriuspoliticus:

LOL! ‘It’s not for me, you understand, it’s for the other guys …’

]]> By: Chris Williams http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69033 Chris Williams Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:07:57 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69033 I was going to respond 'cool', but I suppose that job was anything but. Where did they make it? Not Hatfield, obviously. I was going to respond ‘cool’, but I suppose that job was anything but. Where did they make it? Not Hatfield, obviously.

]]> By: Ian Evans http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69022 Ian Evans Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:42:04 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69022 There's one up here too (at East Fortune, near Edinburgh). I actually worked on Blue Streak, though not in any high-tech mode. As a lowly apprentice I had a spell of holding fuel tank baffles for the welder. (Safety briefing "Remember, he can see the flame, but he can't see your hands, or you.") There’s one up here too (at East Fortune, near Edinburgh). I actually worked on Blue Streak, though not in any high-tech mode. As a lowly apprentice I had a spell of holding fuel tank baffles for the welder. (Safety briefing “Remember, he can see the flame, but he can’t see your hands, or you.”)

]]> By: Chris Williams http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69011 Chris Williams Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:51:14 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69011 Blue Streak worked, AND it was the only bit of the first Eurorocket that did - even the German bits broke. If you ever want to see a live one, there's one here in Leicester. The problem was the silos, which were prohibitively expensive. Someone ought to have told the MoS that although building a Lox/Kerosene IRBM is relatively easy, building one that can be fuelled and take off in 4 minutes requires rather a lot of stuff to be inside several feet of concrete. Blue Streak worked, AND it was the only bit of the first Eurorocket that did - even the German bits broke. If you ever want to see a live one, there’s one here in Leicester.

The problem was the silos, which were prohibitively expensive. Someone ought to have told the MoS that although building a Lox/Kerosene IRBM is relatively easy, building one that can be fuelled and take off in 4 minutes requires rather a lot of stuff to be inside several feet of concrete.

]]> By: Ian Evans http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69004 Ian Evans Fri, 25 Jan 2008 13:35:06 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-69004 This commenting is addictive! (but I'm sure you can manage an antipodean heave-ho if I overdo it) In the early 60's you could stand on the wall, look north to Spadeadam Waste, and see Blue Streak engines running. Does that not rank with Napoleon's line about 40 centuries looking down on his soldiers? (Note for non-anoraks; Blue Streak was the UK's intended IRBM, later adapted to be a satellite launcher. Naturally, once it showed signs of working it was cancelled, but some of the technology was adopted by Ariane.) This commenting is addictive! (but I’m sure you can manage an antipodean heave-ho if I overdo it)
In the early 60’s you could stand on the wall, look north to Spadeadam Waste, and see Blue Streak engines running.
Does that not rank with Napoleon’s line about 40 centuries looking down on his soldiers?
(Note for non-anoraks; Blue Streak was the UK’s intended IRBM, later adapted to be a satellite launcher. Naturally, once it showed signs of working it was cancelled, but some of the technology was adopted by Ariane.)

]]> By: mercuriuspoliticus http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-68912 mercuriuspoliticus Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:39:24 +0000 http://airminded.org/2008/01/22/vindolanda-and-housesteads/#comment-68912 Another wonderful post - and great pictures to go with it. My favorite Vindolanda tablet is: Masculus to Cerialis his king, greetings. Please, my lord, give instructions on what you want us to do tomorrow. Are we all to return with the standard, or just half of us?...(missing lines)...most fortunate and be well-disposed towards me. My fellow soldiers have no beer. Please order some to be sent. Not much has changed, really... Another wonderful post - and great pictures to go with it. My favorite Vindolanda tablet is:

Masculus to Cerialis his king, greetings. Please, my lord, give instructions on what you want us to do tomorrow. Are we all to return with the standard, or just half of us?…(missing lines)…most fortunate and be well-disposed towards me. My fellow soldiers have no beer. Please order some to be sent.

Not much has changed, really…

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