TSR.2 Memories Project

Collecting recollections of an icon

This is not an exhaustive list of web links, these are the major sites with TSR.2 information, and in which there are other links

Firstly, a very evocative "must view" video clip is at http://www.metacafe.com/w/951799/

1/ Masses of information and further links

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/tsr2/

there is a general overview, together with a photo of XR219 taken at the BAC Warton open day, 15 July 1965, (three months after cancelaltion), at http://www.targetlock.org.uk/tsr2/prototypes.html

2/ XR222 'roll out' at Duxford, 2005

http://www.handmadebymachine.com/shop/gallery.php?id=44

3/ There is a major script on the topic entitled "The plane that barely flew" at http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_tsr2long.html, including an extensive bibliogpahy. Another comprehensive script is at http://www.vectorsite.net/avtsr2.html while http://aviation.elettra.co.uk/tsr2/index.php has interesting facts and pictures. For an Australian perpsecitve, and a thorough technical description, see
http://www.ausairpower.net/Profile-BAC-TSR.2.html

4/ Two internet groups, with photos, information and chat

http://groups.msn.com/TSR-2ResearchGroup/shoebo

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BACPhoenix/

The latter is primarily concerned with modelling, the former has many albms of photos, of TSR.2 and other projects.

5/ Case Study

Mr Peter Antill has written a case study on TSR.2, for teaching purposes Shrivenham. A version of it appears on a website:

www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_tsr2long.html

6/ Books
There are several books which, in whole or part, are dedicated to the TSR.2. Here's a not-exhaustive list:

A/ Phoenix or Folly, by Frank Barnett Jones is the most comprehensive work and contains a wealth of technical and political information. The book is somewhat marred by poor production values (eg p145 “XR219 fly’s Clean”) which are not the best use of 1994-Apple Mac technology, and a not totally straightforward flow of thought. (GMS Enterprises, 1994, ISBN 1 870384 27 X)

By way of addenda, p124 indicates that Brian McCann flew behind Paul Millett in Jaguar E02 from Cazaux to Warton, I know that is true, I was the responsible flight test engineer, following "my" Jaguar home in a Falcon jet! But when Brian left Warton it was to retire to southern Ireland (where friends visited him in the early 1990s), so if he did become a "Senior Captain" at Heathrow, then he had a change of heart (and in winter 2007/8 a mutual friend told me he was, in fact, based at Hurn, but had passed away. P237 says XR222 spent all its time at Cranfield “outside”, but the two photos on this site show it firmly in the hangar in September 1968.

B/ C/ and D/ Three autobiographical books by Roland Beamont contain very interesting sections on his time flying XR219.
Phoenix Into Ashes (William Kimber, 1968) and Testing Times (Ian Allan, 1980, ISBN 0 7110 1072 X) tell the tale, with photos, from Bee’s unique viewpoint.

Flying to the LImit (Patrick Stephens, 1996, ISBN 1 85260 553 7) - beautifully written by Bee, when he was turning 65, this is a review of the 'corner points' of his flying career, with just a rare misty-eyed personal phrase. The chapter on TSR.2 includes a graphic acocunt of Flight 2, when ejecting was very servously considered by the crew, and an almost romantic account of Flight 16, the low level sortie over the pennine and lakeland hills. Sadly, though, what ought to have been a book to be proud of, is spoiled by sloppy sub-editing and cramped, low-quality design. A very good read indeed, though!

E/ The Murder of the TSR-2, by Stephen Hastings (MacDonald, 1966) highlights the political and industrial aspects, and is a very good and solid read, written almost contemporaneously with the cancellation saga. One small point, the man in the white overalls, photo facing p80, is (the late) crew chief Len Dean, to whom I owe a great deal, as do generations of staff of all grades at Warton and Samlesbury.

F/ Project Cancelled, by Derek Wood (Jane’s, 1986, ISBN 0 7106 0441 6) has the fault of trying to condense the HUGE topic of Britain's national disease of cancelling half-built aircraft projects in the 1950 and 1960s into far too small a space. But the chapters on TSR.2 very much add to the published knowledge and include an array of fascinating drawings not seen elsewhere. This book ought to have been revised post the AEW Nimrod cancellation and given the full Jane’s coffee table production values treatment, it is a unique reference source in my experience.

I think all of these books are out of print, but can of course be obtained through your local library, and they, as well as examples of the several magazine articles that have appeared over the years, may occasionally be found on web auction sites.

G/ Robert Gardner's biography of George Edwards, From Bouncing Bombs to Concorde, (Sutton Publishing, 2006, ISBN 0-7509-4389-0) has three chapters devoted to TSR.2 which give a different perspective and add considerable detail. Not only was George Edwards the chairman of BAC at the time, but the author, and his father, were deeply involved with BAC, it predecessors and successors, over many years, adding great depth and objectivity to the book.

H/ TSR2 with Hindsight, RAF Historical Society, 1998, ISBN 0 9519824 8 6. An account of a seminar held at Filton in April 1997, where some of those involved at senior level in the TSR2, from industry, the MoD and the RAF, looked back at th achievements and issues of the project. A thoroughly absorbing read, and a 'must read' for anyone interested in project management and the mutual effects of politics on policy. This book is very hard to come by, but well worth the effort of locating a copy.

I/ and J/ Two books by John Forbat, at one time an engineer at Weybridge, detail the technical developments of TSR.2's, and other, navigavtion and attack systems. TSR2 Precision Attack to Tornado, ISBN 0 7524 3919 7, and The 'Secret' World of Vickers Guided Weapons
ISBN 0 7524 3769 0. The former is a splendid read, a must for anyone with an interest in avionicss as well as the TSR.2 project and British aviation history, And is all the more unusual in that it comes from a Vickers Weybridge perspective, where John was a member of the Guided Weapons Department team that drew up the initial specifications for the highly advanced TSR.2 nav/attack system.

K/ Crisis in Procurement, a Case Study of the TSR2, Royal United Services Institute, 1969. No ISBN shown. A detailed discussion in an 86-page soft-back format.

L/ Recommended by a contributor is English Electric, by Derek N James. ISBN: 0-7524-1178-0 Published 1999 by Trafalgar Square.

M/ The April 2007 edition of the magazine Air International contained a first-class review of the project written by fomer Warton man Bob Fairclough. Though seemingly not 100% accurate, the article is most tmely in reminding readers of the projects importance and fate, and includes a centrefold cutaway by former Flight-colleague Mike Badrocke. (One of the problems in writing about TSR.2 is that so much material was destroyed immediately after the project's cancellation that there is precious little in the archive for facts to be checked or new angles to be developed.)

N/ The old issues of Flight International are appearing on its web site. The initail report of the first flight can be seen here
and more pictures were published a week later, see here

"LESSONS OF THE TSR.2 STORY" was published in 1969, see here

Flight International published an article "Flying the TSR.2" by Beamnt on August 5 1965

Sister-magazine The Aeroplane published a three-part feature "Testing the ultimate bomber" by Beamont, starting in the November 1985 issue.

O/ English Electric Aircraft and their Predecessors by Stephen Ransom and Robert Fariclough (Putnam, ISBN 0 85177 806 2, reprinted 1997) has very good chapter on TSR.2 as well as a magnificent history of the company and its predecessors' aircraft work.

P/ 'Tarnish 6' - the biography of Test Pilot Jimmy Dell, by Frank Barnett-Jones (Old Forge Publishing, ISBN 978-1-906183-02-8, 2008). Has a short (12-pages) chapter on Jimmy's recollections of TSR-2, but not as much as would have been liked, given how much he flew '219, and how he so nearly flew '220. But a very good read, if once again spolt by careless sub-editing, for the chapters on Lightning and Jaguar as well (one glaring error in the Jaguar section, and possibly a photo that includes me!!).

R/ Suggested by contributor Bob Nash, TSR2 - Lost Tomorrows of an Eagle" by Paul Lucas, (SAM Publications, ISBN 978-0-9551858-8-5 £19.99.)
The book, says Bob, is largely based on XR222 which is the restored aircraft now at Duxford Air Museum. The name "Eagle" in the title surmises that this would have been the name given to it had it entered service with the RAF. The rest of the book really also surmises what role it would have had and what weapons and stores it would have carried, but based on some original research. It looks interesting and has plenty of drawings and photographs, many of which I don't think have been published before.

S/ Due to be published in September 2010 is TSR-2, Britain's Lost Bomber by Damien Burke, (The Crowood Press, Hardcover, 336pps, ISBN 978-1847872118, £40.00). Link to Amazon site advertiisng this here.

I hope my “Memories” project eventually adds to the combined wisdom of these books, and others, rather than simply repeating what is already published.