The lads of 608 Auxiliary Squadron from Thornaby on active service in Gibraltar and Malta. 1950. Photograph courtesy of Mr Alan Davis, Perth, Western Australia. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
The lads of 608 Auxiliary Squadron from Thornaby on active service in Gibraltar and Malta. 1950. Photograph courtesy of Mr Alan Davis, Perth, Western Australia.
My brother George served in Thornaby about this time.I have vived memorie.I have never seen any photos of him at this age. I remember he brought a uniform for my sister and I. I was about 6 or 7 years old. The uniform was purple kharki and I remember it was itchy. I think it was for some sort of parade. My memory is blurred but I remember this well. Has anyone any ideas?
One of the airmen on this photograph is listed as Bill Parkes. Can anyone tell me if this is the Bill Parkes who passed away in Chelmsford a few years ago. He was Methodist minister and had at one time been the Lord Mayor of Stoke-On-Trent in Staffordshire?
My father is Eric Davis in the photographs and he is alive and well in Perth Western Australia after emigrating in 1986. He has many fond memories of the 608 Squadron and can be contact via me on e-mail davisalanmuriel@hotmail.com Have not seen any comment on the rest of the people in the photographs.
I am nearing completion of my PhD which focuses on 608 Squadron AAF and Thornaby Aerodrome. I would still love to hear from anyone who perhaps served in the squadron between 1930 and 1958, or who served at the Aerodrome, or anyone who remembers anything about Thornaby during this period. I intend to write a book next year with the help of several veterans. You can contact me at flw93@hotmail.com
On the photo with 9 of the lads, they are from bottom left rotating to right, Officer ??? Cooke, Bill Parkes, Tommy Thompson, ?? Teague, Jack Dringe, Bill Hardy, Mc. ???, Cyril Cope and Eric Davis. Would like to know if anybody can fill in the gaps for my father Eric Davis in Western Australia.
On the picture with six of the “lads” they are left to right, Bill Parkes, Cyril Cope, Jack Dringe, Eric Davis, Bill Hardy and Tommy Thompson. Trying to find the other names on photo with seven lads. Eric Davis alive and well in Perth Western Australia.
Landing in Gib” is “hairy” as the runway crosses the narrow “North Front” with half of the runway built out to sea with the “Rock” to the South , the sea to the east and West, and Spain to the North. North-Front was 608s base , alongside the Spanish frontier. The frontier was closed to allow A/c to use the runway, while the Spanish Customs were very changeable, one-day waved through, the next there would be a 2 or 3 hour delay. The nearest Spanish town was La-Linea and it was here 608 nearly caused an incident. The Sunday Bull-fight was in full swing when a group of 608 started cheering the Bull and booing the Matador, none of your Ola !!. A full “Ayresome-Roar” as the Bull scattered the arena servants. they were not ejected but told to sit quiet for the good of Anglo-Spanish relations. The trip to Tangier was also an adventure, regular ferries and Flights left the “Rock. but 608 hired a civil ex R.N M.G.B (Motor Gun-Boat), the arab name for which was “Tichbite”. The trip across was done at 22-00 hrs arriving 01-30 hrs in Tangier, where porters and traders met the crowd of us, taking us to The Mirimar-Hotel, where a magnificent meal was waiting. We spent two days in Tangier, returning 22-00 hrs Sunday night. Later that week we heard that the “Tichbite” did a bit of illegal smuggling, mainly cigarettes. We were told by the Regulars “Never buy at the marked price, as good-haggle can bring the price well down”. Gib itself was a evening city, a few shops open till 12-00, then at 4pm “after siesta; all the shops,cafes and bars opened The most popular were the “Panama” and “Embassy” night-club, very expensive and policed till 2am The very intensive flying programme started at 7-8 am went on till 5-6 , the pilots getting in 2 to 4 sorties with both .R.A.F . French and American a/c as well as air-firing A very Proud Squadron –