HMS Nabthorpe Gallery

Mobile Naval Air Base No. III gallery

Images from the private collections of P.O. Radio Mechanic S. Spencer, Petty Officer Air Mechanic (L) H. Husbands, Aircraft Artificer 4th Class (Ordnance) M. Ayling, Leading Stoker C. Woods, Air Mechanic J. Evans, Air Mechanic (?) G. Price, Leading Air Fitter (E) E. Chamberlain, Air Fitter (L) S. Smith .

Most of these images are sized to fit the screen, however where possible those containing groups of personnel will open large enough to see individuals. Many, but not all, of these images are available in larger, high-res versions and copies can be supplied upon receipt of a photo request. If you have pictures or other memorabilia that you can contribute to this project please contact the Webmaster using the Offer of assistance form.

The Royal Navy Research Archive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License See our terms of use for conditions regarding using these images in other works.

MONAB III mobile operations set-up: When first opened for flying there was no permanent control tower at Schofields so the specialist vehicles of the MOAB were operational for several months while the station construction programme continued.

MONAB III mobile operations set-up: Another view of the Mobile operations area at Schofields, in this shot some wooden building have been erected.

Digging drainage ditches while MONAB III gets installed at Schofields. One Dorland hangar has already been erected.

Digging drainage ditches while MONAB III gets installed at Schofields. A Hellcat from 1840 Squadron sits on the hardstanding.

A single Dorland hanger with workshops and tented squadron accommodation at the squadron servicing area on the eastern edge of the airfield. A number of Seafire aircraft are lined up along the taxi track.

Life under canvas - personnel from disembarked squadron were accommodated in tents at Schofields next to the squadron servicing area on the eastern edge of the airfield.

The personnel of the HMS NABTHORPE station flight.

The ratings of the HMS NABTHORPE station flight.

A life under canvas for members of the air radio section L-R: Elliott -Singleton - Spencer -Dunford.

Believed to be the combined personnel (minus 3 officers) of Maintenance Servicing Units No.3 & 4, posed with a Firefly.

Members of Maintenance Servicing Unit No.3 detached to RNAS Maryborough with 1770 squadron Fireflies. Lieutenant M. Romanoff is seated in the centre of the front row, CPO Hughes to his left. Leading Air Fitter (E) E. Chamberlain is standing far right.

Believed to be the personnel of Mobile Maintenance Unit No.2, flanked by Seafires.

A 1770 Squadron Firefly Mk.I coded ‘270/S’, (probably DV120) at Schofields C. February 1945

C. June 1945: Seafire Mk. III '127/S' (probably PR295) from 887 squadron H.M.S. Indefatigable, being manhandled off the soft ground besides the runway at Schofields.

A Firefly Mk.I of 1770 Squadron running up in front of Schofields tower, C. August 1945. Note the operational control tower in the background.

Maintenance personnel working on Firefly Mk.I, MB521 0f 1772 Squadron, at Schofields. C. October 1945

April 1945: Aircraft of the newly arrived 899 Squadron, tasked with training RAAF pilots in carrier operations.

The men of the Air Electrical department With a Hellcat. Air Fitter (L) Sid Smith is back row, second from right.

Air Mechanics and Air Fitters of the Air Engineering Department. With a Hellcat.

A group of Armourers gather around a Browning .50 calibre machine gun.

Members of HMS NABTHORPE’s fire department pose in front of the section’s water bowser.

Air Mechanic FX 79168 George Price, kneeling on right, and colleagues 1945.

V.J. Day - Air Mechanic FX 79168 George Price and all the ’die hards’ of CES. (Corsair Engine Section?)

Three unknown ratings – do you recognise them?

A view of the outlying radio station of MONAB III.

Another view of the outlying radio station of MONAB III.

A view of the mobile equipment that comprised the outlying radio station for MONAB III.

The ratings of the diesel generator section at the outlying radio station for MONAB III.

Three members of the staff at the outlying radio station of MONAB III. This clearly shows the containerised nature of this mobile unit.

Two ratings at the outlying radio station of MONAB III pose with a trailer mounted 22 kW Lister generator.

Two ratings of the diesel generator section at the outlying radio station for MONAB III brewing up over a makeshift stove.

Members of the MONAB III radio section outside their containerised workshops: L-R Ginger Bass - John Boast - ??- Stan Spencer - Graham Elliott - Findlay Gee - Lofty Singleton.