In the hey-days of the 1960s through to the 1980s, almost every UK military aviation base was graced by a ‘gate guardian’ – a retired military aircraft that stood guard at the main entrance to the base. These airframes, often rare and historic, have always fascinated enthusiasts yet over the decades, there have been very few books on the subject, and none which have told the whole story. Even more scantily treated have been the vast number of airframes used for instruction and display by the Air Cadets. On Guard addresses this gap in aviation history in a location-by-location manner, presenting ‘biographies’ of significant airframes and details of over 300 aircraft that have been displayed at military establishments across Great Britain and its Crown Territories. The heritage of British bases – many long since forgotten – is also examined. Each entry is cross-referenced enabling readers to follow the most mobile ‘guardians’ as they moved from base to base, their disposals and fates. For example, in 1988 it was realised that keeping historic aircraft, particularly the Spitfires, on external display was wrong. Full-size replicas took their place on gates, allowing many Spitfires to be restored and go back into the air. These amazing transformations are revealed. In addition, over the decades rare types ‘On Guard’ were saved for museums – greatly boosting the RAF Museum in its formative years. Some former ‘guardians’ were used as collateral in worldwide bartering to fill gaps in Hendon’s collection. Also charted are over 500 airframes used for instruction and display by Air Cadet squadrons since the early days of World War Two. Their provenance, disposals and fates are comprehensively charted. On Guard commemorates these much-loved landmarks at RAF, Fleet Air Arm, Army bases and the machines that turned air cadets into future pilots. It is copiously illustrated with over 300 images including previously unseen 60-plus year-old colour.
