Roger ByronCollins' Welbeck Estate Group's acquistion of 3 ex MOD sites over 40 years

[LordCamster]



I am the PR consultant for the Welbeck Estate Group (TWSG) and reading through your excellent Website I thought you may find this of interest as our Group have for the past 40 years specialised in the purchase of former MOD property -mainly married quarters but also a couple of ex RAF airfields at North Coates and Hemswell and the former Bomber/Strike Command HQ Bawtry Hall. Our Chairman, Roger Byron-Collins is an RAF Brat, the son of an RAF Aircrew Officer of 42 years service and all his colleagues have former RAF backgrounds. He is our driving force and l thought this may interest you and your researchers. Through his company Welbeck Estate Group, preceded by First State Holdings the specialty has always been the preservation and retention of former MOD properties which has been his stated aim since he bought his first military site at RAF Faldingworth Lincolnshire in 1980. The married quarters on this airfield were modernised then sold and many of the buyers over the years have been serving or ex RAF personnel for whom he operated a discount and assistance scheme.

Our chairman's father, Arthur was a long term RAF Pilot/Navigator officer serving from 1939 to before retiring at RAF Northolt in 1980. Roger's first home was an MQ at RAF Driffield in 1946 moving in 1950 to RAF Waddington where his father flew Avro Lincolns. Roger lived in Married Quarters between 1946 and 1970 at RAF Driffield, Hemswell, Waddington, Marham, Waterbeach, Watton, Tangmere, Khormaksar Aden, Wildenrath Germany and Northolt. Whilst living in MQs at RAF Northolt he attended college training as a surveyor in London. After qualifying he went into the property business making a decision to specialise in the purchase, preservation of not only married quarters but technical domestic and airfield sites. Whilst living at RAF Northolt he made friends with a senior USAF military neighbour and as a result in 1979 he went to Arlington Virginia USA opening an office opposite The Pentagon. Within 6 months he purchased two apartment blocks of 300 and 180 apartments named The Cavendish and The Lancaster adjacent to the Pentagon and US Navy Annex and occupied mainly by the US military. Roger commuted every two weeks between Heathrow and Washington Dulles airports by Concorde as the UK business was flourishing as well. In 1979 Mrs Thatcher's Conservative government announced there were a surplus of MQ sites and disused airfields which were to be sold. Roger purchased his first military site which comprised 127 former NCO quarters at RAF Faldingworth, north of Lincoln. This was his first ex MOD purchase and applied an American concept to these houses by the installation of a swimming pool and club house which he donated to all the buyers. The married quarters were renamed The Virginia Estate after his recently opened office in Arlington Virginia and the roads renamed after areas around Washington such as Washington Drive, Prince William Road, Fairfax Road. At only 33 years of age this proved very successful for him and he went on to acquire a further ex MOD 35 sites over the following 35 years including the following:

66 RAF & Army MQs RAF Ballykelly/Shackleton Barracks, Northern Ireland
570 USAF MQs RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk. (Lords Walk Estate) Let to the USAF
266 Hirings Tricomm military Portfolio let to MOD located in Bristol & Bath
172 Married Quarters RAF West Raynham 185 acre airfield site includ tech site, 4 hangars
127 Married Quarters RAF Faldingworth, Lincs (renamed Virginia Estate)
133 Married Quarters RAF Middleton St George Durham (renamed Virginia Estate)
80 Married Quarters RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wilts (Thickwood Estate)
30 Married Quarters RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset (Hermes Place)
20 Married Quarters RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset (Lyster Close)
110 Married Quarters RN Chatham, Kent (Walderslade MQ’s)
20 Married Quarters Army Quarters, Barlow, Yorks
55 Married Quarters RAF Halton, Bucks
80 Married Quarters RNAS Eglinton, Londonderry (City Airport) Northern Ireland
60 Married Quarters RAF Brize Norton, Oxon
30 Married Quarters RNAS Portland, Dorset (Southwell)
30 Married Quarters RNAS Portland, Dorset (Easton)
Airfield & Tech. Site RAF Hemswell, Lincs
70 Married Quarters RAF Manby, Lincs (Siskin Crescent MQs)
42 Married Quarters RAF Brawdy, Dyfed (St Davids Estate Haverfordwest)
Bomber Command HQ RAF Bawtry, S.Yorks
22 Married Quarters RAF Hemswell, Lincs
70 Married Quarters RAF North Coates, Lincs. Airfield & 260,000 sq ft Tech.Site.
42 Married Quarters RAF Shotley Gate (HMS Ganges)
210 USAF MQs RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk and 235 Acre Tech. Site
90 Army MQs Tidworth Garrison Wilts. (Perham Down MQs)
110 Married Quarters RAF Scampton, Lincs
101 Married Quarters RAF Harwell, Oxon (UKAEA housing)
93 Married Quarters RAF Finningley, Doncaster
300 USAF & RAF MQs RAF Bicester, Oxon
80 Married Quarters RAF Upwood, Cambs
50 Married Quarters RAF Linton on Ouse, Yorks
30 Married Quarters RAF Cranwell, Huntingdon
92 Married Quarters RN Rosyth, Edinburgh, Scotland
321 Officers NCO MQ RAF Kinloss, Forres. Scotland
144 USAF & RAF MQs RAF Edzell, Brechin, Scotland

In 1996 the Conservative government decided to privatise the entire 55,000 Married Quarter Estate in England and Wales occupied by serving UK personnel. In partnership with Bankers Trust and a few UK pension funds Roger raised £1.66 billion and offered this amount to HM Government for the 66,000 housing MQ Estate. Out of an original list of 100 approved bidders Roger's Group and the Japanese bank Nomura were the final two approved buyers. Despite severe criticism by former and serving military personnel at that time Michael Portillo, the then Defence Minister awarded the sale to Nomura and Roger's all British Consortium fully funded offer lost out by less than 0.02% of the sale's price. Nomura quickly decided to crate an English sounding company to manage the estate and Annington Homes was formed that remains in place as the Married Quarter owners to this day.

Trust you will find all this of interest?

Charles, Lord Camster FIIV
Public Relations
Welbeck Estate Group

 

[Graham Innes]

I don't think these pages are the correct forum for politics or advertising. Why not come on with a plan to save more of the less financially productive technical buildings. Using some of the money made from house sales or estates. Thus, people would then realise preservation really is part of the deal. The history of our fine Forces and Stations is dissappearing.

 

[Marc B]

I don't think these pages are the correct forum for politics or advertising. Why not come on with a plan to save more of the less financially productive technical buildings. Using some of the money made from house sales or estates. Thus, people would then realise preservation really is part of the deal. The history of our fine Forces and Stations is dissappearing.

Wow I've just read through the original posting of 2020 and apart from the author made a single posting only on the site with no personal introduction there's such a lot of fine detail in the content. Just shows how ignorant I am about the UK and also reminds me of the second Rowan Atkinson spy film when Johnny English returns to the UK and finds MI-6 managed by the Toshiba Corporation.

 

[Hayman]

I don't think these pages are the correct forum for politics or advertising. Why not come on with a plan to save more of the less financially productive technical buildings. Using some of the money made from house sales or estates. Thus, people would then realise preservation really is part of the deal. The history of our fine Forces and Stations is dissappearing.

I certainly would not call it either political or an advertisement - just a report of what someone in the right place at the right time was able to do to conserve perfectly usable buildings. I agree that "less financially productive technical buildings" are not thought of as worth preserving, perhaps because of the still very present negative attitude towards anything to do with 'trade' and any job involving dirt or sweat.

 

[Graham Innes]

Could be. However, money always wins! We are all entitled to our opinion. Posting these large large self promoting type of comments can be seen as back door advertising. Particularly when they are on this kind of site or on a site wher history or preservation is the main aim.

 

[smileysal]

Could be. However, money always wins! We are all entitled to our opinion. Posting these large large self promoting type of comments can be seen as back door advertising. Particularly when they are on this kind of site or on a site wher history or preservation is the main aim.

How is it self promoting? The man is explaining the military history of Welbeck Estates AND the Welbeck Estate Group.

I for one, being local to Welbeck Abbey, and Estate, loved reading about the military side of it.

It would be brilliant if the Welbeck Estate Group had a Derelict Places meet to visit ALL the tunnels, and as there were hundreds of tanks etc hidden in those said tunnels ready for D-Day. (as well as other military remains from WW2 that are on land belonging to The Welbeck Estate Group.

The Elephant Hut, where a gymnastics club now resides, was used by the military as tennis courts and gym, so when i worked there, that part of the history interested me.

Still no idea why its called the Elephant Hut, unless the duke had elephants there, which theres no information on.

 

[Wrench]

Wow I've just read through the original posting of 2020 and apart from the author made a single posting only on the site with no personal introduction there's such a lot of fine detail in the content. Just shows how ignorant I am about the UK and also reminds me of the second Rowan Atkinson spy film when Johnny English returns to the UK and finds MI-6 managed by the Toshiba Corporation.

It's surprising just how many members do not use the introduction page but instead just ask for locations and info, at least thus chap was giving info and history rather than asking for something.

 

[Wrench]

I don't see this as self promotion or advertising, as smileysal said it's an in depth history of the military side of the place

 

[Wrench]



I am the PR consultant for the Welbeck Estate Group (TWSG) and reading through your excellent Website I thought you may find this of interest as our Group have for the past 40 years specialised in the purchase of former MOD property -mainly married quarters but also a couple of ex RAF airfields at North Coates and Hemswell and the former Bomber/Strike Command HQ Bawtry Hall. Our Chairman, Roger Byron-Collins is an RAF Brat, the son of an RAF Aircrew Officer of 42 years service and all his colleagues have former RAF backgrounds. He is our driving force and l thought this may interest you and your researchers. Through his company Welbeck Estate Group, preceded by First State Holdings the specialty has always been the preservation and retention of former MOD properties which has been his stated aim since he bought his first military site at RAF Faldingworth Lincolnshire in 1980. The married quarters on this airfield were modernised then sold and many of the buyers over the years have been serving or ex RAF personnel for whom he operated a discount and assistance scheme.

Our chairman's father, Arthur was a long term RAF Pilot/Navigator officer serving from 1939 to before retiring at RAF Northolt in 1980. Roger's first home was an MQ at RAF Driffield in 1946 moving in 1950 to RAF Waddington where his father flew Avro Lincolns. Roger lived in Married Quarters between 1946 and 1970 at RAF Driffield, Hemswell, Waddington, Marham, Waterbeach, Watton, Tangmere, Khormaksar Aden, Wildenrath Germany and Northolt. Whilst living in MQs at RAF Northolt he attended college training as a surveyor in London. After qualifying he went into the property business making a decision to specialise in the purchase, preservation of not only married quarters but technical domestic and airfield sites. Whilst living at RAF Northolt he made friends with a senior USAF military neighbour and as a result in 1979 he went to Arlington Virginia USA opening an office opposite The Pentagon. Within 6 months he purchased two apartment blocks of 300 and 180 apartments named The Cavendish and The Lancaster adjacent to the Pentagon and US Navy Annex and occupied mainly by the US military. Roger commuted every two weeks between Heathrow and Washington Dulles airports by Concorde as the UK business was flourishing as well. In 1979 Mrs Thatcher's Conservative government announced there were a surplus of MQ sites and disused airfields which were to be sold. Roger purchased his first military site which comprised 127 former NCO quarters at RAF Faldingworth, north of Lincoln. This was his first ex MOD purchase and applied an American concept to these houses by the installation of a swimming pool and club house which he donated to all the buyers. The married quarters were renamed The Virginia Estate after his recently opened office in Arlington Virginia and the roads renamed after areas around Washington such as Washington Drive, Prince William Road, Fairfax Road. At only 33 years of age this proved very successful for him and he went on to acquire a further ex MOD 35 sites over the following 35 years including the following:

66 RAF & Army MQs RAF Ballykelly/Shackleton Barracks, Northern Ireland
570 USAF MQs RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk. (Lords Walk Estate) Let to the USAF
266 Hirings Tricomm military Portfolio let to MOD located in Bristol & Bath
172 Married Quarters RAF West Raynham 185 acre airfield site includ tech site, 4 hangars
127 Married Quarters RAF Faldingworth, Lincs (renamed Virginia Estate)
133 Married Quarters RAF Middleton St George Durham (renamed Virginia Estate)
80 Married Quarters RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wilts (Thickwood Estate)
30 Married Quarters RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset (Hermes Place)
20 Married Quarters RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset (Lyster Close)
110 Married Quarters RN Chatham, Kent (Walderslade MQ’s)
20 Married Quarters Army Quarters, Barlow, Yorks
55 Married Quarters RAF Halton, Bucks
80 Married Quarters RNAS Eglinton, Londonderry (City Airport) Northern Ireland
60 Married Quarters RAF Brize Norton, Oxon
30 Married Quarters RNAS Portland, Dorset (Southwell)
30 Married Quarters RNAS Portland, Dorset (Easton)
Airfield & Tech. Site RAF Hemswell, Lincs
70 Married Quarters RAF Manby, Lincs (Siskin Crescent MQs)
42 Married Quarters RAF Brawdy, Dyfed (St Davids Estate Haverfordwest)
Bomber Command HQ RAF Bawtry, S.Yorks
22 Married Quarters RAF Hemswell, Lincs
70 Married Quarters RAF North Coates, Lincs. Airfield & 260,000 sq ft Tech.Site.
42 Married Quarters RAF Shotley Gate (HMS Ganges)
210 USAF MQs RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk and 235 Acre Tech. Site
90 Army MQs Tidworth Garrison Wilts. (Perham Down MQs)
110 Married Quarters RAF Scampton, Lincs
101 Married Quarters RAF Harwell, Oxon (UKAEA housing)
93 Married Quarters RAF Finningley, Doncaster
300 USAF & RAF MQs RAF Bicester, Oxon
80 Married Quarters RAF Upwood, Cambs
50 Married Quarters RAF Linton on Ouse, Yorks
30 Married Quarters RAF Cranwell, Huntingdon
92 Married Quarters RN Rosyth, Edinburgh, Scotland
321 Officers NCO MQ RAF Kinloss, Forres. Scotland
144 USAF & RAF MQs RAF Edzell, Brechin, Scotland

In 1996 the Conservative government decided to privatise the entire 55,000 Married Quarter Estate in England and Wales occupied by serving UK personnel. In partnership with Bankers Trust and a few UK pension funds Roger raised £1.66 billion and offered this amount to HM Government for the 66,000 housing MQ Estate. Out of an original list of 100 approved bidders Roger's Group and the Japanese bank Nomura were the final two approved buyers. Despite severe criticism by former and serving military personnel at that time Michael Portillo, the then Defence Minister awarded the sale to Nomura and Roger's all British Consortium fully funded offer lost out by less than 0.02% of the sale's price. Nomura quickly decided to crate an English sounding company to manage the estate and Annington Homes was formed that remains in place as the Married Quarter owners to this day.

Trust you will find all this of interest?

Charles, Lord Camster FIIV
Public Relations
Welbeck Estate Group
Web: The Welbeck Estate Group

Sir,
Thank you for the post and the very detailed history of this place.

Your input is much appreciated

 

[Marc B]

It's surprising just how many members do not use the introduction page

I think this may be what may some people had been expecting and feel dissapointed just only find the one posting. Actually, going by the great detailed content of this original posting that's quite a solid introduction itself about the author. I should take back what I said earlier about not introducing himself.

 

[Wrench]

I think this may be what may some people had been expecting and feel dissapointed just only find the one posting. Actually, going by the great detailed content of this original posting that's quite a solid introduction itself about the author. I should take back what I said earlier about not introducing

I think this may be what may some people had been expecting and feel dissapointed just only find the one posting. Actually, going by the great detailed content of this original posting that's quite a solid introduction itself about the author. I should take back what I said earlier about not introducing himself.

I thought it was a rather good introduction tbh

I do wish new users would do it tho

 

[Graham Innes]

How is it self promoting? The man is explaining the military history of Welbeck Estates AND the Welbeck Estate Group.

I for one, being local to Welbeck Abbey, and Estate, loved reading about the military side of it.

It would be brilliant if the Welbeck Estate Group had a Derelict Places meet to visit ALL the tunnels, and as there were hundreds of tanks etc hidden in those said tunnels ready for D-Day. (as well as other military remains from WW2 that are on land belonging to The Welbeck Estate Group.

The Elephant Hut, where a gymnastics club now resides, was used by the military as tennis courts and gym, so when i worked there, that part of the history interested me.

Still no idea why its called the Elephant Hut, unless the duke had elephants there, which theres no information on.

Perhaps but I would and many others, would like to see them preserve more of the Technical buildings for future generations to see. A small proportion of profits could be set asside to do this. Definately not against change but prefer to have some more conservation of our rich history running alongside.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

Sadly; most of these WW11 era buildings were constructed to do an immediate short term function. Thus no longterm future was envisage - most were poorly constructed and full of asbestos. It is thus a very expensive undertaking to safely preserve these structures; spent many hundreds of hours carrying structural and asbestos surveys on the buildings from that era, taken over by my old employer.

 

[Hayman]

It is strange that the original post was made over a year ago. And nothing until now. Or were there other reactions at the time? Looking online, there is a Lord Roland Crichton-Stuart of Camster who was an officer in the Parachute Regiment. Since he was in the forces, and so were several of those involved with the Welbeck organisation, perhaps that is the connection with the username of the PR consultant for the Welbeck Estate Group who started this thread.

Reading through the original post, I fail to understand the unpleasant comments being made here about it. I do not know if it is 'the right thing to do', but below is from the RAFWatton.info website, about the same person who chose to buy up a large number of ex-RAF married quarters, refurbish them and - obviously - sell them at a profit, in order to repeat the procedure. How is that, "Money always wins"? I'd call it good stewardship of this country's heritage.

START

RAF WATTON WEBSITE
William Carruthers from Bishops Stortford wrote on February 15, 2021 at 8:26 am
Married Quarters, airfields, Roger Byron Collins & Welbeck Estate

Having lived in MQs at RAF Watton between 1958 and 1961 I was lucky enough to live a few doors down from M/Nav Arthur Collins, his wife Doreen and his two sons Robert and Roger in Dixon Close. Arthur was aircrew B29 Washington and our families became close. Sadly, l totally lost touch with the Collins family! That was until a most incredible situation happened 20 years later when I purchased two former RAF houses in Lincolnshire at RAF Hemswell and RAF Faldingworth.. It transpired that the companies that owned both the sites, Welbeck Estate Group were owned by none other than Roger Collins. After I finally made contact with him, he was delighted to meet up with his old pal again...and he gave me a decent discount! My goodness he had advanced himself so after reading various references on their website: www.twsg.co.uk I decided to look further into this amazing character's background both for his love of military housing but his benevolence in dealing with former military personnel.

For the past 40 years Roger has specialised in the purchase of former MOD property -mainly married quarters but also all the MQs and entire tech site at RAF West Raynham plus a couple of ex RAF airfields at North Coates and Hemswell and the former Bomber/Strike Command HQ Bawtry Hall. It transpired that Roger and all his Welbeck colleagues have former RAF backgrounds. He is their driving force and his specialty has always been the preservation and retention of former MOD properties which has been his stated aim since he bought his first military site at in 1979. With former MOD housing after purchase the houses were modernised to a high standard and when were initially resold a large number of the buyers over the years have been serving or ex RAF personnel as Byron-Collins operated a discount and assistance scheme.

When making further investigations I learnt that Roger's father Arthur, was long term RAF aircrew serving from 1939 to before retiring at RAF Northolt in 1979. His first home was an MQ at RAF Driffield in 1946 moving in 1950 to RAF Waddington where Arthur flew Avro Lincolns and B29 Washingtons. They lived in Married Quarters between 1946 and 1970 at RAF Driffield, Hemswell, Waddington, Marham, Waterbeach, Watton, Tangmere, Khormaksar Aden, Wildenrath Germany and Northolt. Whilst living in MQs at RAF Northolt he attended college training as a surveyor in London. After qualifying he went into the property business making a decision to specialise in the purchase, preservation of not only married quarters but technical domestic and airfield sites. Whilst living at RAF Northolt he made friends with a senior USAF military neighbour and as a result in 1979 he went to Arlington Virginia USA opening an office opposite The Pentagon. Within 6 months he purchased two apartment blocks of 480 apartments named The Cavendish and The Lancaster adjacent to the Pentagon and US Navy Annex and occupied mainly by the US military.

Roger commuted every two weeks between Heathrow and Washington Dulles airports by Concorde as the UK business was flourishing as well. In 1979 Mrs Thatcher's Conservative government announced there were a surplus of MQ sites and disused airfields which were to be sold. Roger purchased his first military site which comprised 127 former NCO quarters at RAF Faldingworth, north of Lincoln. From his experience gained with his US military housing purchase andhe applied an American concept to these houses by the installation of a swimming pool and club house which he donated to all the buyers.

The married quarters were renamed The Virginia Estate after his recently opened office in Arlington Virginia and the roads renamed after areas around Washington such as Washington Drive, Prince William Road, Fairfax Road.

At only 33 years of age this proved very successful for him and he went on to acquire a further ex MOD 35 sites over the following 35 years including the following: 570 USAF MQs RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk. (Lords Walk Estate) Let to the USAF 300 RAF/USAF MQs RAF Bicester, Oxon 266 MOD Hirings Tricomm Portfolio let to MOD located in Bristol & Bath 172 Married Quarters RAF West Raynham 185 acre airfield site, tech site, 4 hangars 127 Married Quarters RAF Faldingworth, Lincs (renamed Virginia Estate) 133 Married Quarters RAF Middleton St George Durham (renamed Virginia Estate) 80 Married Quarters RAF Colerne, Chippenham, Wilts (Thickwood Estate) 30 Married Quarters RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset (Hermes Place) 20 Married Quarters RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset (Lyster Close) 110 Married Quarters RN Chatham, Kent (Walderslade MQ’s) 20 Married Quarters Army Quarters, Barlow, Yorks 55 Married Quarters RAF Halton, Bucks 66 RAF & Army MQs RAF Ballykelly/Shackleton Barracks, Northern Ireland 80 Married Quarters RNAS Eglinton, Londonderry (City Airport) Northern Ireland 92 Married Quarters RN Rosyth, Edinburgh, Scotland 321 Officers NCO MQ RAF Kinloss, Forres. Scotland 144 USAF & RAF MQs RAF Edzell, Brechin, Scotland 60 Married Quarters RAF Brize Norton, Oxon 30 Married Quarters RNAS Portland, Dorset (Southwell) 30 Married Quarters RNAS Portland, Dorset (Easton) Airfield & Tech. Site RAF Hemswell, Lincs 70 Married Quarters RAF Manby, Lincs (Siskin Crescent MQs) 42 Married Quarters RAF Brawdy, Dyfed (St Davids Estate Haverfordwest) Bomber Command HQ RAF Bawtry, S.Yorks 22 Married Quarters RAF Hemswell, Lincs 70 Married Quarters RAF North Coates, Lincs. Airfield & 260,000 sq ft Tech.Site. 42 Married Quarters RAF Shotley Gate (HMS Ganges) 90 Army MQs Tidworth Garrison Wilts. (Perham Down MQs) 110 Married Quarters RAF Scampton, Lincs 101 Married Quarters RAF Harwell, Oxon (UKAEA housing) 93 Married Quarters RAF Finningley, Doncaster 80 Married Quarters RAF Upwood, Cambs 50 Married Quarters RAF Linton on Ouse, Yorks 30 Married Quarters RAF Cranwell, Huntingdon 210 USAF MQs RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk and 235 Acre Tech. Site

In 1996 the Conservative government decided to privatise the entire 55,000 Married Quarter Estate in England and Wales occupied by serving UK personnel. In partnership with Bankers Trust, Hodge Bank, Europa Capital and a few UK pension funds Roger raised £1.66 billion for the Ministry of Defence's 55,000 married quarter houses estate. Out of an original list of 100 approved bidders Roger's Group and the Japanese bank Nomura were the final two approved buyers. Despite severe criticism by former and serving military personnel at that time Michael Portillo, the then Defence Minister awarded the sale to Nomura and Roger's all British Consortium fully funded offer lost out by less than 0.2% of the sale's price. Nomura quickly decided to create an English sounding company to manage the estate and Annington Homes was formed that remains in place as the Married Quarter owners. As well as Roger's MOD property interests, he had also started an airline! See link: www.saadonline.uk/archives/190

Whilst living with his parents at RAF Northolt at 17 he decided to obtain a PPL and started on a course at nearby Denham! He realised that it was only for professionals as he nearly had a nasty accident on landing. However, he continued his aviation interest and purchased his first ex RAF Devon at 25 from Lulsgate Aviation Services of Bristol airport.

Shortly afterwards he was approached by Harry Chang, a pilot of the then recently collapsed 'troop carrier' airline, Lloyds International who had available two contracts with Conoco and The Ford Motor Company. The first was to move offshore oil rig workers around North Sea ports and the second to convey spare parts for the recently introduced Ford Capri between Dagenham and Dusseldorf. With these contracts he formed Macedonian Aviation and immediately established a base at Southend airport. In 1972 he went before the Civil Aviation Committee to obtain an AOC and the CAA chairman at the time was Lord Boyd-Carpenter. When the AOC was granted, he passed comment that "Mr Byron-Collins at only 26 years of age must be one of the youngest persons in British aviation history to be awarded with an AOC". Roger's earliest contracts were in the late autumn of 1972 when he ferried Michael Jackson, Jackson Five on their UK tour and Donny Osmond and the Osmonds.

END

If "Money always wins", rather than damn Roger Collins, ask Michael Portillo what he got from selling out to a Japanese bank.

 

[Marc B]

I'm taking the risk of hijacking the thread to promote and advertise Roger Byron-Collins but it turns out as an individual he's an incredible character and driving force. There's a little about him as a person in this link here:

roger-byron-collins-of-welbeck-estate-group-starts-airline-southend-1972

Someone posted a comment that he airlifted them out of a warzone in the middle of hostilities and Roger's Dakota had to take off from the perimeter track because the runway was damaged. Then they met him again while negotiating to buy a ex-government property.

 

[Hayman]

I'm taking the risk of hijacking the thread to promote and advertise Roger Byron-Collins but it turns out as an individual he's an incredible character and driving force. There's a little about him as a person in this link here:

roger-byron-collins-of-welbeck-estate-group-starts-airline-southend-1972

Someone posted a comment that he airlifted them out of a warzone in the middle of hostilities and Roger's Dakota had to take off from the perimeter track because the runway was damaged. Then they met him again while negotiating to buy a ex-government property.

I was going to say, "Roger Byron-Collins for Prime Minister", but his sort are generally above politics. Look at how he got shanghaied by Portillo. Or should that read "tokyoed"?