While fearless pilots such as Roland ‘Bee’ Beamont are quite rightly part of Lightning folklore, the role played by men such as Mike Hardman – building and testing the mighty Cold War machines – should not be forgotten
An exhilarating week’s gliding course at Hawkinge, Kent, was crowned by Air Training Corps cadet Mike Hardman gaining his ‘wings’. There was more excitement to come when he got back home. Mike was shocked when his mother told him: “You'll have to get to bed early, you start work at English Electric at 7.30am tomorrow.”
That summer, in 1956, he had completed a one-year basic engineering course at Blackpool Technical College, Lancashire. This included trips to local factories, and Mike was impressed with the Hawker plant at Squires Gate, Blackpool: “It was wonderful, superbly organised.”
In the flight shed stood the last four Hunters for the RAF, their camouflage beautifully polished, awaiting collection. On the final assembly line was a batch for the Swedish Air Force, plus a few in the repair shop, but little else. Mike reluctantly concluded the factory’s future did not look bright, and told his parents he would apply instead to be an apprenti…
