Where are they now? Do you recognise these Hartlepool friends pictured in the 60s?

Richard Cuthbertson, now of Henley-on-Thames, was ‘doing some cleaning out’ when he discovered a photo taken 60 years ago when he lived in Hartlepool.

It showed Richard and fellow members of the West Hartlepool Model Aero Club and he told us: “I'm the younger one fourth from right.

"Others I remember are Dennis (4th from left), Olly (3rd from left), Ian (2nd from left), Bill (3rd from right).”

But who can provide us with more information on Richard’s fellow club members? He would love to find out more.

Richard added: “I left West Hartlepool as it was called then, aged 10, eventually starting a design and events business in Leicester then moving to London to expand the business internationally for 26 years.

"Given these businesses were all creative, solving communications problems worldwide for clients, I think that all the skills needed in those businesses of ideas generation, design, engineering, problem solving, teamwork, interpersonal relationships were all originally fostered within the West Hartlepool Model Aero Club."

Richard’s house in the Park Road area of town was often used for members to get together if the official club venue wasn’t available.

Richard added: “Some of us would meet in the workshop (my mother would call it her washing house which it was, taken over by me!) behind the house.

“We used to fly our planes of various kinds. Free flight, control line at an industrial area in Hartlepool that had a very large field and sometimes make trips to Thornaby airfield to do the same.

“Some of us including me also got into model boats and built fast hydroplanes with pylon propellers driven by small glo-plug engines.

"We used to make, I’m sure, a nuisance of ourselves racing them on the Ward Jackson Park lake, but we had great fun and the racing became ever more competitive.”

Can anyone help us with more details on these former members of the aero cub?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected] and telling us more.

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Hartlepool Mail website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.