Thirteen personnel from RNAS Culdrose have taken part in project Rosalie, a restoration programme to preserve and restore a 1953 Avro Shackleton which actively served with the RAF for 29 years.

In 1972 the RAF named all their Shackletons after Magic Roundabout and Herbs character and WL795 became Rosalie. In 1989 Rosalie started a new life as the gate guardian at RAF St Mawgan, before being retired by the MoD in December 2014.

Following her retirement and tender announcement, a local community group Save Our Shackleton was set up to save Rosalie. Their hope was to retain her in Cornwall as a figurehead to allow local visitor groups, schools and colleges to learn about her history and stimulate an interest in aviation, science and engineering.

This initiative has been supported by RNAS Culdrose which is why volunteers from the air station took time out of their busy work schedules to travel to RAF St Mawgan in support of the restoration project. The team spent the day removing many of her larger components including the bomb doors, under carriage doors and many internal components to allow Rosalie to be transported to her new home and the restoration project to continue.

The Save our Shackleton group, who purchased the aircraft, have applied to form a registered charity under the name Rosalie. Their long term plan is to display her at the Newquay Aerohub Business Park once she has been restored.