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Photo's from my Father's album


PhilB

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Hi Phil, lovely photos. That one is a Fairey III - need to check which version!! Instinct says IIIF but I have the Air Britain book at home.

Thanks Dave,

I new the guys on the forums would come up trumps!

I didn't realise how many different types were operated in the years between the wars.

 

Phil

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I don't think so - probably in Dark Earth/Dark Green camouflage.

I think you are right Dave.

The "LE" code means its a 242 Sdn machine.

I think it looks darker as its in shadow.

I have scanned in the photo again and it looks like a couple of Beaufighters and at least a whole Squadron of Hurricanes waiting to scramble in the background.

 

Phil

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I think you are right Dave.

The "LE" code means its a 242 Sdn machine.

I think it looks darker as its in shadow.

I have scanned in the photo again and it looks like a couple of Beaufighters and at least a whole Squadron of Hurricanes waiting to scramble in the background.

 

Phil

 

Yeah, I picked up upon the Beaufighters - and the camouflaged Hurricane. Nice picture of the Spitfire Vc...It certainly looks like the standard colour scheme for the period, and of course, the undersides are most certainly blathered in oil!

 

Thanks

 

Derek

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Yeah, I picked up upon the Beaufighters - and the camouflaged Hurricane. Nice picture of the Spitfire Vc...It certainly looks like the standard colour scheme for the period, and of course, the undersides are most certainly blathered in oil!

 

Thanks

 

Derek

 

Thanks Derek,

I was aware that 227 Squadron operated Beaufighters in 1942 and they had a local mod where they cut down the rear canopy and mounted a Vickers K gun.

I actually built one and posted it to Ready for Inspection a while ago.

I've cropped the airfield photo and I'm pretty sure that's what they are:

 

post-13803-1281961174.jpg

 

Like the two old steamrollers!

I thought this was a Hudson when I first looked but obviously it hasn't got the twin tailplanes.

Pretty sure its another Beau:

 

post-13803-1281961263.jpg

 

Phil

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I also cropped in the distance where I am sure these are Hurricanes.

I've counted at least 12 although I can't make out if they are parked or reved up and ready to go.

It would have been unusual to have them all out in the open unless they were preparing for take off

due to the threat of lone 109's or 88's doing strafing runs.

Think this was taken late on in the Hurricanes employment, the one near the steamroller appears to have a trop filter therefore possibly a IIC trop which I know

249 had(got one of those on RFI as well!)

 

post-13803-1281961681.jpg

 

I think these were taken using pretty low res film so its as sharp as I can get. The whole original photo is only 3"x 2"

 

Phil

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Thanks Derek,

I was aware that 227 Squadron operated Beaufighters in 1942 and they had a local mod where they cut down the rear canopy and mounted a Vickers K gun.

I actually built one and posted it to Ready for Inspection a while ago.

I've cropped the airfield photo and I'm pretty sure that's what they are:

 

post-13803-1281961174.jpg

 

Like the two old steamrollers!

I thought this was a Hudson when I first looked but obviously it hasn't got the twin tailplanes.

Pretty sure its another Beau:

 

post-13803-1281961263.jpg

 

Phil

Is that Martin Maryland? Warburton did PR over Taranto in that and brought the ships aerial home!

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Great pictures Phil, a very rare treat, many thanks for sharing!

You are welcome Andy.

 

Looks like a Blenheim to me. Is that other plane the Maryland that Warburton used for PR????!!

I think you are right!

 

I also think it's a Blenhiem and a Baltimore in the other pic.

Graham, Dr Dave and Dave F,

I think you are right then Gents.

I bow to your knowledge about the Blenheim so Blenheim it is.

The Maryland makes sense too.

In the book "Hurricanes over Malta" there is a passage about Warburton who used to "borrow" aircraft without really asking permission much to the annoyance of many!

He often used the Maryland and there are several stories of him being shot up by his own side.

On one occasion he was intercepted by a Hurricane after a night take off. Despite firing off the colours of the day the Hurricane persisted until Warburton got so fed up he ordered

his rear gunner (who was a very good shot) to let him have it which he did.

The Hurricane pilot managed to get his badly damaged plane back on the deck, and Warby later sent him a get well card in Hospital!

He also used a PR Blue Hurricane I for recon stuff from which they had removed all the armour and guns etc and installed cameras.

That would be a pretty interesting aircraft.

 

Blenheim and Maryland it is then!

 

Phil

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I was doing one of those jobs today that I had been meaning to do for a long time and that is to scan in a lot of old photographs.

Some of you may be aware of my father's service in the Royal Air Force from posts on my Malta 109 build.

 

The apprentice college was based at RAF Halton where trainees were taught engineering from the very basics so they could effectively build an aircraft from scratch.

Here are some of the aircraft they trained on:

 

HaltonAerodrome1925.jpg

 

Phil

 

Hiya Phil,

 

Brilliant pictures!

 

The hangars are still operational today and house (on the left) RAF Halton Aero Club (of which I'm a member) and RAF Halton Microlight club. The hangar on the right houses the RAF Gliding and Soaring Association.

 

Oh - and they *did* build an aircraft from scratch - the Mayfly (HAC 1 and HAC 2)

 

We have a Facebook page for the flying club - would you allow me to post the pictures of Halton - with fullaccreditaion of course?

 

The other pics are superb also - a period I'm really interested in as my grandfather did his flying training with the Fleet Air Arm in the mid thirties.

 

Iain

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Hiya Phil,

 

Brilliant pictures!

 

The hangars are still operational today and house (on the left) RAF Halton Aero Club (of which I'm a member) and RAF Halton Microlight club. The hangar on the right houses the RAF Gliding and Soaring Association.

 

Oh - and they *did* build an aircraft from scratch - the Mayfly (HAC 1 and HAC 2)

 

We have a Facebook page for the flying club - would you allow me to post the pictures of Halton - with fullaccreditaion of course?

 

The other pics are superb also - a period I'm really interested in as my grandfather did his flying training with the Fleet Air Arm in the mid thirties.

 

Iain

 

Hi Iain,

No problems at all with posting the pictures, you are more than welcome.

The first set are postcards. In those days there weren't too many cameras about so some enterprising soul used to sell them

to the apprentices. The "dodgy" writing on the front was done by the photographer.

I was at Halton a few years ago for an exhibition and it was interesting to see the old accomodation blocks still there.

Here is a photo of the remembrance day parade in 1926:

 

Halton.jpg

 

You will probably recognise some of the buildings?

 

The photo of the "Bugle" is actually an early Boulton & Paul design (they of the Defiant) There is a Wickipedia entry but no photo.

Apparently they only built seven.

Perhaps I have a rare picture of it???

 

Phil

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