Going to London in the UK for 3 days!

[dhfan]

I can see the Handley-Page Halifax recovered from a Norwegian fiord IIRC and a Gloster Gladiator.

The remains in several parts I have my suspicions but as I've never actually seen them and don't know where they are supposed to be, I'll keep quiet as it's a complete guess.

The pre-WWI monoplane looks like a Bleriot to me but since what I know of that era of aviation could be written on a postage stamp in letters a couple of feet high...

[Hooligan2]

Definitely a Bleriot - ex Nash Collection Bleriot XXVII it seems.

Great pics Michel!

[blurrkup]

The remains in several parts I have my suspicions but as I've never actually seen them and don't know where they are supposed to be, I'll keep quiet as it's a complete guess.

The bits of wreckage I believe are Shorts Stirling from what I read on the UKAR forum.

[Michel Lemieux]

Old Iron.

There is a Gloster Gladiator
The larger wreck is the tail of a Stirling this one really surprised me
The Halifax obviously
And the pre-ww1 plane is a Bleriot I think.

[dhfan]

I'd already discounted my initial guess as being rubbish but I would never have thought Stirling.

I wasn't aware there was that much of a Stirling extant anywhere.

[LysanderUK]

The pre-war monoplane is indeed the Bleriot XXVII, thought to have been built by Bleriot himself in his summer holidays. It was brought to England in the 1930's by the famous RG Nash and was unfortunately pranged by him at Brooklands shortly afterwards and didn't fly again (a number of the RAFM's WW1 and pre-WW1 aircraft came from the Nash Collection). The identity of it as a XXVII is up for debate as no original drawings or pictures survive and it's possible that it is actually a different type number. Such is the lack of firm evidence sometimes with very early flying machines.

The Stirling parts are from LK488, the famous Mickle Fell wreck that was recovered several decades ago. It has spent the years since in the RAFM store, so it's good to see these parts going on public display.

With regard to other surviving bits of Stirling, there are two rear fuselages surviving, one in Europe and the other in the UK. There's also The Stirling Project who've accumulated a large number of parts, and who are currently building up a cockpit section.

The Halifax is MK.II W1048, recovered from lake Hocklingen in Norway in the 1970's by an RAF dive team. She was hit while attacking the Tirpitz in April 1942 and belly landed on the frozen surface of the lake, the starboard wing burning off just as the aircraft hit the ice. All the crew survived, one injured taken PoW but the rest of the crew got to Sweden and were repatriated. The wreck is displayed largely as is, although one engine has been restored to a very high standard. The burnt off wing was also recovered and is displayed in very damaged condition alongside the fuselage.

Also from a lake in Norway is the Gladiator wreck, N5628. For a short time during the Nazi invasion of Norway in 1940, 263sqn RAF attempted to operate from the frozen surface of lake Lesjaskog. Despite some successes, the ice was bombed by the Luftwaffe within a couple of days and the ice began to break up. A number of Glads were burnt as the squadron evacuated and sank through the ice. This reck was recovered in the 1970's, again by an RAF dive team.

[Michel Lemieux]

Thank you Lysander!

Seeing the tail of the Stirling really made my day. The gunner hatch is the only reason I was able to recognize it.

Michel.

[Archer]

Aaargh! Never "the" in front of HMS.

Corrected now, my apologies! I probably meant to type 'the ... museum' and changed tactics halfway through. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!