Warbird Information Exchange

Looking for photo's of British Fleet Air Arm aircraft 1939 to 1946, especially a/c being scrapped or crashes. Anyone know of any good sites to go to?

I'm actually trying to find photo's for the FAA museum! just asking incase anyone has any in their personnel collections, especially of FAA a/c in the USA or Canada just after the war.

Hi Merlin I have some which I will scan for you - I assume you have looked at my other FAA stuff on my webshots account
http://community.webshots.com/user/setter125
It has quite a few in the FAA page although I imagine you have already been there

Regards
John P

_________________
Air Vice Marshall
Sunshine State Air Farce

Hi





Cheers
Martin

thanks swiss mustangs, exactly the sort I'm looking for

Hi Merlin--

Have two or three copy shots of an FAA Avenger that bellied-in near Port Hope, Ontario, in the winter of 44 or 45. Chap tuning my parents' piano lent me his brother's photo album many years back and I shot copies of most of it; the brother (since deceased) had served in the 6 Repair Depot (RCAF Trenton) Salvage Section from 1943-45. Most of the salvage work involved BCATP trainers (Ansons, Harvards, etc) but there were a few surprises in there including two Halifaxes, two Hampdens, a Beaufort, and this Avenger. In one shot the codes "IBR" are visible on the Avenger's rear fuselage; any idea what that might represent??

S.

Rob/Merlin--

Re the Avenger: The code could indeed be 1BR; the I or 1 just looks like a vertical line in the pic. BTW, the colour scheme looks like Temperate Sea, ie grey/slate uppers with Sky unders. B roundels on top of the wings, C1s on the sides. The 1BR or IBR (actually it's spaced as IB R, but all aft of the roundel) is a dark colour with a pale outline (red/yellow?). Would make a nice subject for a model. (And say, I do have a 1:72 TBF-1 waiting to be built.) I won't be one bit surprised if the Avenger in these pix turns out to have been Maine-based; I know of no Avenger-equipped units north of the border during wartime...

And thinking about the pix (I have now got them out for an actual look-see) reminded me that there was also a Walrus in the album, L2330, based at Aylmer for ASR, according to the 6RD chap who took the pix (actually I suppose that ought more accurately to be "ALR", since it's the Great Lakes we're dealing with in southern Ontario)!

Cheers

S.

Steve.T, any chance of mailing it to me? I've had a quick look through Avenger info I have and can't find any Avengers with a code like that! Can you see S/No? The Walrus is an ex-FAA a/c,ended up with the RCAF in 1943, again pic?

Great shots. I was pleased to see my B-25 in your collection. Loved that machine. Also my Avenger and 0-2 and my old Tora Zero.

Oscar Duck

Pleased you like them . I have quite a lot of your machines in the books here.

They are just the start I have around 40K images - both mine and historic stuff and I am working my way through them with a scanner most nights and more will go up in time. Let me know if there is anything you would like

I loved your B25 as well I followed it around a bit- - I was so sad that it stopped flying and then left - I fully understood the situation but I was just sad. Still we still have the one in the museum in Darwin and there is another very nice one out in the Tanami that may come out one day.


I remember when I was living at Cessnock I went to the airshow at Rutherford where the B25 was still flying in it's blue scheme. I left before you did and I went out to the back of the farm when I got home and the B25 was flying throught the Mountains trying to get home through low cloud and I took a video from the top of the mountain and you are flying BELOW me !!! I just watched it again a minute ago - What a hoot!!!

I assume the Spit legs I saw at FlyingFighters in April were yours. I think it is great you are building one up. I have seen the two over at the Airport and I wouldn't know where to start on the South African wreck.

Kindest regards
John P

_________________
Air Vice Marshall
Sunshine State Air Farce

Wow, how do I get a copy of that? That was me flying...

Hi

I will burn that and photos of your Aircraft onto a DVD for you- it will be a pleasure - as I said the B25 was a real favourite of mine - anywhere in the world - That Tiger just looked like it belonged and it had a sort of Aussie cheek about it!!!

I also have a copy of the TV special on the flight out - I suppose you have that ?

Regards
John

_________________
Air Vice Marshall
Sunshine State Air Farce

Merlin--

I should be able to get the prints scanned to CD; could then email the images to you. Re the serial of the Avenger, it isn't visible (wasn't on even the original print, which was of course better quality than these copy shots). Wonder though whether there's a period accident record from either the RCAF or the unit to which the Avenger belonged? There can't have been all that many TBFs that bellied in at Port Hope in the winter of 44-45...

Anyway, I've been intending to get some of these old shots scanned to CD anyway. Will fire off the Walrus and TBF when they're done.

Cheers

S.

Steve. T. The Avenger is from 738 Sqdn FAA, code being 1BR, unfortunately don't know s/no as yet! It was used for training British crews on US built A/C at Brunswick. DEFINATELY like a copy of photo! Use my e-mail if you wish.

COL. 738 sqdn was based as follows;
Quonset Point 1 Feb '43
Lewiston 31 Jul '43
Norfolk (DET) 2-14 Jan '45
Brunswick 14 Feb '45
Bar Harbour (DET) 14-25 Apr '45 & 25 May -" Jun '45
Norfolk (DET) 6-8 Jun '45
Squadron Disbanded 1 May 1950
Reformed 1950 until 1970.
So yes you were correct in saying that at time of incedent it would of been at Lewiston!