Warbird Information Exchange

Hi all,

Just picked up the latest copy of aeroplane monthly and there was a very interesting item about an aircraft left on an airbase area but in thick jungle, there is even a map showing the location. It was identified as a Beaufighter.

Didn't we have some WIX contacts there? Suppose it's still there, stranger things have happened

Cheers

Cees

Hi Cees

Haven't heard the Beaufighter stuff before but I have photos of a lot of Swordfish parts left behind there including wing panels and I think there was mention at the time of some Walrus stuff there - this was many years ago and I was too young to make my way there at the time - it was all on a scrap yard on "Candy Road ".

Regards
John Parker

PS Haven't heard from you for a while on this site - would you like to give an update of recent activities over your way.

_________________
Air Vice Marshall
Sunshine State Air Farce

Whats the name of the Airfield? and which part of the country is it in?

_________________
Warbirds of India

China Bay rings a bell

Yes, it is China Bay, the aircraft is in secondary jungle to the left of the road going north to Trinco.

The chap who wrote the letter also sent in a map showing the location. Now if only somone could have a look around there. A search party tried to reach the site but gave up as a result of the dense jungle, and that was in 1956!!!

Now if only

Cees

The North Eastern Sri Lanka, encompassing the Trinco area would fall under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the anti govt force fighting the Sri Lankan Army for a seperate tamil homeland for over two decades.

China Bay would be in the Trincomalee Area. This place has been the bedrock of the War between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Tamil Eelaam tigers (the LTTE) . At the height of the war, leaving the airfield, no Govt force or official would venture out in the jungle, the LTTE militants controlling all the areas outside the military bases. When the Indian Army was there in the Sri Lankan Area, the IA carried out a number of jungle counter insurgency op against the LTTE in that area - they found it difficult to control the movements of the rebels and the LTTE knew the jungles like no one else.

Today the Norwegian government is brokering a peace accord between the Govt and the Rebels. For now the NE area is under rebel control and administrative jurisdiction lies with the LTTE. The LTTE knows the jungle as the back of thier hand and if they had found the beau, they would have stripped it for its guns and weaponry. And I am sure they would have mentioned it in one of thier umpteen websites. These guys are very good with thier history keeping and history recordings, even filming thier 'suicide attacks' on video for posterity and motivational purposes.

All said and done, it might be worth going thru the rebels rather than the govt.

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Warbirds of India

Thanks for the insight Jagan!

Mike

_________________
Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.ca
http://www.facebook.com/AerialVisuals

Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the Airframes Database.

Jagan--

Echoing Mike...thanks much for that indepth detail. This is the sort of thing that makes WIX terrific! An exchange of info between enthusiasts in Holland and India (watched with great interest by us Canucks and others), which, who knows, could lead to a long-lost Beau reappearing in Sri Lanka. Man, I love this forum!

Cheers

S.

Steve my friend,

Enthusiasts???? wrong!!!!!! ------> posessed/obsessed!!! YES!!!

Ahhh, I feel the need, the need for...............warbirds!!!!



Cheers

Cees

Hi All,

Im from Sri lanka and i like to know more info about this beaufighter.Since the Sri lankan Civil war is over their might be a chance that someone able to go to the place and see the current condition its in (If its still there).Also Sri Lankan Air Force opened a Museum in Rathmalana and mebe they will find some interest in this wonderful ww2 Plane and restore it. Cees Broere happen to mentioned a map that mark the spot of the plane in china bay. Can someone please upload the map and the article about this beaufighter (areoplane monthly)

Cheers
bime007

During WWII The Royal Navy operated from an airfield called "Trincomalee" and the RAF from a base called "China Bay". Are these two airbases one in the same??

As I know "China Bay" is the "Trincomalee" air base. AKA "HMS Bambara".


More info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trincomalee_Garrison
http://www.airforce.lk/pages.php?pages= ... rld_war_ii
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ai ... Royal_Navy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fo ... F_Stations