Specific Short Sunderland Markings

The books listed are Secondary sources and cannot be relied upon to say if an aircraft was or was not issued to a squadron.

The best sources are Primary and held at two locations in the UK. All are open to personal inspection.

RAF Museum, Hendon.

RAF Form 78
This is the aircraft movement card.
It lists the manufacturer, contract number, manufacturers airframe number and RAF Serial. On either side of the small A5 card are a list of units assigned to, issue dates and authority signals. A note as to it’s disposal may also be listed.

RAF Form 1180
This is the aircraft accident card.
This was raised for mostly non enemy actions.
The pilot in command is recorded, brief details of the accident, summary of the court of enquiry and safety equipment used/phase of flight.

The National Archives, Kew
RAF Form 540 and 541
These collectively are known as the Operational Record Book.
This is the daily war diary of the unit and list details of the operational flights undertaken. Monthly summary details are included as well as significant postings in and out.

As with everything there are slight variations in recorded information for card to card.

May be time to look at these sources before deciding which information is correct and which is incorrect.

Regards
Ross

Get hold of the novel ‘A Funny Place to Hold a War’ by John Harris. It’s a fictionalised account of the activities of this unit, which Harris served on for real. (If I recall correctly). No pictures, but it does give you a feel for the place.

Sadly, W6063 isn’t listed so I was wondering if it was just an omission from the table?

I’m guessing (I don’t have the book) but it’s often the case the listing is one based on specific evidence, such as pictures or a document or documents; have a careful read, it may well tell you this.

Clearly they operated more than three Sunderlands, so it’s a partial list.

HTH.

That’s great, thanks! I notice that plane isn’t in the Warpaints listing either, so I’m not too worried now …

I have the Osprey Sunderland book. Here is a scan of the 95 Sqn. profile.

Okay, just going to bump this for a bit – I am continuing my research and have got hold of a book from the Warpaint Series (No. 25, Short Sunderland). Firstly I must highly praise this book – it is intended to assist model makers and enthusiasts with great detail on the plane, its history, lots of reference photos, colour plates of different markings and a 1/72 scale fold-out blueprint. The series has lots of different planes and cost under a tenner each.

Now, within this book is a table which lists “Short Sunderland Units and Representative Aircraft” (which is taken from “The Short Sunderland” by Chaz Bowyer, Aston Publications, 1989) in which 95 Squadron is listed with three planes: N9050, DV963, DW105. Sadly, W6063 isn’t listed so I was wondering if it was just an omission from the table?

Elsewhere in the book, there is a list of Sunderland and Seaford productions and serials and the Sunderland II W6050 to W6064 are down as being built in Belfast. This makes my great uncle’s plane the second-to-last Sunderland II to be built.

Which is nice.
🙂

On a related note, are there any pics of the Sierra Leone airfield? I was thinking about doing the model as a beached one with some figures and stuff, so am looking for what that might have looked like …

Hunting down that Osprey book atm at the local library. 🙂

So I guess I should just make a choice and stick with it unless any specific photos of that actual plane turn up …

Thanks for looking, I appreciate it.

This is only a guess on my part, but here goes. In the Osprey book on the Sunderland is the following

‘By 1943 most Sunderlands were operating in a new colour scheme apparently modelled on that of the Herring Gull, featuring dark sea grey and green camouflaged topsides and white undersides’ (page 56)

Then on page 56 is a photograph of Sunderland II W6058, which is only 5 numbers from ‘your’ Sunderland, and it shows it very clearly in the new colour scheme. So on the face of it, I would say it should wear the white undersides with camouflage on the top.

EDIT. It could not be so simple and clear cut, could it :rolleyes: I’ve found two more photos of 95 sq. machines. One is from 31st of May 1943, and shows a Sunderland III in the New Scheme. Another is dated 26th of May 1943 and shows a Sunderland III in the Old Scheme :confused: So, I think we will nerver know which would be the correct colour!

Thanks! I had found that site the other night, but wasn’t sure if it was correct as the Sunderland I was marked as a generic sample and it doesn’t list the Sunderland II. Good to know that there is a reason for just having the aircraft letter.

So, which of the two paint schemes would you think the Sunderland II might have, as an educated guess?

If you can get your hand on Osprey Combat Aircraft No 19 – Sunderland Squadrons of World War 2 ISBN 1 84176 024 2, you can see pictures of some 95 squadron machines. They confirm the template above to be correct in that 95 sq. was at the time one of the squadrons in Coastal Command that only displayed the aircraft’s individual letter.

Here is an idea of how a Sunderland of 95 sq. would have looked.

http://www.rafweb.org/SqnMark094-97.htm#95

Ross

You are a gem!

My great uncle was F/O Stafford Lovett!! He was (apparently) the only body not recovered. That is fantastic information, thank you very much!

So, what would be my best reference for the colour scheme of this plane?

Thanks again (just going to ring my father and let him know!) 😎

Hi,

F/O S W Lovett
P/O Davis
Sgt L R Hannaford
Sgt G W Graham
Sgt F Moody
Sgt Stanton
Sgt C E Bradbury
Sgt Crooks
Sgt W E S Cooke

If he was listed above then the details are:

31/03/43
95 Sqn
Sunderland II
W6063
Coded N for Nan

Op: Air Sea Rescue Search, RAF Half Die, Time Up 05:05 hrs

Took off to search for survivors of a torpedoed M/V, sighted the lifeboats at 13:15 hrs but flew into sea 04 30N 017 12W, at 14:05 hrs cause unknown. HMS Wastwater picked up the wounded crewmen but the others are commemorated on the Malta Memorial.

Should give you a better start.

Regards
Ross