RCAFM Museum – Halifax NA337 Unveiled!(Update)

Superb!

Can’t really add anything to what has already been said. A superb effort by all involved and a national treasure for the Canadians in remembrance of all her sons who flew and died in this type, not forgetting their ground crews. The expression on the elderly gentlemens face as he stands along side a main wheel leaning on it for support says it all!

Excellent what they have done to NA337, now that she’s finished
bring on LW170 for a similar treatment!

Watch this space:rolleyes:

Cheers

Cees

From The Trentonian:
http://www.trentonian.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1598115
Halifax bomber given ‘perfect resting place’
Posted By Ernst Kuglin – The Trentonian
Posted 23 hours ago

The Halifax Aircraft Association will officially turn over the historic Handley Page Halifax Aircraft MK VII NA 337 bomber to the National Air Force Museum of Canada in a ceremony this morning.

The aircraft is the museum’s showpiece.

The ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 this morning when Jeff Jeffery, president of the Halifax Aircraft Association, gives care and control of the bomber to museum executive director Chris Colton.

“The Halifax aircraft restoration team, supported by the over 5,000 members of the association, have done an extraordinary job in restoring the aircraft to be technically correct as originally built,” said Jeff Jeffery.

“We believe the museum is the perfect resting place to display the aircraft to remind all Canadians of the sacrifice of those who flew and those who died for the cause of freedom.”

The ceremony also marks the official opening of the Halifax Interpretive Display to the public.

The exhibit focuses on artifacts found within the wreckage of the aircraft when it was recovered from Lake Mjosa in 1995.

It tells the full story of this particular bomber, from its design stage to operational use during the Second World War. The public will also learn, step by step, the life of NA 337 2P-X and the destiny of its aircrew.

The completed Halifax display, as well as the museum’s newest exhibit, From the Burgess-Dunne to the Globemaster III, is now open for public viewing from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Halifax…..(like) NA 337.

Hope the Hendon one will be rebuilt the same way in a not too distant future

Back in 1982, there was a financial appeal (if memory serves correct – the RAFM) to folks visiting the museum & the general public at large – to donate money to the restoration of W,1048 (the Lake Hoklingen Halifax).

I seem to recall that a Terence Cuneo painting was comissioned to drum up support & was featured on an A.4 sized leaflet/flyer – urging ‘Joe Public’ & visitors to donate (how much & by what means).
I still have one of these, in a box, somewhere in my parents loft 6 miles away.

After some fair time the hierarchy at Hendon decided that they would now NOT attempt to restore W.1048 – but leave her (pretty much) as she is – with faded paint (& red corrosion inhibitor)……..but not before some genius had decided they’d restore the front turret framing. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Then, to everyones amazement, said hierarchy spent a (then) whopping £110,000 (at auction) on purchasing the actual V.C. from James Nicholson’s (hard up) widow.

A massive verbal furore ensued – I remember enthusiasts bombarding Flypast mag with complaints…….God alone knows how much of the £££’s that folks had donated to the W.1048 fund, ended up buying that ???

The amount that HAD been donated (prior), surely would have paid for considerably more than a ‘new-like’ nose turret frame, that looked so RIDICULOUS, on a 40 years (underwater) paint weathered Halifax.

I lost respect for those indecisive idiots running the place – reminds me of numerous other grand ****-up’s that our country is SO good at.

Don’t expect W.1048’s ‘as new’ restoration (now, or ever)…….unless you want to see her rebuilt as a replica of her own ‘rare’ self. 😀 😀 😀

absolutely beautiful. sadly my dad, an ex hali-man, passed on shortly before the yorkshire air museum finished theirs.he had followed it from the start.
And now, to think there are 2!
Brings a tear to my eye, as it did when i visited YAM after his death. Congratulations canada!

Halifax Wing Bomb Bay Compartments – How Many?

I have read that the Halifax had either two or three wing bomb bay compartments between the fuselage and both inboard engines. I have seen pictures which show three wing bomb bays on a Halifax Mk II, and a picture showing two compartments on the restored Mk III Halifax in Trenton. Were the number of compartments reduced on the Mk III and VII?

Can anyone clarify this queston for me?

Thanks.

Ron L

James Campbell, and you will find loads available at Bookfinder.com for very little money.

As I’ve stated on this board before, I enjoy it and several others way more than I do Bomber by Len Deighton.

But each to his own. If you buy a copy off Bookfinder and don’t enjoy it, at least it won’t have cost you too much!

Regards

682al,

Regarding your comments concerning Halifax bomber novels, who wrote “Maximum Effort” and is it a good book?

I would like to try and find a copy.

Thanks.

Ron

Halifax Pictures

Hi Mike,

Outstanding pictures!!! The next best thing to being there. However, I will still make the trip to Trenton sometime to see the Halifax in person. It’s a bit of a hike from Winnipeg.

Does anyone have any pictures that they could post showing the mid-upper turrent in the Halifax (BP Type A Mk VIII) taken from inside the aircraft? I haven’t seen any in the Halifax publications that I have seen. How did the gunner get into the turret?

Thanks in advance.

Ron

Congrats to all who worked on her, a fantastic job folks. She’s looking good.

turretboy,

That fellow looking in the aft wing hatch (photo on #12) is my father W. J. Bartlett, Flight Engineer, 420, Snowy Owl.

I have been a member of the association since almost day one and it was a great moment to see that aircraft unvelied and it was even nicer I could share the moment with my father.

To any vets here — thanks for being there!

Fantastic job – well done, guys 🙂

Cees i am referring to the panel that is on the right side forward of the colicos holding the skin panel down nearest the windshield.
What is wrong with the canopy framing? sorry halis arent my strong point
I think the nose skinning shoiuld be almost like a letter Z tye of thing correct?

Peter,

Yes, you nailed it. The photo show the pattern correctly.

Cees

Fantastic! Many thanks for letting us see these! Would be interesting to compare with the ours at Elvington? From ‘0’ Halifaxes, we now have ‘2’, so maybe there’s hope for a Stirling or Whitley yet? :rolleyes:

Albert,

Don’t forget YAM’s Hally and the nose of PN323. In Germany an almost complete Halifax is lying in a lake. There were plans for a recovery, but no news on that for a while now.

Cees

Fantastic! Many thanks for letting us see these! Would be interesting to compare with the ours at Elvington? From ‘0’ Halifaxes, we now have ‘2’, so maybe there’s hope for a Stirling or Whitley yet? :rolleyes:

Cees i am referring to the panel that is on the right side forward of the colicos holding the skin panel down nearest the windshield.
What is wrong with the canopy framing? sorry halis arent my strong point
I think the nose skinning should be almost like a letter Z type of thing correct?

Cees
are you referring to the skin panel on the right side of the nose? looks like a band-aid of metal.?

Peter,

Here are some pics from Eric Dumigans site:

Note the framing in front of the pilot as well as the skinning near the perspex nose cone. This should be a very distinctive three part section (both sides) which clearly shows the modifications when they removed the noseturret from the B Mk II and developed first the Tollerton fairing for the Specials and then the streamline persped nose.

Cheers

Cees

nose panels

Cees
are you referring to the skin panel on the right side of the nose? looks like a band-aid of metal.?

Hope the Hendon one will be rebuilt the same way in a not too distant future

Cees,

I used to work with an ex “erk” who served at a M.U. which received brand new Lancasters for preparation for the Squadrons.

I was interested in how the aircraft industry could churn out huge numbers of such complex machines using relatively unskilled labour from the local workforce, so I asked him about quality and finish on them.

“Shocking” was his reply. And this view is occasionally borne out in a few of the many photos I’ve studied over the years.

Perhaps with NA337 it’s been a question of achieving a deadline by taking a few shortcuts. Nothing which can’t be put right once the ceremonial stage has passed.

Alan,

True. In sixteen years of aircraft recovery I have seen examples of shoddy workmanship and shortcuts but that was due to the pressures of war. But when a factory has geared up for production the standard of workman (or woman)ship is generally similar but can vary between different factories. The English Electric produces Halifaxes had a better performans than the London Transport Production Group which were dubbed London buses.

But a restoration is purely that, to bring an airframe back to its original condition so skinpanels made up and riveted into position in the factory shoule be reproduced (when lost or beyond restoration) otherwise it wil distract from the endresult. And as you state correctly, when finished the chance that corrections will be carried out are non-existent.

Simon, Hurricanes never had wooden wings

Cheers

Cees