Battle of Britain Mystery Object…

The Walrus actually DOES have to hatches in the bottom. The big one is the camera hatch. Can’t recall what the other one is for.

Cheers!

Walrus hatches.

The famous nose hatch looks like this:

More soon!

I’ve got to do some work 🙁 before I can post the pics on the Defiant…

The hatch has me puzzled, too.

I always thought access to the turret was by rotating it to the beam and climbing in from the rear.

If the hatch is an escape hatch, where was it fitted, since the radiator was almost directly below the turret? And the aerial wire was stretched between the two masts which were installed on the centre line of the fuselage underside?

Just curious!

Doesn’t look like a very big hatch James, where would it have been on the aeroplane, in the floor? Rear of the turret? Either way, I can’t imagine it would have been easy to get into, or more importantly, out of… my admiration for those men grows daily… 🙁

Absolutely Steve. Wasn’t there a well-known Defiant gunner (can’t recall name) who was about 6’4″?

Blimey, I more or less got it right, albeit not first! Got to be a personal best, normally I only get as far as “It’s from an aeroplane…”!

Nice one JDK, anymore teasers like that? Bit more fun than obscure a/c recognition. 🙂

Doesn’t look like a very big hatch James, where would it have been on the aeroplane, in the floor? Rear of the turret? Either way, I can’t imagine it would have been easy to get into, or more importantly, out of… my admiration for those men grows daily… 🙁

And the answer is:

Defiant gunner’s hatch in pic one, interior of the Defiant turret, pic two.

So MikeJ was the first correct guess, and Flood was the most precise answer. Points to those who mentioned Defiant.

Those who guessed at Walrus were completely off if they thought it was the nose or midships hatch cover – that would be the other way up. (Read the question Curruthers!) Also, Walri were very flat surfaced aircraft. Rounded bow and curves in the fin, otherwise flat. But Walrus isn’t that impossible, as there are two hatches in the bottom of the hull (very watertight fittings!) which were quite close in size and construction.

I’ll do a full walkaround once I’ve sorted out my photos…

Cheers!

The second photo appears to show the interior of a Boulton-Paul Type A turret….which suggests Defiant or Halifax mid-upper.

As to what the hatch is…..gotta confess…dunno!

Defiant gunners underside escape hatch?
Why do I bother…

Flood

Stranraer – a hunch.

Mark II chastity belt. Sorry JDK too specialist for me.

..and what is that British cockpit light doing…and more to the point, if I am not mistaken, what is the breech of a .303 Browning hanging down there?

Mark

Walrus hmm.

Maybe – maybe not, but here is a nice photo, taken by a friend’s father, anyway.

Mark

Walrus possibly side hatch or forward hatch ????

Drat Stormbird beat me to it.

Obvious really considering Mr Tweedy’s fondness for the type.

Walrus

The seat in a Walrus :confused: , Observers or Nav position, My best Guess as the windows seem old type and curve of the of the position seem to ring some bells for me :p , But still not sure though :rolleyes: , Cheers, Tally Ho! Phil 😉

entry hatch for a Defiant/Anson/Oxford? Certainly Brit/commonwealth as it’s a .303 Browning pointing skywards.

It looks like a gunner’s or observers seat and it is upside down in the first picture. In the second that looks like a .303 hanging down. Type? God only knows… Being Battle of Britain makes it very odd. So, I’ll throw in a really wild guess. A Skua. Wrong I know but can’t do any better.

I’ve edited to add that I have the funny feeling Blenheim but can’t work out the position.

Regards,

kev35

MikeJ . No – but you aren’t far away, (in a way… :D)

Hi Ian,
No I’m not. There’s some clever people out there…

Clue.
Both pics show the items the right way up.

Another clue.
The second pic shows part of a very common item, used in a lot of a/c…