Brussels Museum – Battle

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Only the Comet and the Shackleton were broken up , as far as I know.

Alastair

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Der , many thanks for the photos , they are superb , like you say the place was 15 years ahead of its time and it’s only now that people are starting to realise what a gem of a collection we had up here , cracking photos , many thanks .

Alastair

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Cheers ageorge. You should have them by now. A look in my old album confirmed I was right about the Hudson. Somewhere in my archives is a Strathallan brochure, with a list of all their airframes, at the height of Strathallans short career. If I can find it, I’ll pass on details of the other planes. I vaguely remember they had a Klemm (G-AAUP I think) and a Reid and Sigrist Desford (ugly looking beast)
Let me know if you got the photos, and if you can figure out how to post them to this forum, feel free. I’m sure the Lancman would like them. No budgie perches!

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-11-02 AT 07:09 PM (GMT)]Hi Alastair,
The Dutch Navy did operate the Avenger,some ugly ones with radomes etc,and others of more conventional appearance.The version with the radome in the belly was designated TBM-3W2,whilst the more conventional looking machines were TBM-3S2’s,one an unarmed radar carrying hunter,and the other an armed sub-killer,which would operate in pairs.All of these were operated from the carrier Karel Doorman.I saw a good picture of the ‘Doorman with Avengers ranged on the deck not long ago,but I can’t remember where I saw it-Doh!I’ll have a hunt around and see what I come up with.

Hope this helps,
Ant

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Hi Der,
Is there any chance you could mail me some of your photos , it would be much appreciated , I’m trying to collect as many different photos of the Strathallan Collection as I can , my Email is ageorge@haemonetics.com , I think you are right about the Hudson but it’s the same as the Avenger , it didn’t stay long , it would be interesting to find out where they went to , I have a good photo of the Avenger – the radome is only about 1″ft off of the ground !!! , in the photo it looks original ie in her service colours but it has Dutch markings – did the Dutch operate Avengers ??

Many Thanks

Alastair

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

I have photos of the Lanc in the hangar in full cammo colours and also a rather distant shot of her in her original Canadian scheme.

If my memory serves me, wasn’t there a Hudson in the collection as well, and was it the one that ended up in Hendon?

I’ll get round to posting some of these one day- when I can get my imaging set up to work properly.

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Hi David , I visited Strathallan for the first time in 1980 too ( 12 yrs old) !!! , one aircraft I forgot was the Avenger , she was in Dutch colours and had a massive radome under her – I don’t think she stayed there for long . Both the Lysander and the Magister were kept in the smaller Hangar which is used by the Skydiving club , after the Lysander left the Magister was in the back R/H/S of the hangar ( the other hangar was already being used by a woodworking company ) The Maggie was flown by Jim McTaggart several times and it was him wwho flew her at the East Fortune airshow – but she never returned to Strathallan – I wonder if she is now kept on the same airfield that the Duke of Hamilton and Jim Mc Taggart keep their aircraft (A Bulldog and a Stolp Starduster respectively )

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Erm- I visited in 1980 on a holiday when I was young. I don’t recall the Beech but I will look into it. The Magister is still stored on the estate although she was airworthy for a while in the late 1990’s from memory. I seem to remember her appearing at an East Fortune display.

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Hi David , I have a photo of the Beech from the port side – I did’t take the photo however I have collected a few decent photos . Most of them are from 1980 , I used to visit Strathallan but I don’t recall seeing the Beech myself but the photo is definately of a Beech . It looks like it’s been shoe-horned in to the hangar with the Lysander and the Beech either side of the Lancs tail – it could possibly be a visitor .
When the museum closed there was a dismantled Anson lying in “Ecko” colours she was lying just inside the hangar doors and looked in reasonable condition (apart from the dust she was covered in , I cant find any info regarding this or the Miles Magister – I know her C of A lapsed but I can’t find any trace of it now ???
I also have a good photo of the Lanc in “civilian” markings – stripped down to bare metal with the lower engine cowlings painted black with a yellow coachline , I have this as my wallpaper on my employers PC !! . Its a crying shame that she is now lying in bits like so much scrap .Lancman sent me a photo of the Lanc outside looking superb after she was painted
Did you visit Strathallan much yourself ?? , It’s a crying shame that the collection was sold off , I wish it was still there , it would have probably been the best privately owned collection in Britain , Sir Willam Roberts was way ahead of his time – collecting and restoring some of the finest warbirds , if it was open now I don’t think he would have any problem finding paying customers !!!.

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

I don’t recall the collection ever having a Beech 18. The Beech your refering to sounds like the Scottish collection which was set up to buy some of the museum’s aircraft.

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

The MoF have the following ex-Strathallan airframes
Miles M18
DeH DH84 Dragon
GAL Cygnet
Failchild Bolingbroke ( the other went to the BAM )
MS505 Criquet (Storch)
DeH DH80A Puss Moth
Miles M18 Monarch
Avro 652A Anson

That really only leaves the other Anson (WD413) the Beech 18 and the Saab Safir unaccounted for ??

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Most of the lightweight stuff ie the Cygnet , Tiger Moth , Miles Trainer and a few others are at The Museum of Flight , Scotland , and one of the Ansons too , the Mossie went across the pond . That still leaves a few others missing ???

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

The Huricane was sadly destroyed in a hangar fire in Canada a few years ago.

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 22-11-02 AT 08:17 PM (GMT)]I found some pictures of the Lanc at Strathallan , I don’t know who took them , if you type in just the www.rob.clubkawasaki.com then look through the index there are some good shots inside Strathallan

http://www.rob.clubkawasaki.com

Hope this helps , Alastair

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

The Comet 2R and the Shackleton T.4 were both broken up with the noses
surviving at Gatwick and Newark respectively. The Fokker Instructor was at Elstree for many years but has recently moved. This adds to
the information from ageorge.

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Battle – Brussels
Bolingbroke-British Aerial Museum
Swordfish-RHNF
Lysander-Shuttleworth
Hurricane-Canada
Mosquito-Kermit Weeks
Lancaster-Charles Church-Kermit Weeks
Seahawk-Montrose

What happened to the Ansons , Magister etc ???

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Does anyone have a list of what airframes were at Strathalan and which are now at Duxford? Were any broken up?

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

I made a small walkaround a few years back that I have posted on my homepage, at:

www.aircraftwalkaround.com

Hope this helps.

Regards

Robert Lundin

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

Does anyone has pictures of the ex- Strathallan Lancaster while it
was in his collection?

RE: Brussels Museum – Battle

I had asked if anybody had a photo of the ex- Strathallan Battle , superb photo and good info too , many thanks !! , she used to look great next to the Mossie , Bolingbroke , Hurricane , Lancaster etc , shame they are all gone now . All I need now is some Easyjet tickets to Brussels.

Alastair