Hi all,
I went out for a hour and found the remains of a canopy rail, just the bottom, complete with runners etc about 3ft long x 2 Could have been part of the same canopy but the rest was rotted away, this little plate was on the side of the canopy rail ,
I have no clue as to what it came from, but it does start with the number
41H its a Issue 1 and has inspectors stamp of “HA251 ” on it, also found lots of airframe skin, and this other piece, flatish tubing with a bakelite end to it,
would this be something to do with Radar ?? I am not even sure if its ww2 or 1950s/60s :confused:
By: merkle - 28th February 2012 at 17:47
Yep, certainly looks like the remains of a Hunter canopy and rails to me.
M
thanks all,
looks like i found remains of WT616, ? now need to see if it was carted away, leaving a few bits, or dumped in a hole ??. Hmm, magnetometer will be able to help maybe, shame Geophysics kit is’nt to hand 😀
By: MarkG - 28th February 2012 at 00:19
Pretty certain its Hunter,
Yep, certainly looks like the remains of a Hunter canopy and rails to me.
M
By: waghorn41 - 27th February 2012 at 19:48
Well it’s a very long time since I worked on Hunters but photos 5 and 6 definitely remind me of the rails we used to have, in fact when I saw that plate with 41H on I immediately though of Hunter.
By: merkle - 27th February 2012 at 18:14
Pretty certain its Hunter, I originally thought this when I found it, but was told 41H donates Hurricane, this is a bubble canopy, and the likely hood of it being anything else is less than positive,
Hawker Hunter F.1 WT616 was broken up on site in 1980, having been at the airfield since 1962 , used by No 1 Radio school, I believe it was derelict for many years before final disposal, and I have probably stumbled onto its remains, .. I hope to find a way of proving it,
Many Thanks David for instructing me that 41H donates Aircraft Company , not type, as now I believe there is a strong possibility that i have stumbled across the remains of WT616, I also believe this as I used to own a Hunter Canopy , and
these canopy rails look identical, all be it from my memory of the canopy i owned .
By: merkle - 26th February 2012 at 22:32
Also have just read, Weston had the job of breaking up many types, Hawker Typhoons,Hurri IIC , Lancaster and Mosquito .
Here are some pictures of the Canopy rails I have found, with close ups in as found condition, I have placed the small data plate back where it was originally fitted before it fell off.
By: merkle - 26th February 2012 at 21:29
Weston super mare,
near the Bristols/Westlands site, but I know also Weston had various types repaired, or worked on from the dark days of WW2 and after,
I know they Built Hawker Tempest II at the nearby Banwell Factory Serial No’s MW375-423 total 50 aircraft between feb-Aug 1945 , forty of those went to the Royal Indian Air Force .
That is the only type of Hawker Built at Weston, But they also repaired, tested various other types and we know of the Hunter that was there for many years .
By: pistonrob - 26th February 2012 at 21:25
name the airfield and it may help narrow down the list down on the types of aircraft?
By: David Burke - 26th February 2012 at 21:25
41H = Hawkers
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February 26, 2012 at 9:23 pm