Canberras & 51 Squadron.

A pinky’s memories

There seems to be a definite lack of information on the activities of 51 Sqdn so here goes with some details culled from my notebook

During 1972 there were 6 Canberra detatchments, all to Germany
1/2 to 25/2 WT301 & WJ768 Wildenwrath & Laarbruch
6/3 to 17/3 WT305 & WJ775 Laarbruch
10/4 to 28/4 WJ768 & WJ775 Laarbruch
5/6 to 22/6 WT301 & WJ768 Laarbruch
6/10 to 27/10 WT301 & WJ775 Laarbruch
30/11 to 15/12 WT301 & WT305 Laarbruch

The A/C did not, as far as I recall, fly together on operations. They often had different electronic fits for different types of signals of interest. Invariably a detachment would involve flying at specific times on specific days with a specific fit. On landing, the fit would often change for the next operation.
In the bomb bay were two large crates. The rear crate had 6, 10 channel VHF receivers (TR1984, TR1985, TR1986 series). A roll change would often mean replacing some or all of the 60 crystals and retuning the sets. The forward crate contained an X447, 14 channel reel to reel tape recorder. Pre flight a new tape had to be fitted and after flight it had to be removed and passed to the Spec Op..
The Spec op had the 6 controllers for the VHFs at his position and could monitor and record anything of interest. (Some Spec Ops were linguists) The remaining X447 channels recorded the APR9/R216 radio (manually tuned HF Receiver), the real time clock, the L, S, C, & X band guard receivers, and the Spec Ops voice over. (giving pulse width, pulse repetition frequency, aerial rotation speed and bearing of a target radar). There was also an input from the tail warning radar receiver known as the IFD.
Apart from the aforementioned VHFs and the R216 the spec op also operated the APA11A pulse analyzer, The ALA6 PPI indicator (Bearing and Aerial rotation) The mixer (PRF) and the tail warner IFD.
Prior to 1972 the Canberras also did detachments to Akrotiri. In 1967 one of them returned late from an op and was met at the end of the runway by an airframe fitter with a ladder and canvas patch to cover a bullet hole. As this was before I joined the sqdn I have no idea whether this was picked up along the Egyptian/Libyan coast or over the Bospheros

Matt,

looks like Snappy51 has just made your day. Now you might be able figure out what those mysterious bits and bobs were that you dug out of the top equipment hatch!

Steve

Hi Matt,
I was an air electronics fitter on 51 from 1968 to 1973 and regularly worked on WJ775 and am glad to hear that part of it is still around and undergoing restoration. During my time on the sqdn I carried a notebook (which I still have) with brief details of the special fits on both Comets & Canberras. I also seem to have retained a large blueprint type general arrangement drawing showing the location of all the special equipment. The drawing is to scale so you should be able to work out the size of the nose radome from it. If it is of interest please email me.
PS Our regular German detatchments to Laarbruch & occasionally Wildenwrath were codenamed “Operation Firm Bust” and any incoming signals were addressed accordingly

Contacts

Hi again Matt,
Sorry for the delay but have been away. I will do some digging to see what, or who I can find and then get back to you.

regards Ratman.

Hi Ratman many thanks for the link, It would be a great help if you could get intouch with a few of your old colleagues reguarding the Canberras of 51squadron and maybe organise a visit to come and see 775;)
All the best Matt

51 Squadron

Hello,
This may be your lucky day and purely by accident 😀 :D!! If you wish to know a little more about 51Sqn then try this website which also mentions your Canberra on the aircraft page. There is also a detailed description of 51 activities in Germany:

http://www.spyflight.co.uk/main.htm

It is actually the website I was looking for for a friend by typing 51Sqdn into the google search engine but your site was listed because of this thread and so I came to be here out of curiosity.
To get to the point I know the website because I joined the Squadron in 1984 as a “Special Operator” and served in that environment until I retired in 2005. Since then I have been a civil servant and still maintain contacts with the present Squadron. Whilst having joined too late to personally experience the Canberra there were still people on the Squadron who had. I am no longer in contact with these people but am happy to try and obtain contact details if you would like me to. There is also a very strong 51 Sqn Association for former members which might also be a help.

regards Ratman

Ex 51sq Canberra WJ775 and have noticed alot of German writing underneth the English warning lables this would usally mean that the aircraft would have served in Germany but looking at WJ775 movement cards she was based in England with 192 & 51 squadron at Watton and Wyton.
All the best Matt;)

Most RAF combat types that operated in the European area had German language rescue markings, some had Norwegian and the PR9 fleet when, in Malta, had Maltese rescue markings although some also had Greek markings temporarily, so it’s not unusual to have a mixture of stencils nothing was standard particularly in the Canberra fleet!

I had a bit of time last evening to look through some of the Canberra negatives. Takes quite a bit of time to look for specific aircraft, and longer to position various size negatives on the scanner, scan, resize, put on Photobucket, file, crop etc etc. But no sense having them if they are just going to stay in boxes and not be available to those with special interest in specific aircraft etc. Would certainly like to set up something that would at least Partially compensate for the time involved. (when I am not just doing scans of negatives for my Own aero interests). In any event, I looked at the seven negatives of WJ775 and honestly, as they all seem to be views of the entire aircraft, none seem to be close up enough to see any additional German stencils on the aircraft. But I’d have to go and scan them all to be sure and that will take half the morning for me. (when I Should be working.)Looking at one of your links I went through the files for 333 and found six for that, over a span of years. (this one is the most recent..)These were more interesting as I could make a NICE scan of one that was more close up. Then there is the fun of “rivet-counting” detail. The attached images, shown here, are only posted at 72dpi (standard Internet viewing resolution) The negative was actually scanned at 4800dpi, where the fun begins. They show the side stencils and markings, much more clear than these. But these still have good results, and,I think are enjoyable. You will notice that you CAN actually count the (24) rivets/screws in the round port in the cockpit windshield. You could also count the screws and position of them in the base of a small external antenna (not shown here). So working with negatives, and varying resolutions of scans and sizing takes some work but can produce interesting and satisfying results.

No RAFG B.6s (B(I).6s to 5/12/69, B(I).8s to 6/6/72). WJ775 post-51 Sqdn sat from 9/74 for years on grass Swanton Morley as GIA 8581M with the Central Servicing Development Establishment, whose job included updating Engineering schedules for all RAFG types. There was never a Servicing need for German stencils in RAFG, only a Rescue one. I surmise…idle CSDE graffiti.

TT18Timbo;
I “think” I sent you an email with my Canberra “general” listing index, via the forum. If you do not get it. then send me your regular email address via the PM. Anyone wishing to make requests , or seeking info, can get basic info by emailing me via the contact email at website in my highlighted signature, at bottom of the post.
I emailed Matt with info list of the WJ775 negs.

Email received, thank you very much!

TT18Timbo;
I “think” I sent you an email with my Canberra “general” listing index, via the forum. If you do not get it. then send me your regular email address via the PM. Anyone wishing to make requests , or seeking info, can get basic info by emailing me via the contact email at website in my highlighted signature, at bottom of the post.
I emailed Matt with info list of the WJ775 negs.

requests

Without meaning to steal the thread, do you do requests for prints from your negs? There are a couple of Canberra’s I would be very interested to see old shots of if you do.

Back to WJ775..sorry Matt! Sounds like the Barnstormer may have come up trumps!

Wow many thanks Barnstormer , pm sent;)

Found 7 different negatives with WJ755, 51 Sqn. some marked MOD or Special, from 1960s, 70s and one 1980, at least 4 different airfields, different size negs, including a factory neg. Send me a private message with your regular email if you want more info.
Have approx 2000 Canberra negs. (138 are B.6 and there are some other 51 Sqn and other MOD etc. in the B.6 group)

Can you confirm what Mark it is? a 6? or?..
Be happy to look through my Canberra negs to see if I have anything on it, once you narrow it down to Mark.

she’s a rare old B6(Mod)!

😉

Can you confirm what Mark it is? a 6? or?..
Be happy to look through my Canberra negs to see if I have anything on it, once you narrow it down to Mark.

I’d guess the explanation is that 192 Sqn/51 Sqn Canberras regularly operated out of German airfields. I’ve seen photos of other 51 Sqn Canberras with external German warning legends.

My thinking is that if WJ775 was built in a batch of standard B6’s which were destined for RAFG, then she may well have been finished at the factory with German stencilling accordingly. Of course we now think she may never have flown from Germany due to the cloak and dagger 51 Sqn work so it could be that a subsequent repaint saw the German markings being covered over..

Just a guess and based on nothing but my work-weary imagination!