Hi James,

Many thanks for your reply. It IS the photo at the link, and I quite agree with your doubts about it being hand coloured. When I first saw the photo I didn’t imagine for one minute it was hand coloured, but when I saw the black & white print from Brian (which is identical, by the way) and he told me he’d never used colour film in the late 1940s, I thought that was the only possible answer. You’re right though, it certainly looks like the B & W print could have been from a colour transparency original.

Regarding the RAF Museum, my sister contacted them some time ago to ask if they had any material related to BSAA which we could arrange to view (not necessarily just photographs) and after months of waiting she received the reply that they have nothing at all of relevance! It seems a shame if all these photographs are stored away for extended periods without the museum allowing anyone access. Having said that, you’re right, if it is a Charles E. Brown and the original is there I would imagine the reproduction costs would be sizeable! I will attempt to contact them again now to ask a specific question about the photo.

Thanks again for taking the trouble to reply.

Best regards,

Ian