Shame, there used to be plenty around – I enquired after the Midland Air Museum example some number of years ago, but felt it was a bit far gone for me at the time. Nowadays, I think I’d know what to do with it!

I also enquired after the Norwich example just after it had been scrapped. Typical!

Bruce

I did the same, in pursuit of late model metal Anson wings to support a long term / future static mark 1 Anson restoration here in Australia.

(The RNZAF Museum has a mark 1 on display on late model metal wings and of course the widely acclaimed airworthy Anson mark 1 in New Zealand flies on late model metal wings and did so for many years with Terry Brain in Australia, hence its as valid a compromise as Hasting wings on a Halifax reproduction or T6G wings on a Harvard II.)

I am the person who acquired the “cut” and badly corroded wings from the C19 prototype from Richard at Retro, I did this following advice from a fellow Anson collector in the UK that they were likely to be scrapped and may be available.

They are stored privately and undercover, here in Australia.

This aircraft floated around a number of private owners before being “parts recovered” and the comments above about it being deserving of preservation in the UK may be correct, but clearly no public or volunteer collection ever thought it deserving “enough” to acquire it on the many times it was openly advertised for sale.

Various private owners attempted to preserve it before exiting it off to someone else.

The same situation largely applied to the former Napier Avro Lincoln.

Both have been pursued and acquired into Australia, in the hope they will survive into preservation in some useful role here in Australia.

Clearly they therefore currently still survive for bonefide serious research of their own unique histories, ( and hopefully will do so ongoing) but beyond that, are duplicated by far better examples on public display in the UK for public examination and enjoyment of the type.

I am quite convinced the “cut” and corroded Anson wings would not still survive in the UK, had they not been exported from the UK, and past track record doesnt suggest the Lincoln faced a rosy future either.

Museums cannot “save” everything, and it seems clear that they all had ample opportunity to do so with the prototype Anson, – and did not.

Regards

Mark Pilkington