Afghanistan Hawker Hinds

Hi guys,

Thanks for the additional info. Pat, a PM is on its way.

The attached scan is from the [B]Canada Aviation Museum[B]. It shows an Arabic number 2 on the fin. The fuselage insignia is a squadron badge. Although the upper wing stripes look the one colour they were supposed to be black (inner) /red/green.

The various markings date the picture as post-war.

Alex

Here is a bit more data on the Hinds along with where it came from

Wikipedia

An airworthy ex-Afghan Hind flies with the Shuttleworth Collection. Another is on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon. Several former Royal New Zealand Air Force Hinds are being restored/reconstructed by the Subritzky family / The Classic Aircraft Collection at Dairy Flat near Auckland, of which at least NZ1517/K6687, and NZ1535/K6721 are under restoration to airworthy condition. Substantial parts are also held for NZ1518/K6717, NZ1528/L7184, NZ1544/K6810 and NZ1554/K5465. The remains of others were recently located in Afghanistan.

http://users.cyberone.com.au/clardo/audax___hind.html

Royal Afghan Air Force
Accounts of the RAfAF acquisition of Hawker aircraft differ. While some sources refer to 8 Harts having been acquired in 1937, the generally reliable Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft 1938 records only a consignment of Hinds acquired in early 1938 and sent, crated, by road! Mason’s Hawker Aircraft Since 1920 (another generally reliable source) agrees, noting that eight Hinds were purchased in 1938 in two batches of four and apparently directly from Hawkers, while recording that 12 Hinds were “turned over” to Afghanistan from the RAF in 1939.

Relinquished by 211 Squadron on conversion to the Bristol Blenheim (or held in reserve at the Aircraft Depot, Aboukir, for the Squadron), at least ten Hawker Hinds were subsequently sold to the Royal Afghan Air Force. For most, the sale was recorded as in July 1939:

K5409 (no date), K5457, K5554 (“transferred”, no date), K6675, K6832, K6842, K6853, K6855, L7180, L7181

Other ex-211 Hinds had been sold to the Indian government, in April 1939:
K5477, K5483, K6618, K6696, K6833, L7178

Three Hinds from other units were also sold to Royal Afghan Air Force in 1939:
K6668 held AD Aboukir for 113 Squadron to RAfAF April 1939
K6804 as above
L7191 ex 21 Squadron to ME then to RAfAF July 1939

Summary: 13 Hinds definitely recorded as ex-RAF to RAfAF, 2 in April 1939, 11 (ten of them ex-211 Squadron) in July 1939. Of these, the Squadron’s Operations Record Book record for March 1939 states “Four a/c were flown from allotment to 102 MU Abu Sueir for Afghanistan”. See also AC1 R Wingrove on this point.

Sources:
211 Squadron ORB, Logbook and photos of G Grierson (by kind permission of Mike Grierson), Air Britain K File and RAF Aircraft L1000-N9999.

In a later development, Black and co identified a number of other Hind wrecks in a military scrapyard at Kabul. It is just possible that other 211 Squadron aircraft may be among them.

Hi Alex,
Judging by the markings that the survivors have been found with. The markings that the ex RAF machines were delivered with were just painted over. Lots of the stencilling is still in place. All definately remained silver dope with other markings applied. I have researched the eight Hinds that were originally sent and have not been able to find any reference to any serial numbers that may have been applied. I think the chances of finding a picture of any of the aircraft in Afghan service are pretty slim as the Taliban destroyed any photos and documents. A few Brits were involved in training the Afghans and Rolls Royce were involved at fairly early stage also. In 1946 a MKVIII spitfire was flown from India to Kabul with the hope of selling them to the Afghans. Unfortunately they opted for Ansons. Any or all of those may be sources of info and pics. I would have thought that Hawkers would have taken pictures for their archive. I have seen several pics of persian Hinds etc so i would imagine somewhere those pics exist.
I can certainly fill in some info regarding the RAF machines that were sent pm me and let me know what you need. regards Pat

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the link. I did a search on the Canada Aviation Museum site and came up with what I think are some original Afghan Hind photos.

If you serach the image bank for Hawker Hind you get 18-19 pages of photos. The first page shows these original Afghan Hinds.

Alex

Might inquire at the Canada Aviation Museum, as their Hind came from former Afghan service. Their link is

http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/collections/artifacts/aircraft/HawkerHind.shtml

Maybe this could be of any help (L7180):

http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/collections/image_bank/dig_image.cfm?Lang=e&id=20864

or (L7181)

http://www.historicaircraftcollection.ltd.uk/hind/hind_02.html

Martin