Aircraft panel found July 1941

a piccie of PZ865 shows the same cowling ‘panting’ just before it flew off about 15 years ago

What a lovely find…I do know of a couple of typhoon cowlings that have been found under similar circumstances…dropped off aircraft as they flew to/from a mission. As usually the case I seem to be a few years too late when they are found…

What a cool find!

Well spotted – looks like the fastener pattern is the same as this Sea Hurricane Mk1b…

It is 100% Hurricane.

Adrian, not sure if I sent stick pic of not….will dig one out inbetween mince pies!!

Another picture of the number, if it is any clearer? It seems it fell off an aircraft rather than collected from the airfield as it “appeared” after lunch and was not there in the morning! Any more history please would be interesting.

That would be about the time that there was a Hurricane OTU (51? guessing without my sources handy) at Debden, so I suspect that it might have been “Free Hurricane with every field!” round abouts.

The RAF commands board suggests that V6948 was lost in 1943 – would be interesting to see if it had been at Debden in 1941, always possible it popped off in flight for some reason.

Whatever happened, that’s a cracking find and I’m very jealous. If only someone had spirited away the wing my Dad found that summer after two Debden-based Hurricanes collided… though perhaps rather a morbid souvenir as both pilots died, maybe best not.

Adrian

(incidentally Rocketeer, having a brain death moment, did you ever send me a pic of V7947’s stick?)

I have just been given a panel to Identify by a local farmer. He was cutting a field of wheat in July 1941 and came across this panel in a field? (About 3 miles SW of RAF Debden) It has been blocking a hole in the grain wall since that date! Until he came across it the other week, any ideas what it came off?

Certainly looks Hurricane I – the curved strengthener following the line of the firewall between engine and fuel tank. V6949 looks the most likely candidate. It came to grief in Scotland, but changing panels was not unknown.

See your ‘visitors messages’.

yep, hurricane intermediate panel……I would love it for my Hurricane fuselage!!!

I have sent a pm NATO

Which would fit with V6948.

Looks Hurricaneish to me…

The first 9 is a 6 = V6948. Hurricane Mk1

Close up

Could that be VS948…a Mosquito?

Mark

My very ancient, and superceeded by more recent research, “British Military Aircraft Serials 1912-1963” Bruce Robertson, Ian Allan 1964 states that Lysanders V9930-9974 as cancelled.

Looking at the pictures, to me the first number is less clear than the others, V*948. Trying V6948 makes it a Hurricane I, V8948 a cancelled Canadian built Lysander batch. Looking at W6948 places it inbetween Lysander III batches, W8948 a Miles Master III, W9948 a cancelled Blackburn Botha.

Not a great deal of help really. “NATO”, how do you read the lettering off the original?

Well my eyes are not great on things close up but to me it looks like V9948, and the serials V9930 to V9974 were i think Lysander.

Rob