Prompted by another thread I have just re-read Peter Thomas’s article about the Sunderland Trust and Skyfame Museum in Aeroplane Monthly, August 2003.
In it he talks of drawing up a list of aircraft in most danger (in 1961) of extinction – which included the Bristol Beaufighter.
He located two examples at a college at Alverca, Portugal and wrote “Skyfame agreed to buy one of them in return for some equipment for the college. Unfortunately the aircraft was not destined to go to Skyfame – for scandalous reasons; but that is another story”.
Sadly Peter Thomas died a while ago – does anybody know what the “scandal” was?
Roger Smith.
By: ALBERT ROSS - 16th January 2006 at 07:48
Yes Consul, you’re quite correct about RD867’s history. I thought this one was ex-Portuguese also. However, there was some issue about the RAF Museum getting all the available extant Beaufighters, but am not sure whether Peter Thomas had negotiated on their behalf or not.
By: Consul - 16th January 2006 at 02:09
Don’t think you’ll find that’s quite right Albert. Of the ex Alverca Beaus, only one (RD253) came to the RAFM’s care in 1965 and was rebuilt for eventual display in 1971; the other went direct from Portugal to South Africa. The latter incidentally now resides dismantled at East Fortune after the South Africans decided to dispose of it only a few years ago. The example in Canada (RD867) was never ex Portugese. It was an ex RAF target tow a/c from Malta. RD867 appeared at the Abingdon review in ’68 with engines but was later gutted before donation to Canada.
Or, are you saying that the RAF obtained both Portugese machines (in addition to having the ex Malta example) and brokered a deal between SA & Portugal – I’m not aware if that is so?
By: ALBERT ROSS - 16th January 2006 at 00:04
It may have been something to do with the RAF Museum getting BOTH of them! The black one, RD867, was used for trade with the Bristol Bolingbroke from Canada and the other one is at Hendon. It appears that Peter Thomas located these aircraft, then it appears the RAF Museum stepped in!.
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January 15, 2006 at 2:28 pm