Bristol Brigand in the Met Recce Role

Brigand Met.3

The ‘dormant’ ‘Roundel’ – or was it ‘The British Roundel’ – featured an article on the Brigand Met.3, which also contained individual histories of the seventeen configured aircraft, RH763/ VS817 – VS832. I don’t have the details of the issue to hand, but I expect that Phil Spencer would know?

Thanks Lyffe and FiltonFlyer,

I’m trying to piece all the info together, an suspect we are all “right” to a certain extent.

I found this document www.filesonic.com/file/1057717381/brigand.pdf (an Animation News mini-monograph called “Bristol Brigand”, by Chris Ashworth) which has an large amount of information, including an aircraft by aircraft history.

According to him, the 16 Met.3’s were definitely “factory” built (but to what stage is not clear). VS817, VS820, VS821, VS822, VS823, and VS824 (i.e. 6 aircraft) were shipped to Negombo to 45 Squadron between 25.05.1949 and 16.08.1949, and 1301 flight was (re)formed for the Met survey work.

Thanks for the exchange.

pbrandfo,
My information is that 16 came off the production line as Met Mk.3s, but the final equipment fit may well have been with 19MU at Saint Athan. Six did indeed go to 1301 Flight in 1949 – VS817, VS820, VS821, VS822, VS823 and VS824. Of the remaining 10, one went to A&AEE for performance and radio trials and preparation of pilots notes (VS818), one was retained at Filton for manufacturer trials (VS819) – I presume both of these had their equipment fitted at Filton. Another, VS825, went to APC Acklington in 1952 for ASV Mk.13B trials. The others (VS826 to VS832) went from Filton to 19MU for storage, and were eventually joined by VS818, VS819 and VS825.

In addition RH763 (a TF Mk.1) was used to test meteorological equipment both at Filton and at Boscombe Down, but wasn’t actually converted to a Met Mk.3.

All 1301 Brigands returned to the UK in December 1951 or January 1952 for storage back at Saint Athan, apart from VS820 which was scrapped in Negombo. All remaining 15 were sold as scrap between 1953 and 1955.

VS824 was damaged in a flying accident 19/07/1949, but was back with 1301 Flight 02/04/1951, so that may well have been the one that had the heavy landing. My father did his national service on Brigands with 1301 Flight, and he has recounted a similar story about the heavy landing – I’ll PM you later!

Andrew

Peter,

Not disputing pbrand but RAF Flying Training and Support Units (Ray Sturtivant, John Hamlin and James J Halley) records 1301 Met Flight being formed from the Brigand flight of No 45 Squadron on 1 May 1949 when the squadron left Negombo for Malaya. According to the reference there were just four Brigands.

The same reference quotes 1301 Met Flight having a previous life, forming at Dehli in July 1943, moving to Nagpur in March 1944 before disbanding on 1 June 1946. During this time it was equipped first with Blenheims and later Hurricanes.

I suspect that between June 1946 and May 1949 (or at least part of the period) 45 Sqn acquired (was lumbered with) met reconnaissance duties (as happened elsewhere after WW2) as a secondary role, and that when it left Nagpur it was expedient to retain some Brigands.

It’s unclear what special (major) modifications would be required for met work – I would have thought the Gee-H and Loran would have been standard navigational aids used for wind finding. Otherwise instrumental observations required only the measurement of pressure (altimeter), temperature and humidity sensors – but these couldn’t have been any different from those fitted to 1409 Met Flight Mosquitoes during the war.

Unfortunately there is no 1301 Met Flight ORB covering this period.

Brian

Met Brigands – “build” or “mod”

Gentlemen,

Please excuse my edging into your discussion, but I was searching for info about the 1301 Met flight and saw your post.

My father was a radar fitter in 1301, starting at St Athan in 1948, modifying 6 Brigands along with the civilian MU there, he shipped out to Negombo in 1949 and was there for 2 and a half years.

He insists there were only 6 aircraft modified (at least for 1301 anyway) and that they were definitely not modified by Bristol. One aircraft was damaged early on by a bad landing afer the first night flight and was only repaired 18 months later.

He recalls the Brigand was fitted with the following for the 1301 flight:

– H2S in the nose with a modified 270° sweep (this may have been pre-fitted by Bristol, because the nose was replaced with a perspex unit to enable the radar to “see”; this may be the origin of the “16 Met.3’s built by Bristol”, but my father was under the impression the Brigands they used had been originally intended for coastal command as submarine search aircraft)
– Gee-H – standard equipment but useless in Cylon as there was no beacon near
– Loran – ditto
– IFF
– ASV MkXIIIB – the primary equipment for the met survey
– Rebecca (BABS) ILS

If any of you have any more info, particularly about the “origin” of the Met.3 aircraft, please let me know

Yes good post Dave, seems really hard to find info on them, bit disapointed that they wore the standard bomber command finish though!
I am surprised at the service ceiling seems quite poor even for those days.

Dave,
Absolutely superb!! Couldn’t have asked for more!! Mni tks yr help!
Rgds
Resmoroh

Built
to contract 6/ACFT/621 built at Filton and delivered between Oct 1948 and March 1949 (from Air Britain Royal Air Force serials SA100-VZ999)

Serials

VS817-VS832 inclusive according to http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=VS. Bristol Aircraft since 1910 states the serials were VS812-827 (c/n 12710-12725), although I think this may be wrong.

Service Use (from Air Britain Royal Air Force serials SA100-VZ999)

1301 Flight in Ceylon was one of the units that used them (VS817/820/821/822/824) and formed from 45 sqn (VS821/822/824)

VS825 was with station Flight at Acklington
VS811 was with A&AEE
VS819 was with Bristol Aircraft Company
VS826-832 have no service details

Disposal (from Air Britain Royal Air Force serials SA100-VZ999)

VS821/822/823/824 sold for scrap 27.08.53
VS817/818/819/826/827/828/830/831/832 to Ministry of Supply 25/10/54
VS820 struck off charge 10.12.51
VS829 sold for scrap 25.2.55

Photographs

here is the first one http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RAF-BRISTOL-BRIGAND-VS817-LARGE-PHOTOGRAPH-/350396721249?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item519545a861

Bristol Aircraft since 1910 has a photo of VS819 taken at Filton in 1948.

Equipment

Details of 1301 flight here http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1952/1952%20-%200696.html & http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1952/1952%20-%200697.html

Bristol Aircraft since 1910 states that the Met 3 aircraft of 1301 Flight usually had long range tanks, wing, tail and airscrew deicing equipment and special instruments, including a hand camera for recording cloud formations; they made daily sorties over the Indian Ocean up to 25,000 ft and collected information on turbulence under monsoon conditions.

pilots notes http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-25743750278216_2126_13844668 available from http://www.flight-manuals.com/ap2575cbd-pn.html

or here http://www.flight-manuals-on-cd.com/Buckmaster.html

Sorry my mistake, thought it was a Met.3 for some reason but it is a TF.1.
TF.1 is Torpedo Fighter (along with original Wyvern TF.1 for RAF), the Brigands’ original role in RAF Coastal Command, they were converted to light bomber status later on as B.1s.
I’m sure your source is correct in that Met.3s were built as such.

As far as I can see RH754 is described as a TF1 (whatever that might be!). But – to be serious for a moment – if RH754 was, originally, a TF1 then does not this info seem to indicate the Met Recce Brigands were modified rather than original builds? The plot thickens!!
Tks
Resmoroh

Isn’t the well know colour photo of RH754 a Met.3 aircraft?
It was 20mph faster and 5,000 Ib ligter than the original TF.1 version so I’m surprised at that altitude ceiling.