Halifax instrument panel : help & info needed

My uncle was in that crash

Thanks to a very good friend, the panel provenance was finally identified. The panel is coming from Halifax III serial MZ789 of 10th Sqdn code ZA-H which crash landed at Guines (9km south of Calais) at around 7 AM in the morning of Novemver 29, 1944. None of the crew members (including 2 australians) were injured. The plane was coming back with an engine u/s from a mission to Essen, Germany.

Would by any chance someone have a photo of this plane ?

Cees, if you read this post, YES i do need your help/assistance/knowledge to try to complete the panel. As an example i bought in Shoreham a suction gage (which i understand is standard and unique model to all planes) but it doesn’t fit into the panel !

Have a nice day,

Laurent

Hi, my uncle (Lesley Shotter -tail or mid upper gunner, was in that crash landing. The French resitence got him back to England.

As I understand it:
As a consequence of damage the plane was losing altitude. The pilot said ‘we can either bail out now or keep going and hope to crash land in allied occupied terriotory’, the entire crew opted to stay on board. The crash landing was in no-mans land.

After thie crash landing I know that Lesley returned to flying because he and the rest of the crew were grounded for not taking their leave (some scam about accruing leave for another time) and then the war ended before their enforced leave did. He served on Wellington and Halifax bombers and completed two and a half tours (60 missions). His record shows him to be a mid upper gunner but according to his own account he was a tail gunner. I have some 16mm film somewhere (that I have never been able to see) of an aircraft gunner practising against friendly fighters (gleaned from looking at individual frames). Lesley is no longer with us but his son John and daughter Lesley both are.

It fits perfectly on mine.

Cees

Laurent,
like Cees says the handle is a little smaller than the halifax one and that small plate will have to be removed before you install it. I was sure it was a bit smaller but without opening up the boxes and trying mine in the spare panel I cant say for definate.

Merde !

Peter, you’re telling me that the one i bought is not correct.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=200619272328&si=uXd6WnNAwWtEUuV%252FReIiwUYmIH0%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT

Could not imagine that for such a standard thing as a vacuum pump (cannot put the right word as its being censored with ****) would in fact not be standard !

Laurent

Hmm ok Cees maybe it was the lever that didnt look right.. I know there was issues with it and I bundled it back into the box and packed the panel away.

Peter,

Mine came from Oz as well and is Beaufighter. It fits very well and looks the part. I fitted a Stirling lever als the Beaufighter’s is much smaller because of the smaller instrument panel.

Cees

Nooo! Those ones are a litte bit small for the Hali panel! My first panel I had one from an oxford that has the same diameter small flange on the front that fits snug in the hole in the panel. I find that these Aussie beau ones of which I have one in the shop, is a bit smaller in diameter and if I remember right the holes do not line up where they should be.. It will definately fill a hole in your panel but wont look spot on.

Almost forgot, you also have to take it apart and remove that small suction metal label as well if you use it.

Thanks Cees,

Tried hard to get it but somebody wanted it even more than me. More than 200 GBP ! Crasy.

But sometimes you’re just lucky. Few days later another one appeared on Ebay australia and i got it at much much more reasonnable price !

BTW, if somebody else want one, another one is now for sale on Ebay AU for 115 AUD.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250842045940&category=156418&_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

Laurent

If you want to complete the panel you really need this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RAF-LANCASTER-CONTROL-PANEL-INSTRUMENT-WW2-N-O-S-/120734273699?pt=UK_Collectables_Militaria_LE&hash=item1c1c52d0a3

Laurent,

So it has changed hands now? I have been in contact about this panel several times with the previous owner (or the one before that). I was told it crashed near Calais. You are the custiodian now, be gentle with it and treat it right:)
It has the looks of an early Halifax version as the hole for the bomb steering indicator is present, but this version was also used on the Mk III so 1944 would fit.
Cheers
Cees

What a beautiful panel! Great find! Please don’t respray it – the paint may be a bit chipped but it looks original.

Cees and Peter are definately your first point of call re instruments and placards.

I have some instruments spare – pm me if you want to do a trade.

Cheers

Laurent,
You’ll need Cees, our resident expert 😉