Hawker Typhoon 181 Squadron.Flt Lt Roy Crane

That’s brilliant Cranswick, I work with Roy’s
Nephew and he is keen to find out more about his uncle. Like many other veterans Roy never really talked about his exploits.

Many thanks again.

I’m trying to find out which markings Flt Lt Roy Crane’s personal Hawker Typhoon would have worn.

EL-

Many thanks

Sepic

After flying Typhoons for 6 months with 182 Sqn, Roy Crane transferred to 181 Sqn in February 1944 and joined A Flight. He flew a variety of Typhoons (including EL-B JR297, more than most). On 16 May 44 he carried out an air test on his new aircraft, EL-E MN639. This was a brand new, bubble-canopied, 4-bladed Typhoon with the large (Tempest) tailplane. Although now based at Hurn, the squadron began operating from bases in France on a daily basis and EL-E appears in the background of IWM photo CL182 which features a Spit on B.2 Bazenville. The Typhoon has full invasion stripes and the photo has spawned a number of ‘profile’ drawings in various publications.

MN639 suffered a sleeve valve problem on 17 June after which it seems Roy only flew it once more (on the 20th). It was force-landed on a partially completed US strip (A.5) by another pilot on 30 June, declared Cat B and returned to the UK for repair. After that Roy flew a variety of aircraft but several of his last trips (before he was shot down in it on 2 August 44, becoming PoW) were in EL-E JP430. This was an older Typhoon that had been modified with a bubble canopy and RP and would have had a 3-blader, small tailplane and D-Day stripes on undersides only.
Cranswick