Inter-war images from India – info please

Presuming all the bits are from the same machine, the twisted pile of aeroplane looks very much like a Wapati.
Some very, very interesting pictures, they’re good to see.

A couple more pictures (sorry, haven’t quite got used to posting pictures yet!) from the same source. The first shows what looks like a pile of twisted aeroplane, the second shows what I assume could be the Vice Regal alighting the Trimotor…

Dav’

The mangled parts look like a Wapiti.

John

A couple more pictures (sorry, haven’t quite got used to posting pictures yet!) from the same source. The first shows what looks like a pile of twisted aeroplane, the second shows what I assume could be the Vice Regal alighting the Trimotor…

Dav’

The “Fokker” is an Avro Ten ( note the Lynx engines) and quite likely the Viceroy’s aeroplane VT-ACT.

John

Hi John,
See my post #10. Having now gone through the Indian civil reg for the period, I’m reasonably certain that the colour scheme and VT-__T combination can only be VT-ACT. (Din’t notice the engines though!)
Cheers

It’s a header tank, usually found with the extra rad under the nose.

John

Thanks John, I was puzzling fuel system not coolant- that fits perfectly.

A friend of mine (Julian Waterfield) has asked me to post some old photographs that belonged to his grandfather on this forum. He hopes to find out as much as possible about them, including location/s, aircraft types etc – anything at all. The pictures carry no dates or details on the reverse except that they were processed by Sukh Raj Bros. in Peshawar. His grandfather is one of the three gentlemen posing in front of the airliner.

Over to you…!

Detail from the above image:

Ta,
Davski

The “Fokker” is an Avro Ten ( note the Lynx engines) and quite likely the Viceroy’s aeroplane VT-ACT.

John

On the lower shots of the Bristol Fighter,does anybody know for sure what that object is, up on the left hand side of the cabane, that looks like an overgrown vent pipe?

It’s a header tank, usually found with the extra rad under the nose.

John

As a possible location at Kohat may be a bit far south. The shadows under the a/c indicate the sun is fairly high, and to the left of the centre-line. Therefore the shot was probably taken between, say, 1000 and 1400 local time. If so then the a/c must have been pointing between, say 330 degs and 030 degs. There’s some fairly impressive mountain type stuff not too far off the end of the runway!! We might be looking at somewhere further “Up The Khyber Pass”? Parachinar, or Thal, maybe? Where is Jagan when we need him?
Rgds
Resmoroh

On the lower shots of the Bristol Fighter,does anybody know for sure what that object is, up on the left hand side of the cabane, that looks like an overgrown vent pipe?

Ta. The ‘must not guess’ was a note to self on my stab in the dark on the type, and I too had read the label later…

OK, smart money has the Fokker as an Avro 618 ‘Ten’ a licence built Fokker (as smartly pointed out by Malcolm) VT-ACT (We can see the VT-__T in the photo) which was the Indian Vice-Regal chariot for Lord Willingdon(?) (when it was replaced) and perhaps earlier VRs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Freeman-Thomas,_1st_Marquess_of_Willingdon

Looks confirmed here:
http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac5/ROW%20Asia/VT-ACT.html

http://www.goldenyears.ukf.net/reg_VT-.htm

The second Brisfit (F4914) is another 20 Squadron example according to the appropriate Air Britain register. Location? A calculated guess says Kohat.

Best wishes
Steve P

M u s t n o t g u e s s…

No need to James. It has “City of Delhi” painted underneath the Imperial Airways logo. 😀

Best wishes
Steve P

M u s t n o t g u e s s…

Agreed on the DH-66, and it looks like ‘City of Delhi’, going by this shot here of another Imperial airways example:

From here:
http://www.oldcambrians.com/Nicholson.html

This page:
http://www.imperial-airways.com/De_havilland_dh66_hercules.html

Says:

The prototype flew on 30th September 1926 following receipt of an order for five aircraft from Imperial Airways. Such was the speed and comparative simplicity of procedures in those days that the prototype carried out acceptance flights, took part in some crew training and was delivered to Cairo by mid-December. An inaugural flight between Croydon and India left the UK on 27th December and arrived in Delhi on 8th January 1927.

A bit further, here’s another shot showing the earlier open cockpit.

From:
http://www.historyofaircargo.com/i–DH66-City-of-Cairo.-British-Airways-M.html

Thanks guys – keep it coming!!

I’m going for DH.66 for the third one.

Best wishes
Steve P

I think that’s a safe bet 🙂

I’m going for DH.66 for the third one.

Best wishes
Steve P

The first Brisfit would, I suspect, be a 20 Squadron aircraft which (obviously) did serve in India. I think the other is a 5 Squadron aircraft. The Fokker may actually be an Avro licence built version.

But I am no expert here.

Bristol Fighters (first and last) Fokker Trimotor, ‘VT-‘ being Indian civil registration, and from memory an Armstrong Withworth airliner… Um… I’m sure someone (better) will be along shortly.

You need Jagan, probably, for background info.