I had a lucky find today in a second hand shop when i found two old books about aircraft museums, for just a couple of dollars each.
The first is on The Camden Museum of Aviation. It is in a series it seems called Famous Museums of the World (from Historian Publishers, 1972). It details each plane in the collection and also type history, with lots of pictures. They had a great collection. Is it still going? I see they had a Lincoln too – I didn’t know any still existed. (Hmm, I wonder if you could get a Lincoln and ‘back-date’ it to a Lanc?)
The other book is called The Royal Air Force Museum – 100 Years of Aviation History. It is from Pitkin Pictorials in 1974. Wow the Lancaster was in bright light then! In fact everything was. The book is in smashing condition, like new. And is full of nice coloured photos.
Are these two very collectable? Anyone know? If anyone’s interested I can scan a few pictures from them I guess.
By: Dave Homewood - 15th April 2004 at 00:29
Ah, I just read the piece properly about the Aussie Lincoln. They only had the cockpit section, the rest was burned by fire fighters. 🙁
Is that Leslie Hunt the same chap that wrote the history of 488 (NZ) Sqn RAF I wonder?
By: Arabella-Cox - 14th April 2004 at 23:15
Dave, I’m not sure about their monetary value, but in terms of their depiction of these museums at that particular time, they are fabulous bits of history.
I have a copy here of “Veteran and Vintage Aircraft”, written by Leslie Hunt in 1968, the year before I was born. It contains some fascinating entries, and I quote from the ‘India’ section: “The Indian Air Force confirm that B24 Liberators are still flying from coastal bases on maritime reconnaissance but do not, understandably, give number or serials.”
As for Lincolns, two intact examples currently survive; RF398 at the RAF Museum in Cosford, and B-010 which is currently on external display in Argentina. The remains of a third, RF342, are believed stored dismantled at Sandtoft. Bits of it were supposedly to be incorporated into the restoration to airworthiness of Lancaster KB976 some years ago.
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April 14, 2004 at 2:16 pm