RAF Negombo Scrap Yard – Mosquito

Hi all–

Yep, that is a B-24, or about one third of one anyway…and yep, there are two Mosquitos, both of them evidently pretty intact except for engines, in the shot. The one “hiding” behind the Lib hulk appears to be PRU blue, I’m guessing a PR.34, while the more clearly visible silver job looks like a T.3.

This stuff and the welter of other scrapyard views are very nearly enough to make this Canuck night-owl want to hurl himself off a bridge… 🙁

Fantastic stuff though; at least a few enthusiasts captured it on film! Might make me a masochist, but I look forward to seeing more…

S.

Exactly what I was thinking, and is that another mossie sticking out of the side of the Lib?

Is that half a Liberator or Privateer on the left?

Cees

Both of these photos are from my Webshots website, the top photo was sent to me recently by the owner of the photo, this was taken in 1955, the lower pic is an actual RAF photo taken at the time of filming outside ASF hangar, the latter we have discussed on this forum some months back.

The MRV Sunderland was detached from Seletar and operated out of China Bay, Trincomalee (I am sad to say that this area has been hit hard by the tsunami) the camera was positioned from the bomb bay hatches.

The Bridge on the River Kwai was also filmed in Ceylon just before my arrival in Negombo, many of my old buddies were used as extras in the film, alas only the thin ones. The aerial shots for this film was from a RCyAF S-51 Dragonfly details are shown on the same Webshots website as above.

From the Military Aviation Movie list

The Purple Plain
1955 *v
RAF- Gregory Peck; Burma Mosquito pilot crashes, walks back to civilization. Interesting view of rare WWII theatre, pilot fatigue, and the fact that many combat crew went down to accidents rather than enemy action

Made using DH. Mosquito PR.Mk.34/one T.Mk.4 of 81 Squad, Seletar, Singapore on a base at Negombo, Ceylon. Avro Anson. N.A. Harvard in the background. One T.Mk.3 Mosquito was destroyed in the crash sequence. Camera plane was a Short Sunderland of 205 Squad!

Mark

….and as follow up:

DH Mosquito FP136 has an air of mystery attached to this photo, it was taken outside ASF RAF Negombo on 26th January 1954. The number FP136 (Belongs to a Catalina) appears to be spoofed, the nose cone appears to have been altered and the windscreen is of the split type. The movie The Purple Plain starring Gregory Peck was filmed in Ceylon in 1954 and involved a crash landed DH Mosquito, is this the one?

source: http://community.webshots.com/photo/45220185/102976294ckeIew

Crown copyright

Martin