That Halifax in Hendon again…!

and of course

If it was taken away for restoration you would certainly have to go to Canada to see a complete Halifax as this one would be in even more bits for 10 years or so. I presume visitors can see the RAF museums workshop now?

Originally posted by HP57

Moggy, if you are going to visit Hendon, could you take some shots of the interior and the pilot’s seat and pilot’s bulkhead in particular?

Cheers

Cees

I think the jobsworths might have something to say on that subject 🙁

Moggy

perch..?

how about using clear rods?

Eddie,

I know I am ‘redundant’ but can I get this Seafire painted in Texas and the MH434 book up and running first ? 🙂

Mark

Originally posted by Mark12
I like crash dioramas.

They are evocative and in museum terms cheap.

I have no problems with not restoring the Halifax at Hendon. What offends me is the the dismounting of the engines and the partial restoration of the turret etc.

I suspect that with a bit of thought and engineering, the engines, cowlings and props could be remounted or be strategically postioned, even if they have to have a ‘little perch’ to reduce the loading on corroded parts. The restored turret could be remounted and artificially distressed in keeping with the general structure.

Now come you guys at Hendon. It would cost peanuts, greatly improve the exhibit and would be a perect project for a volunteer group to get their teeth into over a couple of years

What say others?

Mark

Sounds like a good idea Mark – I like the idea of engineering some support structures to prevent the structure being overloaded. I suppose that it would be possible to replace any cowling parts that would need cutting away (to preserve the original parts, but still give an impression of the recovered condition).

Fancy signing up for the job of project leader? 😀

Like Kim Wilde once said:

Just go for it!!!

I like crash dioramas.

They are evocative and in museum terms cheap.

I have no problems with not restoring the Halifax at Hendon. What offends me is the the dismounting of the engines and the partial restoration of the turret etc.

I suspect that with a bit of thought and engineering, the engines, cowlings and props could be remounted or be strategically postioned, even if they have to have a ‘little perch’ to reduce the loading on corroded parts. The restored turret could be remounted and artificially distressed in keeping with the general structure.

Now come you guys at Hendon. It would cost peanuts, greatly improve the exhibit and would be a perect project for a volunteer group to get their teeth into over a couple of years

What say others?

Mark

Don’t worry Lancman, I won’t

There are two ways W1048 can be displayed in a proper way
and to serve as a worthy monument to all the fallen aircrew.

1. display her as she is now but with all perspex, skins, cowlings etc. fitted as when she was when she had just emerged from Lake Hoklingen so that she really looks like a complete aircraft instead of a disassembled carcass. And make a really good representation of the lake surroundings instead of a layer of gravel.

2. restore her to proper static condition so that people who cannot go to Canada can see what an early model Halifax looks like.

The problem with the first option is that her long term preservation isn’t assured as there are a lot of hidden areas where the red (rusty looking) preservative can’t go and the
danger is that in the year 20.. she will start corroding into a pile
of blue dust.

The problem with the second option is cost, as usual.

Of course there are as many opinions as there are admirers of her but if something has to be done to her, then now is the time as I understand the Bomber Command Halli is quite bare now some aircraft have been removed. The bits of Stirling are very battered but still give an idea about the size of such an aircraft of which dozens were sent out to Germany any one night.

Moggy, if you are going to visit Hendon, could you take some shots of the interior and the pilot’s seat and pilot’s bulkhead in particular?

Cheers

Cees

Good to hear that some better info boards are planned for the dread RAFM! I just take the blasted old place as I find it, but when I first went there with the now Mrs Lancman, (Lancwoman?!) she remarked a lot of the time that the ‘boards weren’t very good’-and that’s from someone who knew nothing about aircraft in the slightest!

Don’t get me started on the Elvington Airfix!

😉

I’m aware that there are some people who don’t count it as a Halifax, but I really don’t see what all the fuss is about. IMHO it is worth going to see. I was rather fortunate and managed a little look around the inside (not normally permitted unless you are former Halifax aircrew). To be able to sit in the pilots position and get an impression of what it must of been like for my grandfather etc was rather special. There was a former Halifax W/Op with me and he was delighted to be able to clamber back into a Halifax again – had a job to get him back out again actually, he would have stayed there chatting all day!

Moggy, would love to see a piccy of the Hendon Halifax if you can manage that during your visit.

Cheers
Linzee

Brilliant Moggy, thanks very much. I’ve had a check back through my files because I did have some correspondence via e-mail with someone at the museum about this. It’s obviously very efficiently filed somewhere as I can’t put my hand on it! Basically what they said was that it would be too expensive to correct the board?! No kidding. I felt rather tempted to pay a visit with a large marker pen and do the job myself (then invoice them!) I was told that sometime in the future there would be some interactive screens around the museum and they would consider putting the information on there if and when the time came. I’m a wee bit far away to be able to pop in and see what’s happening there so I’m very grateful for news from anyone that does.

aj – you don’t have to go to Canada to see a Halifax. Have you seen the one on display at Elvington in Yorkshire, it’s pretty good? It has been built using bits from various Halifax etc rather than being a restoration of a single one.

Cheers
Linzee

Piccies please Moggy

Moggy if you can get me some good pics of the ol halibag while your there I will set a bowl of fresh milk out for you.. LOL

Originally posted by JDK
Well done Moggy C.

And if it isn’t, let’s get it fixed.

Cheers

Yeah – take a permanent marker with you, Moggy…!

Well done Moggy C.

And if it isn’t, let’s get it fixed.

Cheers

I’m there this Saturday.

I’ll happily check for you 🙂

Moggy

During the three attacks against Tirpitz in the spring of 1942 thirteen aircraft from Bomber Command were lost with the loss of 60 lives. One Coastal Command Beaufighter was lost with the loss of two men and three PRU Spitfires with the loss of two Pilots. A total of 64 RAF and Commonwealth airmen lost their lives between January and April 1942 attempting to sink Tirpitz, an objective which was not ultimately achieved until some two years later in November 1944.

Some years ago when I visited the museum I noticed there was a board beside the Halifax which listed all the operations that the RAF had flown agaist Tirpitz. There was one missing – March 30/31 1942 – and when I asked one of the museum staff about this I was told it was because that operation had been cancelled or aborted. I knew that this was not the case but they didn’t believe me so I decided to do a bit of research and produce some evidence for them.

Six of the thirty-four aircraft that took off on the March 30/31 op failed to return with the loss of all onboard – 42 airmen. My grandfather was the Pilot on one of the Halifaxes that failed to return from the op which is why I was a bit miffed when I was told by the museum that it had been aborted.

Well, I did my research, including a trip to Norway where I visited the crash sites of all the a/c lost during the Spring 1942 ops and I sent the info to the museum.

Can anyone who has visited the Halifax display recently tell me if the board listing the ops is still there, and if so, is the March 1942 op listed yet? I doubt it, but would be nice if it was.

Cheers

Hi Peter,
Now you’d not be getting any points on your escape and evasion excersise as a Halifax crewman for initiative here, would you? :p

Strange to say, during the day he lurks at the RAF Museum…

Start with www.rafmuseum.org You’ll not get his e-mail there, but work through the contact us bit, and couch your message to avoid being fobbed off by some mindless PR minion, and who knows, you, as a member of the public ,may indeed hear from the RAFM’s cheif public servant.

We live in hope!
Cheers

thanks JDK

does he have email?? Or address?
Peter

Hi Peter,
Why not write to Dr Fopp at the Museum, with the suggestion? Can’t hurt. If you’d like some action rather than a PR answer (I may be cynical, and I hope I’d be proven wrong, but) write to the aviation press or start a pressure campaign.
Cheers!

staying on topic

Good to see we have returned to the original topic!
I dont want it restored to a pristine example. I want to see it put back to how it was when it came up from the lakebed and you could also build on this buy having a memorial in front of it saying that it is left int the condition that it was found in memory of all the lads that didnt make it home.
I havent been to Hendon so I am only going by pics of here and to me it seems like they should do a better job of presenting the aircraft intact!