The Purple Plain

One of the PPRuNers came up with the details of the movie if anyone is interested:

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0047376/

Seem to recall that when I saw it recently there was a late mark Anson – complete with serial number – at the end.

Flood.

It certainly looks like a PR34, with two-stage Merlins and bulged bomb bay. If you look at the pic carefully, there’s a noticable difference in shade where the flat nose ends and what looks like a false tip’s been stuck on. Note also the angle of the “machine guns”.
I think by 1954 the only Mossies in the far east were PR34s but that’s from memory, not research.
At least they bothered to fit a false nose, rather than just painting the perspex.

The Mossies used in Purple Plain were done up in a very similar way to those in 633 Sqn a decade later.The perspex nose caps were overpainted and dummy Browning muzzles were stuck onto the nose.What you get is a split screen Mk.34 or 35 Mossie (with astro-bubble on top of the canopy) which looks superficially like a fighter-bomber version. (Fighter,fighter bomber and trainer versions always had flat screens and never had an astro-bubble.)
I read somewhere that the aircraft in Purple Plain were only dressed up in this way for a couple of days-they were fully operational aircraft and so there was no time to lose in getting the aerial and airfield scenes done and getting the Mossies back into thier usual configuration.

I have a feeling it was a T-variant Mosquito (trainer).

FP136

Originally posted by John Cooper
FP136 as stated but maybe a spoof registration as it could belong to a Catalina. The general appearance is not to the usual RAF standard, the nose area and under cowlings look pretty grim. The photo is Crown Copyright Negative Number 2638 date of photo 26th January 1954 taken outside ASF Hangar RAF Negombo, Ceylon.

Any ideas as to the mark, index number or anything else/

Not a clue. Seems a bit odd though. Its got a fighter nose and hatch but a bomber (split) windscreen

FP136 as stated but maybe a spoof registration as it could belong to a Catalina. The general appearance is not to the usual RAF standard, the nose area and under cowlings look pretty grim. The photo is Crown Copyright Negative Number 2638 date of photo 26th January 1954 taken outside ASF Hangar RAF Negombo, Ceylon.

Any ideas as to the mark, index number or anything else/

Daz

Yep a Sunderland from 205 Squadron, Seletar was used for the aerial shots of The Purple Plain. You might be quite close with the other info too

What does the Mossie serial # FP136 mean to anyone as I think this is a spoof index #. Apparently this serial belonged to a Catalina when shipped to Prestwick from the States.

I remember seeing something of one of the Mosquitos in an issue of Flypast a couple of years ago – there was a pic of the aircraft in the middle of being made up to look like a fighter-bomber Mosquito (dummy guns fitted and nose being sprayed, I think).

According to one of the aviation film listings, the aerial photography was done from a Sunderland!

A colleague and I did a bit in one of the later Warbirds Worldwide Journals. If I recall correctly, we had a shot of Peck in front of the crashed Mozzie – though serial or mark were both difficult to tell – especially from memory!
The pic was from the BFI archive. They may be able to help further.
Cheers

Thanks so far, I have a photo of said Mossie with index number and I think she flew with 81 (PR) Sqn at Tengah, Singapore. Before posting it I would like to see if there is anymore feedback on said film.

This is a good film – possibly because the flying scenes take second place to the story by (Sqn Ldr) HE Bates who used to write as Flying Officer X. Screeplay by Eric Ambler. Gregory Peck as a Canadian can be forgiven (like Bogart in The African Queen). Made by Rank in 1954 and shot in Technicolor, the rights are now owned by Carlton.

Purple Plain is a regular Saturday/Sunday afternoon film, usually on Ch.4 or 5. It was last on about 2 months ago.

As for the Mosquito type, I’m fairly sure they’re PR 34’s.

Cheers,
Neilly