Video of Venturas operating at RAF Portreath c. 1941

Good shout Rob…should have thought of that myself!!

‘DUTY FLIGHT’ maybe?

Rob

Can anyone make out what is written on the hangar that flashes past in the take off footage at 2:42?

The first word looks like ‘DUTY’ and the second word ‘LIGHT’ – wondered if it reference ‘DUTY SEARCH LIGHT’ when the hangar doors were drawn? But I could be completely wrong!

Much of my family are from the Camborne/Redruth area and could remember the flying from Portreath/Perranporth/St Eval etc during wartime.
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What a fantastic video – some lovely footage and Carn Brea can clearly be seen in the distance!

There’s a also a couple of Airacobras near the beginning of the film. USAAF P-39s en route to N Africa presumably.

Interesting film. Seems a very long take off run? But the take off run dows show a Hurricane, and possibly a Hornet Moth, plus another single englined type by the tower.

An excellent clip. Thanks for posting it. Portreath’s four runways and associated taxiways are still in situ but in poor condition, but few wartime buildings survive. Cue blatant plug for my book Stations of Coastal Command Then and Now due out in Feb, wherein all is revealed!

‘An airfield comes alive’. Thanks for posting that up, a really good piece of film showing a less glamorous but equally important aircraft type and its crews.

I haven’t looked but is there much left of Portreath airfield?

Rob

Not sure how many people realise that there is a Ventura stored in a hangar at RAF Cosford (on the “far side” of the airfield). The Ventura is owned by the RAF Museum, but has been entombed in deep store at Cosford for many decades. It was obtained from South Africa in exchange for a “spare” Airspeed Oxford. This Ventura has never been on public display and is stored in a building that (I believe for safety reason) is out of bounds to any visitors.

Some renowned museums display a proportion of their inventory in un-restored condition pending attention, so that folk can at least appreciate such artefact(s). It would be encouraging if the RAFM could at least make an effort to move the Ventura to an accessible location. Sadly it seems destined to a lonely and seemingly unwanted existance, as over the years ever more acquisitions have gone ahead of it in the queue for restoration.

A rare picture of it in store appeared in a thread on this Forum about 10 years ago, see:
http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?40768-RAF-Museum-Cosford-Hidden-Treasures

Tim

An example of not-success is covered in the VC citation for SL Trent RNZAF.

Nice film, I like the Ventura,

I recently purchased a 1/48 kit of this aircraft with a view to building a model of one 464 Squadron’s aircraft, AE688 “Q”, which crashed in North Wales on 18 August 1943. It is probably one of the aircraft in the film but the quality is too grainy to make out any more than one or two of the squadron code letters.

Despite its speed and power, not a particularly successful type in RAF service, I gather.

Anon.

Superb footage! Thanks for sharing. Portreath is a very interesting airfield and that’s the first time I have seen any WW2 film of the base.

Thanks!
There is a Ventura being restored to display at MOTAT Auckland.
https://flic.kr/p/y5eoPA
(some interior shots earlier in the album)

That is a fantastic piece of film!

In 1942 Ventura’s of 464 were operating from Feltwell & Methwold, but started flying Circus missions from advanced bases such as Exeter and Portreath around the 9th January 1943, this film then dates from either that date or not long after. Targets in France were in Brittany that couldnt be reached from the Norfolk bases, although Cherbourg could.

Thanks for sharing this!

Great clip of an unusual subject, many thanks 🙂

Really nice video – thanks for posting it

‘SB’ is 464 RAAF, which would put it sometime between Sept ’42 and July ’43.

Great video of a relatively rare type. The title says C-1941 but it would be 1942 or 43. Anyone know the unit?
Thanks for posting
Bill