Westland Lysander

IIRC,there were some Halifaxes flown back to Canada after the war by RCAF squadrons returning home. I’ve seen one or two pics of Halibags being chopped up in Canada in 1947,I think it was in a copy of Aeroplane a few years ago.

I know.Just a pipedream!

Originally posted by Der
Wish he had bought some Stirlings and Halifaxes!

Not a lot of Stirlings and Halifaxes (ie – none) in Canada at the wars end…

Flood.

That’s really interesting that these two chaps had such vision to save all those aircraft. The Lizzies are not exactly plentiful but there are a good number around compared with many other types of that era.

I just found this site:
http://www.spitcrazy.com/simmons-1.htm

Wish he had bought some Stirlings and Halifaxes!

You might be right about that Mark.

Unfourtunately I can not find an old Air Classics that featured the treasuretrove of Mr. Simmons. However, somehow, I’m sure there were at least some Lysanders in an overview photo of the yard. But, as I can not find the relevant issue, I might be wrong.

You are how ever correct in saying it was mostly Swordfishes and A LOT of Yales.

I would have said Wes Agnew for Lysanders and Bolingbrokes.

Ernie Simmons was Swordfish and Yales – if memory serves me.

Mark

I think we have more or less ONE Canadian to thank for a lot of the Lysanders that survive today. His name was (I hope I’ve got this right) Simmons and was a Canadian farmer. He bought a lot of RCAF surplus aircraft after the war and just parked them on his farm. There they stood, more or less undisturbed, until his death in the late seventies or early eighties. After his death, the whole lot was autioned off.

His collection included quite a few Lysanders and Swordfishes and rows of North American Yale trainers. Also included were quite a lot of engines and other interesting stuff.

Hi Dave,
The RCAF used the Lysander as a target tug into the 1960’s, so they were considered somewhat ‘classic’ by the time the last examples were finally retired. Add to this the fact that many surplus aircraft of various types were bought by Canadaian farmers for parts recovery (useful wiring, nuts and bolts etc), and when that was done the still basically intact aircraft would be put ‘out to pasture’ somewhere on the farm until the day it was recovered by a museum/collector.
I wouldn’t say Lizzies were particularly plentiful,but it’s true that a respectable number survive thanks largely to the Canadians.

I know that Sabena Oldtimers Lysander is recovered from Canada. It is a British built example, but it survived the war in Canada. It first served in the RAF in 1941 and was transferd to RCAF in 1942.

Also the other Lysander under restauration for the Brussels air museum has Canadian roots. Most of the survivors are coming from the other side of the Atlantic. There are more than twice as much canadian survivors than british ones.

I think the Canadians must have stored more Lysanders after their millitary use. Or maybe they couldn’t scrap them as fast as in Britain. 😉

We are able to enjoy this beautifull machine in a flying condition. If there where few Canadian survivers, the Lysander would have been a extreme rare bird.

Thanks,

J.V.