RD253

According to my well thumbed copy of British Museum Aircraft, published by Merseyside Aviation Society in 1977 (cor blimey – is it that long ago) RD253 was delivered to 19MU at St Athan in November 1944

7/3/45 to Pershore for preparation for sale to Portugal
17/3/45 Pershore to Portella as BF-13
by 1950 Instuctional Airframe in Lisbon
1965 Presented to RAF
Thence to 71 MU at Bicester
Parts from RD253 used to rebuild RD867 fom Malta
Thence to 4SoTT St Athan who managed to totally rebuild it

RD253 was chosen over RD867 as the museum aircraft to retain and RD867 was then exchanged with Canada for the Bolingbroke now in the BoB Museum.

RD253 arrived at Hendon on 15/3/71

ps while we’re on the subject of exchanges does anybody know what we got in return for the deal that saw the Mosquito TIII TW117 go to Norway??? :confused:

Post war desert scheme

Whilst Paul Lucas presents a compelling argument for the existence of this scheme – for both Tempests and Spitfire XVIIIs of 208 Squadron – quoting ORBs about planes being repainted at 109 MU in a “dark earth and light grey” or “light brown and light green” scheme -we don’t seem to have any colour photographic evidence of this interesting scheme.

Paul Lucas also proposed the theory that some FR XIVs were painted/delivered in the PR (Low Flying) scheme of EDSGrey/EDSGreen/PRU Mauve

Until we have either photographic or artefact proof, black and white photos are simply that. Its likely that any Spit parts originating from 208 will have been refurbed by now….. 😉

It seems to me that in fact the scheme was not really about camouflage either – it was to enable RAF pilots to distinguish RAF planes from IDF-AF planes as both were initially camo’d in the same DG/OG/MSG scheme

U234

The U234 was on the way to Japan with a crated Me262 at the war end – along, so they say, with some nuclear material.

It ultimately surrendered in the USA but there doesn’t seem to be any reference to the 262 subsequently appearing at Freeman Field or being assigned a T2- number.

Does anybody know what happened to it?

Wonder if it still rests in some Navy storage repository as per the last scene in the first Indiana Jones film………

I suppose it might have been “hot”

http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/heads/footnotes/lastdays1.html

Walrus et al

One presumes this is the **** Melton project which has been up for sale for sometime now.

If so another project leaves these shores

More of the family silver gone the way of the Mossie TIII

Surely is not was

shouldn’t it be

“what is the SP on the Syrian Spit 22s”

LRDG Chevrolet WA

You only have to see the LRDG Chevrolet WA in the IWM to see the state of preservation. This was recovered from the desert about 15 years ago by the LRDG Association and instead of being restored has simply been coated in a preservative – the condition is remarkable. The full story appeared in an After the Battle many moons ago but I’m sure that most of you who have been to Lambeth know the piece of kit I’m referring to.

And don’t forget Captain Bill Lancaster’s Avro Avian which was lost pre-war but found in the 60s/70s by a Legion Etranger patrol.