What a marvellous sight! Especially given the uniqueness of the paint scheme, and the marvellously “stock” configuration with blisters, nose turret etc. Some of those shots could just be 1945 🙂

What’s the rotary powering it? Is it an original Clerget, or does one have to substitute something else nowadays?

Demobbed notes this aircraft as being at Little Rissington for G.I, so I guess it’s no longer at Lyneham.

Mention of it here:
http://upperrissington.co.uk/wordpress/?p=1110&show=slide

Yes, Mk. IF A9-43 in USAAF colours. There is also another Mk. IF:
X7688, a stored restoration project in Bedfordshire (I believe this is only a part airframe having been used as a test rig at Halton?)

Mk. 21s:
A8-186 (Camden Museum of Aviation, Australia),
A8-328 (Moorabbin Aviation Museum, Australia)
Composite- parts of A19-148, A19-144, A8-324 a project (stalled?) with HARS, Australia

With the composite on stalled rebuild at Duxford, RD253 at Hendon, RD867 in Canada, RD220 (on stalled(?) rebuild) at East Fortune, I make that 9.

Great to see this one getting some very overdue love and attention. With the number of stalled rebuilds around the world, it will be great to see one more complete Beaufighter in the future. Let’s hope they find their Hercules!

Looks like my back garden.

*Wishes*

Sure I heard something about Nimrod paint being the only grey available back in the 1980s? Which I suppose would fit with the Kinloss location.

Well, there we are. Let’s hope there’s a bright future for this unique survivor. It would be a shame if all we had to look at were those controversial pictures and this entertaining thread in a year’s time.
Well done to all the contributors, this has been an excellent debate and stayed civil throughout!