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Acklington

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December 10, 2020 at 5:12 pm in reply to: 8 Squadron Shackleton The 'Magic Roundabout' and 'The Herb's Characters' #765684

Acklington
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I’ve just removed my earlier deleted “Tinypic” images, and inserted two new colour photos of WL793 into this thread. These seem to confirm that WL793 had become “Dylan” by 1976, replacing the earlier “Ermintrude” cartoon.

October 30, 2020 at 6:34 pm in reply to: Sea Prince T.1 – identity help #766137

Acklington
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Many thanks Lynx815, my date of “circa 1977” was a guess, but fitted with the other photos in the box of slides that I was given.

I’ve just had a close look at the online photos of WF128, currently preserved with NASAM, and there is indeed a visible plate on the lower fuselage below the cockpit. This plate matches the location of the large aerial in the slide photo. Also the serial WF128 is close to what little can be made out on the slide photo. You have also shown that WF128 didn’t serve with all the other Sea Princes of 750 Squadron, which is why contemporary photos of that squadron only show day-glo aircraft. And finally if WF128 was with Belfast Station Flight, possibly on ‘Troubles’ related duties (the extra aerials), then that would explain why it was elusive to the cameras of mainland Britain.

Result! I can now caption the photo as WF128, dated 1975, Belfast SF/MoD(PE).

Many thanks again.

September 25, 2017 at 5:44 pm in reply to: Gloster Gladiator colours in 1941 #829569

Acklington
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Thanks Graham, your reply has given me the confidence to proceed with sky undersurfaces.

Also, even though I’m not planning to build one, the subject of meteorological Gladiators raises an interesting point. There is a published photo of one in late war fighter camouflage, which confirms the AP 2656A that you guote. However the photo is taken from the rear, so the question then becomes, were such biplane wings painted with yellow leading edge strips like all other fighters? They should have been, if the AP instruction was properly followed.

I’m still surprised how very few post 1941 Gladiator photos there are, given that it was a fairly numerous type which remained in service until 1945.

Thanks again, Phil

October 30, 2012 at 10:07 am in reply to: Seeking RAF service photos of WG474 Chipmunk #991754

Acklington
Participant

Ohh, and by the way, the tail is not black but actually a dark blue on Northumbria UAS Chipmunks!

http://derbosoft.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=furtherafield&action=display&thread=10654

Many thanks for clarifying that Phantom Phil, they always looked ‘black’, but part of me kept saying ‘no it’s a very dark blue’. I’ve worried about that for 40 years! 🙂

Also, just for the record (and since I posted those Ouston photos), the wingtips were also painted the same very dark blue.

June 17, 2012 at 9:10 am in reply to: Seafire Identity Wanted #993400

Acklington
Participant

As Mark mentions, SR602 seems to fit the bill more so than SR632 and SR642.

Not sure why you mention SR643 but this aircraft was land-based with 700 Sqn at Yeovilton, during the period when the photos were taken.

Hope this helps.

Sorry – typo!:o

Many thanks to you both for the further clarification, and I’m convinced now that the photo shows SR602, and that the location is Hal Far. Well done!

Next will be another Seafire photo in the collection – Mk.III “M8R” of 728 Sqdn – a nice flying shot, but it will be a few weeks before I can restore the photo (due Duxford, Fairford, and Farnborough!)

June 16, 2012 at 10:38 pm in reply to: Seafire Identity Wanted #993553

Acklington
Participant

Thanks Mark for your comprehensive reply.

In the photo the Seafires are securely picketed, and have protective covers for the cockpit. So ‘external storage’ is a distinct possibility, and perhaps the ‘erks’ are undertaking routine preventative maintenance.

So the 805 markings are history from August 1946, and would presumably have been subsequently removed if the aircraft was taken on by 728 Sqdn FRU. The photo may even mark the point at which the aircraft was taken on by 728 Sqdn, given that most of the other photos in this small collection are very 728 Sqdn-orientated.

So SR602 does seem to be a distinct possibility, but still not conclusively so, given the lack of information regarding SR643 and SR642. They may prove to have similar 805 / 728 Sqdn histories during 1946?

I don’t think that the photo was taken much after Aug/Sept 1946, as there are no other subjects in the collection that date much beyond then. Perhaps our photographer left Malta around then?

Finally, regarding Malta, I find conflicting accounts of where 728 Sqdn was based – Ta Kali – Luqa – Hal Far, all feature in various accounts regarding 1945 – 46.

March 16, 2012 at 6:03 pm in reply to: 8 Squadron Shackleton The 'Magic Roundabout' and 'The Herb's Characters' #1019724

Acklington
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The nearest ‘fit’ seems to be “Dylan”, which confirms at least one post above.

March 16, 2012 at 6:03 pm in reply to: 8 Squadron Shackleton The 'Magic Roundabout' and 'The Herb's Characters' #1028653

Acklington
Participant

The nearest ‘fit’ seems to be “Dylan”, which confirms at least one post above.

March 16, 2012 at 5:51 pm in reply to: 8 Squadron Shackleton The 'Magic Roundabout' and 'The Herb's Characters' #1019736

Acklington
Participant

As you were, and ignore everything I’ve just said about Shackleton WL793! I remembered taking a Kodachrome 64 colour slide around the same time as the b&w pics, so I went looking for it after posting the above. The colour slide is of WL793 at Newcastle, although I have dated it two days earlier, the 5th April 1976. I now think that that date also applies to the b&w photos of WL793, and that WL756 turned up two days later, on the 7th. So here is the colour photo, which is quite distinct; [/url]WL793, 8 Sqdn, Newcastle, 5 April 76 (4) by Philip Pain, on Flickr” /> And here is the whole aircraft [/url]WL793, 8 Sqdn, Newcastle, 5 April 76 (4) by Philip Pain, on Flickr” />Excuse me while I now go all the way back through this thread, to see who it actually is!

March 16, 2012 at 5:51 pm in reply to: 8 Squadron Shackleton The 'Magic Roundabout' and 'The Herb's Characters' #1028676

Acklington
Participant

As you were, and ignore everything I’ve just said about Shackleton WL793! I remembered taking a Kodachrome 64 colour slide around the same time as the b&w pics, so I went looking for it after posting the above. The colour slide is of WL793 at Newcastle, although I have dated it two days earlier, the 5th April 1976. I now think that that date also applies to the b&w photos of WL793, and that WL756 turned up two days later, on the 7th. So here is the colour photo, which is quite distinct; [/url]WL793, 8 Sqdn, Newcastle, 5 April 76 (4) by Philip Pain, on Flickr” /> And here is the whole aircraft [/url]WL793, 8 Sqdn, Newcastle, 5 April 76 (4) by Philip Pain, on Flickr” />Excuse me while I now go all the way back through this thread, to see who it actually is!

March 16, 2012 at 11:34 am in reply to: 8 Squadron Shackleton The 'Magic Roundabout' and 'The Herb's Characters' #1019943

Acklington
Participant

Oh dear! I’ve just been scanning and cleaning some 35 mm photos that I took at Newcastle Airport on 7th April 1976, and thought that I would ‘google’ to check the correct names for the cartoon characters on the noses of the two Shackletons. But rather than finding the ‘answers’, I found a minefield! So here goes, anyway; The two 8 Sqdn Shacks had arrived to do some local flights for the RAF Boulmer radar personnel. WL793 parked on the nearest stand to the airport roof viewing terrace, but WL756 was three stands away. I took quite a few photos of both sides of the aircraft as they came and went, and the cartoons were on the port side only, with nothing at all on the starboard sides.

March 16, 2012 at 11:34 am in reply to: 8 Squadron Shackleton The 'Magic Roundabout' and 'The Herb's Characters' #1028971

Acklington
Participant

Oh dear! I’ve just been scanning and cleaning some 35 mm photos that I took at Newcastle Airport on 7th April 1976, and thought that I would ‘google’ to check the correct names for the cartoon characters on the noses of the two Shackletons. But rather than finding the ‘answers’, I found a minefield! So here goes, anyway; The two 8 Sqdn Shacks had arrived to do some local flights for the RAF Boulmer radar personnel. WL793 parked on the nearest stand to the airport roof viewing terrace, but WL756 was three stands away. I took quite a few photos of both sides of the aircraft as they came and went, and the cartoons were on the port side only, with nothing at all on the starboard sides.
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