Hello,

I would like to find details relating to the dates of handover and establishment sent to of the 9 Blackburn TB aircraft produced circa 1915-16.
Can anyone help?

RNAS Killingholme in 1916 and were all broken up (at Killingholme) by August 1917. 1511 and 1512 were in store at Crystal Palace until SOC.

John

It looks too “pretty” to be a 1930’s construction – a lot of French aircraft of that period definitely hit the ugly tree!!

Is it my imagination or does the podded engine look “wrong”? It doesn’t seem to have enough bulk to be a powerful engine, nor does there appear to be much clearance for any propeller with sufficient grunt…. I’ve trawled through reams of French manufacturers, including singletons and can’t find anything in 1930’s designs….

Did any Potez 58’s (or similar) survive long after WW2, into the 50’s perhaps?

I have to say, it does look a beautiful aircraft and very unusual, especially the undercarriage.

At least two 585 variants made it into the 50’s, one in France and one in Uruguay,

Looking at the UFO the engine appears to be a tractor, possibly a Regnier or Potez.

John

No it isn’t, There I just answered myself. (I found a sketch of the Volland 10)

John

Do you think maybe a home-build then John?. That was my first thought and where I would put my money to be honest. But that cockpit shape rings bells somewhere with another post war type but I can’t put my finger on it. Also the thought occurs, is it definitely a french built aircraft? could it have been imported?

Regards.

Yes if I had to vote on it I would say it was a one off creation by a French home builder/innovator of which there have been dozens as the French have always been air minded.

John

I’m sure that this will come under the umberella of the Commonwealth War Graves Commision if the grave is maintained in a CWGC cemetery. If there is no proof positive date given for the pilots death then the presumtion that this grave is Airman X because there was only one loss on that date is not enough evidence to put a name on that grave. The CWGC have always been very strict about this. I can put names to a WW1 Sopwith 1.1/2 Strutter unidentified crew in a cemetery in France. This is near to where a crew were seen to go down, but because there were two other crews lost that day within a radius of about 20 miles all listed as missing or unidentified, names cannot be aportioned to that grave.

John

Try contacting the Bristol Transport Museum. They do have a website and they do have a Bristol collection there.

John

Well as I’ve been specifically volunteered :confused: I’ll start the ball rolling with my thoughts.
As far as I know 32 wasn’t a specific night fighter unit and the best suggestion I have seen is that the roundels were “toned down” purely as an day ident exercise marking.

Also it’s quite ridiculous to paint an a/c Silver and use it as a night fighter and paint night roundels on as a compromise. Even so the slightly later Hawker Woodcocks of 17 Sqn though still silver didn’t quite go as far as changing the roundels. If you look at the photo, those Snipes are not carrying either nav lights or the necessary flare brackets so that pretty well rules out night flying.

I think it’s a “one off” occasion and the standard roundels would normally be carried by 32Sqn. Were the a/c overall Silver? I’d say yes as the RAF hadn’t quite reached the later “Bullshine baffles brains” stage of the late 20’s and 30’s.

Why were the night fighter units Silver? I think that it was just to keep a cadre of night qualified squadrons, just in case the need ever arose and after all they had just fought the war to end all wars.

My pen’orth.

John

The proper title was Counterpoise plate as Bubble says, and were part of the ECM setup. Memory is vague but the hemispereical aerials were Red Shrimp and the later aerofoil one was I think Blue Diver.. However I could be wrong at this distance from the event.

John

Edit: Just looked up a couple of posts and yes the Aerofoil one was L Band