The inner wing section from Whitley N1498 – this aircraft crashed in January 1942 and is the aircraft we are rebuilding. As an aside, both the undercarriage legs from this Whitley are expected to make the journey south for restoration soon.

The control column is now largely back together and work on it has been a real labour of love. Remember, this column was pulled out of the sea off Margate about 20 years ago. Much of the aluminium was corroded and the steel forging, although spared corrosion had been bent and twisted, presumably by a partly successful Air Ministry recovery effort in the 1950s. It has taken many months to restore this unit and it has come out rather well. The steel parts have all been lovingly cleaned, straightened and re-plated. New bearings and taper pins sourced and the surviving aluminium parts repaired, reused and given a conversion coating of Alocrom. I have sourced the correct Renolds chain – the chain guards and the elevator horn now need to be addressed.

I try to include pictures with my replies so the thread does not end up with too much waffle, so apologies for the delay in replying. Thanks Junk Collector – it does look like a strip from the Whitley’s glazing – that’s a good find.

Another new part turned up recently at an auction in Cornwall.

This is a wing rib from the starboard wing of Whitley EB384. We recovered this wing back in 2001 – most of the wing ribs were still attached but some had suffered from ‘pilfering’ over the years. I managed to relocate one in the hands of a northern collector about 10 years ago, and have now found another – this must almost be a full set now.