Duxford DH-9 on display from today
Torygaph: Backpacker finds rare WWI bomber
A rare First World War bomber which was discovered in an elephant stable by a backpacker in India is to go on display at the Imperial War Museum today.
The two-seat bomber, the de Havilland DH 9, is the only one of its kind in Britain and has undergone a £500,000 restoration. And it might still be gathering dust in the elephant house at a former maharajah’s palace in Rajasthan had the back-packer not rescued it for the nation.
Guy Black, the director of Aero Vintage, a specialist restoration company, described how he went to bring the plane home. “We went on a discreet holiday to India and went to the fort and we asked about the wreckage,” he said. “They showed me to an elephant stable which was like a dog’s kennel but 100 times bigger. “There among the saddles and other paraphernalia were piles of WWI wings and tails and other things. I could not believe my eyes.”
Angus Buchanan, of Retrotec, which helped with the rescue and restoration mission, said: “People asked why are you going to the trouble to take the thing home, but it’s a prize to us.”
Some 2,000 DH9s were made but it is thought that there are just six left in the world. They were designed to carry out long-distance raids deep into enemy territory. This one had been transferred to India as part of the Imperial Gift Scheme and subsequently to the State of Bikaner with at least two other DH-9s.
They first came to the attention of enthusiasts in the early 1970s when the Imperial Fort and Royal Palace of Bikaner opened to the public as a museum and hotel. But attempts by western museums and collectors to acquire them were unsuccessful.
By the time Mr Black arrived, the aircraft - made of wood, canvas and metal - was suffering termite and sun damage and the engines were missing. But most of the craft’s flying surfaces were still covered in their original British military fabric.
It has taken two years to restore the plane and it is to go on show at the museum’s Duxford site, in Cambridgeshire.
Mr Black said: “It has been a challenging and remarkable venture and I am delighted that this incredible rare aircraft will be on display at Duxford.”
“The Imperial War Museum does not have a First World War bomber in its collection” said Richard Ashton, Director of Duxford, “so this aircraft is not just an important acquisition for the IWM - it is a very significant addition to Britain’s national aircraft collections.”