Old RAF serial numbers...

[Rossian]

.....recently my B-i-L showed me a suitcase of old photos from his Dad's time at RAF Aboukir in the 1930s.

There were several photos of single engine biplane a/c in various states of "disrepair" having tipped onto their noses maybe from an undercarriage leg collapse. They all seem to be the same type but some may have an in-line engine but at least one seems to have had a radial (it's lying on the ground detached from the fuselage).

The serials are: K4671;KR2613;K4454;K1711;J9671;and J9644

I thought initially that they were Hawker Demons but I'm beginning to have doubts about one or two of them.

There was also a very interesting collection of pictures from a tour Dad carried out with a specially equipped Lincoln after the war to Canada and the US. He had been heavily involved in the flight trials for H2S and for the later marks of IFF on Lancasters. He was an engineer Flt Lt at that time and the whole crew seemed to be officers.

Can anyone point me to the origins of the ser. nos.? TIA

The Ancient Mariner

[DaveReidUK]

There were several photos of single engine biplane a/c in various states of "disrepair" having tipped onto their noses maybe from an undercarriage leg collapse. They all seem to be the same type but some may have an in-line engine but at least one seems to have had a radial (it's lying on the ground detached from the fuselage).

The serials are: There were several photos of single engine biplane a/c in various states of "disrepair" having tipped onto their noses maybe from an undercarriage leg collapse. They all seem to be the same type but some may have an in-line engine but at least one seems to have had a radial (it's lying on the ground detached from the fuselage).

The serials are: K4671;KR2613;K4454;K1711;J9671;and J9644K4671: Vickers Vincent (crashed at Aboukir 24/3/1936)
KR2613: Fairey Gordon I (crashed Temelah 10/8/1937)
K4454: Hawker Hart (nosed over on landing, Aboukir 1/5/1936)
K1711: Fairey IIIF (crashed 13/2/1935)
J9671: Fairey IIIF (crashed 1934/1935)
J9644: Fairey IIIF (crashed 1933/1934)

[Rossian]

......but where did you find all that detail? I had tried google earlier but didn't get far.

The Ancient Mariner

[DaveReidUK]

......but where did you find all that detail? I had tried google earlier but didn't get far.On my bookshelf:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/418WbOIyzmL.jpg

[JW411]

Air-Britain is your friend. For example, their book "The K File" tells us that Fairey Gordon K2613 has the following history:

Delivered to Packing Depot 12.04.32.
Aircraft Depot Aboukir 09.06.32 for 6 Sqn.
14 Sqn 08.32 as KR2613 (the R means that the aircraft was rebuilt).
Engine cut on take-off; hit railway embankment, Temelah LG, 10.08.37.
SOC (Struck Off Charge) 10.10.37 as Beyond Economic Repair [1462.30 hrs].

[pzu]

UK Serials (http://www.ukserials.com)

PZU - Out of Africa (Retired)

[Rossian]

....as ever Pprune members come up with the answers. I never cease to be amazed at the breadth of knowledge in this forum. Thanks to all who replied.

Which then leaves the vexed question - why oh why didn't they/we annotate the photos at the time. As always by the time we get round to asking the questions - they've gone. B-i-L has a full case of mainly unannotated pictures of people/places/events. Too late.

The Ancient Mariner

[Old-Duffer]

Rossian,


They didn't annotate the photos 'cause they knew what they were. They probably never thought that 70 or 80 years later, somebody would be very interested.


I've a photograph taken in the period 1934/35 in Egypt. It shows a most attractive lady in one of the old forts and she was obviously a friend of my father. I'd really like to know who she was and how he let her slip through his fingers!!


Old Duffer

[John Farley]

Rossian

With Google it helps to give it a clue

For example search using RAF as well as the serial number works fine.

[Rossian]

.....I can't remember exactly in what format I asked the question. You are right, John, that sometimes a rejig of the wording will come up with the answer you're looking for.

And for OD: I have a box of photos from my mother and I managed to get her to tell me who some of the people were but she'd forgotten some and lost interest quickly in others. Of course nowadays there millions more pictures for our grandchildren to look at. They may well have a GPS marker on them but who are they and why was the picky taken.

The records often aren't there and even when they are, the question "Why?" is remains unanswerable.

The Ancient Mariner

[Grampy]

I was wondering if it was possible to have a scanned copy of the photo of K4454? I have my grandfather's log books and I am listing which planes he flew and seeing if there are any photos of them out there in the ether. I can see he flew H Hawk K4454 on 7th March 1936 with Sgt Cowley as a passenger. They flew from Heliopolis to Mersa Matruh. I'm thinking he left it there as the next entries don't reference it. He was flying K4455 on 1st May 1936 so I don't think he's the one who put K4454 on its nose. I'm not planning on doing anything with the photos, I'm just finding it fascinating to see quite how many planes he flew. Actually way too fascinating. I should be doing some work! The next entry I see for K4454 is 8 October 1936 when he flies it from Amman to Gaza ferrying A/C of 'B' Flight 120HR.IA CMTD (whatever that means). If I may have a copy that would be lovely but no problem if you don't want to.