1945 Aircraft identification

[MARK9263]

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1242/empire_air_day_15_09_1945_6__8fcbd3d9c2d0c4201850f8c9c1ce927 762676371.jpg
Can anyone identify the aircraft far right please?

[Jhieminga]

It’s a Handley-Page Halifax, but others may be better at figuring out the precise subtype. Or are you looking for which airframe it was?

[treadigraph]

Handley Page Halifax...

[MARK9263]

Thank you for that. The type was really what I was after.

[Kiltrash]

13 min to identify, must be a record for the longest time needed 😁

[rog747]

What a cracker of a photo!

I also see a Shorts Stirling, a DH Dragon Rapide, an Anson>? and a York, and far left a Lancaster but what sub type>?

Large numbers of Halifax bombers were also operated by Coastal Command, used it to conduct anti submarine warfare, reconnaissance and meteorological operations.
The Halifax was also used to deploy mines in the vicinity of enemy-held ports.
It served increasingly in other support capacities as the war progressed, being used as a glider tug, an electronic warfare aircraft for No. 100 Group and to conduct special operations, such as parachuting agents and arms into occupied Europe, for the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
As a glider tug the Halifax was superior to the Lancaster.

Throughout early 1945, the Halifax was frequently dispatched against cities within the German homeland, including Hannover, Magdeburg, Stuttgart, Cologne, Münster, Osnabrück and others.
During these months, infrastructure such as oil facilities and railways were given a high priority; these targets were attacked right up until the end of the war. In the final few months, bomber losses had fallen to all-time lows while raids were frequently regarded as having been highly successful.
During the final months of the war the improved Halifax Mk VI and Mk VII were introduced. In particular, these models had been 'tropicalized' with an eye towards their potential use in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan.
While some of these Mk VI and Mk VII machines were deployed to the theatre, they played only a small little role as the war ended before larger numbers could be brought to bear against Japanese.
On 25 April 1945, the Halifax performed its last major operation against the enemy during an attack upon coastal gun batteries on the Frisian Islands of the North Sea. While the type continued to fly operations after this, these were primarily other operations and sporadic, uncoordinated attacks against targets of opportunity.
Upon the end of the conflict, Bomber Command quickly disbanded the majority of its Halifax-equipped squadrons; the aircraft themselves were transferred to Transport Command.
During the type's service with Bomber Command, Halifax's flew more than 82,000 operations and dropped 224,000 tons of bombs. 1,833 aircraft were lost. Over 6,100 were built.

A number of former RAF Halifax C.8s were sold from 1945 and used as freighters by a number of mostly British airlines. In 1948, 41 civil Halifax freighters were used during the Berlin Air Lift, operating a total of 4,653 sorties carrying freight and 3,509 carrying bulk diesel fuel.
Nine aircraft were lost during the airlift.
The Airline business pioneer Freddie Laker bought and serviced war-surplus Halifax's for Bond Air Services operations in the Berlin airlift.
With the airfreight market in decline, most of the civilian Halifax's were scrapped on their return to England.
The last civilian-operated Halifax's were withdrawn from service in late 1952.

[Jhieminga]

Had a quick look, there’s a fair chance of it being a B.Mk.III variant. That or a B.VI or VII.

[BEagle]

Halifax B III or B VI, I would assume?

[Brewster Buffalo]

Fairey Aviation assembled 661 Halifax's at Ringway between October 1942 and October 1945.

[albatross]

Lancaster way in the background , Stirling, Dragon Rapide, York, Moth, Anson (don’t think it’s an Oxford) and a Halifax is what I believe I can identify.

[DuncanDoenitz]

Is the "Lanc" a Lincoln? Nose looks a little "boxy". Prototype apparently did its test flying from Ringway, with production at Woodford and Chadderton.

[Downwind.Maddl-Land]

Concur with Duncan - my first thought was 'that Lanc is a Lincoln' and for the same reason.

[Asturias56]

Don't think you can tell the variant from the picture

All the later Halifax's looked much the same - especially the forward fuselage

Handley-Page Halifax (http://www.airvectors.net/avhalfax.html)

[Asturias56]

For what it's worth the "Lancaster "is almost certainly the first Lincoln - the Manchester Evening news for 15th September mentions its first public appearance at the show

[dixi188]

I think it's a Halifax mk III.
I remember making two Airfix kits of them. Always liked the fact that the props would spin freely when you ran down the garden.

[DaveReidUK]

Fairey Aviation assembled 661 Halifax's at Ringway between October 1942 and October 1945.

Yes, manufactured at Fairey's Heaton Chapel works and roaded to Ringway for final assembly.

[Brewster Buffalo]

I was surprised to find out the amount of aircraft produced at Ringway before, during and after WW2 - in total some 4,428 from Fairey's and 109 by Avro. Started with the Battle in 1937 and ending with the Gannet in 1958..

I've never heard of Empire Day before. Apparently it was celebrated on the 24th May starting in 1902. Empire Day remained a part of the calendar for more than 50 years,. By the 1950s however, the Empire had started to decline,and in 1958 Empire Day was renamed as British Commonwealth Day, and in 1966 it became Commonwealth Day. The date of Commonwealth Day was changed to 10th June, the official birthday of the present Queen. The date was again changed in 1977 to the second Monday in March,

[cavuman1]

I think it's a Halifax mk III.
I remember making two Airfix kits of them. Always liked the fact that the props would spin freely when you ran down the garden.

Great memory, dixi188! I am certain that many of this site's membership, including me, spent hours running about with their model aircraft. Propellers spun, jet noises were made. We were flying long before we flew, if you know what I mean.

- Ed

[Asturias56]

"I've never heard of Empire Day before. "

My goodness! I can remember the whole Infant School bedecked with Empire flags and everyone dressed up in various nationalities (many VERY politically incorrect these days) parading around. Great fun

It went into a decline after Suez and then the "Winds of Change"

Bit hard to convince even 7 year olds that there was any enthusiasm out there for the Empire

[Brewster Buffalo]

"I've never heard of Empire Day before. "

My goodness! I can remember the whole Infant School bedecked with Empire flags and everyone dressed up in various nationalities (many VERY politically incorrect these days) parading around. Great fun
...

My infant school was a Roman Catholic one so I suspect that is why it wasn't celebrated..:)

[pulse1]

In 1964, my boss told me that his father in law was a machinist at Handley Page and that he was still producing spares for the Halifax.

[El Grifo]

As we speak :-)
Quite a surprise !
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/900x2000/screenshot_20220501_140450_flightradar24_83b646cbd85f1fe1b91 f30a6657cab0784aa4fb1.jpg

[Octane]

Weird, I was chatting to someone only last who flew the BBMF Lancaster..

[Asturias56]

In 1964, my boss told me that his father in law was a machinist at Handley Page and that he was still producing spares for the Halifax.

no wonder they went bust.................

[Haraka]

N.B. that a number of Hastings components still had inherited Halifax reference numbers.
H.P went " bust" partly because Sir Fred refused to amalgamate. IIRC The RAF preferred the military HPR 7 Herald to the HS 780 ( Andover) variant .
(Sir Fred and I shook hands at Farnborough in 1961 , but that is another story :) )

[brakedwell]

I was on the Coastal Command Com Flt stationed at CC HQ at Northwood in 1961 when I went to a dining in night where Sir Fred was the guest of honour. He had just lost the Herald/RAF battle with the HS780 and I seem to remember his speech was rather bitter as it looked like the end for Handley Page. Many years later I flew the Herald out of Gatwick for a short time and was very surprised by it good flying characteristics.

[Self loading bear]

As we speak :-)
Quite a surprise !
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/900x2000/screenshot_20220501_140450_flightradar24_83b646cbd85f1fe1b91 f30a6657cab0784aa4fb1.jpg

PA474 will fly commemoration flight(s) on 4th of May above Belgium and the Netherlands.
On 4th of May we commemorate all fallen during all wars. On 5th May we celebrate our liberation from WWII.
PA474 4th May (https://www.aviation24.be/air-shows/sanicole/historic-world-war-ii-lancaster-bomber-to-visit-the-netherlands-and-belgium/)

[Asturias56]

"H.P went " bust" partly because Sir Fred refused to amalgamate"

And he'd been told for a long time that the UK industry just couldn't support so many individual organisations. The waste was enormous - FOUR medium jet bombers designed and built for example - and whoever though that Miles would be a good choice for designing and building the first supersonic aircraft the M.52?

[DHfan]

Whoever thought that Miles would be a good choice was obviously a genius - because he was right.