Where was this Chipmunk photo taken?

[India Four Two]

Photo from early Pilot’s Notes. Copied from a FB post.




Possibly Essex or Suffolk?

[Flap40]

Looks more like Africa to me.

[DaveReidUK]

I agree, doesn't look like the UK.

Slightly better print:

[wrecker]

Cyprus? Possibly to the south of Dehkalia

[capngrog]

My guess is that it's somewhere in the world where they have limited or no snow fall, due to the flat roofs of a couple of the buildings. My travels have been relatively limited, but the photo could have been taken in the Bahamas or on one of the Caribbean islands.

Cheers,
Grog

[POBJOY]

Its A Spitmunk

reminds me of Jask !!!. Aircraft part looks to be retouched.

[Dora-9]

Aircraft part looks to be retouched

It certainly does! No serial, no trainer bands apparent - and what's that strange shape where the strakes should be (assuming they were fitted in the first place)?

[wub]

Looks like an Air Cadet in the back.

[JENKINS]

When last seen, it was Cyprus as wrecker declares. Chipmunk used operationally in 1950's.

[SPIT]

Woodvale, 10 AEF

[Dora-9]

WK586 of 114 Sqn over Cyprus.

Photo and identification provided by Rod Brown (if he says it's so, then it is).

[ARCHIE1]

My money would be on Cyprus. 114 Sqn flew Chipmunk T10s out of RAF Nicosia on internal security duties during the Cyprus emergency 1958/59. Those are olive trees down below and you don't get many of those at Woodvale. Buildings are certainly Eastern Med style but north or south coast? No long shadows to determine orientation but gut feeling is south, probably the Dhekelia end where the terrain is flatter and the sea rougher than up north. And I can see I've been pipped to the post by 10 minutes - thank you Dora 9!

[Dora-9]

ARCHIE1 - I was merely repeating Rod Brown on another site.

[megan]

See besides removal of subject aircraft markings, the wing of the aircraft from which the photo was taken has been removed and some trees and telegraph poles added in its place. Some piece he seems to have added in front of the tailplane also, trying to intimate it has spin strakes when they don't seem to be fitted in the original? Phot practicing his dark room trade?

WK586 is still with us, and active.

https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=...w=1920&bih=966

[kenparry]

Spin strakes arrived around 1959

[JENKINS]

I remembered the photo from the AP.

[WB627]

So that's Cyprus and Berlin the Chippy was used operationally, was there anywhere else it was used operationally?

[Fareastdriver]

When the Valiants folded in 1965 the co-pilots were allowed a Chipmunk to keep their hands in. We on 90 Sqn at Honington were issued with WP 850, which now resides in the USA.
When we got it from the Maintenance Unit it had a Grey Green camouflage finish. We were told that this was because it had been used in Cyprus for recce. etc. during the Emergency.

Was this true or was there another reason for camouflaging it?

[CAEBr]

So why would you bother sanitising a photograph of all evidence that the RAF operate the aircraft - to use the photograph in the RAF's own Pilot's Notes. That was an awful lot of work to be undertaken for what is only a basic picture to ensure Bloggs went to the right aircraft if there was more than one type on the dispersal.

[teeteringhead]

Was this true or was there another reason for camouflaging it?

Apart from looking really good? ISTR Middle Wallop had a camouflaged Chipmunk known as the "Spitmunk"!

There's quite a bit on the Berlin Chipmunk on Bruce Williamson's Spyflight website, but nothing on its use in Cyprus.