My Father's Archive
 

Further to your help with the Harvard / Texan, I have found some other pictures where I should clarification, rather than just what I think they are:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....a3dac2bb77.jpg
The only detail my father wrote was 'August 1941' Can you work out the specific model?

It’s a Merlin powered Beaufighter, so a Mk2F Quite rare around 500 of all merlin types produced. IIRC They had a high attrition rate and I think underpowered compared to the Bristol engine versions, which may have led to the loss rate.
If you know the units your father worked on it may be possible to identify the specific variant

PAXboy do you have your father's logbook?

Great picture, do you have more?

What I can fathom is that mkIIF's were on August 1941 used by squadrons 255 (located at RAF Hibaldstow, received first mkII's on 22nd July 1941, and 307 (Polish squadron, located at time in RAF Clyst Honiton, received first of these on 14th Aug 1941). So most probably this picture is from RAF Hibaldstow?
The serial numbers available for 255 in Aug 1941 are stated to be R2304 YD-D, 2308 YD-P, 2309 YD-Q, R2310 ??-?, R2370 YD-N, R2377 YD-O, R2397 YD-T, R2398 ??-?, R2399 ??-?, R2400 YD-S, R2401 ??-?, R2402 YD-G, R2403 YD-D (Written off 22nd Aug 1941), R2430 YD-U, R2431 YD-E, R2432 ??-?, R2433 YD-V, R2436 YD-R, R2460 YD-J (last arrival of August on 25th).

Looking at the serials (assuming that 255 Squadron is correct), all the R-serials would be produced already in 1940 to contract 983771/39.

Any log books or other info would give much more detail on this specific aircraft.

sources:
Bristol Beaufighter - Squadrons
No. 255 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War
http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/307_wwII.html
https://nlahcentre.com/history-of-ra...stow-airfield/
Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter
Miscellany

Yes, I have a full PDF scan of my father's log books, from when they were accepted by RAF Hendon. I'll have to look and see where he was that month.

Hibaldstow is not a name I have ever heard. Most of their time in Beaus was with the Bristol Engines. Of course, this might have been a visitor to them for evaluation or simply a photo that he was given at some stage.

The RAF 1941 pilot notes call the aircraft "Beaufighter II", is there any significance to the addition of the "F" suffix in some designations ie "Beaufighter IIF".Reading through the ADF Serials site the Hercules powered version seems to have a high accident rate caused by engine failures on take off and brake failures.

Hibaldstow is up in northern Lincolnshire and part of the airfield is still used for parachuting ops. Think an occasional PPRuNer flies one of the drop aircraft.

Its a Mk IIF Night fighter Beaufighter fitted with Airbourne Interception Radar. Note the picture is a mirror image judging by the wrong rotation direction of the Merlins.

Richard

And the tailplane has not been modified...

My father said that he and his pilot loved the Hercules motors as they were very reliable. Obviously the Beau was a heavy machine to haul around but the Hercules did not let them down. Later, whern they were given Mossies, the ones they had were old and many miles on them and the engines were not reliable. At the time, they wanted the Hercules on the Mossie! Eventually, they got some new Mossies with new engines and then they felt they had a great machine.

The picture could well be reversed, it just happens to be the only image of that machine in his collection.

600 Squadron were also operating the IIF from Colerne in Summer 1941.

Wonder if we'll ever get to see The Fighter Collection's Beau in the air...

Quite right, I'll stand corrected. Hence the picture has two probable locations.

I’m sure in the distant past I recall reading/hearing that pro rata within type, the Merlin engine beaufighter had a much higher accident rate than the Bristol powered version.

In August 1941, my father and his pilot were still in training and on the Blenheim. They were training on the early radar also 'searchlight homing' and 'R/T homing' so I can guess that the Beau picture might have been given to them, or seen at training.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....1d1a60d1bd.png
Here is the photograph that is pasted into his log book for that month.