Scots Museum to Acquire Beaufighter!
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Scots Museum to Acquire Beaufighter!
From today's Scotsman:
------------------
Happiness is a warm L1011
Scots museum hopes to purchase
rare warplane
Jason Cumming
A RARE warplane, instrumental in winning the Battle of Britain,
could be home within weeks after a museum raised more than
£80,000 in only 48 hours.
A Museum of Flight restoration expert is on his way to South
Africa to examine one of three remaining Bristol Beaufighters -
currently disassembled in two 40-foot crates in a Pretoria air
force base.
If the night fighter passes the physical inspection, a contract
that would return the relic to the East Fortune airfield and
museum that once served as its training centre could be
finalised by early next week.
The curator, Adam Smith, said: "We had a fantastic response
to the appeal. It says a lot about how important this plane is.
We’re cautiously optimistic we’ll be able to bring the aeroplane
back to Scotland."
Donations ranging from £10 to thousands of pounds flooded in
over two days in August after a last-ditch funds appeal to
keep the plane out of the hands of a private collector.
Museum officials had been certain they would never have an
opportunity to add the legendary plane to its collection and
were determined to land it when it suddenly appeared on the
market. But since the once-feared Beaufighter has been in
pieces for 17 years, experts must determine whether it’s worth
the steep price.
Mr Smith said: "We don’t want to just bolt it back together.
We need to make sure it’s in really good shape so we have to
be sure we’re being supplied with everything."
Designed by the famed Stirlingshire aeronautics engineer, Frank
Barnwell, the Beaufighter’s place in history was secured when
it helped turn the tide during the Battle of Britain. Nicknamed
"Whispering Death" and the "Scourge of God" by its Axis
enemies, the heavily armed strike plane became legendary
because of its almost-silent engines.
One of only a trio of 5,562 British-made models that survives
today, it became available when the South African Air Force
Museum crashed one of its Spitfires earlier this year and was
forced to sell some artefacts to pay for repairs.
Hundreds of Beaufighters flew from Scottish bases and became
famous for relentless strikes on German shipping convoys and
ground targets.
rare warplane
Jason Cumming
A RARE warplane, instrumental in winning the Battle of Britain,
could be home within weeks after a museum raised more than
£80,000 in only 48 hours.
A Museum of Flight restoration expert is on his way to South
Africa to examine one of three remaining Bristol Beaufighters -
currently disassembled in two 40-foot crates in a Pretoria air
force base.
If the night fighter passes the physical inspection, a contract
that would return the relic to the East Fortune airfield and
museum that once served as its training centre could be
finalised by early next week.
The curator, Adam Smith, said: "We had a fantastic response
to the appeal. It says a lot about how important this plane is.
We’re cautiously optimistic we’ll be able to bring the aeroplane
back to Scotland."
Donations ranging from £10 to thousands of pounds flooded in
over two days in August after a last-ditch funds appeal to
keep the plane out of the hands of a private collector.
Museum officials had been certain they would never have an
opportunity to add the legendary plane to its collection and
were determined to land it when it suddenly appeared on the
market. But since the once-feared Beaufighter has been in
pieces for 17 years, experts must determine whether it’s worth
the steep price.
Mr Smith said: "We don’t want to just bolt it back together.
We need to make sure it’s in really good shape so we have to
be sure we’re being supplied with everything."
Designed by the famed Stirlingshire aeronautics engineer, Frank
Barnwell, the Beaufighter’s place in history was secured when
it helped turn the tide during the Battle of Britain. Nicknamed
"Whispering Death" and the "Scourge of God" by its Axis
enemies, the heavily armed strike plane became legendary
because of its almost-silent engines.
One of only a trio of 5,562 British-made models that survives
today, it became available when the South African Air Force
Museum crashed one of its Spitfires earlier this year and was
forced to sell some artefacts to pay for repairs.
Hundreds of Beaufighters flew from Scottish bases and became
famous for relentless strikes on German shipping convoys and
ground targets.
Happiness is a warm L1011
Guest
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It is great news that Beau will be 'coming home'. It was a great aircraft and found its true role in attacking shipping, where it excelled.
Hmmmmm Guv. I would like to take issue with the Museum, or the Scotsman, though.
A RARE warplane, instrumental in winning the Battle of Britain, could be home within weeks after a museum raised more than
£80,000 in only 48 hours.
There was just ONE squadron with Beau's in the BoB, 25 Squadron. The Beau's were used in the Night Fighter role and did rather well, as John Cunningham proved, but hardly instrumental in winning the battle. Even the Blenheim's couldn't claim that, and there were quite a few squadrons of those.
Still every little helped, in whatever form.
Guest
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Interesting Jacko, I did wonder about it but the RAF certainly state that 25 Sqdn had them delivered in September 1940 and that four other Squadrons also got them delivered - but they were not BoB squadrons.
You might see something I didn't see on this page.
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/1to25.html
You might see something I didn't see on this page.
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/1to25.html
Guest
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Congratulations to the Museum of Flight on their impressive fundraising. Have had many a visit and watched it grow over the years. I know all these places are run by enthusiasts extraordinaire but the bods here seem to go that one bit farther. It has a great collection, including one of the 21 remaining Vulcan bombers (XM597) about which there is a good story - one of five converted to go the Falklands in 1982, one mission ended in an interesting stay in Rio until four days before the end of the war. A refuelling mishap (probe snapped off) left the aircraft without enough fuel to return to base on Ascension Island and resulted in the issuing of a Mayday signal, clearance to land in Rio was given by the Brazilian authorities. It was impounded until 10th June and I think went back into service afterwards until the Argentine surrender 4 days later, making it one of the last to see active service.
Guest
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East Fortune is an excellent museum, I was there a couple of weeks ago. It would be great to see a Beaufighter there, but better still if they got together with the boys at Duxford, picked their brains and got the thing flying again.
After all, if the one in SA has been crated up for ages, it could well be in fairly good nick and therefore restorable to flying condition. After all, if the Duxford lot can restore the Blenhiem to flying condition from the state it was in after being smashed up at Duxford a few years ago, they can do anything.
After all, if the one in SA has been crated up for ages, it could well be in fairly good nick and therefore restorable to flying condition. After all, if the Duxford lot can restore the Blenhiem to flying condition from the state it was in after being smashed up at Duxford a few years ago, they can do anything.
Guest
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Saw the Blenheim flying on the TV at the Biggin Hill display, great to see it rise from the dead a second time. DONT BREAK IT AGAIN PLEASE!
On the Beaufighter issue. I have recollections of a poem written in the early days of the war which was called "When a Beau goes in" about the Beaufighters ditching into the sea. I believe this poem was banned as being injurious to morale. Has anyone read it and do you have a copy please?
On the Beaufighter issue. I have recollections of a poem written in the early days of the war which was called "When a Beau goes in" about the Beaufighters ditching into the sea. I believe this poem was banned as being injurious to morale. Has anyone read it and do you have a copy please?
