Comments on: RAF Museum London 2

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:33:50 +0000

That Gavin Ewart piece is fantastic!

By: Brett Holman

Brett Holman — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:54:33 +0000

Thanks, looks like you’re right. In that case it seems it would have come from a Mosquito (’Tsetse’).

By: rifraf

rifraf — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:39:50 +0000

i think the weapon infront of the beaufighter is a molins gun

http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/Molins.htm

By: Brett Holman

Brett Holman — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:00:59 +0000

Thanks, Mark, I hadn’t come across this before.

By: Mark Grimsley

Mark Grimsley — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 23:36:18 +0000

The Beaufighter put me in mind of this poem, which is sort of a poor man’s “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”:

“When a Beau Goes In” , by Gavin Ewart

When a Beau goes in,
Into the drink,
It makes you think,
Because, you see, they always sink
But nobody says “Poor lad”
Or goes about looking sad
Because, you see, it’s war,
It’s the unalterable law,

Although it’s perfectly certain
The pilot’s gone for Burton
And the observer too
It’s nothing to do with you

And if they both should go
To a land where falls no rain nor hail
nor driven snow -
Here, there, or anywhere,
Do you suppose to care?

You shouldn’t cry
Or say a prayer or sigh.
In the cold sea, in the dark
It isn’t a lark
But it isn’t original sin -
It’s just a Beau going in.

By: Jakob

Jakob — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 08:53:31 +0000

I think they knew that, but very sportingly thought that the last Tiffy should be in the UK. A Hurricane IID might have been a better swap, but I don’t know whether there are any of those left either…

By: Brett Holman

Brett Holman — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:30:28 +0000

I didn’t know it was the last one! I think the Smithsonian got dudded on that deal, though …

By: Jakob

Jakob — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:57:29 +0000

I need to get me back to Hendon sharpish…

I note that the Typhoon is the only one left, the other 3299-odd having been scrapped as the Tempest replaced the Tiffys. It was in the Smithsonian’s collection, but they swapped it for (IIRC) a Hurricane.

By: Brett Holman

Brett Holman — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:57:35 +0000

Yes. I didn’t mean that the Beaufighter wasn’t a fighter, more that a fighter with an 18″ torpedo slung underneath isn’t going to be much of a fighter …

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:58:10 +0000

The Beaufighter was indeed a fighter; 4x 20mm cannon and 6x .303 machine guns. It was originally developed as a night fighter with radar, and was the first really effective one the RAF fielded. Coastal Command operated them in mixed strike wings; one squadron would carry torpedoes, another bombs, and a third rockets and cannon to suppress the flak and go after any fighters.