Some nice WW2 colour photos of aircraft

[Tempest_5]

Whilst researching the weathering on a Hawker hurricane so I could finish off a 1/24 Airfix Hurricane model started by one of my lads that has been lying around 80% complete for the last 2 years I came across the link below and thought it was too good a collection not to share.

So here you go. A few are well known Charles E Brown photos but the rest are mostly pictures I haven't seen before.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8270787@N07/sets/721...

[Eyersey1234]

Nice pictures thanks for sharing them.

[Dr Jekyll]

Utterly fantastic collection

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Wow, absolutely fabulous! Thank you.

And reminds me yet again what a debt we all owe to those beautiful men and women in these pictures. Utterly committed to their country and their people, willing to sacrifice the ultimate price.

Humbling.

[Riley Blue]

A stunning collection that contains photos of aircraft types I've never seen before - thanks.

[Simpo Two]

Very nice.

Didn't know British Airways operated flying boats, eg 'Berwick'.

[Markytop]

Thanks for sharing - very informative to look through. Especially some of the Coastal Command photos of Wellingtons that my grandfather flew in.

And I know this might sound a flippant comment, but with the photos being in colour they somehow seem more 'real'. Always used to seeing the old photos of WW2 in black and white, and it is easy to think it was a black and white world and therefore a black and white war. The colour brings it home just how similar it is to today, and makes the sacrifice so many gave even more poignant.

[Eric Mc]

Simpo Two said:

Very nice.

Didn't know British Airways operated flying boats, eg 'Berwick'.

It was really a BOAC aircraft. BOAC was formed in 1940 when the original British Airways was merged with Imperial Airways. For a while in 1940, some of the newly merged fleet carried the titles "British Airways" and at the same time carried the old Imperial Airways Speedbird logo.

That is a lovely collection of pictures and well worth going back to again, particularly if researching weathering for models (as the OP was doing).

The title of the slide show states that it is a collection of RAF and South African Air Force aircraft. Of course, it's actually a much broader collection with lots of Royal Canadian Air Force , Fleet Air Arm, KLM, BOAC and other aircraft.

[Eric Mc]

Just to add, one of the pictures showed Winston Churchill alighting from an aircraft. The aeroplane in question looked suspiciously like the DH95 Flamingo I referred to in "The Darkest Hour" thread over the Films and TV forum.

[Wacky Racer]

Great photos, thanks for the link.

[anonymous-user]

Eric Mc said:

Just to add, one of the pictures showed Winston Churchill alighting from an aircraft. The aeroplane in question looked suspiciously like the DH95 Flamingo I referred to in "The Darkest Hour" thread over the Films and TV forum.

Comment says it is a DH95 Flamingo 24 Sqdn from Hendon.

Edited by Six Figs on Saturday 3rd February 23:00

[Piginapoke]

An amazing, moving collection. Thanks OP

[TR4man]

Very interesting, in particular the photos of the RNAS base at Mild Meece which is about 15 minutes from where I live and never knew existed!

[AlexC1981]

From the link above, the Meteor spitting flames looks awesome and it stands out looking so sleek and modern compared to the rest of the aircraft shown.

[Eric Mc]

The Meteor was actually an extremely conservative design. Gloster were more or less told not to try any advanced aerodynamic features on the aircraft as it was considered radical enough with just the new types of engines.

Aerodynamically, the Meteor was less advanced than the Spitfire.

[Tempest_5]

I think the A400M saga bears out the caution with the Meteor. New airframe and new engines resulting in a multitude of delays, though mainly engine related. Nice end product though.

[V41LEY]

Loving that Saunders Roe SR1(Page 5 in the photos). Wiki tells me she survives in the Solent Sky museum in Southampton. That'll be worth a trip.

[Eric Mc]

Indeed she does. I first saw it when it was part of the Skyfame Museum collection which was at Gloucester-Staverton Airport. When that museum closed, it ended up at Duxford. It was eventually moved to the Solent Museum as that is its spiritual home.

[Hedobot]

great pics

[TR4man]

I never knew that there was such a thing as a Tiger Moth with an enclosed cockpit!