Hi all, Pretty pleased with myself, I have just managed to secure some photos of a RAAF Desert Rescue & Salvage units activities in North Africa. Some very interesting photos dated around 1942. I have been looking for Desert Airforce related material for sometime now, but they've always gone for silly money I have been quite busy this month as I have also secured over hundred photos on a soldiers journey from Egypt to Agedabia 1940-41. I just hope my wife dosn't open my bank statement As with all the photo's I obtain they will appear on my site in due time. But I will be sure to share them with you all here...watch this space. Regards Kieron
Well Done ! Looking forward to see what you have and if there are any 112 Sqn RAF planes in the collection Rob
Just curious about why Desert Airforce stuff is so expensive. Also could you give an example of " funny money " prices as I am always amazed at the price some things go for yet other items I would have thought far more valuable go for a song. By this I mean all forms of collectible items not just Desert Airforce items.
Sappernz, I totally understand what you're saying as this intrigues me also. I wouldn't just say its Desert Airforce related material that is highly priced, but I do think with Airforce related material it may have something to do with the romanticism attached to flying and also there are alot of photographic collectors out there of military aircraft, especially original WW2 material, so in turn this drives the prices up. I recently saw a couple collections one of 9 original photos taken of Spitfires go for nearly £80, which I don't know the price may have been driven up by the Squadron they were attached to and the other was a collection of 162 original photos of an RAF Squadron based in Helwan Egypt go for £158, so nearly a £1 a picture. I recently took a trip out to my local house clearence shops and antique shops asking about military collectables and asked if they could give me a call if anything came in. The typical response I got was: Join the queue mate, First come first served and If I had a pound for every person who came in and asked that question I'd be richman. To answer question I guess if there are people out there willing to pay these prices then there will always be a market. You've only got to look at the WWI medal situation at the moment for a fine example of that. Cheers Kieron
Photos came this morning, I've identified the planes correctly I think, but could be wrong, if I am please let me know. I hope you enjoy Regards Kieron 1st Picture/ Vicker Wellington know as the Wimpey after the cartoon character J Wellington Wimpey P40 know by us as the Kittyhawk and a Squadron of Hurricanes in the background
2 picture/ Hurricane taking off from the a Desert airstrip laden laden with bombs ready to pay Rommels Panzer Divisions a visit
3 picture/ A group of ground crew ready to load a early Christmas present to Rommel, the bomber in the background a Bristol Beaufighter I of the Desert Airforce.
Originally posted by kieron hill@Apr 9 2005, 09:33 AM Photos came this morning, I've identified the planes correctly I think, but could be wrong, if I am please let me know. I hope you enjoy Regards Kieron 1st Picture/ Vicker Wellington know as the Wimpey after the cartoon character J Wellington Wimpey P40 know by us as the Kittyhawk and a Squadron of Hurricanes in the background [post=33014]Quoted post[/post] the one next to the wimpey is a typhoon View attachment 607 View attachment 609 This is a close up and there are no squadron markings on the typhoon.
4 picture/ Just a couple of 3800 lbs bombs and some 580 pounders. They grow well in the desert sand under the unbearable heat of the miday sun Well I hope you've enjoyed. Regards Kieron
It would be nice if I could find out what squadron these planes belonged too, so was wondering can you tell by the markings on the aircraft? You can't see by the scanned photos but there are markings on the Hurricanes and Typoon, when I say markings I mean numbers. Cheers Kieron
I cannot make them out by zooming in. There are sqn markings on the hurricanes but are blurred and the typhoon does not sem to have any. They typhoon was allocatted to Fighter Command and Air defence britian but not the middle east, which gives it an air of mystery! if you can see any markings in the origianls could youpost them?
Hi Morse, On the Typhoon the letters and numbers are EJ906 On the Hurricane its a big P and then I can't work out the little numbers and letters, it could be NL something but I can't be sure. Regards Kieron
Originally posted by kieron hill@Apr 9 2005, 07:11 PM Hi Morse, On the Typhoon the letters and numbers are EJ906 On the Hurricane its a big P and then I can't work out the little numbers and letters, it could be NL something but I can't be sure. Regards Kieron [post=33032]Quoted post[/post] P would be the aircraft code and NL was the Squadron markings for 341(French) sqn. the typhoon was one of three which was sent out to the middle east for trials SeeThyphoon ej906
Thats brillant Morse so now I have dates and it also answers your mystery. I also found this on the net with backs up what you've found. ====================================== One of the "what ifs" of World War 2 is how the Hawker Typhoon would have performed in other operational theatres outside of Western Europe. The answer will never be known although it can be said that between May and August 1945, when the Japanese surrendered, 198 Squadron and its Typhoons were on stand-by for posting to the Far East. No doubt a new set of operational problems would have become evident if the aircraft had been used against ground targets hidden by dense jungle. The desert campaigns of North Africa did see three Hawker Typhoons sent there for tropical trials in 1943 but as far as is known none of them saw any action and subsequently as a result the Hawker Typhoon, operationally speaking, remained strictly a Western Europe phenomenon ======================================= See this is what I like about researching photos, from that one click of a camera this is what it tells 60 years on. Thanks again Morse regards Kieron
Morse You're not going to believe this, but when reading your link I went back to the photos because in this lot there are pictures of a grave at El Alamein. And who's name should be on the cross Sgt Pennell who crashed his Hurricane in the Desert. I have not checked the CWGC website yet to see if he is still burried there but that will be my next port of call. ***Sadly, Sgt. Pennell was later killed whilst performing shadow shooting over the desert, when his 451Sqn Hurricane flipped over and dived to the ground on the 18th September 1943. Regards Kieron
Hi all, Just a little update on the research of these photos. In one of the photos there is a group of men waiting around at Ikingi. I could make out a service number and a set of intials on a kit bag, I did a search on the Australian Archives but the digital records weren't availabe so I did a search on a link that BrianP had posted and from that found my man and the following: ===================== Warrant-Officer J. A. Lenney, of Lugarno (N.S.W.), N.C.O. in charge of the armament section of an Australian fighter squadron, was also mentioned in dispatches. The citation stated that he "displayed consistently a rare sense of devotion to duty". Like many other Australians serving as ground crew with squadrons in the Middle East, Lenney has covered a great deal of territory during his service. He left Australia with the squadron in April 1941. Since then he has served with it in the Western Desert during the second Libyan push of 1941, later in Syria, Palestine and Egypt, and again in the Western Desert. The squadron was stationed on Corsica when Lenney was mentioned in dispatches. ====================== This is what I found from BrianP's link: LENNEY, JACK ARNOLD Service Royal Australian Air Force Service Number 14297 Date of Birth 1 Jul 1917 Place of Birth MORTDALE, NSW Date of Enlistment 1 Apr 1940 Locality on Enlistment LUGARNO Place of Enlistment SYDNEY, NSW Next of Kin LENNEY, JOHN Date of Discharge 3 Dec 1945 Rank Warrant Officer Posting at Discharge 5 SERVICE FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL WW2 Honours and Gallantry None for display Prisoner of War No Regards Kieron
You stated you had a P-40 kittyhawk photo yet I am unable to find it on the attachments, might it have been a 112 Sqn RAF plane? Rob
