Walrus Middle East colours?

[bhouse]

Hi.

I'm after some help please.

 

I have the Airfix 1:48 Walrus and have spent several weeks simply admiring the quality and detail of the mouldings. However, I do intend to build it...

 

My father was a Flight Sergeant in the RAF during WWII, and for about 3 years was with 294 Squadron in Egypt and Palestine. During that time, he worked on Wellingtons, Walruses (Walri?) and Blenheims (although I can find no record of Blenheims serving with 294).

 

I'd like to build my Walrus to represent an aircraft with 294 but my researches have not returned any information about individual aircraft codes, serial numbers or colour scheme, beyond that the squadron code was probably AF (thanks to Wikipedia).

 

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good research source - or even provide some colour and code information? I'm not concerned about absolute precision but would at least like to produce something that looks the part!

 

Thanks in advance,

Brian

 

[Graham Boak]

The aircraft will have been in the standard Temperate Sea Scheme (Dark Slate Grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey over Sky) with conventional markings for the period.  AF codes were allocated prewar, but this was changed to FD from September 1939.  They are known to have been carried from 1943, when the squadron was formed in the Middle East.  Combat Codes offers W2789 FD-, which I presume means that no individual code was carried on this example (or none were known to the source): Coastal Support and Special Squadrons offers W3018, W3050, and G  (not really helpful that one).  It would be possible to find other Walrus serials linked to 294 Sq by going through Air Britain's books of all RAF aircraft serials, but that wouldn't help with individual codes.  It is even possible that the unit simply relied upon the serial, and no unit codes were normally applied.

 

Because of the unit's deployment away from active centres of the war, you are probably unlikely to find photos of its aircraft.  I know of at least one colour photo of a Walrus belonging to 293(?) Sq  in the Mediterranean, because of this unit's action around Italy.  The colour scheme and markings of this example were entirely standard.

 

Blenheims were likely to have been common in the ME as hacks and general purpose aircraft.  There may have been one attached to 294, or perhaps your father was simply called on to help with aircraft belonging to some other unit - the base's Station Flight, or a visitor that went sick.

[bhouse]

Graham,

Thank you very much. I am (as ever) impressed by your knowledge and willingness to share it. I'll try to track down the sources you mention and see if I can dig further.

Thanks again,

Brian

[brewerjerry]

Hi

   Might be worth getting a copy of the Sqn ORB from the NA at kew, for the appropriate years,  

     sometimes they mention serials and codes

 

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=294+squadron&_p=1925&Refine+dates=Refine

 

   cheers

      jerry

[bhouse]

Thanks, Jerry.

From an online search it looks as if there's plenty of information there. I'll see if I can get down to Kew next time I'm over on the UK. 

Thank you for the suggestion (and getting the search started!)

Brian

[Seahawk]

From App D of Norman Franks' Beyond Courage:

• 294 Squadron Walrus: W2708, W2709, W2710, W2789, W3013, W3017, W3018, W3039, W3050 G, X9466, X9479, X9584 C, X9590, Z1757, Z1776, Z1778, Z1782.
• Squadron code FD
• Formed in Middle East in July 1941, initially as the Middle East Air Sea Rescue Flight, based at Kabrit under 201 Group control.  Equipped with Wellingtons and in November a Walrus was attached at Mersa Matruh.  In 1942 it formed a Walrus flight with FAA personnel, operating from Benghazi.  Continued operations with Wellingtons, Blenheims and Walrus plus a Fairchild 91 amphibian.  Became  294 Sq on 24 September 1943 at Berka, Libya.  Unit operated mainly at the eastern end of the Mediterranean and over the desert.  Disbanded Basra, Iraq 8 April 1946.  In all 50 lives were directly saved by Walrus aircraft.

I haven't included the list of bases and dates.  No photos of 294 Sq aircraft.

 

Entry in Air Britain W-Z serial listing for W3050: SR Flt/294 Sq, SOC (struck off charge) 6/9/45 and for X9534 SRF/294 Sq.  Received 2/44, SOC 27/10/44

 

Air Britain's Squadrons of the Royal Air Force and Commonwealth (both editions) also list W3050 as "G" but don't add any more idents.  No photos of 294 Sq aircraft in either book or in either edition of Combat Codes.

 

[Seahawk]

I appear to have overlooked App B.  Only entries with serial code/correlations listed, fleshed out with details of rescues they participated in from App C:

 

L2331 294 Sq coded "B1" 1945.  Rescued survivors from 79 OTU Beaufighter 5/2/45.  SOC 6/9/45.

W2708 294 Sq coded "A" 1943-45

W2709 294 Sq coded "H" 1943-43

W3013 294 Sq coded "K" 2/44-10/44.  Saved crew of Ju 88 of 2/(F)123 29/4/44.

W3017 294 Sq coded "F" and "O" 2/44-4/46

W3050 ASR Flt ME 8/43.  294 Sq coded "G" till 1945.

W3062 294 Sq coded "L" 5/45

X9466 294 Sq 11/44 coded "B" and "M"

X9584 ASR Flt/294 Sq 1942, coded "C" and "D".  Lost in transit flight 14/9/44.

Z1757 294 Sq coded "F" and "Z".  Rescued airman from Ju 88D-1 4U+KK of 2/(F)123 5/9/43.  Damaged in sea crash 3/10/43. 

Z1776 ASR Flt ME coded "E" 8/43.  294 Sq coded "P".  Rescued crew of Beaufighter X NE367 of 603 Sq 13/9/44.   Cat Ac after rescue sortie 13/9/44.

 

The Fairchild 91 used by ASR Flt ME was HK832: lost in take-off accident 17/5/43.

 

Reckon this sort of detail came from the squadron ORB.

 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2017 by Seahawk

[bhouse]

Wow! That is fantastic.

 

Many, many thanks!

 

Brian

[brewerjerry]

17 hours ago, bhouse said:

Thanks, Jerry.

From an online search it looks as if there's plenty of information there. I'll see if I can get down to Kew next time I'm over on the UK. 

Thank you for the suggestion (and getting the search started!)

Brian

Hi

    dont forget you can get a pdf download for £3.50, i think for each pdf 

i.e.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2504282

   cheers

      jerry

[bhouse]

Thanks Jerry,

I had failed to find that link. I downloaded the document you highlighted and it makes for fascinating reading. I haven't found a begin of my father yet but I'll keep on reading the while thing - I know he was mentioned in despatches while at 294 for rescuing a Beaufighter crew from a burning crashed aircraft so that may get a mention.

 

Thanks for your very helpful input.

Brian

[Seahawk]

Pm me with his name and I'll look him up in the Franks book.

[bhouse]

Thank you Seahawks: PM sent.

[Seahawk]

Checked: nil return.

[bhouse]

Thanks for looking. The erks never seen to get much of a mention!