Jim Spackman

Good job you didn't decide to do "2V-H" as you may have ended up making the wrong one!

Update on this, for future modellers of 547 Squadron aircraft, these are the serial numbers and aircraft ID letters that I've been able to gather from my research cross referencing my grandfather Bill's logbooks and the Squadron ORBs. Although the subject aircraft on this thread is a GRVI I've included the ones for the GRV versions he flew in 1944 until those were replaced in case anyone is building one of those in the future. There are a whole bunch of GRVs dating from 20/3/44 (his first Op with 547) but unfortunately I don't have serial numbers for those as I don't have all the logbook pages. The ones I have listed here start at 6/7/44. As for Leigh lights, some but not all of the aircraft were equipped with Leigh Lights in the early part of Bill's service with 547 and fortunately the ORB distinguishes these from the non LL equipped ones so I've marked them as LL where they did have one fitted. The fitment of Leigh Lights seems to have been completed during September 1944, coincidentally when the the GRVs were finally phased out. All of his GRVI missions were in Leigh Light equipped versions as far as I can tell and the number of night Ops seems to have ramped up significantly by then indicating that 547 was largely a night ops unit from then on. In the GRVI column you'll notice a duplicate for 2V-H with different serial numbers, The original "H" EW299 was lost with its crew off the coast of Norway not long after Bill last flew in it. GRV 2V-Q BZ821 LL 2V-G BZ979 LL 2V-C BZ879 2V-O BZ794 GRVI (all Leigh Light) 2V-E EW307 2V-F EW296 2V-N EV995 2V-P EW296 2V-H EW299 (Flew in this aircraft 15/10/44, it was subsequently lost on 28/10/44) 2V-Q EV933 2V-V KG860 2V-D KG898 2V-L EW316 2V-F EW296 2V-C KG917 2V-H KG867 (replacement for EW299) 2V-B KG869 2V-L EW316 2V-K KG917 2V-X EW294 Over to you modellers!

I want to see it when it's done as my grandfather flew in it too! Weirdly, someone's already done one of his Hampdens (489 RNZAF XA-Y).

Yes, I've done some research on my grandfather's previous Squadron 489 RNZAF and ended up in touch with a guy who's written a book about it. When my copy arrived, there's grandad and his crew, a photo none of the family had ever seen. Kind of weird knowing that our grandfathers would have known each other and flew in the same aircraft! I'm on a mobile device right now but when I'm on the computer next I'll post all the serial numbers that I can tie to id letters. You WILL need a Leigh Light kit by the way! The 547 GRVIs were all LL equipped!

Did you decide which Liberator you were going to build afterwards? I've replied in your 547 Squadron thread as my grandfather was with them the same time as yours and I've got some serial numbers and IDs for the GRVIs they flew if you need them.

Ok folks, here are some 547 Squadron photos... Roberts crew, my grandfather is the dapper looking chap in the cap front row, second from right. Crew as follows- Eddie Foster (W/Op AG) Bill Wilkinson (W/op AG/ Radar) Pip Rackley (2nd Pilot) Arthur Glanville ( Flt Engineer) Johnnie Day (W/Op AG/ Radar) David Robinson (AG) Ross Singleton (2nd Nav) Derek Roberts (1st Pilot) Bill Jones (1st Nav)-my grandfather Mac McLuckie (W/Op/Mechanic) Logbook pages showing Operation Chilli (annotated in red) in our subject aircraft, KG869 (2V-B). Liberators of 547 Squadron escort the surrendered German cruiser Nurnberg. My grandfather had left the Squadron by then so was not part of this operation.

My grandfather did. Joined up in 1939 and was set to Canada to train as a pilot. He ended up qualifying as a navigator and was kept there as an instructor. He volunteered for combat to get back to the UK as he had three kids, one that he hadn't even seen! His first Squadron was RNZAF 489 flying Hampden torpedo bombers from May to December 43 when the Squadron re-equipped with Beaufighters which needed a specialist navigator/wireless op/gunner so he transferred to 547. He finished his tour (46 missions) in March 45, one of those being Operation Chili, the attack on Baltic shipping off Bornholm. Interestingly, the aircraft he flew that one in was the one under discussion here, KG869 2V-B. After his tour, he went to Gibraltar as part of the crew of the Governor's personal aircraft.

I'm a bit late to this! My grandfather was a Navigator with 547 Squadron from January 1944 to March 1945. I've got some pages of his log book and can confirm that 2V-B was KG869 as he flew in it a few times. He flew as Second Navigator in the Brockwell crew and then became First Navigator in the Roberts crew. He was Flt Lt W E T (Bill) Jones. I have a photo of the Roberts crew that's very obviously taken in the same chairs in front of the same hut! I've downloaded the ORB pages and remember seeing the name Methven when I was looking through them. They were probably in the same flight as each other as they both flew "B". The 547 ORB only gives ID letters for aircraft but his logbook has the A/C serial number so I can cross reference the two. If you haven't got that far I'll check Bill's log books and see if he flew H, if it's in there it'll have a serial number.