4 Group Bomber Command: An Operational Record by Chris Ward.

[TBC]

Would someone have a copy of this book? I am trying to tie up 78 squadron Whitley Mk.V s/n N1490 with it's individual aircraft letter so I am wondering if the information I am after is in this book. It would have been EY-? I know for a fact that 78's ORB does not contain the aircraft letter as I am in contact with someone who already went this path for N1490 in person at Hendon.

Cheers,

Tom

[donaldAnderson]

I don't have the title you mentioned (it's been in my Amazon basket for ages) but if it helps any I do have the book The Whitley Boys 4 Group Bomber Operations 1939-40 by G L Donnelly. The only mention there of N1490 is a brief entry in the Losses and Casualties section p. 235.

"9/10.9.40 78 Sqn N1490 Crashed landing at Linton-on-Ouse on operations. Plt Off C. S. Robson and crew safe."

No reference to the plane code. You may already know this but I looked N1490 up in the Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-N9999 book for its fate and it says N1490 ran short of fuel at night in bad weather; crashlanded, New Milnes, Ayrshire, 12.2.41; DBF

So I guess N1490 was repaired after its 9/1940 incident. If I see the 4 Group Bomber Command book in near future I'll post what I find here.

Regards,

Donald

[Bill B]

I have the book & there is no reference to the aircraft code letter. I have checked in all my references with no luck. There is a remote possibility it is shown in W R Chorley's Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War 1941 & that is one book I don't have!

Regards, Bill

[TBC]

Thanks guys. It would appear that this is going to be a dead end unless IWM Hendon can come up with something for me. I phoned them Friday to check on my inquiry and they are really busy - replies are taking around 8 weeks at the moment. The pilot of N1490 that I am interested in flew the aircraft several times and even he didn't record the letter, just the serial number.

Cheers,

Tom