Frank Carey's aircraft

[ClaudioN]

Carey also flew BE171 (29/1/42), Frustratingly, there are no photos of any of these aircraft in the biography.

Photo in 'Bloody Shambles'. BE171 is Mk.IIb YB-B, upper wing roundels altered to include white (proportions mid-way between 'type A' and 'type D') and possibly in Middle East camouflage.

[tonyot]

If it helps here is a 1/72nd Hasegawa kit that I built a while ago in these markings;

It is often depicted as wearing a desert finish but this is wrong,...it was the TLS under bright lighting conditions and possibly faded a bit too, Some Hurri`s in 17 & 67 Sqn`s still bore traces of their Takoradi Route white markings on the rear fuselage and upper tailplanes as they were rushed across Africa and straight on to India, then Burma..

Cheers

Tony

Edited March 23, 2016 by tonyot

[Meatbox8]

On doing a google search I found a side profile of a Thunderbolt II attributed to Carey serial KJ 348 dated Egypt 1944, dark overall with the red lightning bolt with a small hand of cards with a skull on the facing card positioned just to the upper forward fuselage .

Tony

Thanks for that. I knew of the aircraft but hadn't realised it was flown by Carey.

[Meatbox8]

If it helps here is a 1/72nd Hasegawa kit that I built a while ago in these markings;

It is often depicted as wearing a desert finish but this is wrong,...it was the TLS under bright lighting conditions and possibly faded a bit too, Some Hurri`s in 17 & 67 Sqn`s still bore traces of their Takoradi Route white markings on the rear fuselage and upper tailplanes as they were rushed across Africa and straight on to India, then Burma..

Cheers

Tony

A very nice Hurricane. Funnily enough I was thinking of building this one as well. I have the Model Alliance sheet which has this aircraft down as being Dark Green and Mid Stone (on odd combination) over Azur and flown by American 'Tex' Barrick. I wonder why the Type 'A' roundels on the upper wing.

[Procopius]

I wonder why the Type 'A' roundels on the upper wing.

Recognition feature, since the IJAAF used a red disc as their wing marking?

[Meatbox8]

Recognition feature, since the IJAAF used a red disc as their wing marking?

Yes, stands to reason now you mention it.

[XV571]

Norman Franks' biography "Frank 'Chota' Carey" (ISBN 1-904943-38-1) has lots of information on his aircraft (most of it direct from the log books) and is a thoroughly fascinating read about a very modest man. He started off as a Halton Brat, going to 43 Squadron as a fitter before being accepted for flying training and then being posted back to 43 to fly Hawker Furies as a Sergeant Pilot. He was on the squadron after they converted to Hurricanes, then went on to 3 Squadron in April 1940 before they went out to support the BEF in France. He left the RAF in June 1960, going on to work for Rolls-Royce in Australia until retiring in 1972. I have a limited edition Squadron Print of a 43 Sqn Hurricane signed by him that I bought at Fairford a few years ago.

I've managed to find out that he may have flown a Hurricane coded FT-Y on the day he shot down four Ju87s during the BofB while flying with 43 sqn from Tangmere. I found a colour profile of a Hurricane with those codes, with the serial P3386. If anyone can confirm this ? This would fit the bill for me if correct as a. I've just built a 135 sqn Hurricane b. I have family connections near Tangmere and c. I don't have a BofB Hurricane in my collection. All I need to do now is find a metal winged Hurricane I in 1/72!

Appendix C of the book lists all his combat successes with the aircraft flown at the time, starting in January 1940 with a shared He111 in Hurricane I L1728. There is a picture of this aircraft in the Osprey book by Andy Saunders on 43 Squadron, coded FT-B in a rather sorry state after a landing accident in May 1940. It has a fabric wing so is covered by the 1/72nd Airfix kit and the markings for its sister L1727/FT-R could be adapted from Xtradecal sheet X72193. Carey also had shares in two other He111s in L1726 but I haven't found a code letter for this Hurricane.

When with 3 Sqn he has 18 aircraft listed as destroyed, probables or damaged between the 10th and 14th May; exclusively in L1932. After the Battle of France he returned to 43 Sqn for the duration of the Battle of Britain.

During this second time with 43 Sqn his successes were in P3786, P3527, P3202 and especially R4109. He was flying R4109 when he claimed 4 Ju87s on 16 August, but these are recorded as 2 destroyed and 2 probables. On the 18th another Stuka was added; again in R4109 in which he was wounded and crash landed. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a code for any of these Hurricanes. His last entry before being posted away to 52 OTU was a Ju88 damaged while flying V7206 in January 1941. Incidentally the Osprey book has P3386 coded as FT-H and flown by Sgt Hurry on 5th September when he shot down a Bf109E.

There is a picture of Frank Carey standing in front of his Hurricane at Honiley in 1941. It looks like a IIb and is coded S with, unusually, the squadron's 'WK' codes aft of the roundel on the port side; the serial is not visible. His next aerial success was still as CO of 135 Sqn on 29 January 1942 where he shot down one Ki-27 and damaged a second in BE181. Following promotion to command 267 Wing he flew BM914 or BM842 shooting down 7 aircraft in February 1942. The last entry is a Ki-43 in BN468 on 25 October 1942.

His all black Thunderbolt is on a Freightdog sheet 'Brits abroad' part 4: http://www.freightdogmodels.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=565&osCsid=e4d13aa5ace14df0a7bbd2763bacf32f. There is also a picture of Frank Carey in his Tempest II PR674 and it's definitely painted silver - the paintwork is looking rather rather tired.

HTH

Jonathan

[Meatbox8]

Thanks Jonathan for a great bit of research which has left me with plenty of options. I have the 43 sqn Osprey book and I am now sold on L1728. Although pre-BofB it's a fabric job, as you point out. I shall have a look at the Xtradcal sheet as it does appear to have 43's fighting cock emblem on the nose which I'll need. I'm also short of a 43 sqn model as, believe it or not, a builder stole my Hunter F6 while doing some work in my house a couple of years ago!

I think, at a later date, I'll be doing Carey's Tempest as well.

Many thanks, Tim

[Bedders]

Folks,

 

As I come to the decalling stage of my KP 1/72 Tempest II, I'm trying to find a photo of Frank Carey's PR674. In the absence of a photo, I've found two different profiles, one showing a rounded letter R in the FR-C fuselage codes, and the other showing a more square-shaped R. Which one is correct do we think?

 

http://village.photos/images/user/85d867b2-3601-412b-a045-5eaf6755cd8a/e2c632fb-b840-4830-9996-03fd34aba394.jpeg

 

http://village.photos/images/user/85d867b2-3601-412b-a045-5eaf6755cd8a/0c2101e5-dc6f-4a25-a921-3ed0fc34a2fd.jpg

 

Justin

 

 

 

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by Bedders

[Meatbox8]

17 minutes ago, Bedders said:

Folks,

 

As I come to the decalling stage of my KP 1/72 Tempest II, I'm trying to find a photo of Frank Carey's PR674. In the absence of a photo, I've found two different profiles, one showing a rounded letter R in the FR-C fuselage codes, and the other showing a more square-shaped R. Which one is correct do we think?

 

http://village.photos/images/user/85d867b2-3601-412b-a045-5eaf6755cd8a/e2c632fb-b840-4830-9996-03fd34aba394.jpeg

 

http://village.photos/images/user/85d867b2-3601-412b-a045-5eaf6755cd8a/0c2101e5-dc6f-4a25-a921-3ed0fc34a2fd.jpg

 

Justin

 

 

 

 

I've got a book at home with a photo so I'll take  butchers later.

[Chris Thomas]

8 hours ago, Bedders said:

Folks,

 

As I come to the decalling stage of my KP 1/72 Tempest II, I'm trying to find a photo of Frank Carey's PR674. In the absence of a photo, I've found two different profiles, one showing a rounded letter R in the FR-C fuselage codes, and the other showing a more square-shaped R. Which one is correct do we think?

 

http://village.photos/images/user/85d867b2-3601-412b-a045-5eaf6755cd8a/e2c632fb-b840-4830-9996-03fd34aba394.jpeg

 

http://village.photos/images/user/85d867b2-3601-412b-a045-5eaf6755cd8a/0c2101e5-dc6f-4a25-a921-3ed0fc34a2fd.jpg

 

Justin

 

 

 

 

I have a photo of Carey's Tempest in front of me now and I reckon the  one featured in the first link is more accurate. However I am slightly biased as I painted the original nearly 40 years ago. All done with gouache, airbrush, hairy stick and a touch of pastel - not a pixel in sight.

[Bedders]

37 minutes ago, Chris Thomas said:

I have a photo of Carey's Tempest in front of me now and I reckon the  one featured in the first link is more accurate. However I am slightly biased as I painted the original nearly 40 years ago. All done with gouache, airbrush, hairy stick and a touch of pastel - not a pixel in sight.

Thanks Chris, I was kind of hoping you'd come in and say something like that. I saw your comment elsewhere on BM that BAFO Tempests seemed to have underwing serials of about 48 inches height. I haven't got that sort of size available so will go with something in the region of 36-40 inches.

 

Unless people advise otherwise, I'll do the spinner in bright red rather than WWII dull red.

 

FWIW the KP Mk II kit isn't bad. Decent-ish shape and nice surface detail but needs a bit of work in some areas and a blind eye being turned to the engine-face which is inaccurate. I'll post up the results idc.

 

Justin

 

 

[Meatbox8]

Sorry. Haven't had a chance to take a look at my book yet.  Life got in the way.

[Meatbox8]

Had a look in said book and, I'm sorry to say, there isn't  picture Of Carey's Tempest after all.  There's only a pic of him sat in the cockpit.