Percival Proctor Mk.III in Yugoslavia

[dragonlanceHR]

Hi all.

With the release of the new 1/48 and 1/72 kits of Percival Proctor, two examples were given to Yugoslav partisans communication squadron in 1944 and were stationed on the island of Vis. In 1945, third a/c was gifted to Marshal Tito for his personal use.

 

Sadly, I can't locate any info about serials or even photos online. Would they have come from No.267 Sq.? Does the book on Percival/Hunting aircraft contain individual a/c histories?

 

TIA

 

Vedran

Edited November 7, 2018 by dragonlanceHR
Typo

[Graham Boak]

Were these Mk.IIIs?  I've had a look through the individual histories  of Mk.IIIs in Gearing's "The Wings of a Gull" history of Percival aircraft published by Air Britain, but can find no mention of Yugoslavia for any Proctor.  To me this suggests that the author was not aware of these transfers, so no clear trail will be available.  I presume these three aircraft were not returned to the RAF, so it may be possible to  find candidates from those aircraft for which no history is provided after their transfer to the Middle East, or at least none after 1944, and presumably among those written off in 1945 rather than later.  However the majority of these aircraft are simply recorded as Middle East Communications Squadron, or Levant Comms Flight, or perhaps Iraqi Comms Flight.  I could find no reference to 267 Sq.  There was one reference to the Balkan Air Force, but this is recorded as crashing in the hands of an RAF pilot. 

 

I fear this would be a slightly tedious job, eliminating all without an ME connection during WW2, and then those with known post-war histories, and then checking the handful that might remain... without personal interest.  It is certainly possible that I have missed some reference, but I don't think that I'd have missed all three.

[Seahawk]

2 hours ago, dragonlanceHR said:

 Does the book on Percival/Hunting aircraft contain individual a/c histories?

If you're referring to John Silvester's Percival & Hunting Aircraft, the answer is no.  But Graham's Air Britain book sounds a better bet anyway.

 

John Rawlings' Coastal, Support and Special Squadrons lists 267 Sq as operating Proctors but only Mark Is and only between Aug 40 and Jul 42.

 

Air Britain's RAF Flying Training and Support Units lists several entities with Yugoslav in the title (Yugoslav Flight, Yugoslav Holding Unit, RAF Element, Yugoslav Training Flight but no Prentices listed with any of them.  There may be others buried in the text not listed under Y!

Edited November 7, 2018 by Seahawk

[dragonlanceHR]

Hi Graham.

There were certainly two Proctors, listed as Mk.III's. The third one is probably a false information. There is reportedly a non-released private collection picture showing standard camo as per kit box, with roundels overpainted with thin blue outlined white disc with geometric (not fatty) red stars and a Yugoslav tricolour on the tail. 1944 Vis island. What is also known is that the last example was cut up and scrapped in late 1948.

 

@Seahawk

 

Thanks, I'll pass the Silvester's book then.

 

Vedran