WIX Archives
Re: Birmingham Beaufighter.....
Posted by Dave Robinson on Sat Dec 22, 2001 10:53:18 AM
In reply top Birmingham Beaufighter..... posted by Tony on Fri Dec 21, 2001 10:45:46 AM
Tony,
Long time since I spoke to you....I came to see you last year about some Typhoon research in the Middle East!!! Wasn't sure that it was the same Tony until I saw this posting and I knew your interest in the Birmingham Beaufighter and Hurricane. I see you managed to eliminate the MAM cockpit as being the Birmingham missing Beaufighter then.
I have been hoping that you would mail as I had a hard disk failure and lost all contacts (backups are in order now!!!), however I can add something to the Castle Bromwich saga. I have been researching RAF Lichfield and placed an add for info in the local paper. I was contacted by a gentleman who was around the area in the 50s as a child. He then asked if I knew castle bromwich as he works for a building company that did some work there. Apparently they had to demolish part of an old building and whilst digging the area out they came across a crate in a partially buried basement. It said that it contained a packaged Merlin engine complete with delivery note!!! I am not sure how accurate this information is as he didn't see it with his own eyes and didn't know where it went!!
I think that I may still have his name somewhere but I am not at home until the new year!! Mail me if you want the info!!
Dave Robinson
: Hi Steve,
:
: Yep, it appears at one point, Birmingham may have had a Be
: aufighter as well, and from what i gather, not to be confu
: sed, with the nose section which is currently at the MAM,
: which is on loan from Birmingham council.
:
: I started looking into this, then lost interest, when it a
: ppeared, it might have gone to Cosford for scrapping in th
: e sixties.
:
: however, I was then told, that they were 2 different aircr
: aft, and Birmingham Council, have in fact, "lost" the airc
: raft.
:
: An antique dealer I know, says part of the problem, is tha
: t Birmingham has substantial council storage space, and no
: proper indexing of what they posess! Apparently, they sti
: ll have Victorian Park furniture etc in store, and lots of
: it,
:
: So, it's easy for an aircraft to get lost, especially in t
: he repositries at Digbeth and King's Norton? (I think)
:
: That also, does not take account of the other aircraft bit
: s, that they have in store.
:
: However , birmingham are quite "air-minded" and Alex Hensh
: aw, is certainly revered locally, for his work at bromwich
: .
:
: As an aside, there is still the story of the "buried Spits
: " at Castle bromwich. it's certainly well known hereabouts
: , but no one knows where they are.
:
: I spoke to Dr. Carl Chinn, an eminent local historian on t
: his, and he felt the story was true, but as to what was ac
: tually buried, he wasn't sure..
:
: Suffice to say, the story is so well regarded, that severa
: l people have approached birmingham Council, for permissio
: n to dig the site, to see what there may be. I believe bir
: mingham University, have geo-fizzed the site, so they migh
: t be worth talking to.
:
: I can make some more enquiries re. this beau Steve, and se
: e what happens.
:
: failing that, brum council can always ask for their nose b
: ack?
:
: Tony