17 October 2017 – RAAF CANBERRA A84-223 – HERITAGE INSIGHTS AT RAAF BASE WILLIAMTOWN
Australian Warbirds News Online recently was given special access to record the preserved formerly operated by the RAAF, GAF Canberra bomber Mk.20 A84-223, which is located deep within RAAF base Williamtown.
The base is situated about 130km north of Sydney, Australia and it is the RAAF’s main jet fighter “fast jets” base – 3 and 77 SQN and jet fighter trainer base with 76 SQN and 2 OCU. The base also houses the 2 SQN E-7A Wedgetails, which DUAN has covered in a past article around 2011. Also co-located on base is PC-9/As used by 4 SQN, a unit which DUAN is doing an indepth report on in the near future.
Recently DUAN was given the special access to photograph the 2 SQN preserved Canberra, as we wish to show this awesome heritage preservation effort to local and global warbird enthusiasts, military enthusiasts and former defence personnel. We also want help make people aware how the RAAF has made substantial efforts over the last few decades in preserving its history and some of its important aircraft types.
The Canberra at RAAF base Williamtown is on display as a tribute to the aircraft type RAAF service and also to honour the 2 SQN Vietnam War operations, where 2 SQN used their highly trained crews and their Canberra bombers to help defend South Vietnam from 1967 to 1971. I have been fortunate to meet some former 2 SQN Vietnam War veterans in the past and learn what they did in the missions over South Vietnam.
So let’s get around to examining GAF Canberra A84-223 history and where it has gone over the years. Its history is as followed –
This Australian built Canberra was constructed in 1955 in Victoria and had its first flight on 7 September 1955. It was delivered to the RAAF soon after on 6 October 1955, where it was taken on charge by 2 SQN, 82 WG at RAAF base Amberley. By 1956 it had transferred to 6 SQN allocation and was one of 3 Canberras used to carry the Olympic flame to Australia for the Melbourne Games. Interestingly the Olympics in Melbourne was the first Olympic event which had the flame travel the world by air transport assistance.
Research hasn’t shown any insights into its history during the 1960s and early 1970s at this time but it is reported to have not served in the Vietnam War. It is most likely to have remained in use locally training aircrews for the war service and being part of the operational fleet of Canberra bombers to provide the deterrence force of the era.
A84-223 survived in use for 16years and on 19 November 1971 it was approved for disposal and struck off charge. (For an observation, 16years of flight is relatively short/young in the modern world of flying, which see aircraft reach out to around 37years service nearly in some cases)
The Canberra was then sold privately in early 1972 and went on to be displayed at the Chewing Gum Field Museum in Queensland. A few years later it was then moved to Luskintyre, NSW for display. In 1998 the Temora Aviation Museum showed interest in the aircraft and purchased it. Their reason for acquiring it was, it may be a suitable Australian Canberra to return to flight status. They had wanted a Canberra bomber for a while and this airframe was not that far away. After acquiring it and undertaking inspection checks on the aircraft, A84-223 was sadly deemed not suitable for flight restoration and left to sit at the airport.
As many know Temora Aviation Museum then decided to acquire another Canberra, this being a former RAF example, TT.18 WJ680. After it was imported it was repainted in colours of RAAF A84-234. This ex UK Canberra was returned to flight and from the early 2000s became an airshow icon. A few years ago it was withdrawn from use and placed into public storage. This year the museum announced it would be restored to flight status and it is now planned to hopefully return it to flight sometime in 2018 all going well.
Meanwhile, the quiet A84-223 sat in its 1960s era camouflage scheme…waiting for something to happen. In 2002 it was repainted in an overall silver colour scheme. It remained on display at Temora Airport until 2009 and then acquired by the RAAF, for intention to be restored as a heritage tribute airframe for 2 SQN. So as you can A84-223 has travelled a bit around Australia before coming to RAAF base Williamtown.
The first few photos show my 2010 recording where the Canberra was observed on public display back in 2010 at the RAAF Williamtown base airshow and when I visited the base again in 2011 for further media work, I noted it was being repainted for future preservation.
By 2012 it was noted fully restored and in use for special events on the base. After a few years of ticking things off my media list, I recently got around to visiting Canberra “223” again. My more recent photos show it as preserved on base, where I did a walk around photo review of the bomber and its various markings. The photos below show it is well preserved and retains a good paint condition after being on display for a few years.
Australian Warbirds News Online would like to acknowledge the Defence Media unit for facilitating the request, the Royal Australian Air Force and 2 SQN for allowing me on the base and many thanks, to RAAF Williamtown base Public Affairs Officer, FLTLT Bettina Mears who escorted me while undertaking this media work and enduring the process of this not too common media request 🙂 .
Many books also cover RAAF operations in the Vietnam War and can be found in bookshops and online.
31 August 2017 – Christian Smith has provided these photos he took at Caboolture, Queensland, Australia of the restoration on the very rare DAP Beaufort former RAAF WW2 light bomber project. There is only one other very complete Beaufort in Australia and that is in the Australian War Memorial storage centre in Canberra. This Queensland based aircraft has been a long term project and when complete hopefully in a few years, it will be the world’s only flying WW2 era RAAF Beaufort. From what we understand over the last few months the restoration team has been focusing on the internal fittings, the engines and getting the wings closer to being finished.
10 July 2017 – Rathmines Catalina project update. Click link for story – Rathmines Catalina update June 2017
25 April 2017 – Insights to the painting of the PULK artwork on the Reevers B-25 Mitchell in Adelaide
PAINTING THE PULK by Fred and Mathilde Pelder
Reevers Warbirds was sent a detailed story from Fred and Mathilde Pelder who went “down under” in April 2017 to Reevers Warbirds in Adelaide to paint the nose art words of “PULK” on the our B 25 Mitchell, which has being painted in the colours of 18 SQN NEIAF. Below is their own words and photos describing the process on how they did it.
How did the word Pulk get on the B 25 of Peter Smythe?
It looks so easy, just the word Pulk… but it took some time to prepare it:
• We used an WW2 original photo: we just have one photo showing the name Pulk on the B 25.
• In February 2017 we went to the war museum in Overloon in the Netherlands (https://www.oorlogsmuseum.nl/en/home/) and got all access to the B 25 standing in their exhibition. Many thanks to Overloon for letting us in! This B 25 is the same type B 25 as shown on the photo. Fred made a schedule of all the numbers….
• Fred combined the measurements of Overloon with the proportions on the photo. His sister, Karen Pelder helped us on Photoshop. As you can see the photo is made in an angle, so Karen scaled and rotated the photo. Our friend Liza Beth Valkema is a professional illustrator and she could print out the word Pulk in the right proportion. Thanks Karen and Liza Beth (http://www.liza-beth.nl/)
• Next Mathilde overlapped the photo on paper and made a mold of it. That would make it easier to get the word in the right direction and the right proportions on the fresh painted B 25 of Reevers Warbirds…
• We were ready to go, and flew to Australia. On the 4th of April, exactly 75 year after the 18th squadron was established (4 April 1942), we were standing in the hangar, facing your B 25…. Goosebumps everywhere.
• Fred took his measuring tape, the photo and schedule with the details and numbers and went discovering the right spot for your Pulk. This type B 25 is a bit different, so it took some time.
• Now we found the right spot, Mathilde was able to stick the mold on the plane and draw the word with a soft pencil.
• Now we were ready to paint… but what colour can we buy? Fred figured out it must be Yellow, the same colour of the propeller tips. We found a small box in the hangar which showed the right colour.
• Now the paint was bought, we were ready to paint. Mathilde started… you have to feel how the paint works out, which brush Works out the best. Fred took over the brush and painted a part of the name.
Together we made it! Wow. It is so special when you can write a name, you could see on a picture, a picture of your father (in law)….
Now it gets alive again. Goosebumps again.
• The next day Fred did clean the painting and sanded it very carefully. Mathilde then painted the second layer … and there it was:
PULK….
Ready to be shown to the public.
See the 27 photos below on the slide show as they worked through the painting process.
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