Can anyone give me any information about this photo I found among my late mother's pictures. It is inscribed on the back: Guess you'll be able to recognise me, love Harry. PS That's Chunky (P/O) in front our mascot. I believe the plane is a Lancaster but I have no idea of anything else. Many thanks
Not a lot to go on but I'm sure someone will be able get close. It may take some time but there's folks on here that do amazing stuff. Welcome to the forum by the way.
It's a great photo, but I'm going to have to go away and think about it. It is most certainly a Lancaster, either a B.1 or B.III. The 'U' is just the aircraft identification letter so doesn't give any clues. I'm now into the realm of guesswork - I'd say 1943/44 rather than '44/'45 due to the 'needle' props and exhaust shrouds - but this is in no way definitive. Unless someone recognizes any individual in the photo, the only way to identify it are the farm buildings in the background......
Thanks for the two replies received. I know there is not a lot to go on. Any other comments or guesses would be welcome. David
Have you tried other forums where RAF specialists lurk? http://ww2talk.com/index.php?forums/the-war-in-the-air.16/ http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/ http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history-nostalgia-86/ You could also try # http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/rafhistoricalsocietym.cfm and the Air Historical Branch or the RAF Museum
I've even gone so far as to browse through my copy of Roger Freeman's 'Bases Of Bomber Command - Then & Now' which has small-format maps and aerial photos, but...... The only way for this location/unit to be identified is if someone recognizes the background of the photo. The farmhouse is the key, but the problem is that most BC bases were built on farmland, often very close indeed to farm buildings which were left standing by dispersals ( as is the case here ). This is a tough one.......
Can you produce a higher resolution scan of the farmhouse and buildings? The architecture is very 'Lincolnshire' and this would itself be increasingly likely if the outbuildings had pantile roofs. Lincolnshire was, of course, known, and still is, as 'Bomber County' but at least that could narrow the search down somewhat.