[Stig Jarlevik]

Faenor/Bertrand

This is clearly a problem aircraft.
However, it was very much photographed and one of them clearly shows P4340 and the code QR-M. No matter how much I try I cannot get the last digit to loook like anything else.

Looking at the Hampden's distribution in the batch P4285 to P4418 and particulalrly in the batches P4335 - P4375 they all went to 61, 144, 44 Sqds except one to AAEE and of course P4340 supposedly to 83 Sqd.
Excluding P4340 83Sqd did not receive its first aircraft until P4376 was delivered plus 6 later aircraft.

Initially when JJ Halley compiled his P1000-P9999 monograph, P4340 is listed as delivered to 61 Sqd and not 83.
From 1989 when Harry Moyle published his Hampden Monograph (Air Britain) P4340 has ever since been with 83 Sqd and never again with 61.

I also checked P4346 and its loss. All available sources including the aviation-safety site says this aircraft was hit in the tailplane and made more or less uncontrollable (Chorley for instance use the word destroyed with regard to the tailplane). In the photos of QR-M we can clearly see the tailplane to be pretty much intact and an aircraft who has made a pretty credible belly landing, which does not fit the loss of P4346.

I have no good answer to what we look at, but the photos where the serial number can be seen, P4340 is what I am looking at....
Very mysterious....

Cheers
Stig