Canadian built Hurricanes with Merlin engines

[Neil Wakefield]

I understand that 166 Canadian built Hurricanes had Merlin III engines. The remainder of the Canadian built Hurricanes used Packard Merlin 28 engines. Serials P5170 to P5209 (40 aircraft) were built with Merlin engines. I presume that the balance of the 166 aircraft (i.e. 126) that were built with Merlin engines were in the serials range AF945 to AG344. Can anybody identify the serials of 126 Hurricanes built with Merlin engines?

Thanks,

Neil

Dear Neil,

According to John Griffin's book, "Canadian Military Aircraft, serials and photographs 1920-1968" he only lists the following in the RCAF:

Hawker Hurricane Mk. 1, 310-329, 1351-1380 RR Merlin....... 50
Mk. IIC A274 (ex HV961) RR. Merlin XX ..............................1
Mk. XII 5376 - 5775, 9426 Packard Merlin 29 ...................401
Mk XIIA V7402, BW835-84 Packard Merlin 29 .....................50
Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk. 1 R4177 RR Merlin III ...................1

There were Free Issue Hurricanes built in Canada, part of the 5376-5775 range, and 149 of these eventually had their engines and instruments removed, then the aircraft were crated and shipped to the UK. Upon arrival we think they were issued RAF serial numbers? Confusing?

To keep the Fort William CCF plant production-line open until the USN Curtis Helldiver production project came on board, the CCF factory continued building Hurricanes, ie. FREE ISSUE. They left the production line, were crated and shipped by rail to RCAF Station Souris, Manitoba for storage. I believe there were over 100 plus of these crated Hurricanes at Souris. The RCAF later removed a number of the aircraft, refurbished them to flying conditon and flew them to the west coast of Canada. And still later, all the remainder were shipped back to Fort William in crates, had the engines and instruments removed, re-crated and shipped to the UK. We have the RCAF serial numbers of every crated Hurricane in storage at Souris, and the serials of Hurricanes removed from storage for RCAF duty, and those crated aircraft returned to Fort William to join other crated Hurricanes for shipment to the UK.

Send me your e-mail address and I will place you in contact with a Canadian expert on Hurricanes. He has all the Hurricane files from Ottawa. If he cannot answer your questions, then no one can.

Norman Malayney
nmalayneyATyahoo.com

[Neil Wakefield]

Hi Norman,

Thanks for your reply. My email address is as below. The Hurricanes I am interested in are those that were built by CCF and shipped to the UK. The Air-Britain book 'Royal Air Force Serials AA100 to AZ999' lists 300 Hurricane I/X in the series AF945 to AG344 but doesn't specify which aircraft were Mk Is (i.e. with Merlin III engines) and which were Mk Xs (i.e. with Packard Merlin engines).

Regards,

Neil

neilandjulie.wakefield@ntlworld.com

[Alex Smart]

Hello Neil,

As I understand it the first CCF built Hurricane's were built from parts sent to Canada. Some of these a/c were returned to the UK while some came over with the first Canadian Squadrons to the UK.

310 to 314 were RAF serial range L1759 to L1763 and were Mk.I.
L1848 was also a Mk.I used as a pattern a/c by CCF.
315 to 325 were RAF serial range L1878 to L1888 and were Mk.I.
326 was L1890
327 to 329 were RAF serial range L2021 to L2023 and were Mk.I.
R4177 was also a Mk. I. From a MSFU.
P5170 to P5209 were Mk.I.
T9519 to T9538 were Mk.I.
V7402 was also a Mk.I. From a MSFU.

Packard built Merlin's from here.
AE958 to AE977 were Mk.X.Mk.I redesignated as [20].
AF945 to AF999
and
AG100 to AG344 were Mk.I redesignated as Mk.X.[300].
(AG287 to AG332 were out of sequence numbers 1351 to 1380 and were Mk.X).
AG665 to AG684 were Mk.IIB redesignated as Mk.X.[20].
AM270 to AM369 were Mk.IIB to Mk.X.[100].
AP138 to AP163 were Mk.IIA.to X.[26].
BW835 to BW884 were Mk.X.[50].
BW885 to BX134 were Mk.XI.[150]
JS219 to JS468 were Mk.XII.[248].
PJ660 to PJ872 were Mk.XIIA. (some hooked for RCN).[150].

I welcome any extra info as I have wondered as to the total number of Hurricane's built in Canada and there seems to be very little known about them or their use especially in Canada ( Squadron and Training Units use) and post WW2 use, were some exported along with Mosquito's to China ?

Alex

Dear Alex,

Give me about a week to dig out the information, but the Canadian Aviation Historical Society journal in the early 1970s published several in-depth articles on the RCAF Hurricane operations within Canada. I will xerox and mail these to you. Hopefully it will answer most of your questions.

There is still on-going research by several historians, into the Hurricane aircraft stationed in eastern Canada. The history of those in western Canada is well-documented. None went to China.

Norman Malayney

[Alex Smart]

hello Norman,

Many thanks for the kind offer.
It will be most welcome.

Pity about China, would have looked good alongside those Mosquito a/c. Or even the elusive Spitfire Mk.V's.

I remember seeing a picture some years ago of a Hurricane with those same type of Chinese markings on its nose . photo taken I assume in Canada.

Thank you.
Alex

[Neil Wakefield]

This is the website I got my information from:
http://www.rcaf.com/aircraft/fighter...e/versions.php

The text on the Mk X includes the following:

"After 166 Merlin III powered Hurricanes were produced, production was switched to the Mk X, the designation used to identify Hurricanes powered by the American manufactured Packard Merlin 28 powerplant. All 434 Hurricane Mk Is were built to British contracts, with twenty-five being taken over by the RCAF, and given Canadian serials."

Hence my question about what RAF serial numbers produced by CCF had Merlin III engines.

Regards,

Neil

[Tony Kearns]

[quote=Neil Wakefield;48846]This is the website I got my information from:
http://www.rcaf.com/aircraft/fighter...e/versions.php

The text on the Mk X includes the following:

"After 166 Merlin III powered Hurricanes were produced, production was switched to the Mk X, the designation used to identify Hurricanes powered by the American manufactured Packard Merlin 28 powerplant. All 434 Hurricane Mk Is were built to British contracts, with twenty-five being taken over by the RCAF, and given Canadian serials."

Hence my question about what RAF serial numbers produced by CCF had Merlin III engines.

Hi,
According to Air Britain RAF Serials "P" series;
"40 Hawker Hurricane X built by Canadian Car and Foundry and delivered between March and August 1940 to Contract No 964753/38" ie P5170 to P5209. I believe that these Hurricanes had De Havilland Propellors and Merlin III engines certainly P5178 had, as it force landed in Ireland and was purchased for the Irish Air Corps. HTH
Regards from Ireland,
Tony K

[Crimea River]

Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but does anyone know who the "Canadian expert on Hurricanes" is, referenced in post #2?

[Geoff Rayner]

Probably Jerry Vernon.