Malta Beaufighter colours

[stefaan]

HI from South Africa.
I am helping a friend that is doing a small book on the memoirs of Maj John Clements,227 RAF and 16 SAAF sqn.
He flew in Beaufighter mk VI X8074 that was flown from RAF Stornaway to Gibraltar in 1942.He states that it was painted in RAF Coastal colours.It then went to Malta and operated with 227 RAF. He was shot down in X8086 a/c S in Nov 42.He is adament that it was also in Coastal colours although the Beaufighter file from SAMI and the Tamiya colour schemes for their Desert Beaus were in Desert Colours.Do any of you guys have any evidence that there were other Beaus that operated from Malta in Coastal schemes.Should this a/c have been in the Desert Scheme??
Thanks
Stefaan Bouwer

[Franek Grabowski]

Stefaan
Frankly I do not see a reason for a DS aircraft to operate from Malta - you must check if it is not an error or misconception. I am not sure what were colours applied to Beaufighters according to regulations, TSS perhaps?
If nobody replies, I will dig up my pile of related xeroes.

[JMSmith]

hi ,
most beau's were paint coastal command colours in the med because they were used in the anti shipping role.

[stefaan]

Yes, I agree.I think the ones we do see in desert Colour were used in Ground Atack roles, and were from those sqns involved in army support.
Thanks
Stefaan

[Tony Kearns]

Hi all,
The late gentleman Hugh Verity force landed his 252 Sqn. Beaufighter near Dublin in May 1941 off course on a flight from Malta. It was in Coastal Command colours and confirmed by him.
HTH
Regards
Tony Kearns

[TonyC]

I understand that some Malta Beaus, particularly those flown by Warby, were painted in Blue colours, not exactly PRU colours - one used was owned by the PRU in Egypt and was in a Royal Blue scheme...

This seems to be an on-going field of research