Missing Southern Rhodesia Air Force serials SR14-SR21?

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
From my earlier post

World Air Forces* - Historical ListingsZimbabwea/Rhodesia (ZIM)

These I think are the aircraft that would be possibilities for the missing numbers

Percival Vega Gull..........39/44..........1
DH 60G Moth Major .......39/..............2
DH 82 Tiger Moth............38/54........12
DH 84 Dragon..................39/44..........1
DH Leopard Moth............39/..............4
DH Hornet Moth.............39/44..........3
DH Rapide........................39/42..........6
PT26 Cornell....................43/..............1
Gloster Gauntlet..............39/41..........3
Hawker Audax I...............38/41..........6
Hawker Auax ..................40/..............4
Hawker Hart....................37/40..........6

Have all these been accounted for in the search ?
Alex

[Stig Jarlevik]

Alex

As I mentioned, the time gap for SR 15 to SR 20 is very, very narrow.
Like everyone else the SRAS impressed aircraft soon after the war broke out

At that point SRAS also adopted a new serial number system in various ranges, ie the SR + digit system was abandoned until resurrected postwar.

Taking the Vega Gull as a good example it was the former VP-YBV (c/n K.60) impressed in 1940 with s/n 270 and returned to its rightful owner in appx 1942, since as soon as S Rhodesia joined the Commonwealth Training Plan they were totally swamped with aircraft and the need for impressed ones diminished rapidly.

Time does not permit me to go through your list, and of course you are free to think there are six, so far unknown, aircraft which actually took up these six serial numbers.
I on the other hand is very positive nothing of that sort happened.

Cheers
Stig

[paulmcmillan]

A series of files on the Rhodesian Air Force has just appeared on Air Britain Digital Archive kindly provided by Dave Newnham

Anson

PH826 Avro Anson 12 Nil Sep-45 Transfered 19-Apr-47 SR Staff Corps SR21/PM's personal aircraft

Tiger Moth

DX658 De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth T.2 746 09-May-44 RATG, CFS (SR) Norton Transfered 23-Oct-47 SRAF SR26 Oct-45 For sale
T6634 De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth T.2 84948 08-Oct-46 RATG, 4 FTS Heany Transfered 23-Oct-47 SRAF SR27
T6586 De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth T.2 84915 26-Jun-47 Transfered 08-Sep-48 SRAF SR32
DX586 De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth T.2 672 08-Oct-46 Transfered 1948 SRAF SR40
DX609 De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth T.2 711 1949 RATG, 4 FTS Heany Transfered 29-Feb-52 SRAF SR94?