Supermarine Walrus W2718

[Larry]

Supermarine Walrus W2718 is under long term restoration to fly, at IWM Duxford marked as X9556 / 'S' of Royal Navy, but does any one have its full service history?

[Alex Smart]

All that AB's W1000 - Z9999 has is
W2718 - 276 - Sold 21.5.47.

[Stig Jarlevik]

Originally Posted by Larry

Supermarine Walrus W2718 is under long term restoration to fly, at IWM Duxford marked as X9556 / 'S' of Royal Navy, but does any one have its full service history?

Air Britain's FAA Aircraft 1939-45 (since FAA never kept any records this is what the authors have located)

Delivered Lee 26.4.1941 and went into storage
Transferred to 783Sq, Arbroath June 1941
From Youngsfield to 700Sq (onboard HMS Birmingham) 10.11.1941
From Cowdray Park storage to Lee 21.11.1942
764 Sq Lawrenny Ferry Nov 1942
Rammed yacht while embarking passengers from motor dinghy, cat Y accident,18.5.1943
pilot S/L LHC Rosseter
At Evanton Dec 1943 - Jan 1944
751 Sq Dundee (coded AA5Y)
Groundlooped when landing, cat X2 accident, 29.5.1944, pilot S/L EN Shear
At Cowdray Park storage and transferred to Lee 14.11.1944
To RAF 27.1.1945 15 MU
276 Sq B.83 Knocke coded AQ-Z 13.4.1945
15 MU 14.2.1946
sold as Alex's details

I have nothing regarding its post military life except a transfer to Southampton Hall
of Aviation in 1983

Cheers
Stig

[Alex Smart]

I may be wrong but I seem to recall that this Walrus was sold to the Irish Air Force as N-18 during WW2 and that it was stolen by 4 Irish Nazi Sympathisers was "captured" by a Spitfire over Cornwall and later returned to the IAF only to be damaged somehow. Another Walrus also damaged at some other time . The two wrecks were put together as a "new" W2718.

Also Were the 4 ever named and did we imprison them here or return them to Ireland ?

Alex

[Stig Jarlevik]

Originally Posted by Alex Smart

I may be wrong but I seem to recall that this Walrus was sold to the Irish Air Force as N-18 during WW2 and that it was stolen by 4 Irish Nazi Sympathisers was "captured" by a Spitfire over Cornwall and later returned to the IAF only to be damaged somehow. Another Walrus also damaged at some other time . The two wrecks were put together as a "new" W2718.

Also Were the 4 ever named and did we imprison them here or return them to Ireland ?

Alex

Ireland operated three Walrus Alex, No 18 - 20 (delivered as N18 - N20, the N was later deleted.
They were former L2301 - 2303
The story is correct except there were no wrecks put together.
I wouldn't go as far as to say the four "culprits" were Nazi Sympathizers but bored to the death where
they were based. The main carachter felt he had been mistreated when forced to serve a previous
prison sentence.
The "gang of four" was returned to Ireland where the leading individual took full responsibility for
their stupidity. He was sentenced to a short term in prison and after release actually joined the RAF
and had quite a career flying Spits in the Middle East and Italy

No idea who he was....
Cheers
Stig

[Larry]

Supermarine Walrus W2718 is under restoration to fly at IWM Duxford but marked a 'S' and coded Royal Navy X9556.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was built in spring of 1940 by Saunders Roe, under contract? I guess Supermarine were very busy with Spitfire Production at the time.

[RSwank]

The story of the "incident" is on pages 38 and 39 here:

https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/11...9-jan-2020/37?

You can download it as a pdf if you have problems reading it online.

The pilot was Alphonsus Joseph Thornton (known as "Alan") who later joined the RAF.

There is also a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGk_YQkQRR4

The video also has info on the Walrus.