100 Squadron beaufort's

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

100 Squadron received six Beaufort's from Australia.

These were as I understand British built aircraft that had been shipped to Australia and rebuilt there for the RAAF.

The six aircraft sent to 100 Squadron were according to "Bloody Shambles" vol 1-
( British serial number's :T9540; T9542; T9544; T9545; T9546; T9547 ),
(Australian Serial number's: A9-1 ; None ; A9-5 ; A9-6 ; A9-7 ; A9-8 ).

T9540 was retained and used as a Photo Recce a/c.

The other five were returned to Australia.
T9542 went to 1 OTU and crashed on 18/05/1942.
T9544 went to 1 OTU and crashed on 17/11/42.
T9545 went to 1 OTU and force landed on 09/03/43.
T9546 went to 1 OTU and crashed on 16/09/44.
T9547 crashed on 09/01/43.

All the Beaufort File has on T9540 is that it went to 1 OTU and was SOC on 08/08/49.
When she was left with 100 Squadron it was sent to Kota Bharu. What then happened to her, she must have been returned to Australia at some time before the surender to the Japanese in regard to her time with 1 OTU and her SOC date.

2/.
Also would these six aircraft at the time with 100 Squadron still have carried their RAF serial numbers or would the Australian serial numbers have been applied prior to there being sent north to Singapore. Or were the Australian serial numbers only applied on return to Australia and in later service there ?

Look forward to replies,
Alex

[bearoutwest]

Hello Alex,

You can search the National Archives Australia for details (just put the three words into google). Use the NAA search engine - and it can be hit and miss according to the actual word search you use - and if you're lucky, there will be digital files.
If I've done it correctly, the aircraft movement cards for A9-1 through A9-8 are attached. All images via the National Archives Australia website.

Regards,
...geoff

[bearoutwest]

A google-search brought up this photo of Beaufort T9540:
http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac...rt%20T9540.jpg

It is in RAF style tail-code, not in the RAAF A9-xxx style.

The LIFE Magazine photographer, Carl Mydans (who took colour photos of RAF Blenheim IVs at Singapore and b/w photos of Brewster Buffalos, Wirraways, Hudsons) may have also photographed the arrival of the Beauforts. Unfortunately, the LIFE mag photo collection is no longer searchable in a user-friendly manner. If you're lucky, you might hit the right combination of search words to yield a worthwhile result.

Good luck,
...geoff

[Alex Smart]

Hello Geoff,

Many thanks.
I did not think to use the NAA
Great for you to provide the cards , and the photo of T9540.
If the photo was taken while with 100 Sqn then it looks like the RAAF serial numbers must have been applied on their return to Australia and entered service there in RAAF service.

Thank you again,
Alex

[bearoutwest]

Hi Alex,

I just had a quick look through my battered copy of the Beaufort File....and I think I see a possible avenue for your confusion.

100 Squadron R-Australian-AF operated Beauforts in New Guinea, circa late-1942 onwards (I think).

100 Squadron RAF operated Vilderbeeste biplanes out of Kota Bharu in 1941, until their heroic slaughter on the Endau mission. I'm not sure if they had Beauforts on their official records for any significant period of time.

From my very-hazy memory, I recall a number of Beauforts being photographed in Singapore. There was some conjecture as to whether they were considered battle-worthy (armour, self-sealing tanks, etc). I can't find the relevant notes, or recall where I read this, so I may be mixing things up. The service cards for the aircraft T9540 don't indicate any overseas service in late 1941/early 1942 (before fall of Singapore).

The photo of T9540 comes from the EdCoates Collection via google (as noted on the link) but there is no "providence" as to the circumstance of the photo....i.e. pre-delivery flight in UK before broken down for shipment to Australia; or as assembled in Australia from components (which may have been pre-painted?).....

Do you recall which pages in "Bloody Shambles" note the mention of Beauforts in Malaya/Singapore?

Afterthought:
http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/Publ...ks.aspx?page=3

Here you go Alex. Courtesy of the RAAF and Australian Government Publications - who make e-copies of some of their books free. The link is to the page with the book "Song of the Beauforts" about 100 Sqn RAAF - so named because of the close association to 100 Sqn RAF. The first chapter details the delivery flight of the first 6 DAP (Dept of Air Production) Beauforts to Singapore in Dec 1941 and the subsequent recall/return of all except one.


Regards,
...geoff

[udf_00]

http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au
Keywords operations record book squadron 100
Date from 1939 to 1945
view digital copy
jump to page 21
RAF serials to 14 June 1942
RAAF serials from 22 June 1942

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
Many thanks for your efforts I apreciate ti greatly
Alex

[Stig Jarlevik]

Very interesting topic

Shores in Bloody Shambles cannot have mistaken 100 Sq RAF with 100 Sq RAAF since the ORB clearly shows that the Australians feel the RAF unit became the Australian one on 28.2.1942. The ORB for 100 Sq RAAF starts on March 1st!
Oddly enough this is not acknowledged in the RAF unit histories I have...

So 100 Sq RAAF ORB is not giving any answers to what happened between Dec 1941 and March 1942.

In spite of the physical record cards found by Geoff, Shores states (on page 57) that six Beauforts arrived to Singapore on Dec 5th (1941) to re-equip 100 Sq and (on page 75)refers to a lone Beaufort, T9540, remaining with 100 Sq on Dec 7th (1941) which I interpret that the other five had continued to Australia before the latter date, that is they stayed a very, very short time!
Since I don't believe Shores has invented his information he must have some records which backs him up on this.

Alex

Where in Bloody Shambles Vol 1 does Chris state the RAF serials and the RAAF serials listed by you? I have not gone through the whole book with a comb and I would very much like to see in what context he says this.

The list he then provides is not entirely correct.
The Australian serials for T9542 was for instance A9-3 (The whole batch T9540 to T9569 was given serials A9-1 to A9-30 in order)

What is interesting to notice is that the record cards clearly indicates the Australian serial numbers were applied much later than actual receiving date just as udf says.

The only explanation I can think of is that five of the Beauforts listed by Alex were in Singapore for such a short time that the compiler of the record cards did not bother to record it. That period away from Oz may have been as short as 4 days only. T9540 is tougher... I can't find any reference to when that one was supposed to have left Singapore. Anyone?

Cheers
Stig

[Alex Smart]

Hello Stig,
Sorry for the delay, had put them back on the shelf.

Vol 1 page 75 T9540 under heading "Sunday, 7 December".
Vol 1 page 152 under heading "Friday, 19 December" the serial numbers T9542; T9544; T9545; T9546; T9547; (RAF).

Link with RAAF serial numbers was from AB's "The Beaufort File" page 95.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And -

The six aircraft sent to 100 Squadron were according to "Bloody Shambles" vol 1-
( British serial number's :T9540; T9542; T9544; T9545; T9546; T9547 ),
(Australian Serial number's: A9-1 ; None ; A9-5 ; A9-6 ; A9-7 ; A9-8 ).

Aahh, I see where you got confused, my error, I entered the RAAF numbers under the Chris Shores list in post 1 above.
These came from the AB "The Beaufort File" page 95, where T9542 does not have an RAAF number linked to it.

On page 43 they are listed with RAF serials only but with date's of "To RAAF".

Alex

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Alex

Well it is very puzzling, since Shores is clearly not someone who invents things!

So all aircraft stayed longer than I thought. (I was fooled by the wordings on page 75 in Vol 1 Bloody Shamble - I read it some 20 years ago...)

So we have to find out why Shores is so certain these six aircraft were in Singapore with surroundings between Dec 5th to Dec 19th 1941 when the record cards seems so indifferent.

In the meantime I checked the first aircraft and AB Beaufort file says
T9540 TOC 22.1.1942 1 AD to RAAF 25.2.1942
RAAF record card says : 3.9.1941 allotted 1 AD; 21.12.1941 allotted A.P.C.

This means (to me )
While issued to 1 Aircraft Depot the aircraft went to Singapore and back again. Looks like it departed back to Oz earlier than the other five in fact.
Now if 1 AD was a British unit it fits with the British record card as published by AB (THAT record card probably contains a lot more details not bothered about by AB - unfortunately...)
The Australian record card goes on with an allocation to something called 100 Sq (TF) which grows out of something they just call O.T.U. (T.F. = Training Flight?, O.T.U = Operational Training Unit). However what is interesting is the date the RAAF card gives for 'received 100 Sq (TF)' which is 22.1.1942. This finally corresponds to the British card TOC 22.1.1942.

Why 100 Sq (T.F.)? Well I suppose the unit was made up of the six Beaufort crews who had once been part of the "real" 100 Sq in Singapore and possibly everyone thought it was a good name and finally a new RAAF 100 Sq grew out of that unit. It seems in Britain this is unknown (or at least not very well known) and has been disregarded ever since.

I will check the other RAAF cards for the remaining five aircraft tomorrow to see if my theories above fits or not. Too tired right now....

Cheers
Stig