Handley Page Halifax Mk VII NA337

Alan Rush
Having trouble loading photos right now, so will try again later.

Alan Rush
There - that's all of them now.

Christian Keller
Hello Alan
thanks for the pictures, especially those from the Cockpit will help when i build (sometime 😉 ) my Revell Halifax

John Van Kooten
Indeed, that is very helpful 👍 thanks for the taking the time to do that! 👍 👍
I still think it's a beautiful machine, too! Great pictures!🙂

Alan Rush
My pleasure. The museum is about an hour from my house, so a repeat visit is not too far off.

Martyn Fox
Thanks for sharing Alan. Some great detail shots for modelling reference. Your Lancaster makes it's long journey home to Canada this weekend after a very successful UK tour🙂

Stephen van niekerk
Oh to be so lucky to see this! Makes one's skin prick to think of the chaps who flew her!
A wonderful project done with utmost care and love! Thanks for sharing!

Alan Rush
Thanks Martyn. Thanks Stephen. It was a volunteer team that put her back together.
Martyn, now that the Lancaster is back I will need to visit that museum. Canadian Warplane Heritage is in Hamilton, about an hour southwest of here. Trenton was an hour east of my house. So, another walkaround coming soon?

Bill Gilman
Thanks for posting the Halifax photos. If you haven't been to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum yet, here is a preview!

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton, Ontario | Album by Navy Bird

Alan Rush
Thanks for the link Bill. I have been there once but not for a long visit. Many of the displays I don't remember. The model of the HMCS Bonaventure I don't remember. Nostalgic glimpse back to when Canada had naval airpower. When I was there they also had the hall set up for a banquet. That is one of their selling points in their advertising, but it just crams the aircraft together to make space for the seating and makes it difficult to see the planes and take photos.

Bill Gilman
Thanks to your photos, I must now plan a visit to Trenton! I've been to the museums in Ottawa, but that was quite some time ago. I remember posing my 1 year old son in his stroller next to a wheel from a Lancaster, which dwarfed him. Great photo! He's 32 now and has some top secret job for Uncle Sam. I have no clue what he does! 🙂

Vegard Øksenholt
Interesting 🙂 I like subjects that has to do with my own country, and the Halifax is a beauty!

23.04.1945, 19:51: Halifax NA337 takes off from Tarant Rushton in Doreset, SW England. The mission is to drop weapons and supplies to the Norwegian underground in Grue.
01:00: The NA337 drops 13 containers and two packages over Mikkelsberget (this was the air drop number 2 that night).

The Norwegian crew on the ground suspected that something was wrong because of the planes drop direction and low altitude.
Several parachutes did not have the time to unfold, which resulted in some loss of equipment. When the NA337 headed for home, they used Minnesund as the benchmark for their return. They approached Minnesund at a low altitude, and because of that, they were unable to evade the manned flak cannon on the ground. NA337 took several hits.

01:20: The plane crash lands in the Mjøsa river. Only one man, the tail gunner Thomas Weightman, survives. The rest of the crew freezes to death or drown in the ice cold waters.

08.07.1982: The NA337 is localized in two pieces at a depth of 250 meters in Mjøsa.

In July 1994: Norwegian authorities gives Canadian Halifax Aircraft Association permission to take over the plane.

10.09.1995: NA337 is brought up from the water. In the meantime, enthusiasts have tracked down the surviving tail gunner, Thomas Weightman. On the mission back in 1945 he had a thermos of cold coffee with him. This thermos was recovered, and solemnly presented back to him.

Alan Rush
Great details to the story Vegard. What was your source for the info?

Alan Rush
Hi Bill. We would certainly welcome you. I have other pictures from the museum that I will post as well. It is all volunteer and there is no admission although donations are always welcome. That makes it different from Ottawa. I always thought national museums should be free since they are tax funded but I haven't been able to get the government to agree.

Bill Spargo
Thanks Alan for the photos. Great having interior photos to help with modelling.

Vegard Øksenholt
I just did some quick googling on Norwegian websites and translated 🙂 Lots of info about NA337

Michael Razz
wow ALAN nice clean museum with alot of planes inside 🙂 damn no tanks 🙂

Kerry COX
There are things I see on some aircraft and wonder what the purpose is and in this case, Can any one tell me where the pipe leads to that is attached to the back of the exhaust stack. Is it for heating some part of the crew space . ? 🙂

Es-haq Khosravi
Thanks for sharing Alan! I'm going to to make my Revell 1:72nd Dam Buster! 🙂

Soeren R.
Thx for sharing this Alan! Will probably help me a lot for my building soon 🙂

Alan Rush
Glad you enjoyed them. Sorry Raz, no tanks at the Air Force museum 🙂
Kerry, good question! Slide 23 shows it going inside the wheel well, but can see any connection inside though. Also happens on the outside engines as well, so don't know where they go. Is it some kind of flash and exhaust suppressor for night bombing???

Kerry COX
Lol, I don't know mate, so it looks like I am googling it. Thanks for the reply and I love the images mate, simply stunning stuff 🙂

Kerry COX
Oh, the exhaust stack the way it is 'fluted' there was the way the boffins came up with breaking down the flames and making it harder fro gunners and night fighters to 'see' the aircraft.

Alan Rush
Thanks. It was a fun trip.

Bill Gilman
The flash suppressor is the hedgehog/porcupine looking part with the barbs sticking out of it. On planes with guns, pipes from the exhaust were sometimes used to heat the guns so they wouldn't jam. That wouldn't be the case for the Halifax, so it must be heating something else. I know some Halifax experts, I can ask them.

Kerry COX
Great. I am just wondering . 🙂

Bill Gilman
OK, my mate says the warm air was circulated through the wing leading edges to prevent icing and was also used to heat the cabin.

Alan Rush
Thanks Bill. Learned something new today. Thanks Kerry for noticing. It didn't click in with me and I'm the one who took the pictures! 🙂

Kerry COX
It reminded me of the warming device that was on my Honda Civic I had some 30 years ago and that's what made me ask. Strange hey !!! 🙂

Bill Spargo
Thanks for sharing the great photos Alan

Alan Rush
You're welcome. It was great to see.