In this chapter we talk to Ian Thirsk about the various aircraft types and their roles across the campaign. We have an interesting view of the Avro Anson thanks to an interview with Bill Reid who has the only airworthy Anson Mk1 and we also catch up with Andrew Bird to discuss the Blenheim’s Coastal Command service in detail.

Avro Anson Mk I Mh-120 – Gentle Annie (Copyright Bill Reid & Warbirds Ltd)

Ian was Head of Collections at The Royal Air Force Museum, with responsibility for the large 3D object collections (aeroplanes)! Whilst with the RAF Museum, Ian was responsible for projects such as the Dornier 17 recovery from the Goodwin Sands in 2012.

He is a self-declared de Havilland Mosquito addict and has been volunteering for the De Havilland Museum for over forty years. He is involved in their restoration projects and has worked on Mosquito-B35-TA634 and is currently working on the FP6 Restoration.

Bill Reid is the son of John Reid, a WWII RNZAF fighter pilot who became a helicopter pioneer. Bill took over his father’s company Helicopters New Zealand Ltd and is now one of NZ’s most experienced and respected helicopter pilots.

AIRCRAFT OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE 1939-1945: SHORT S.25 SUNDERLAND. (CH 805) Sunderland Mark I, L2163 ?DA-G?, of No. 210 Squadron RAF based at Oban, in flight over the Atlantic while escorting Canadian Troop Convoy 6 (TC.6), inbound for Greenock. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205126773

He and his late wife Robyn restored the Anson themselves and it is regarded as one of the very best restorations of any WWII aircraft in the world for authenticity. Bill loves WWII aviation history, and he was a key member of the team that restored the late John Smith’s Mosquito to running condition.

Andrew Bird studied at Reading College of Art & Design and served in Royal Air Force Reserves based at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire working extensively with The Artists Rifles (Reserves).

He is the author of ‘A Separate Little War’, ‘Coastal Dawn’ and ‘Heroes of Coastal Command: The RAF’s Maritime War 1939’. He has written for several newspapers and magazines and has also written, presented, or acted as a historical consultant in documentaries, for BBC Radio and Television, C4, and NRK in Norway.

Recorded September and October 2021

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Ian Thirsk

ROYAL AIR FORCE: WEST AFRICA COMMAND, 1941-1945. (CM 4868) A Short Sunderland Mark III of No. 95 Squadron RAF, based at Jui, Sierra Leone, flying along the coast of West Africa on a patrol, photographed from another aircraft of the Squadron. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205212033

Bill Reid and Avro Anson Mk I Mh-120 – Gentle Annie

Andrew Bird

Other Useful Links

Aircraft and Markings – General https://www.rafweb.org/Menu.htm#Equipment

AIRCRAFT OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE 1939-1945: BRISTOL TYPE 152 BEAUFORT. (CH 2775) Beaufort Mark I, N1172 ?AW-S?, of No. 42 Squadron RAF, based at Leuchars, Fife, in flight with L9834, another aircraft of the Squadron. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205126894

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