Bristol Brigand.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 565

Talking about the Brigand,

I have this picture taken in Malasia, wonder if anyone could ID it from the code letter? serial number is not clear enough to read

Thanks

Ant.

Ant, the photo looks to have been taken at Tengah. I have seen photos of aircraft from both 45 and 84 Sqns wearing just a single code letter.

It is unfortunate that an excellent Brigand site which compiled the memoirs of an ex-Brigand aircrew member, Peter Weston, disappeared around a year ago when the group host pulled the plug on all its sites. There were excellent photos on that. Peter, unfortunately, succumbed to cancer around 2 years ago and I have lost contact with the other ex-Brigand people that I got to know from the RH755 correspondence.

Member for

19 years

Posts: 2,895

........It is unfortunate that an excellent Brigand site which compiled the memoirs of an ex-Brigand aircrew member, Peter Weston, disappeared around a year ago when the group host pulled the plug on all its sites. There were excellent photos on that. Peter, unfortunately, succumbed to cancer around 2 years ago and I have lost contact with the other ex-Brigand people that I got to know from the RH755 correspondence.

Sad to hear that. It reinforces my fears of how fragile storage of historic material on electronic/digital/internet is and how easily it can be lost (for good?)

Roger Smith.

Member for

15 years

Posts: 297

Ant, the photo looks to have been taken at Tengah. I have seen photos of aircraft from both 45 and 84 Sqns wearing just a single code letter.

It is unfortunate that an excellent Brigand site which compiled the memoirs of an ex-Brigand aircrew member, Peter Weston, disappeared around a year ago when the group host pulled the plug on all its sites. There were excellent photos on that. Peter, unfortunately, succumbed to cancer around 2 years ago and I have lost contact with the other ex-Brigand people that I got to know from the RH755 correspondence.

That could well be Tengah, or Butterworth it was taken from a Hornet pilot's album based at Butterworth, there are some of Tenghah I will have to compare, but the photo below shows Hornets at the same airfield ( look at the buildings in the background ).

Will see if I can find out more.

Ant.

[ATTACH]180372[/ATTACH]

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 565

Ant, pretty sure that it is not Butterworth. I have photos of that station from the early-/mid-50s and there were no double storey accomodation blocks there and the background scenery, lowlying hills, is wrong. Similarly, the runway pattern in your photos differs from the Butterworth layout which had two runways at right angles, north/south and east/west, to each other.

In your latest photo above, the building on the slight rise behind the two blocks, is very similar in appearance to the old Officer's Mess at Tengah. In the middle distance, on the righthand side of the photo, behind the two parked Brigands, there appears to another line of aircraft. Wondering if this could be the 60 Sqn pan. Are you able to make out any more detail in the original print?

Member for

17 years 8 months

Posts: 2,766

Talking about the Brigand,

I have this picture taken in Malasia, wonder if anyone could ID it from the code letter? serial number is not clear enough to read

Thanks

Ant.

[ATTACH]180345[/ATTACH]

John

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v405/Aeroclub/File0064.jpg

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16 years 9 months

Posts: 1,323

WB236

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16 years 5 months

Posts: 5,999

Nice photo John.. thanks for posting. Do you have any details about when and where.?

Member for

16 years 9 months

Posts: 1,323

The crash of RH831 at Colerne on March 08th 1956 was witnessed by my father . He was waiting to take off in Balliol 525 and saw it crash . He never mentioned the accident much as it affected him. He had to fly Sqdn (Reverend)Ldr Must on March 09th from North Luffenham to Colerne in Balliol 525 as a result of the accident.
He was rated as Above average on the Balliol and Average on the Brigand . He never felt at home flying them and the Buckmaster was always u/s.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,029

It seems like only yesterday you could find 'em lying around the 'home counties'.

Mark

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/IntAlloysAylesbury-1959-01006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/InternationalalloysAylesbury1958001.jpg

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24 years 2 months

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...or even dropping in to Hendon for the BoB display.

Mark

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/BrigandRH749HendonBoBc1958PRAColl01.jpg

Member for

15 years

Posts: 297

Thanks

It is Tengah, after looking at my other pic's and notes i have of on Butterworth, no buildings like that as you say, the picture of the Brigand is great ! I think that is the one, if taken at the same time and place.

Detail not great on original photo of Hornets , looks like two twin engine aircraft and a small fighter or trainer type in background.

Attached are some more interested Pic's of Kalang airport, lots of types on the Airfield, How many can you spot ?? :)

Ant.

[ATTACH]180420[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]180421[/ATTACH]

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 565

Nice photo John.. thanks for posting. Do you have any details about when and where.?

The A-B serial register shows WB236 as one of two replacement aircraft delivered in Feb 1951 and as serving only with 84 Sqn until SOC on 20 Mar 53. The location is likely to be Seletar I think, although not sure of that.

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15 years 5 months

Posts: 176

I've always liked the look of the Brigand as it looks very purposeful and must have sounded great with two Centauraus' roaring away.

I understand there were major issues with the gun ports but does anyone know what other faults / failings the aircraft had? My father was in the RAF in the 50's and raised his eyes to the heavens if the Brigand was mentioned.

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16 years 7 months

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I've always liked the look of the Brigand as it looks very purposeful and must have sounded great with two Centauraus' roaring away.
I understand there were major issues with the gun ports but does anyone know what other faults / failings the aircraft had?

Good question, as the airframe is conventional and straight forward enough, and the Centaurus didn't seem particularly unreliable on other types of the day - on paper it seems the Brigand should have been superb, but it seems to have an uneviable reputation.

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17 years 8 months

Posts: 2,766

I seem to remember that my poor pic of the Brigand was taken at Tengah by a Flt Sgt Smith who gave me the pic when he was a Nav on Canberra's c 1960. The occasion was of course the end of the road for the Far East Brigante.

John

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17 years 8 months

Posts: 2,766

In the Kallang pics there are Lincoln, Dak, Valletta,S.51s, Harvards, Mossie, Hornet, Brigand, (though the dark object might be a PR19. Vampire (or Venom), Connie, DC.4, Auster and Tigers and possibly a single Pin.

John

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16 years 5 months

Posts: 5,999

Thanks for the pics Mark12... it never ceases to amaze me that a decision was never made to preserve at least one of every type of service aircraft by the armed forces. Its clear that the 50's, 60's and even the 70's offered opportunities to ensure a survivor was preserved, even in a dismantled state.

I wonder if the RAF museum, or anyone else for that matter, has approached the owner of the Brigand at Kemble and offered to buy it? Perhaps they have and have been turned away.. but maybe only then could a concerted effort be made to preserve and restore it, and gather together as much as possible of what there is still surviving.. just as DC is doing with the Hornet.?!

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16 years 5 months

Posts: 564

Sorry about pic. But what's this?

Sorry about small and indistinct pic. This Buckmaster/ Brigand, used to be piled on a great big heap of Meteors and Swifts during my time as an RAF Apprentice at Halton ( 88th---Halton Airfield ) This is an earlier pic, circa 1957 I left in Dec 60 and these aircraft were all gone by then.

Can't make out this Buckmaster Number, anyone know what became of it and it's identity ? It was painted in light drab brown all over, at that time.

Bill T.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,029

Sorry about small and indistinct pic. This Buckmaster/ Brigand, used to be piled on a great big heap of Meteors and Swifts during my time as an RAF Apprentice at Halton ( 88th---Halton Airfield ) This is an earlier pic, circa 1957 I left in Dec 60 and these aircraft were all gone by then.

Can't make out this Buckmaster Number, anyone know what became of it and it's identity ? It was painted in light drab brown all over, at that time.

Bill T.

The Buckmaster was RP151 and the image taken about five minutes before your Meteor shot. ;)

Mark

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/Halton-13-001a.jpg

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15 years 5 months

Posts: 176

Good question, as the airframe is conventional and straight forward enough, and the Centaurus didn't seem particularly unreliable on other types of the day - on paper it seems the Brigand should have been superb, but it seems to have an uneviable reputation.

Apparently there were issues with the undercarriage collapsing, air brakes failing in tropical conditions and main spar failures too, according to google. Shame, it looks such a purposeful aircraft too.