RAF & Aeroplane ID

[Boongie Pam]

Hi All,

As an update and thanks for all your help I had the following reply from the website that Sasha suggested...

The aircraft is certainly a Wellington, in fact a
Wellington X, but the two letters HZ are not the squadron code but the
partial serial number for the aircraft. It could be HZ2--....

...Of the
two men in the picture, there is no indication that they are aircrew or
ground crew. Lastly, many of the Wellington Xs with serials HZ200+ were
flown by Canadian and Australian Squadrons.


I'm still trying to dig further into this, I'm beginning to think this was taken maybe post war when he worked for Dehavillands.

Cheers,
Pam

[Kazza]

Pam,

Thanks for taking the time to update us on this fascinating story.  It is always nice to be able to let people know if they have managed to help with their suggestions.  It seems that in this case they have helped.  

Even if the answer was not what you had expected.  

Kazza.

[Sasha]

Hi Pam,

Glad the webiste I suggested was some use - thanks for the update.

Sasha.

[Swift5]

The aircraft looks to me to be either a Wellington (twin-engined) as the surface appears to be over the geodetic construction used on that aircraft.  The serial number beginning HZ also points to the Wellington.

The other possibilitiy is that it might be a Stirling (four-engined).  Unlikely to be other candidates as the RAF's other bombers were twin-tailed - Lancaster and Halifax.

[Swift5]

Having taken a second look, I doubt if it can be a Stirling as that stood much higher off the ground than the one shown in the photo.

[Geoff of Devon]

Hi Pam,

Found these which might be interesting:
http://www.rcaf.com/6group/June43/june21~2243.html
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~8sqnwad/2may44-6.html

The second one shows that MarkXIII Wellington's were also designated HZ.
I have a WW2 aircraft book with all the Wellington variants somewhere in the loft. I'll try and dig it out.

Geoff.

[Boongie Pam]

This is all excellent - thank you. 

There is a bigger appetite in the family to dig out more information because we sadly attended my grandfather's (John "Jock" Fallon - on the right of the pic) funeral 3 weeks ago.  My original mail was posted when he was alive 

I now know (from the "leaving party" we don't do wakes) that he was also stationed down south near Southampton.  He also joined up again after he was demobbed because of the high unemployment after the war.  This makes dating the picture even more difficult.

Thanks for all the help with this.

Cheers,
Pam
 

[manmack]

HZ is the recognition code for 44 group communications flight, based at staverton from 16-8-1944 till 29-7 1946,where they were disbanded,you are all correct,its a wellington,mack
ps,44 group didnt fly wellingtons they had ansons

[Boongie Pam]

Manmack!

I've just dug this old post out to show someone and I never noticed you'd replied and solved the mystery! No notification 

I am so sorry at the near 2 year delay in saying thank you!

All the best,
Pam