DH.104 Devon ID

[Martin Edwards]

We recieved this email, can anyne identify the Devon?


Hi,

I was wondering if you could help with a DH.104 Devon that was at the old warbirds museum mildura in the early 90's.

I cannot find any info on the identity or current location of this aircraft. I have attached 2 photos taken in 1992 showing the Devon and the unique shield on the fin.

Any info would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Daniel Sherburn

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[Martin Edwards]

The shield on the tail

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[Warhawk]

Is it ex RAF Devon C-2? And is the shield a 207Sqn Shield?


Perhaps XG496?????????

One still around VP958 seen per Nick Dean 2006 pic

Gordy

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[Warhawk]

Okay:

Here and now:

Australia
CR-TAG 04373 Darwin Aviation Museum, Darwin, Northern Territory.
N673R 04327 Wreck at Tyabb-Western Port, Victora. Riley Dove.
N808RH 04040 The Old Aeroplane Company. Stored at Tyabb-Western Port, Vict. Riley Dove.
VH-ABK 04113 Ballarat Aviation Museum, Victoria. Front fuselage.
VH-ABM 04097 Arnold Air Museum, Arnold, Victoria. Riley Dove.
VH-CJY 04404 Western Australian Museum of Aviation, Ferndale.
VH-CLD 04107 South Australian Aviation Museum, Port Adelaide, South Australia. No longer present.
VH-DHA 04514 Rudge Air. Based Melbourne-Essendon, Victoria.
VH-DHD 04104 Schneider Collection, Rupanyup, Victoria.
VH-DHH 04499 Central Australia Aviation Museum, Alice Springs, Northern Territory.
VH-DHI 04410 Rudge Air. Based Melbourne-Essendon, Victoria.
VH-DHK 04508 National Museum of Australia, Canberra.
VH-DHN 04486 Arnold Air Museum, Arnold, Victoria.
VH-DSM 04120 Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra, Brisbane. Marked as VH-MAL.
VH-DVE 04420 Preserved by Aviation Museum, Bankstown, Sydney, NSW.
VH-EOB 04209 E O'Brien, Mackay, Queensland.
VH-MGT 04050 Wreck MacDonald Park, South Australia.
VH-NBM 04416 Penguin Express, Melbourne-Essendon. Riley Dove.
VH-OBI 04525 Air Champagne. Based Tocumwal, New South Wales.
NZ1814 04397 Preserved Greenock, South Australia. Ex VH-CJX.
NZ1817 04403 Preserved Macdonald Park, South Australia.

The Scheme looks RAF ( More likely RNFAA) though, but could be RNZAF,...not an expert

Best
Gordy

[Martin Edwards]

The wider fuslage stripe does look like the RNZAF
The painted out signage above the windows seems long enough to be "Royal New Zealand Air Force"
NZ1801, NZ1814, NZ1817 and NZ1818 all came to Australia.
http://adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nz1801.shtml

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[DanS333]

Hi Guys, Thanks for all the info, I think Martin Edwards has hit the nail on the With NZ1814 Ex VH-CJX now at Lincoln Nitschke Museum in SAVH-CJX/NZ1814
colour scheme in the photo's on the bottom of this link look very similar including the stripes on the vertical stabilizer. thanks again. Dan.

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[DanS333]

Sorry it could also be NZ1817. does anyone know who owns this? apparently it is stored in Macdonald Park SA with VH-MGT

[Martin Edwards]

I have just spoken to Lincoln Nitschke and he confirmed that the Devon at Mildura was NZ1817.

Lincoln's Devon NZ1814 was acquired from West Australia and was never at Mildura.

He also had NZ1801/VH-MGT on loan at his museum for a while and believes that this is currently in storage in South Australia at the same location as NZ1817

[Brendan Cowan]

Hi All,

I've been trying to identify the origins of the heraldry on the fin, which look (half) nautical to me with what appears to be:

Top left: Golden Bird (Peacock?) or Elephant's head on dark blue.
Top Right: Crossed Spade and Scythe(?) on red.
Lower half: Pair of tall ships on the deep blue sea.

(IMG:http://www.adf-messageboard.com.au/invboard/uploads/post-2-1371181215.jpg)

That might suggest Air Force, Army and Navy in that order for a tri service establishment.

I haven't found anything like it yet in RNZAF, RAF or RN FA Heraldry, but perhaps I'm barking up the wrong tree and it is local and civil/municipal rather than military.

:blink:

BC

[Martin Edwards]

Just two DH.104s to update on Gordy's list

VH-ABM 04097 and VH-DHN 04486 are at Dick Winterburn's Derelict Aircraft Museum at Heathcote

http://thederelictaircraftmuseum-com.webs....lbumid=14778456

[DanS333]

Another update to the list VH-DHA Exported to America 2009 don't know if it is airwothy there as i can find no reference to it after its export. Also Anyone know what happend to VH-DHE, photo's of it derelict at Berwick. I think it ended up in someones drive.

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[Martin Edwards]

I found this photo on a 4WD forum, no details given.
Could this be the same aircraft
Any ideas of the location?
(Looks like NSW number plates on 4WDs)

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[DanS333]

Wow! what a great find, looks like it even has the herald on the fin! what forum was this on and was ther a date?
also a bit of a plug I have started a facebook page to satisfy my need for all things DH.104 in the hope of attracting people who like the dove/devon and have stories and photo's of they wish to share.
it is optimistically titled the DH.104 Dove Preservation Group.
please like and share if you are interested.

Cheers Dan

[Martin Edwards]

I found the DH-104 piccy whilst looking for info on the Bendigo C-47

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/flight/140823-wh...backyard-3.html

Posted 7th January 2012

I think that you will have to register with the forum to contact the bloke who posted the photo, let us know if you can find the location.

[DanS333]

I have emailed the guy who posted the photo, hopefully he replies.

[DanS333]

Hi Guys,
I have received a reply from mark who posted the photo on the 4wd forum.
He said the devon is in the Cappertee Valley NSW and is owned by a bloke named Col.
He does not have any close up photos just the one he posted nor did he remember
Any numbers on it only that it was RNZAF, he also said that Col told him one of the aircraft there was used in the Perth gold heist and he had promised it to HAAS(I assume he means Hars) so there might be someone with them that knows Col.
Mark is going to make the trip out there in the next couple off months with his landie mates and said he would get more photos and any more info he could.
Cheers, Dan

[Martin Edwards]

Thanks Dan
We certainly don't have any information regarding any ex-RNZAF Devons in NSW so it could be one that we had as stored in SA.
Please keep us posted

[DanS333]

Hi Guy's,

Just a quick update. I have been in contact with Lincoln Nitschke to try and find out who had the Devons stored in SA but he could not remember the blokes name.
the only info he could give me was he owned a shed company but has since gone out of business. Lincoln also said he painted NZ1801/MGT Black with sharks teeth! :o
I have started a website http://dh104preservation.webs.com/ with lots of photos so take a look if it interests you.
Richard Winterburn has given me some photo's and this was one of them. the aircraft at mildura that started this thread, no question it was NZ1817 now.
I only need to find its current location!

P.S
I Believe VH-EOB Pictured above has been scrapped, can anyone from QLD confirm?
I have tried to contact the owner Emmett O'brian without any luck yet.

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[Brendan Cowan]

Thanks for the update Dan.

I'll go and check out your new site now.

Cheers

Brendan

[DanS333]

Hi Guys,

It would appear that NZ1821/ZK-UDO is no longer airworthy and has been reduced to a cockpit section only, waiting on confirmation from the owner. will let you know so you can update the records.
Cheers Dan.

This post has been edited by DanS333 on Sep 17 2013, 10:15 AM

[DanS333]

Hi Guys,
Link to NZ1821 incedent
http://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/1726?page=2
Cheers Dan.

[Brendan Cowan]

Many Thanks to Roger Lambert who has solved the case of the mystery fin marking on NZ1817.

Roger writes:


Regarding the ID of the shield on the fin of the subject Devon:

http://www.adf-messageboard.com.au/invboar...?showtopic=2334

I wrote to the College of Arms in London and Timothy Duke, Chester Herald, College of Arms very kindly checked their heraldic records and identified the shield as coming from the Coat of Arms of the City of Auckland (see attached).

The description is as follows:

The City of Auckland has a coat of Arms emblazoned as; Argent, upon waves of the sea a two-masted ship in full sail proper flagged Gules, on a chief per pale Azure and Gules to the dexter a Cornucopia Or, to the sinister a Shovel surmounted by a Pick, in Saltire proper. Crest: Issuant out of a Mural Crown Or a representation of the Phormium Tenax flowered proper. Supporters: On either side an Apteryx proper.

Motto: Advance.

What it means. Firstly the shield is described. Argent means silver so the shield is silver. “upon waves of the sea a two-masted ship in full sail proper flagged Gules” means that a two masted ship is depicted on the sea. It in full sail, and “proper” means it is depicted in its natural colours. “Gules” means red so the ship has a red flag on it.

The next part of the shield is then described. A “chief” is the broad strip at the top of the shield. “Per pale” means the chief is split into two parts by a central division. “Azure” means blue so the first part is coloured blue and the other part is red. “On the dexter” is the right side of the shield from the view of the shield carrier but to left for a viewer. Then the object on this part of the chief is described. A Cornucopia is shown and its colour is “Or” which means gold. On the other side of the chief (sinister, right side for a viewer) is a Shovel. On top of this (“surmounted”) is laid a Pick and “in Saltire” means that they are crossed X fashion. Again “proper” means these two objects are shown in their natural colours.

The crest is then described. The “Mural Crown” means a crown made from masonry or bricks and its colour (Or) is again gold. From this crown sprouts New Zealand Flax (Phormium Tenax) in flower. Proper again means it is shown in it natural colours. The Supporters are the creatures on either side of the shield and in this case they are Kiwi birds (Apteryx) in their natural colours. The motto sits under the shield. The mantling and helmet are not usually described in the blazon and the depiction of these is normally left to the heraldic artist to decide.

So there you go. Another mystery solved.


Roger, you're a star!

I did wonder whether the shield might be a municipal one and hat's off to Roger for tracking it down.

I have added this information to the RNZAF Devon Page.

Cheers

BC

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[sean]

Sort of related...
http://www.trademe.co.nz/antiques-collecta...n-717302320.htm

[Brendan Cowan]

Thanks Sean,

So NZ1820 is for sale!

It looks from the photos that her starboard side has had some skin removed and replaced with smoked Perspex.

Other wise she has a lot of original equipment still fitted.

Is that right?

Let's hope she finds a good home.

Cheers

BC

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