How interesting is this…
I recently became aware of an amazing piece of nose art that had been applied to a Handley Page Halifax bomber from WWII via Brian Wakeman who put me in touch with Richard Allen. The nose art relates to Richard’s father, Flight Lieutenant Alfred Allen.
One thing followed another and Richard has been very kind in sharing his knowledge and modelling skills too with photos of his model of his Father’s Halifax that bears this unusual nose artwork.
So, over to you Richard and this very interesting information you sent over…
I believe the nose art you refer to is from my Father’s Halifax lll. He served with 51 Squadron based at Snaith in Yorkshire from 1st November 1944 to 17th April 1946 after which he was attached to 246 Squadron flying Yorks. Some years ago I made a model of his aircraft using the Airfix kit and hand painted the nose art from measurements I took from the real thing. Nowadays I haven’t the skills to do this but the nose art is available on Print Scale 72-201 Halifax part 3.
My father told me the story many years ago so I can’t be 100% sure I have got all the facts right. I believe he and his crew were allocated to the famous MH-E Expensive Babe but before they could fly it they were changed to MH-U RG446. One/some of his crew (or possibly ground crew) removed the nose art from MH-E and transferred it to MH-U painting out the E and substituting U hence Uxpensive Babe. That was February 1945 and at the end of March they transferred it to their new MH-U NP962.
They completed their tour of 30 operations on this aircraft on the 25th April when they took part in the daylight raid on Wangerooge. Although they had done many night missions they had flown a few daylights in 1945. He told me this was the most hair raising sortie of all. They had been briefed that the AA gunners were just the rump of the German army and shouldn’t cause too much trouble. At one time he and his crew saw seven Halifaxes shot down all round them. In addition to this a Free French Halifax flew over the top of him trying to free a hung up bomb. This promptly released as soon as they were overhead. If it hadn’t been for his very alert Engineer who was keeping an eye out from the astrodome the bomb would have hit them. As it was it passed just clear of the cockpit as my father dived to get out of the way.
As I say he told me all this many years ago and sadly neither he or his crew are around today to confirm it.
His crew were:
Wireless Operator: W/O Judd
Bomb Aimer: P/O Cyril Bailey (awarded promotion for his accurate bombing)
Navigator: Flt Sgt William Leask
Flight Engineer: Sgt. Arthur Ashton
Rear Gunner: Flt Sgt James Shankland
Mid Upper Gunner: Sgt Douglass
You never know, one of their descendants may follow your on-line magazine!
I have seen articles in magazines where MH-E is detailed and written about but I have never seen anything to confirm the above although I don’t know the dates for the photos I have seen of it. If they are after February 1945 perhaps they had new artwork painted?
Cheers,
Richard