AVRO ANSON 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
PATROLLERS AND AIRLIFTERS RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION 23and almost 7,000 Mk.1s were built.
These were followed by 103 Mk.Xs,
90 Mk. XIs and 263 Mk XIIs.
In the post-war years, the Anson
continued to play a vital role in the
RAF’s training plan and 296 C.19s
were ordered in 1945. Many of these
had metal wings and tails (instead
of the wooden airframes used on
earlier examples) as did the 60 T.20s,
252 T.21s and 33 T.22s ordered
throughout the late 1940s and used
as navigation and radio operator/air
signaller trainers.
The last Anson (T.21 WJ561) was
delivered to the RAF on May 27,
1952 and the remaining examples
facing retirement performed their
final flypast at Bovingdon on June
28, 1968.and almost 7,000 Mk.1s were built.
These were followed by 103 Mk.Xs,
90 Mk. XIs and 263 Mk XIIs.“In the post-war years, the Anson continued to play a vital role in
the RAF’s training plan and 296 C.19s were ordered in 1945.”
windscreen. Although some were
used as pilot trainers, the bulk were
configured for the instruction of
navigators, wireless operators and
air gunners; with the advent of the
Commonwealth Air Training Plan
in 1939, the type was chosen as
one of the standard types to equip
schools in Canada.
Large numbers were constructed
in that country, but the Anson
remained in production in BritainAbove
L7948 was an
early Anson Mk.I
employed by 9 Flying
Training School at
RAF Hullavington in- ANDY HAY/WWW.
FLYINGART.CO.UK
Left
One of the later
versions of the Anson
to serve within the
RAF was T.20 VS505,
which was used as
a navigation trainer
and also served
with the Aeroplane
and Armament
Experimental
Establishment at
Boscombe Down,
Wiltshire.Below left
The RAF Museum
currently displays
two examples of the
Anson. The fuselage
of 1941-built Mk. I
W2068 is displayed at
Hendon. This airframe
was sent to Australia
to train crews during
World War Two and
then passed into
civilian hands. In 1993
the semi-restored
fuselage was imported
to the UK by The
Fighter Collection,
which traded it (and
a restored P-47
Thunderbolt) for a
Spitfi re F.22 from
the RAF Museum
store. Meanwhile
Anson C.19 TX214 is
on display at RAF
Cosford. The aircraft
was built in 1946 and
served with various
Communications
Flights before joining
31 Squadron at RAF
Hendon. In 1963 it
was allocated to the
RAF Museum and
placed into storage
prior to moving to
Cosford in 1978. STEVE
BRIDGEWATER