28 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION BOMBERS
VICKERS VILDEBEEST
Below right
A line of camoufl aged
and coded Vildebeests
of 100 Squadron at
Kota Baharu, eastern
Malaya, in mid-1941.
Below
An ‘erk’ cranking over
the Bristol Pegasus
radial of a Seletar-
based Vildebeest, circa- Note how part
of the nose section
folds down to provide a
ledge to stand on.
BOTH KEC
1932 TO 1942
VILDEBEESTVILDEBEEST
VICKERS
for coastal patrol in Britain until 42
Squadron stood down at Bircham
Newton in April 1940 and received
Beauforts. In the Far East, 36 and
100 Squadrons were responsible for
repelling any maritime
threat to Singapore
from Japan.
Vildebeests were
never used in anger
from British bases. The biplanes
were in action in Malaya from the
moment Japanese forces invaded on
December 8, 1941, suffering terrible
losses.
Named after the African gnu, or
vildebeeste in Afrikaans, the RAF
opted for the simpler Vildebeest,
without the final ‘e’, in 1934. The
prototype of the big Vickers biplane
had its maiden flight in April 1928
and 169 were built, in four different
versions.
Replacing the Hawker Horsley,
the Vildebeest first entered service
with 100 Squadron at Donibristle inNovember 1932. The
unit was shipped to Singapore
as part of the beefing up of the
naval base’s defences and was
ready for duty at Seletar in
January 1934. The resident 36
Squadron retired its Horsleys
in July 1935 and converted to
Vildebeests.SEALED ORDERS
At 11:15 hours local on September
3, 1939, Britain declared war
on Germany. A day later, 6,800
miles (10,840km) to the east, the
seriousness of the world situation
was felt at Seletar. A 100 SquadronAssociation pamphlet relates that
a film being shown in the station
cinema was interrupted. A notice
flashed on the screen ordering all
personnel of ‘A’ and ‘B’ Flights of
36 Squadron and ‘B’ Flight of 100
Squadron to report to their hangars
immediately. There is a note that
those that got up and left did not get
a refund!
Three Vildebeests of 100 Squadron
were being prepared: K6384 (Flt Lt
Smith, the flight leader), K6385 (Plt
Off Richardson) and K6379 (Plt Off
Davis). Each aircraft was to carry two
more crew members, a mixture of
wireless operator/gunners, fitters and
armourers.
The commanding officer, Sqn Ldr
R N McKern, set a sombre tone,
explaining that the unit was on a war
footing and wished the men good
luck. The document takes up the
story: “The three aircraft became
airborne at 09:45 hours local on
September 5, 1939, just 39 hours andType: Three-seat day torpedo-bomber / general purpose
First fl ight: April 1928, Mk.I entered service November 1932
Powerplant: One 635hp (473kW) Bristol Pegasus IIM3 radial
Dimensions: Span 49ft 0in (14.9m), Length 36ft 8in (11.17m)
Weights: Empty 4,773lb (2,165kg), All-up 8,500lb (3,855kg)
Max speed: 137mph (220km/h) at 10,000ft (3,048m)
Range: 1,250 miles (2,011km)
Armament: One machine gun fi ring through propeller arc, another in dorsal
position. One 1,870lb (848kg) torpedo, or up to 1,000lb (453kg) of bombs
Replaced: Hawker Horsley
Taken on charge: 169, Mks I to IV
Replaced by: Bristol Beaufort during 1940VICKERS VILDEBEEST III
W
hen Britain went to war
on September 3, 1939 the
RAF Coastal Command’s
only combat capable torpedo-
bombers were Vildebeest biplanes.
Technical problems with the
Bristol Beaufort meant that it was
November before any were available
for squadron use and another five
months before the modern twins
were ready for ‘ops’.
The big biplanes were used1918 2018