After the loss of L8511 on Corfu in November 1940, Squadron Leader JR Gordon-Finlayson (GF or "The Bish") and his crew P/O Davis and P/O Geary returned in triumph to the Squadron. Within five days, GF had settled on L6670 as his regular mount.
The aircraft had been on operations with the Squadron in the Desert from early October for five sorties in all (none of them in GF's hands). Taking it up for an air test on 29 November with F/Sgt Bagshaw (IC 'A' Fight groundcrew), GF seems to have liked his "new war horse". Seven times in the first three weeks of December, he and the boys flew L6670 from Menidi in Greece to raid the Italians, deep in Albania.
Other crews flew two sorties in this machine, the last of these on 15 December in bitter weather by P/O Herbert & co. On return to Menidi from a recco over ports in Albania, the port engine seized. With hydraulics thus u/s, Herby had no option but to put the aircraft down wheels-up. Although without further injury to his crew, in his turret WOp/AG Sgt Duffy had suffered frostbite and was hospitalised. The aircraft, which had returned safely from 14 operations in 10 weeks, did not appear again in the Squadron record of operations.
Will be 'looking' for any 'issues' that need attantion. I have this in my stash and it will be coming out in some future GB! Always good to watch others plowing the field before I start plowing (building) myself.
I have to say Ralph, that this bird has gone together very well with no major issues, joining the two halves and fitting the wings was a dream, probably one of the best I've ever encountered.
Pushing on with this little catch-up. The cockpit is complete and we button up. As mentioned earlier to Ralph, these two halves went together like a dream, hardly any seam could be seen once I'd done the initial cleanup.