Need help identifying WW2 propeller blade (Halifax?) (1 Viewer)

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noworries

Recruit
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Feb 2, 2017
Zwolle
Recently I bought a large propeller blade from a seller in antique military equipment in 's Gravezande, The Netherlands.
The seller also told me he bought it from the Military Aviation Museum (now Military museum) in Soesterberg.
It was brought to the museum presumably as a bottom find.

What I would like to know:
- any idea's which aircraft it belonged to? Tips for my research are welcome.
- was it fitted to a Halifax or could it also be another aircraft type?
- what can be told from the corrosion? Some parts of the blade are in excellent condition, some not.

There was also a propeller hub attached to it but it was sold separately to a Halifax restoration project in Canada.
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Well, there's only one ongoing Halifax restoration project in Canada and I know the guy who's heading it up. If he bought the hubs then they'd compatible with a Halifax. The blades are too corroded to be useful for attachment to working engines.

The key to your inquiry would be confirmation of the drawing number which would give you the manufacturer and then possibly a link to the aircraft for which the blades were used. It's certainly possible that the blades were used on different aircraft. The stamps with the letters and numbers within and oblong diamond shape are, I believe, inspector stamps, possibly de Haviland given the "DH" letters - my guess only.
 
Thanks for your reply Crimea, From what I found so far is that the stamps originate from the De Havilland plant in Broughton.
 
The corrosion is typical of blades that have been covered/buried for a length of time. You can actual see the layers in the aluminum from the when it was forged.
The propeller design is the British copy of the Hamilton Standard propellers, equivalent would be a 23E50, specifically the gear on the bottom of the blade, and the eight shim packs to hold the gear segment to the brass blade bushing.
I do not know the British model numbers.
 
Dehavilland was a HSD licensee. I suspect the only way you could learn the aircraft it was attached to is to search Handley Page's and Dehavilland's archives for the serial of the propeller to which it was attached, then the aircraft to which that prop was attached. The museum should have some provenance on the blade, too.
 
Thank you all for your responses so far, appreciate your effort!

The museum should have some provenance on the blade, too.
This week I got a response from the National Military Museum that all data regarding sold inventory was deleted from the Military Aviation Museum system. So unfortunately this is a dead end.
 
Thank you all for your responses so far, appreciate your effort!


This week I got a response from the National Military Museum that all data regarding sold inventory was deleted from the Military Aviation Museum system. So unfortunately this is a dead end.

So, they've destroyed the provenance, unless they sold the data along with the blade. I'm sure that archivists are shaking their heads and wringing their hands.
 
According to the seller there was no data sold along with the blade. Its hard to believe but unfortunately true.

I suspect the only way you could learn the aircraft it was attached to is to search Handley Page's and Dehavilland's archives for the serial of the propeller to which it was attached, then the aircraft to which that prop was attached.
As said I am new to this kind of research, what archives do you mean? Can you send me some links? I have already signed up for - Aero Part Identify Board - | Index Is that what you are referring to?
 
So, they've destroyed the provenance, unless they sold the data along with the blade. I'm sure that archivists are shaking their heads and wringing their hands.
If the hub was to be used in a flying restoration, then they should have obtained provenance of the hub if available, (which would probably include the blade). You could contact them as a first option.
 
According to the seller there was no data sold along with the blade. Its hard to believe but unfortunately true.


As said I am new to this kind of research, what archives do you mean? Can you send me some links? I have already signed up for - Aero Part Identify Board - | Index Is that what you are referring to?
I was just thinking of the corporate archives of whatever company took over Dehavilland and Handley Page
 
I was just thinking of the corporate archives of whatever company took over Dehavilland and Handley Page

BAE Systems, although HP was never part of a giant conglomerate, it folded in the late 60s and its holdings, Jetstream production went to Scottish Aviation, which became part of British Aerospace. De Havilland Propellers, a separate entity from the aeroplane manufacturer became Hawker Siddeley Dynamics, then BAe, now BAE Systems.

The thing is it is very difficult to track exactly which aeroplane that blade might have come from. Generically speaking, the blade fit to the standard DH Hydromatic prop hub, and types of aircraft to which that type of propeller was fitted can be ascertained, but props were changed between aircraft, so one prop might not have remained with a particular aeroplane throughout its career. Blades could be inter changed, as could hubs etc - I'm guesstimating that it might be from a 23EX prop, which was the DH equivalent to the Ham Std 23E50, which could be found on most big US built aircraft. I also doubt that such records were kept as to which manufactured blade went with each hub because they could be and were interchanged. The shortest route might be to find out where it came from, i.e. the crash site and work from there.
 
The problem, then, may be that the museum destroyed all the paper work needed to establish the blade's provenance. The records the manufacturer may hold could tell when the blade was made, if it was part of a new prop or sold as a spare, and to whom it was sold, but after that, the records may be gone.
 
Hello, I just was on a sell site in Holland and the Hub is still for sale it does not look like a Halifax Hub and he tries to sell it so it did not go to Canada!
 
Stirling? I have that drawing number for the Stirling, but I've no idea why, just a table of notes with no sources. Of course it may have been used on other types.
Cheers
Steve
 
The Hub with your prop it does not look at all as a Halifax spider from the hub

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Is the part number for the hub known? That would give the engine it was used with and narrow the field...slightly.
Cheers
Steve
 

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