Propellor found in Antiques Shop

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12 years 8 months

Posts: 400

I found this over the weekend in Norwich in an antiques shop. I'm not looking to buy it, but thought it would be interesting to see if anyone could ID it or supply any more information about it.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/854/41930264340_f430ccd8c1_b.jpgIMAG0503 by John Doe, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/935/41930294860_3754954029_b.jpgIMAG0513 by John Doe, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/856/43739198171_14cc3a833a_b.jpgIMAG0504 by John Doe, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/851/43739173241_5b92c41a47_b.jpgIMAG0509 by John Doe, on Flickr

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/849/42834827165_9f05f891bf_b.jpgIMAG0511 by John Doe, on Flickr

Original post

Member for

17 years 8 months

Posts: 2,766

Well if I'm reading the data right it was originally 244 cm dia (seven and a bit feet) and it's off a 200 CV powered engine yet it appears to be British rotation. (Lynx Avro?) I wonder if it's something to do with 6 Sqn who disbanded at Coltishall and who spent much of their service in the middle east. Though some of the bases don't match.

John

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12 years 8 months

Posts: 400

Thank you John, I shall have a look at 6 Sqn's history and see how it equates. It's at least a starting point!

All the best,

Simon.

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20 years

Posts: 4,561

I think it looks like an Italian prop to me and Alfa Romeo made a licence built Lynx...

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13 years 6 months

Posts: 722

Souvenir from travels in north Africa?
Very nicely painted on calligraphy, historical event, a race, tour?

Might come from Captain Haddock's family mansion. :cool:

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18 years 4 months

Posts: 2,810

203 squadron seems to have been at these locations, note that the list on the prop is not in year order......http://www.rafcommands.com/Ross/Coastal/203C.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._203_Squadron_RAF Among the numerous types of aircraft it was equipped with were the Nieuport 17, Nieuport 21, and Sopwith Pup, followed later by the Sopwith Camel.

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13 years 2 months

Posts: 161

My money's on 203 Squadron between May 1940 and mid-1946.

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17 years 8 months

Posts: 2,766

Good thinking TT. Another more common type to use the Lynx was the Breda 25.

John

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20 years

Posts: 4,561

I've PM'd you for more gen Simon!

ATB

TT

Member for

12 years 8 months

Posts: 400

Thanks to everyone who has responded, I was sure that people on here would be able to work out a lot more than me about it. It does indeed look to me as if the BA-19's prop is the same - also v interested about 203 Sqn.

Was it ever the custom to do this sort of thing to the props of captured / shot down aircraft? If that's Italian, could it be that the Breda was captured during WW2 by the RAF? I did initially wonder if it had been the victim of propstrike or if the tips had become damaged in some way which necessitated the shortening of it.

TT - I've replied to your PM.

All the best,

Simon.

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20 years

Posts: 4,561

Thanks Simon, much appreciated! ATB TT

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7 years 2 months

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Isnt anybody rushing to Norwich to buy it then? How much we they asking SimonR

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19 years 3 months

Posts: 376

I rotated the prop 90 degrees to more easily read names:

Khormaksar [Aden, Yemen]
Kamaran [Kamaran Island, west coast of Yemen]
Kabrit [Suez Canal Zone, Egypt]
H.4 [northeastern Transjordan]
Habbaniya [Iraq]
Heraklion [north coast of Crete]
LG.39 (Abu Menas) [Egypt, I think]
Fuka [north coast of Egypt]
El Gubbi (Tobruk) [Libya]
Berka Main (Benghazi) [Libya]
Sidi Barrani [north coast of Egypt]
Gambut [northeast coast of Libya]
Bu Amud [southeast of Tobruk, Libya]
LG.X [Abu Sueir North, Egypt]
Abu Su(??)r – Must be ABU SUEIR [eastern Egypt, near the Suez Canal]
??
??
??

++++++++++++center of prop++++++++++++

San. . . – Must be SANTA CRUZ [near Bombay, on India’s west coast]
Madu. . . – Must be MADURA [southern India]
Kankesa. . . – Must be KANKESANTURAI [northern tip of Ceylon]

203 Squadron is a very good guess. It's reasonable to think that the propeller moved with the squadron, as they changed aircraft types flown. They were on Liberators out of Ceylon late in the war.

Attachments

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18 years 4 months

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Glad my 20 minutes on goggle was not wasted.... a shame my copy of Air Britains Squadrons of the RAF was in the loft, would have been easier...

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17 years 5 months

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http://www.rquirk.com/med/203sqn/203sqnmed.htm

The Squadron was based at the following bases during this period:

Base

Dates

Isthmus, detachment Kamaran

August 1939 to December 1939

Sheikh Othman, detachment Kamaran

December 1939 to May 1940

Khormaksar

May 1940 to April 1941

Kabrit

April 1941

Heraklion

April 1941

Kabrit

April 1941 to May 1941

Lydda, detachment Habbaniya, H.4

May 1941

Kabrit

May 1941 to June 1941

Gambut (L.G.101)

June 1941 to December 1941

LG.05

December 1941 to January 1942

Buka

January 1942

El Gubbi

January 1942 to February 1942

Sidi Barrani (LG.39)

February 1942 to June 1942

Abu Sueir

June 1942 to September 1942

Gianaclis

September 1942 to March 1943

Berka No. 3

March 1943 to October 1943

LG.91

October 1943 to November 1943

During this period it used the following aircraft types:

Aircraft

Dates

Short Singapore III

September 1935 to February 1940

Bristol Blenheim IV

May 1940 to November 1942

Lockheed Hudson II/III

February 1942 to March 1942

Martin Maryland II

February 1942 to November 1942

Martin Baltimore I, II, III

August 1942 to August 1943

Martin Baltimore IIIA, V

May 1943 to October 1943

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14 years 2 months

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How much was the propeller out of the interest ?

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17 years 8 months

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Just to confirm that it's not off a Breda 25 as it's prop diameter is 252 cm. I'd forgotten that I have copies of the engineering notes for this aeroplane.

John

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19 years 3 months

Posts: 376

The list of 203 Sqn bases in TonyT’s post is incomplete, as seems to be the case for any website listing 203’s bases, but if multiple listings on the web are analyzed, it becomes clear that 203 Sqn was, indeed, at each and every location known to have been painted onto the propeller. For example, the RAF Commands link given by scotavia (post #7) lists Santa Cruz, Madura, and Kankesanturai, omitted from the list in TonyT’s link. The website http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/203_wwII.html offers even more, including mentions in the narrative that are not in the list of bases.

But 203 Sqn continues to be the logical link to the propeller.

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13 years 6 months

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Sooooo,
Prop mounted on some wall somewhere now?
(would have it on mine :) )

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17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,980

I did email the person on the association address to let them know, whether they got it I do not know.