CANBERRA – PR.7 – WT536

Built in 1955, this PR.7 was ready for collection in the October of that year. Eight months later it was brought onto the charge of 17 Sqd who were based at RAFG Wahn from June 1956. WT536 went on to have a varied career transferring next to 13 Sqd at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. Its next owners were 31 Sqd, so it left the sun of Cyprus and moved back to Germany, to RAFG Laarbruch. Its next and final squadron was 80 Sqd meaning that WT536 moved yet again, this time to RAFG Bruggen. I do not have actual dates for these moves but this PR.7 would not have outlasted 80 Sqd which disbanded at Bruggen in September 1969.

WT536 left active flying service and was allocated the Ground Instructional number – 8063M in November 1969. It was last flown on 1 December 1969 finishing with only 2425 hours on the airframe. WT536’s last flight would have been to RAF Cosford, No 2 School of Technical Training, where it joined other aircraft as an instructional airframe for the radio and avionics tradesmen.

In May 1991, it was put up for sale but seemingly had no takers for a complete Canberra at that time as it was cut up in the August of that year. The nose and tailplane only went to British Aviation Heritage site at Bruntingthorpe.

Mr Frank Lund now owns and displays the nose section of this PR.7 and keeps it in fine trim. Frank is seeking information about the navigator’s instrumentation and would appreciate any and all help in this regard.