CANBERRA – PR.9 – XH165

This PR.9, awaiting collection in March 1963, was first taken on RAF charge by 58 Sqd at RAF Wyton. It was next transferred to 13 Sqd in the Med. XH165 may have joined 13 Sqd at either RAF Luqa (Malta) or RAF Akrotiri (Cyprus) as 13 Sqd converted to PR.9s at RAF Akrotiri in July 1961 before moving to Malta in September 1965. The squadron moved back to Cyprus in January 1972 but lost its PR.9s in the October. At that time, XH165 was transferred to the charge of 39 Sqn and returned to RAF Wyton. It stayed with 39 Sqd when they were renamed 1 PRU at Wyton. However, by 1987 XH165 was in storage at RAF St Athan where it stayed for five years.

I have no record of this PR.9 during the time between St Athan and it becoming part of the Blyth Valley Aviation Collection, but it was noted in RAF St Athan’s “scrapping” area in September 1992. The cockpit section now resides in Walpole, Suffolk, and was photographed there by Damien Burke in October 1999.