THE WESTLAND WELKIN

 

The Westland Welkin

Was a British twin-engine

High altitude heavy fighter 

The word welkin meaning

“The vault of heaven”

Powered by Rolls-Royce

Peregrine and Merlin engines

It was in service from 1942

Until the end of the war

THE SUPERMARINE SEAFIRE

 

Brainchild of R. J. Mitchell

The Spitfire was designed

As a short-range,

High-performance

Interceptor aircraft

Was the perfect flying machine

With its elliptical wings

And Rolls-Royce Merlin engine

It was fast and maneuverable

Which helped it dominate the skies

During the Battle of Britain

A derivative of which,

The Supermarine Seafire,

Went into service in 1942

With Fleet Air Arm

Seeing its first action

In 1943 during Operation Torch,

The Allied landings in North Africa.

Then Sicily, Italy and Normandy

Also Operation Dragoon

In southern France.

Finally with the British Pacific Fleet,

For the final years of the Pacific War.

It saw action again in 1950

Against North Korean forces

The Seafire was finally withdrawn

From service during the 1950s

THE WESTLAND WHIRLWIND

 

The Westland Whirlwind

Was a British twin-engine fighter

A contemporary of the Spitfire

And the Hawker Hurricane

Powered by Rolls-Royce

Peregrine engines

It was in service from 1938

Until the end of the 1943

THE FAIREY GANNET

 

The Fairey Gannet

Was a British carrier-borne

Fixed-wing aircraft

Powered by a single engine

With double turboprop

Counter-rotating propellers

Operated by the Fleet Air Arm 

With a crew of three

It was used primarily

For anti-submarine warfare

During the cold war

From 1949 until 1978 

THE FAIREY BATTLE

 

The Fairey Battle was a British

Single-engine light bomber

In service with the RAF

With a crew of three it was powered

By a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine

During the “Phoney War”

It achieved the distinction

Of scoring the first aerial victory

By an RAF aircraft in the war

It was in service from 1938

Until the end of the 1949

THE FAIREY BARRACUDA

 

The Fairey Barracuda was a British

Carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber

Powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine

Later replaced by the Griffon engine

It was the first Fleet Air Arm aircraft

To be fabricated entirely from metal

The FAA ordered so many aircraft

Blackburn Aircraft, Boulton Paul

And Westland also produced them

They served in all theatres of WW2

But its most noteworthy engagement

Was Operation Tungsten, in 1944

Attacking the German battleship Tirpitz

It was in service from 1943

Until its retirement in the 50s

THE FAIREY FULMAR

 

The Fairey Fulmar was a British

Carrier-borne reconnaissance fighter

Named after the Northern Fulmar,

A seabird native to the British Isles,

It served with the Fleet Air Arm

During the Second World War.

Taking part in the Battle of Cape Matapan

And participating in the pursuit

Of the German battleship Bismarck,

The Fulmars also played a part

In protecting North Atlantic convoys

And fought in the Pacific theatre

It remained in front line service

Right up until February of 1945

THE FAIREY GORDON

 

The Fairey Gordon was a British

2-seat light bomber/utility aircraft

Serving with the RAF in the 1930s.

Which had mostly been retired

By the start of World War 2

And replaced by the Swordfish

Adopting a training role

While some found their way

To New Zealand and Egypt

THE FAIREY SEAL

 

The Fairey Seal was a British

Carrier-borne 1930’s spotter-plane,

Serving with the Fleet Air Arm

Which had mostly been retired

By the start of World War 2

And replaced by the Swordfish

When it adopted a training role

While some found their way

To Ceylon and Latvia

THE FAIREY SPEARFISH

 

The Fairey Spearfish was a British

Carrier-borne torpedo and dive bomber

Which came into service too late

In 1945 to see active service

Only five aircraft were ever built

The last one was scrapped in 1952 

THE FAIREY SWORDFISH

 

The Fairey Swordfish was a British

Carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber

Nicknamed the ”Stringbag”,

Primarily serving with the Fleet Air Arm

But was also an RAF favourite

Despite dating from 1930

The remained in frontline service

Throughout the Second World War.

Distinguishing itself in the Battle of Taranto

And participating in the destruction

Of the German battleship Bismarck,

Swordfishes sank a higher tonnage

Of enemy shipping during the war

Than any other Allied aircraft

They remained in front line service

Right up until V-E Day in 1945

THE FAIREY ALBACORE

 

The Fairey Albacore was a British

single-engine biplane torpedo bomber

Primarily serving with the Fleet Air Arm

But was also an RAF favourite

Nicknamed the ”Applecore”

Conceived to replace the Swordfish,

Operated by a crew of three

It was widely used on land and sea

Taking part in the sinking of the Tirpitz

The Battle of Cape Matapan,

The Second Battle of El Alamein,

As well as the Siege of Malta

And the landings in Sicily and Salerno

And at Normandy with the Canadians

They remained in front line service

Right up until the end of the war

THE FAIREY FIREFLY

 

The Fairey Firefly was a British

Carrier-borne single-engine fighter

And submarine hunter aircraft

Serving with the Fleet Air Arm

Conceived to replace the Fulmar,

Operated by a crew of two

It came into service in March 1943

And took part in the sinking of the Tirpitz

They remained in service

In an anti-submarine role

THE HAWKER HART

 

The Hawker Hart was a British

Two-seater biplane light bomber

And served with the RAF in the 1930s

But was already obsolete

By the start of the World War 2

Playing only minor roles

Before being retired in 1943

THE HAWKER HECTOR

 

The Hawker Hector was a British

Army co-operation and liaison biplane

Named after the Trojan prince Hector

And served with the RAF in the late 1930s

Briefly seeing action in May 1940

During the Battle of France

But were soon replaced by Lysanders

And used for towing target tugs or gliders

THE HAWKER HORNET

 

The Hawker Hornet was a British

Single-seater interceptor biplane

And was a Prototype forming

The link between the F.20/27

And the famous Hawker Fury

THE HAWKER HARTEBEEST

 

The Hawker Hartebeest was a British

Two-seater biplane light bomber

And a variant The Hawker Audax

Used widely across South Africa

In a variety of roles in the region

Throughout the 1930s

And even though it was obsolete

By the start of the World War 2

They continued in service

Seeing action in East Africa

And also in occupied Abyssinia

THE HAWKER AUDAX

 

The Hawker Audax was a British

Two-seater biplane light bomber

And a variant The Hawker Hart

Used widely across the Empire

In a variety of roles and countries

Throughout the 1930s

And even though it was obsolete

By the start of the World War 2

They continued in service

Before being retired in 1945

THE HAWKER F.20/27

 

The Hawker F.20/27 was a British

Single-seater interceptor biplane

Developed in the late 1920s

To an Air Ministry specification

But in the end only one was built

THE HAWKER FURY

 

The Hawker Fury was a British

Single-seater interceptor biplane

Which was the faster more agile

Counterpart of the Hawker Hart

It was in service from 1931

With RAF Fighter Command

Until it was replaced in 1939