NORTH AMERICAN HARVARD IIB FE905/329/ LN-BNM MUSEUM ACCESSION NUMBER 85/AF/1356
1943 – Built by Noorduyn Aviation Co, Montreal, Canada to USAAF contract as 42- 12392, C/N 14-639. Part of a batch of 733 lend-lease aircraft, RAF serials FE267- FE999 delivered 1942-3, specifically 233 aircraft, FE767-FE999, USAAF 42-12254/12486., against Lend-Lease contract BSC Requisition 147.
23 Mar43 – Taken on charge by RCAF as FE905. (Batch FE902-951 delivered Mar.43)ย Initially flew with No. 41 Service Flying Training School, Weyburn, Saskatchewan from Apr 43- (an RAF unit administered by the RCAFย which disbanded at Weyburn 10 Mar 1944).
Oct/Nov 43 – Flying with No.37 FTS at Calgary, Alberta; individual code โ25โ.
DoRIS hold the microfilmed logbooks (X001-2362/024) of Squadron Leader T A Jackson who flew with 37 SFTS 9th Oct 43 – Jan 44 including 11.10 hours on FE905.His first flight in โ905โ was a 1.10-hour flight on 21 October 1943, with a 30-minute flight to Airdrie and then back to Calgary on 28 October and a 1.10-hour flight to Welvaert on 1st November, two flights totalling 5 1โ2 hours on 11 November and a 1.50-hour flight on 16 November 1943.
1944 June – Serving with No 8 SFTS, Weyburn. Overall yellow, black serials. Photo-CAHS Journal Vol.9 No 2 1971. No 8 SFTS flew Harvards from Weyburn from 22 Jan to Jun 1944, and disbanded at the end of that month, due to the large reserve of trained aircrew now available.
1946 27th November – Struck off flying charge and placed in store-total flying hours only 74.45.
1949 – Sold by US Govt to Danish Air Force, through Babb Co Inc for 30,000 Kronen.
1949 – Delivered to Skandinavisk Aero Industry, Kastrup, Denmark for overhaul.
1950 11th September – Officially handed over to RDAF as 31-329. Served with Eskadrille 725 and also the Harvard Flight of Eskadrille 722 from c.1954 when it flew as a target aircraft over Sjaellands Odde firing range. Photo DAN MIL No 4 1974 p.237.
1956 23rd June – Former Esk 722 became โStation Flight Vaerloseโ with 329 on its strength.
Photo of 329 in 1959 at Vaerlose – DAN MIL No.2 1973 p.143; Also Royal Air Force Flying Review Jan.62 p.38.
1960 31st August – Struck off Danish charge as “329”(serial carried in white on the rear fuselage). Total flying hours then 1,903.45.
Sold to Snorre S Kjetilson, Fjellfly, Skien, Norway. Used for target towing and possibly aerial advertising. Operated alongside fellow ex RCAF Harvard FS917/LN-BNN.
1960 5th December – Norwegian CoA issued.
1961 5th January – Formally registered to Fjellfly as LN-BNM (Temporarily registered from 26 Aug 1960).
1968 13th September – Last flight- 1hour 40 minutes. Total flying hours 3934.00. Airframe logbooks DoRIS ref. DB248.
1968 31st December – CoA expired. (As did that of fellow Fjellfly Harvard LN-BNN). Latterly stored at Telemark and Gardermoen, Norway.
1972 May – Sold to newly established Historic Aircraft Museum, Southend, Essex. Arrived via Felixstowe Docks c.12 May 1972. Museum opened, with the Harvard displayed outside still in Norwegian overall yellow colours, 26 May 1972. Photos- Control Column Aug 72 p.125; Air Pictorial Jul 72 p.267; Wrecks and Relics โ The Album p.23.
(This is how it was at Southend in the late 70s, masquerading as a T-6G, original yellow paint showing through here and there. Tim Hills)
1973 29th January – Registration cancelled.ย Later painted overall silver to represent standard USAF LT-6G “93584” coded LTA-584. Colour photo-Air Extra No.16 p.19.
Also later carried a yellow colour scheme as TA-392. Photos – Control Column Junย 82 p.92; Lost Aviation Collections of Britain (Ellis) p.202. (Photo sourced by Martin Pengelly)
1983 10th May – Contents of Southend Historic Aircraft Museum auctioned by Philips; Harvard, then still marked as TA-392, sold for ยฃ6000 to Paul Raymond for his Whitehall Theatre of War Project, but not used there.
1983 July – To Crucifix Lane Railway Arches, London Bridge for proposed London War Museum by this date-The London War Museum had opened, minus aircraft, in March 1983 and was taken over by Paul Raymond later that year. The aircraft was stored there but did not go on display.
1985 March ย – With the closure of Paul Raymond’s London War Museum and Whitehall Theatre of War, the Harvard was purchased by the RAFM. It was latterly stored in a barn at Ringwood Farm, Shepreth, Herts.
1985 March –ย Delivered to RAFM RC&RC at RAF Cardington, Beds. Condition fair but corroded in the engine bay. Photo as delivered to Cardington- Aeroplane Monthly Aug 85 p.395; As assembled at Cardington-Flypast May 85 p.2; The Flying M February 1989 p.6. (Phot0 Tim Hills)
Restored at Cardington using replacement mainplane centre section seized in Shipment by HM Customs. This item was ex RCAF and little used,ย the original centre section having suffered corrosion in the wheel well areaย Photos under restoration- Flypast Jan.89 p.5; Aeroplane Monthly Nov 93 p.72; Aviation News23 Dec 88-5 Jan 89 p.751.
1991 19th May – Delivered on loan from Cardington to Newark Air Museum along with Oxford MP425. The photo being unloaded at Newark- Flypast Jul.91 p.34. (Phot0 Tim Hills)
1994 May – Returned off loan to RC & RC Cardington.
1994 October – To RAFM Hendon from Cardington with Oxford MP425. Displayed in the main aircraft hall. Photos as displayed; Wingspan International July/August 2001 p.52-53.