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HAWKER HINDS

To navigate this section click on any serial number in the boxes below to take you directly there. Alternatively you can use the right hand scroll bar to browse down all listings. If a serial number is coloured white in the boxes, no other info is known yet but the aircraft has been identified as belonging to113 Squadron.
The following are the Hinds on charge with 113 Squadron known to date, be aware there are errors and it is incomplete. Further listings will be added as they are identified.

HINDS SERIALS

K5371
K5420
K5430
K5443
K5462
K5548
K5552
K5554
K5556
K6732
K6734
K6796
K6797
K6798
K6799
K6800
K6801
K6802
K6803
K6804
K6805
K6806
K6807
K6808
K6823
K6824
K6826
K6835
K6420?
K6604?
K6631
K6668
NOTE: Watch for transposed numbers ie: K6420 - K4620 and errors K5420


A GLIMPSE OF SQUADRON LIFE ON
THE HINDS.  PRE-WAR

The 113 squadron reformed in 1937 along with many other defunct units as part of the urgent expansion of the RAF brought about by the realization of the worsening political situation in Europe, and particularly German rearmament. It was in May of that year that the squadron became part of 1 Group, Bomber Command, stationed at Upper Heyford and equipped with 13 Hawker Hinds (single engine, two seat, open cockpit biplanes) pending conversion to Bristol Blenheims as soon as they could be made available. The first Commanding Officer was S/Ldr. Bartholemew and flying commenced on 8th June 1937 with the first crash, not an uncommon event with Hinds, occurring on the 24th. June (24/06/1937) when it is recorded that whilst taking off from Abingdon, Acting P/O Helsby wrote off his aircraft but he survived, although sustaining a broken jaw.

On 5th. August 1937 (05/08/1937) the squadron was transferred to 5 Group Bomber Command and posted to Grantham with training continuing throughout the year in the Hinds. When the squadron was ordered overseas in April 1938 the Hinds went with them. The crews travelled by troopship (HMT Lancashire) to Alexandria, Egypt, under a new CO, S/Ldr. Cator, finally arriving at Heliopolis on 10th. May 1937 (10/05/1937). It is not known how the Hinds made it to Egypt from the UK but thought to be dissassembled and shipped by freighter.

John Pritchard comments on this early period; "The 113 with their Hawker Hinds had been sent out from the UK in a great hurry whilst Mussolini rattled his sabre on the Libyan border. The political scene was hotting up, Hitler had taken over Austria and the Sudetanland, and Chamberlain had waved his bit of paper announcing peace in our time. My new squadron moved out to the border at Mersa Matruh. Little was seen of the other side and as the heat went out of it, we moved back to Heliopolis. I was able to get into Cairo quite often, played cricket and hockey at the Gisira Club, and saw something of the pyramids".

Training at last gave way to important work on 28th. September 1938 (28/09/1938) when the squadron was posted to a `War Station', at Mersa Matruh and took part in a complete photographic survey of the Western Desert right up to the Libyan border.  This great feat would have been of vital help in the subsequent desert battles. In March, S/Ldr. Keily took over command as the new CO.,  and his first flying with 113 was on 2nd march 1939 flying Hind K6631 as Squadron Leader.  The survey work was completed in May 1939 and the unit returned to Heliopolis.  SOURCE OF HISTORY: F/O Pat Woodward,  LAC John Pritchard, others, Kevin Crawford. ( Excerpt is from the squadron History section)


A fabulous photo of the 113 Squadron Hinds in formation. Beginning from the nearest is K6734, K6823, K6668, K6732, K6420*, K6796, K6556, K6804, K6808. It is near certain that the landmass in the background is the harbour at Heliopolis. While it looks like the boys are waving, these are the guns sticking up.
SOURCE: Corp Edward Stanley Harrison - Jim Newton
Note: F/Lt Bill Whittlesey - Martin Carter also has all of the identical
photos found on this page in his collection and in fact was is seated in
K6734 above when this photo was taken.

NOTE: In all the formation photos that can be read, K7634 is always on the Port side of the formation, outside aircraft. This seems to indicate that even back then each aircraft had it's own spot in the formation.


LISTING & DETAILS BY SERIAL

00/00/0000 K5371  Hind Model ?  
Transferred to 239 Squadron. Flown by S/Ldr Keily in April and June1939 at Heliopolis. Oddly this first Hind in the list is also the last one flown by S/Ldr Keily DFC

31/03/1943 K5420  Hind Model ?  
Struck of Charge

00/00/0000 K5430  Hind Model ?  
To CF Heliopolis

05/09/1941 K5443  Hind Model ?
Struck off charge. Flown by S/Ldr Keily in March 1939 Heliopolis

00/00/0000 K5462  Hind Model ?
No Fate

15/02/1939 K5548  Hind Model ?
Crashed on landing at Suez #3LG (landing ground)

15/02/1939 K5552  Hind Model ?
 To TURP ( whatever that is ?)

00/00/0000 K5554  Hind Model ?
 Transferred to 211 Squadron

05/09/1941 K5556  Hind Model ?
Struck off charge. Flown by S/Ldr Keily in 1939 at Heliopolis in March
00/00/0000 K6631  Hind Model ?
No Fate.
S/Ldr. Keily took over command as the new CO and his first flying with 113 was on 02/03/1939 flying Hind K6631 as Squadron Leader.


00/00/0000 K6732  Hind Model ?
To ME Flight  ??????

00/00/0000 K6734  Hind Model ?
 To C.F. Heliopolis. Flown by S/Ldr Keily in April 1939 at Heliopolis. This Hind seems to have been a favourite of F/Lt Bill Whittlesey.
SOURCE: Corp Edward Stanley Harrison - Jim Newton

K6734

The above documents show that HindK6734 was received third hand, after first having served with 139 and 108 Squadron. The Squadron received it 15/03/1938 and it was struck off charge on 31/10/44 after accumulating 51610 hours?? SOURCE: F/Lt Bill Whittlesey - Martin Carter


00/00/0000 K6796  Hind Model ?
To ME Flight   ?????,  K6796 was S/Ldr Cator's aircraft and carried his Squadron Leader Flag painted on the tail.  This photo is also in the Photo Album  section with closeup's of the tail and cockpit.
SOURCE: Corp Edward Stanley Harrison - Jim Newton

00/00/0000 K6797  Hind Model ?
Transferred to 216 Sqn

00/00/0000 K6798  Hind Model ?
Transferred to 12 FTS  (Flight Training School)

00/00/0000 K6799  Hind Model ?
To ME Flight  ????

00/00/0000 K6800  Hind Model ?
Delivered to 113 Squadron 20/05/1937, it then went to 49 Squadron 05/04/1938. To RNZAF 13/10/1940, crashed on landing at Ohakea on 21/08/1941 while being operated by 3 SFTS and written off.

24/06/1937 K6801  Hind Model ?
Crashed on take off.

00/00/0000 K6802  Hind Model ?
To ME Flight. Flown by S/Ldr Keily in April 1939 at Heliopolis. The title of this photo in Corp Harrisons photo album reads "Curly Misjudges". It is not known if the dangling bomb racks came loose after the crash or, heaven forbid, that it was bombed up at the time and the bombs have been removed after the fact. A closeup of this photo is in the Photo Albums section with enlargements.
SOURCE: Corp Edward Stanley Harrison - Jim Newton

03/05/1939 K6803  Hind Model ?
Struck off charge

00/00/0000 K6804  Hind Model ?
To ME Flight

00/00/0000 K6805  Hind Model ?
Transferred to 40 Squadron

00/00/0000 K6806  Hind Model ?
Transferred to 49 Sqadron

00/00/0000 K6807  Hind Model ?
 To ME Flight. Flown by S/Ldr Keily in May 1939 at Heliopolis

00/00/0000 K6808  Hind Model ?
 To ME Flight. Flown by S/Ldr Keily in May 1939 at Heliopolis
SOURCE: Corp Edward Stanley Harrison - Jim Newton

00/00/0000 K6823  Hind Model ?
Transferred to 501 Sqadron

00/00/0000 K6824  Hind Model ?
 Transferred to 112 Squadron. Flown by S/Ldr Keily in April 1939 at Heliopolis
SOURCE: Corp Edward Stanley Harrison - Jim Newton

00/00/0000 K6826  Hind Model ?
Transferred to 39 Squadron. Flown by S/Ldr Keily in April 1939 at Heliopolis

00/00/0000 K6835  Hind Model ?
Flown by S/Ldr Keily in 1939 at Heliopolis

 SOURCE & RESEARCH OF HIND'S: F/Lt Tony Day, additions by Kevin Crawford

CONFIRMED 113 HINDS - UNKNOWN SERIALS


24/06/1937 ????  Hind Model ?
Crashed while taking off from Abingdon, Acting P/O Helsby wrote off the aircraft but he survived, although sustaining a broken jaw. The squadron was based at Grantham UK at the time.