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Bristol Bolingbroke

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Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada)
IndustryAerospace
Founded1935
Headquarters
Quebec
,
Canada
ProductsBolingbroke (licensed Bristol Blenheim Mk IV)


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The Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke served as a maritime patrol and training aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force throughout the Second World War. Manufactured under licence by Fairchild-Canada, this model was a Canadian-built adaptation of the Bristol Blenheim Mk IV bomber.

Design and development

In 1935, the British Air Ministry released Specification G.24/35, seeking a coastal reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft to succeed the Avro Anson.[1] Bristol responded with the Type 149, derived from the Blenheim Mk I, equipped with Bristol Aquila engines to extend operational range. Although this proposal was declined by the Air Ministry, a Blenheim Mk I fitted with its original Mercury VIII engines was modified into the Type 149 (known as Blenheim Mk III) tailored for general reconnaissance duties.[2] The aircraft featured an elongated nose to accommodate the bombardier, with a recessed section on the upper left side of the nose to preserve pilot visibility during takeoff and landing.[1]

The enhanced range aligned with Canada's demand for a maritime patrol platform. As a result, Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) in Quebec commenced manufacturing the Blenheim Mk IV under the designation Bolingbroke—the original intended name for the Blenheim IV. This aircraft earned the nickname "Bolly". Following an initial batch built to British specifications as the Bolingbroke Mk I, production shifted to the Bolingbroke Mk IV which incorporated Canadian and American avionics and systems. These later models were outfitted with anti-icing boots and carried a dinghy. Among early Mk IV variants was the Bolingbroke Mk IVW, powered by two 825 hp (615 kW) Pratt & Whitney SB4G Twin Wasp Junior engines.[3] Due to insufficient power to sustain altitude on one engine, their bomb load was limited to 500 pounds to offset engine performance constraints.[4] The most extensively produced version was the Bolingbroke Mk IVT trainer, with a total of 457 units completed.[5] Overall production reached 626 Bolingbrokes.[5]

Operational history

File:Bolingbroke IV.jpg
Bristol Bolingbroke IV displayed at the British Columbia Aviation Museum, located in North Saanich, British Columbia, near Victoria International Airport

Out of the 151 Mk IV units produced, the majority operated as patrol bombers along Canada's Atlantic and Pacific coastlines from 1940 until 1944. Additionally, two squadrons deployed these aircraft during the Aleutians campaign in Alaska. The Mk IVT trainer variant was heavily utilized within the framework of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP).

Variants

Bolingbroke Mk I
Maritime patrol bomber with twin engines, powered by two Bristol Mercury VIII radial piston engines and outfitted with British instrumentation. A total of 18 were manufactured.
Bolingbroke Mk II
A modified fifth Mk I incorporating American equipment, serving as the prototype for the Mk IV.
Bolingbroke Mk III
A floatplane adaptation of the sixteenth Mk I, fitted with two Edo floats.
Bolingbroke Mk IV
Twin-engine maritime patrol bomber featuring anti-icing boots and a dinghy, equipped with American and Canadian instruments, powered by two Bristol Mercury XV radial piston engines. Production reached 134 units.
Bolingbroke Mk IVW
A sub-variant of the Mk IV powered by two 825 hp (615 kW) Pratt & Whitney SB4G Twin Wasp Junior radial piston engines, developed as a contingency against potential shortages of Mercury engines. Due to inferior performance compared to the Mk IV and continued availability of British engines, only 15 were built before reverting to Mk IV production.
Bolingbroke Mk IVC
A single unit equipped with 900 hp (671 kW) Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines that did not require high-octane fuel.
Bolingbroke Mk IVT
A versatile trainer aircraft powered initially by Mercury XV engines with 350 units produced, followed by an additional 107 powered by low-octane Mercury XX* engines, totaling 457 built with 51 cancellations. Six were converted to dual-control configurations. Furthermore, 89 units were modified into Mk IVTT Target Tugs by adding winching equipment in the rear cabin and target drogue storage in the bomb bay.

Operators

File:Canadian Red Ensign (1921–1957).svg Canada
  • Royal Canadian Air Force
    • Squadrons within the Home War Establishment (HWE) operating Bolingbrokes:
      • No. 8 Squadron RCAF - Operated Bolingbroke Mk I and Mk IV from December 1940 to August 1943
      • No. 115 Squadron RCAF - Used Bolingbroke Mk I between August and December 1941, then Mk IV from November 1941 to August 1943
      • No. 119 Squadron RCAF - Employed Bolingbroke Mk I (August 1940 to August 1941), followed by Mk IVW (August to November 1941), then Mk IV (November 1941 to June 1942)
      • No. 147 Squadron RCAF - Operated Bolingbroke Mk I and Mk IV between July 1942 and March 1944
    • Additional HWE squadrons maintained limited numbers of Bolingbrokes:
  • British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP)
    • Bombing and Gunnery Schools operating Bolingbroke IVT:
      • No. 1 B&G School - Located in Jarvis, Ontario, operated from August 1940 to February 1945
      • No. 2 B&G School - Based at Mossbank, Saskatchewan, active October 1940 to December 1944
      • No. 3 B&G School - Situated in Macdonald, Manitoba, utilized Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke IVT, and Lysander aircraft from March 1941 to February 1945
      • No. 4 B&G School - Located at Fingal, Ontario, operated Bolingbroke IVT between November 1940 and February 1945
      • No. 5 B&G School - Based at Dafoe, Saskatchewan, active April 1941 through February 1945
      • No. 6 B&G School - At Mountain View, Ontario, operated from June 1941 into postwar years
      • No. 7 B&G School - Located in Paulson, Manitoba, used Bolingbroke IVT from June 1941 until February 1945
      • No. 8 B&G School - Situated at Lethbridge, Alberta, operated October 1941 to December 1944
      • No. 9 B&G School - Based in Mont-Joli, Quebec, active December 1941 through April 1945
      • No.10 B&G School - At Mount Pleasant, Prince Edward Island, used aircraft from September 1943 until June 1945
      • No.31 B&G School (RAF) - Located in Picton, Ontario, operated Bolingbroke IVT between April 1941 and November 1944 — now known as Picton Airport

Surviving aircraft

File:Blenheim 2.jpg
Bolingbroke IVT exhibited at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon, Manitoba
File:Bolingbroke.jpg
Bolingbroke located in a Manitoba scrapyard, 2006
File:Bristol Bolingbroke (Cruisin' At The Boardwalk '11).jpg
Section of a Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke displayed at a car event in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, 2011
Belgium
Canada
United Kingdom
  • 9048 – Mk. IV presently undergoing restoration for static display at Aerospace Bristol located in Filton, Gloucestershire.
  • 9940 – Mk. IVT exhibited as a static display at the National Museum of Flight based in East Fortune, East Lothian; this aircraft incorporates outer wing panels from airframe 9059.
  • 10001 – Mk. IVT shown statically at the Royal Air Force Museum Midlands situated at RAF Cosford; restored as a Blenheim and painted to represent L8756 "XD-E" of No.139 Squadron RAF.
  • 10038 – Mk. IVT kept in storage at Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire; this airframe suffered severe damage during an accident at Denham Aerodrome on 21 June 1987.
  • 10201 – Mk. IVT maintained airworthy by the Aircraft Restoration Company based in Duxford; restored as a Blenheim Mk.1F using a Blenheim Mk I nose section previously converted into an automobile; registered as G-BPIV.
United States
  • 9983 – Mk. IVT held in storage at Fantasy of Flight museum located in Polk City, Florida.
  • 10076 – Mk. IV exhibited statically within the collection of the Pima Air & Space Museum situated in Tucson, Arizona.

Specifications (Bolingbroke Mk IV)

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See also

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External links

Template:Fairchild aircraft Template:Bristol aircraft Template:RAF WWII Strategic Bombing Template:Aircraft manufactured in Canada Template:ADF aircraft designations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Mondey 1982, p. 52
  2. ↑ Molson and Taylor 1982, p. 120.
  3. ↑ Vincent 2009, p. 40
  4. ↑ Vincent 2009, p. 42
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vincent 2009, p.23
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