Beauforts Over Australia

In a year which has seen the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), yet another milestone in the Air Force’s relatively short history will be celebrated on 22 August 1991.

Just fifty years earlier, on Monday 22 August 1941, the first Australian built Bristol Beaufort made its first public flight from Fishermen’s Bend, Port Melbourne. Flown by Captain Tommy Yourig, this Beaufort, T9540, was the first of 180 Beauforts being built at Fishermen’s Bent and Mascot, NSW for the Royal Air Force (RAF) while another 90 were to be built for the RAAF. However, T9540 would never see service with the RAF even though it did serve for a short period with 100 Squadron: in April 1942 it, and the other 58 Beauforts built up to that time were handed over to the RAAF.

The Lyons Government had decided in March 1939 to accept a British Air Commission’s recommendations that work on developing a Beaufort manufacturing industry should proceed, in light of the difficulties in supplying the Bristol Blenheims from Britain, and in July it signed an agreement with the UK government to build these aircraft. Orders, initially, were 90 for the RAF and 90 for the RAAF but over the nextf ew months these were changed with the RAAF order being reduced. However, by the time war broke out in September 1939, the orders stood at 180 for the RAF and 90 for the RAAF.

This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.

Login

Become a Member

To continue reading the rest of this article, please login.

Username or Email

Password Forgot password?

Keep me signed in on this device.

If you check this box before you log in, you won’t have to log back into the website next time you return, even if you close your browser and come back later.

If you check the box above before you log in, you won’t have to log back into the website next time you return, even if you close your browser and come back later.

---

or

---

Login with a Passkey

To unlock all Australian Aviation magazine content and again unlimited access to our daily news and features, become a member today!
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.

PRINT

$49.95 for 1 year Become a Member

See benefits

• Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
• Access to In Focus reports every month on our website

MOST POPULAR

PRINT + DIGITAL

$99.95 for 1 year Become a Member

$179.95 for 2 years Become a Member

See benefits

• Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
• Access to the Australian Aviation app
• Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
• Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
• Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
• Daily news updates via our email bulletin

DIGITAL

$5.99 Monthly Become a Member

$59.95 Annual Become a Member

See benefits

• Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
• Access to the Australian Aviation app
• Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
• Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
• Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
• Daily news updates via our email bulletin

View more offers and details