Canadian aircraft with RAF serials, AA100 and up
Canadian Military Aircraft
Serial Numbers
RCNAS / RFC / RAF serial numbers
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The first Canadian owned
aircraft with British style military serials were the handful of
aircraft reserved for the first Royal Canadian Navy Air Service.
None were ever operated by the RCNAS. The 114 aircraft of the
Imperial Gift of 1919 all arrived in Canada with RFC / RAF style serial
numbers, and did not receive Canadian Air Board
registrations until they were assembled and tested, a process
that took several years. A few never received
registrations, for a variety of reasons, and these are listed here
under their original British serial numbers. A few ex-RAF
aircraft were
obtained in the 1920s and 30s, for evaluation by the RCAF, or for
winter trials on behalf of the RAF. All these aircraft appear in
the lists
below.
The great majority of the
aircraft listed here were
transferred to the Canadian
government during the Second World War. They were received from
the RAF, for use at the BCATP and with the home
defense squadrons. At first, these aircraft were given RCAF three
or four digit serial numbers, as they arrived in Canada. It soon
became apparent that this was, in modern terms, a non-value-added
exercise. Even worse, the re-identification of these aircraft
began to complicate many technical issues, such as tracking and
implementing aircraft modifications, identifying which technical
publications applied to which aircraft, and obtaining spare
parts. As a result, the RCAF soon switched to operating these
aircraft with their original RAF serials.
In
the early months of the war,
some
well used veteran RAF aircraft were shipped from the UK to Canada for
the BCATP schools and to meet urgent home defense requirements.
This practice gradually ended as the ocean
crossing became more dangerous, and as the need for any flyable
aircraft in the UK became more desperate. These early aircraft
included Ansons, Battles, Beauforts, Lysanders, Hampdens, and
Oxfords. Most
of the aircraft
received during the war came
directly from American and Canadian factories, and actually never were
in the hands of the RAF. The North American built aircraft were
mostly trainers, including Stearmans, Cranes, Harvards, Cornells, and
Canadian built Ansons, plus a
relatively small number of operational aircraft for the OTUs and home
defense squadrons. The operational types included Catalinas,
Hudsons,
Venturas, Mitchells, Liberators, Tomahawks, Dakotas and
Canadian built Mosquitos. A few
oddballs were received for tests at Canadian ranges (Spitfires,
Baltimores, Bostons and
Bermudas), or as sample aircraft for Canadian production (one Blenheim,
Hampdens,
Lancasters and Mosquitos).
When the BCATP started, the RAF manned and
operated a number of training units in Canada, all identified with 30
series numbers (for example, No. 34 Elementary Flying Training School
at Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, and No. 33 Air Navigation School at Mount
Hope, Ontario). These units were gradually absorbed in to the
RCAF through 1942 and 1943, with their aircraft being transferred to
RCAF ownership then, generally keeping their RAF serial. Some of
these aircraft had already been operating in Canada for two years or
more prior to the “first date” shown in my database.
At the
end of the war, a number of aircraft operated by the 400 series
squadrons, or stored by the RAF in North America, were turned over to
Canada to form the core of the post war
RCAF. This included Dakotas and Lancasters ferried from the UK,
and a few
gliders already in North America. It should be noted that a
number of the Lancasters
arrived in Canada still in the ownership of the RAF, as the RCAF
squadrons of 6 Group, Bomber Command, began to retrain to become Tiger
Force for the war in the Pacific. The transfer to RCAF ownership
came several months later, after VJ Day. A handful of aircraft
were received from the UK after
the war, for evaluation by the RCAF or for testing at the RCAF’s Winter
Experimental Establishment in Edmonton. This included Lincolns,
Halifaxes, a Prentice, one Tempest, and the first
Rockcliffe Ice Wagon, a Consolidated Privateer. Also included
were the first Canadian
jets, a Vampire and several Meteors.
The Fairey Swordfish listed here
are those aircraft operated by the RCAF at BCATP training
schools. Some of these aircraft were transferred to the RCN after
the war for use as ground training aids with the RCN Reserve
Squadrons. The RCN also received other Swordfish direct from RAF
schools in Canada after the war ended, and they may not be listed
below. For a more complete story on RCN post war aircraft, refer
to Patrick Martin’s latest book on the subject.
Researching these aircraft can
be a tricky business, and this is why this was one of the last topics
added to my web pages. Here are just a few of the problems
encountered with this population of aircraft.
Many ex RAF aircraft eventually
received RCAF serial numbers, but first arrived in Canada with the RAF
markings. I generally only record these aircraft under their RCAF
serial numbers (with the previous RAF identity given, when known)
unless the aircraft was operated by the RCAF for any length of time
before being re-marked. On occasion, some RCAF records continued
to refer to the aircraft by the RAF serial number, even after an RCAF
serial was assigned and marked.
Large
numbers of RAF serialized
aircraft, owned by the UK, were operated in Canada during the war by
RAF units. This included a large number of BCATP schools, plus
small numbers of transport, ferry, and liaison units. To add to
the confusion, the RAF units could share a base with RCAF units, and
RAF and RCAF personnel, including Canadians in RAF uniforms, were
shared freely between the units. This confusion continued after
the war, when several RAF and RN aircraft came to Canada for testing at
the Winter Experimental Establishment. Some were taken on charge
with the RCAF, and some were not. All were regularly operated by
RCAF pilots, and maintained by the WEE. All this means that
aircraft
references
in log books, letters, and autobiographies from Canada in these periods
cannot
always be easily
identified as RAF or RCAF aircraft. When I have had doubts about
the ownership of an RAF style serial number reported in Canada, I have
referred to J. A. Griffin’s masterpiece, “Canadian Military Aircraft”,
before including the aircraft on this page. Some have claimed
this source is incomplete and sometimes inaccurate, but it is still far
and away the best reference on this topic.
Large numbers of RAF serialized
aircraft, owned by the UK, were operated by RCAF 400 series squadrons
outside of Canada. A few of these were transferred to Canada at
the end of the war, as mentioned above. This is a really
confusing area for the
aeronumerologist, and was the last topic added to my web pages.
There was a tendency within
Canada to refer to these aircraft by only the last 3 digits of their
RAF serial number. This occurs even in official documents such as
pilot’s log books, squadron diaries, and press releases. One
classic example of this is the often told story of a patrol
bomber that went missing in 1943, and was discovered in Newfoundland in
1948. The burial of the
crew has been recorded as the “last Newfoundland funeral of WW2” in
several sources. Some of these reports name the aircraft involved
as an RCAF Lockheed Hudson, number 719. RCAF 719 was actually a
Canadian built Bristol Bolingbroke, and it might be tempting to dismiss
the Hudson reports as an error in aircraft identification by a
non-wingnut author. However, the RCAF did own and operate Hudson
BW719, and this was probably the aircraft involved.
During the 1950s, the RCAF placed large markings on the
side of many aircraft, consisting of a two letter unit code to the left
of
the roundel, plus the “last three” of the complete serial number to the
right of
the roundel. These are much more obvious than the serial number
in photographs from that time, and may appear to be an RAF style serial
number. Two well photographed examples of this are Mitchell “HO
891” (actually RCAF serial 891), and Lancaster “MN 122” (actually
RAF style serial number FM122).
Subject to all these ifs, ands,
and buts, here is my current understanding of the topic. The
table below will connect you to two types of listings of these
aircraft. The “Brief lists” present a minimum amount of
information about as many aircraft as I can fit on a reasonably sized
page. Use these lists to identify individual aircraft, or to
quickly scan a large range of serials. The “Detailed lists”
contain all the information currently in my database, and are broken
into many more pages to keep the data manageable.
Brief
lists
Detailed
lists
Typical
aircraft
up
to Z9999
784 records
updated 8 April 2005
up to K8750
52 records
updated 13 April 2007
K8751
to L5331
50 records
updated 6 July 2007
L5332
to N1045
49 records
updated 16 January 2008
N1078
to N5041
51 records
updated 21 June 2008
Schneider,
Baby, Felixstowe F.3, H-16, D.H.9, Snipe, Avro 504, Siskin,
Fairey IIIF, Wapiti, Hart, Audax, Anson, Blenheim, Battle,
Spitfire, Walrus, Hampden, Beaufort, Albacore
N5042
to N5352
50 records
updated 24 December 2007
N5353
to N9615
49 records
updated 25 July 2008
N9640
to N9901
53 records
updated 9 January 2009
N9905
to P6732
48 records
updated 21 March 2009
Anson,
Camel, Hampden, Battle
P6734
to R4043
50 records
updated 4 May 2009
R4046
to R7446
50 records
updated 8 August 2009
R7447
to R9703
47 records
updated 27 February 2010
R9714
to V3294
50 records
updated 4 December 2011
Battle,
Spitfire, Anson, Oxford, Albacore, Hudson
V3310
to V9504
54 records
updated 7 May 2012
V9508
to X6538
50 records
Updated 2 September 2012
X6359
to X7057
50 records
Updated 10 February 2013
X7116
to Z9999
32 records
Updated 2 July 2013
Oxford,
Hurricane, Hudson, Lysander, Anson, Walrus, Swordfish, Beaufort,
Catalina, Hampden, Spitfire, Albacore, Walrus
AA100 to
AZ999
934 records
updated 11 March 2005
AA100
to AE900
45 records
updated 13 February 2007
AE901
to AJ200
47 records
updated 5 March 2007
AJ201
to AJ570
52 records
updated 27 April 2007
AJ571
to AJ685
50 records
updated 13 July 2007
Hampden, Ventura, Harvard
AJ686
to AJ790
50 records
updated 12 October 2007
AJ791
to AJ908
50 records
updated 20 May 2009
AJ909
to AJ959
50 records
updated 27 August 2009
AJ960
to AM747
51 records
updated 21 August 2011
Harvard,
Hampden, Boston, Hudson
AM748
to AN117
50 records
updated 9 September 2013
AN118
to AR813
50 records
AR814
to AS206
50 records
AS207
to AS314
50 records
Hudson,
Hampden, Oxford
AS315
to AS521
50 records
AS522
to AS673
50 records
AS674
to AS803
50 records
AS804
to AT444
50 records
Oxford,
Hampden
AT445
to AT589 35 records
AT590
to AX185 35 records
AX186
to AX414 35 records
AX415
to AX641 36 records
Oxford, Anson
BA100 to FL999
2109 records
updated 18 March 2005
BA100 to BG999
47 records
BH100 to BM800
49 records
BM801
to
BW300
38 records
updated 5 September 2009
BW301
to
BW600
42 records
updated 20 September
2009
Oxford,
Harvard, Hudson
BW601
to
BW680
44 records
updated 30 July 2010
BW681
to
BW800
47 records
updated 9 October 2010
BW801 to
BW999
50 records
updated 4 December 2006
BX100
to
EB450
50 records
Hudson,
Hurricane, Boston, Halifax, Anson, Swordfish,
Oxford
EB451
to
EB538
50 records
EB539
to
EB602
50 records
EB603
to
EB677
? records
EE182
to
EW361
50 records
updated 8 August 2010
Oxford,
Catalina, Lancaster, Meteor, Liberator, Cornell
EW362
to EW411
50 records
EW412
to EW461
50 records
EW462
to FD692
50 records
FD693
to FD990
50 records
Cornell,
Hudson, Baltimore, Ventura, Kaydet
FD991
to FE308
50 records
FE309
to FE386
50 records
FE387
to FE456
50 records
FE457
to FE561
50 records
Kaydet,
Harvard
FE562
to FE636
50 records
FE637
to FE736
50 records
FE737
to FE810
50 records
FE811
to FE860
50 records
Harvard
FE861
to FE934
50 records
FE935
to FH105
50 records
FH106
to FH165
50 records
FH166
to FH697
50 records
Harvard,
Bermuda, Hudson, Cornell
FH698
to FH752
50 records
FH753
to FH803
50 records
FH804
to FH853
50 records
FH854
to FH903
50 records
Cornell
FH904
to FH953
50 records
FH955
to FJ204
50 records
updated 7 November 2010
FJ205
to FJ262
50 records
updated 12 December 2010
FJ263
to FJ672
50 records
updated 12 December 2010
Cornell,
Crane
FJ673
to FJ762
50 records
FJ763
to FJ812
50 records
FJ813
to FJ862
50 records
FJ863
to FJ912
50 records
Cornell,
Kaydet
FJ913
to FJ962
50 records
FJ963
to FK176
50 records
FK177
to FL999
43 records
updated 16 April 2008
Kaydet,
Mitchell, Hudson, Dakota
FM100 to end
1819 records
updated 18 March 2005
FM100 to FM229
50 records
FM300
to FN638
50 records
updated 13 March 2010
FN639
to FP702
50 records
updated 13 March 2010
FP703
to FP752
50 records
Lancaster, Lincoln, Seamew, Ventura,
Catalina, Goose, Anson
FP753
to FP802
50 records
FP803
to FP852
50 records
FP853
to FP902
50 records
FP903
to FP952
50 records
Anson
FP953
to FR942
50 records
FR943
to FS957
50 records
FS956
to FT293
50 records
FT294
to FV694
50 records
Anson,
Expeditor, Harvard, Cornell
FV695 to FW278
50 records
updated 8 March 2008
FW279
to FZ692
50 records
updated 12 March 2008
FZ694
to HB186
50 records
HB207 to HH560
50 records
updated 12 March 2008
Cornell,
Mitchell, Dakota, Expeditor, Walrus, Hotspur
HHH561
to HS325
50 records
HS355
to JS100
50 records
JS101
to JS150
50 records
JS151
to JS200
50 records
Hotspur,
Mosquito, Swordfish, Spitfire, Anson
JS201
to JX578
50 records
updated 23 March 2010
JX579
to KA232
50 records
updated 28 March 2010
KA233
to KA399
50 records
KA400
to KA455
50 records
Anson,
Privateer, Seamew, Catalina, Mosquito
KA456
to KA506
50 records
KA507
to KA888
50 records
KA889
to KB142
50 records
KB143
to KB287
50 records
Mosquito
KB288
to KB379
50 records
KB380
to KB820
50 records
KB823
to KB891
50 records
KB892
to KB953
50 records
Mosquito,
Lancaster
KB954
to KG441
60 records
KG448
to KH944
60 records
KH945 to KN392
50 records
updated 22 April 2010
KN427
to VT196
48 records
Lancaster,
Dakota, Liberator, Hadrian, Mitchell, Mosquito, Swordfish, Tempest,
Lincoln, Halifax, Spitfire, Vampire, Horsa, Sea Hornet, Meteor
This
data has come
from a variety of sources, and may contain all sorts of errors. In the
future, I will add a complete list of references. For now, some recent
Internet references can be found at the links below. I would
welcome any corrections or additions you may have. Contact me using the
link below.
To main page
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contact me
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Military Aircraft
links
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Number
Links
About
the Author
The Project
© 2005-2013 by R. W. R. Walker
All
rights
reserved under the copyright laws.
This is an amateur site – please don’t rely on any of this data for
anything important!
Created 11 March 2005. Updated 9 September 2013.