Bringing Home a Rolls Royce Merlin Engine from Handley Page Halifax Bomber HR871 of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Halifax heavy bomber HR871 of the RCAF flew from Gransden Lodge, home of the elite pathfinder squadron. Returning from a raid on Hamburg on the 3rd August 1943 two engines were lost due to a lightning strike. Unable to get home they diverted to neutral Sweden and all the crew baled out safely, leaving the aircraft to fall into the Baltic Sea. Having been rediscovered this aircraft is now the subject of a restoration project by the Bomber Command Museum of Canada but one of it’s original engines, surplus to their requirements, is now on display at the NLAHC site at the former RAF Hibaldstow thanks to contacts through our Deputy Chairman, Rick Greenfield.

Rick successfully funded most of the cost of returning this engine to the UK via a “gofundme” page. We would like to thank everybody who very kindly contributed to the cost of repatriation of this engine.

If you would like to read more about the project to restore HR871 there is quite a bit of information on the internet but a couple of useful links are below