The Bristol Beaufighter was one of the most versatile aircraft to serve with the Royal Air Force during World War II. It served in many vital roles in varying climates. It served as a radar equipped night fighter, day fighter, coastal and shipping strikes with both torpedo and rockets and at the end of its days as a towed target tug.

Bristol Beaufighter, JM135, is the biggest restoration taken on by The Fighter Collection. Several years of work are behind us and several more are ahead, but steady progress is being made.

Enough resources are now available in terms of volunteer labour and skilled sub-contractors to move the project along. The trailing edge of the wing centre sections have been built and will be mounted on the wing itself in the near future.

Wing internal fit is not complete but enough progress has been made for us to contemplate fitting the outer wings in the next twelve months. The restoration of the outer wings is proving to be very interesting. One wing is British built, the other Australian. The Australians made many changes to the British design in the following areas. Aileron shrouds in metal instead of wood and metal, gun bay doors in metal in place of wood, pressed nose ribs in place of the fabricated British type, different layout to the landing lamp area.

The cockpit area has been completed and can be seen in the hangar placed against the leading edge of the wing centre section.

People might be a little confused over the identity we have given the aircraft and that given in some of the recent popular UK aviation mags. Two centre sections and fuselages were recovered from Drysdale in Australia and moved to Sydney.

They were reputedly from A19-144 (JM135) & A19-148 (JL946) which were both Mk.11 aircraft. Both aircraft were serving with 31 Sqdn. RAAF at the time and the date of their respective incidents is given as January 1944.

One thing is certain and that is the centre section is British built, therefore putting it in the A19- RAAF serial series. Damage to the front spar web indicates that the starboard undercarriage either collapsed or was selected up on landing.

A brief report on the incident which befell A19-144 states that the tailwheel collapsed on landing and the pilot retracted the gear to avoid other aircraft. The cockpit section is from an Australian built aircraft, the identity of which is unknown to us.