Hardwick Warbirds Official Web Site

Owned by Maurice Hammond, Hardwick Warbirds is a growing collection of warbirds situated at Hardwick in Norfolk, close to the former home of the 93rd Bomb Group. Maurice owns his own engineering company Eye Tech Engineering, and due to the success of his business has been one of those invidiuals lucky enough to be able to endulge in flying WWII era aeroplanes.

The collection started in 1992 with T-6D Harvard 42-84555 "Fools Rush In" 1992. This aircraft was built in1944 as one of 22 examples built for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Aim, and left Newark for the UK in May 1944. Arriving in July at 46MU at Lossiemouth she was allocated the serial number EZ341, and after serving with a number of units was struck off charge in 1956 and sold to the Portuguese Air Force where she served until 1973.

After a period in storage, she was transferred to the Portuguese Air Force Museum in Alverca before being shipped back to the UK in 1991. She was acquired by Maurice Hammond in 1992, and after a two year restoration project, she took to the air again in 1994 as G-ELMH. She currently wears the markings of a 100th Bomb Group hack, complete with a square "D" tail marking, and the given the name "Fools Rush In", which was the name given to a 100th BG B-17.

The centerpiece of the collection is P-51D-25-NT "Janie". She was built for the Royal New Zealand Air Force with the US serial number 45-11518 as one of ten machines built at Dallas and shipped to New Zealand leaving the factory on 16th July 1945. Upon her arrival she was allocated the RNZAF serial number NZ2427 and based at Hobsonville with No.3 Canterbury Sqn until her retirement in 1955 and put up for disposal.

In 1958 she was spotted and purchased by Barry North and Pete Colman for the princely sum of $150NZ, and stored until 1990 where she was bought by the Alpine Fighter collection at Wanaka and once more placed into storage. Here she remained until 1997 when she was purchased and bought to the UK by Maurice Hammond and registered as G-MSTG. After a 4 and a half year restoration the aircraft was flown on July 13th 2001. She wears the the markings of a 353rd FG Mustang flown by Major Bill Price of the 350th FS whilst based at Raydon in Suffolk. "Janie" is the name of his sister.

Another P-51D is currently under restoration in the hangar at Hardwick. This time the paint scheme will represent an aircraft from the 339th FG based at Fowlmere.

The collection also includes Taylorcraft Auster Mk.V "TJ652" / G-AMVD. Built in 1944 for the RAF the aircraft served in Holland until a landing accident bought about by overturning in a field after hitting deep ruts in the ground saw it placed into long term storage. She was sold in July 1952 to Hants and Sussex Aviation as G-AMVD before being cancelled and flown to France in 1953.

She returned to the UK register in 1978 again as G-AMVD, and after numerous owners she suffered major damage in the hurricane of October 1987. She was rebuilt at Booker, and acquired in October 1997 by Maurice where she was overhauled and placed into the markings of 652 Sqn RAF (later Army Air Corps).

The most recent flying acquisition is Boeing Stearman E-75 42-16931 / N4712V acquired from Lands End in March 2004.

T-6D Harvard Photo: Todd Young

All photographs: Copyright © UK Warbirds unless otherwise credited.  Unauthorised use of any of the images found on this site prohibited.  Please note that UK Warbirds is in no way officially connected to any of the owners or operators mentioned on this site. The views expressed on this web site are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of companies or individuals mentioned.

r