WW2 Engine Reborn - Buried for 70 years the story of Halifax JD150
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2018
- The amazing story of a Merlin Engine buried in a bog for almost 70 years, recovered and rebuilt to run.
In 1943 a Handley Page Halifax Bomber JD150 was tasked to attack the German city of Hamburg. For some reason the aircraft strayed away from the main bomber force and was attacked by a night fighter. The Halifax caught fire and crashed into a bog. There were no survivors.
Most of the aircraft and the bodies of the crew were taken away but the four Rolls Royce Merlin XX (20) Engines were left behind. In 2009 they were recovered and taken to the Wings Museum in Sussex. Here over a period of several years one of the engines was rebuilt.
With its unique saxophone style exhaust the engine was run in memory of the crew in front of a gathering of bomber command veterans in September 2018.
Handley Page Halifax Mk 2 JD150 102 Squadron Royal Air Force. 
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![Inside a Halifax Heavy Bomber: Crew, Turrets and Guns [HP Halifax 2/2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2zypfAVMRJc/mqdefault.jpg)
The noise of a Merlin is incredible. I was close enough once to a Lancaster while all four engines we're fired up for take off, the ground felt like it was shaking. What an experience that was, such a fantastic overwhelming sound !
VimyScout ---yeah it's pretty cool
It makes the hair's on my arms stand up when I hear one go by
In Auckland,NZ back in the 1960's the Museum of Transport and Technology had a lancaster stuck in a corner on display, every so often they would fire it up.
.ruclips.net/video/iQmaiukpNRc/видео.html
I was lucky enough to get a 'guided tour of the BoB flight at RAF Finningly quite a few years ago, I sat in a Spitfire and had a look at the bomb bay of the Lancaster from underneath,...I just asked a member of the groundcrew, 'any chance of a closer look?'..and he said, 'yeh..It's quiet, come on'....amazing day!...I'm 65 now and I still haven't forgot it!
VimyScout Funny the same day you posted this comment, I was plating on my ps3 and I heard that sound, that *sound* so I went outside and watched a Lancaster fly right low over my house, and my God did it sound good
The aircraft and crew who heard that sound are gone but their engine lives on as their legacy.
Pilot. Sgt.Gordon Harry Brown, age 19. Good grief, so young and in charge of a complex piece of machinery and flying at night too. Respect.
I was thinking the same myself, 19 is no age at all.
My dad was a mechanic during the war and was responsible for the maintenance of Merlin engines on Halifax bombers. He passed away a few years ago at the age of 92. As I recall from my discussions with him, I think each mechanic had just one engine to look after and the engines had to be rebuilt after 100 hours of use (can anyone confirm these?). It was rare for him to discuss his time in England (He's from Canada) as I think it weighed heavy on him. I do also recall him saying he and the other ground crew would all too often have to assist in removing the remains of the flight crew. Its no wonder he didn't talk much about it. I still have the Merlin engine maintenance manuals.
The TBO for early Merlins fitted to bomber aircraft was 300 hours, which was extended to 420 for the Merlin 24 and 360 hours for the earlier marks of Merlins. This applies to 4-engined bombers only.
The look on the face of those 2 vets just says it all. They heard their youth fire up one more time, the fear, the victorys, all of it coming back in a huge rush.
My dad was a WOP in a Halifax , told me that a microphone was fitted into one of the merlins , he would tune in to the frequency of the German night fighters and would broadcast the roaring merlin engine into their headphones for obvious reasons !!, dad still going at 96 but in care home - dementia sadly , memories gone but I have them now for him
Please thank your dad for me on helping to save the world from fascism. M.
aww thats unfortunate, him out of all people to get dementia. he had alot to tell I would guess. is he still alive?
@@eliaslundstedt5607 no died 2 years ago at 96 had a charmed life escaped death a few times on ops , had to bail out over Belgium with a half deployed parachute on his 29th op captured after 2 days on the run spent rest of war as a POW - thanks for asking
@@eliaslundstedt5607 sorry got his age wrong - 98
Dr David Perlmutter .. "Brain Grain" or "Grain Brain". He is a FLA neuro-surgeon. He claims alzheimers and dimentia are directly related to the consumption of grains. He said, removing grain from the victim's diet, booting fat intake, will show results in a few weeks.
It's a true testament to the remarkable strength of the engineering of the Merlin that an engine that was one of four on a Halifax that was shot down in wartime service over Hamburg was able to be returned to operation over 70 years after the aircraft crashed, and a remarkable tribute to the brave crew on that night and also all the brave crews of Bomber Command who gave so much in the war...
Thank you to every one of those brave veterans,brings a tear to my eyes & a lump in my throat ❤
RIP, thank you for your service.
It's very special indeed to hear that engine come to life again after all these years, especially knowing that the last time it was running , it was carrying a crew of seven young men on their last fatal trip. What a tribute to those young men. Their memory will live on now.
You could see the smile on their faces when that engine came alive. It’s as if they returned to their youth once more.
I know exactly what you mean. 50yrs ago I was discharged from the US Navy Submarine Service, having served on WWII era "boats" . Last year I took my great grand daughter to a kiddies ride and she chose the submarine to ride in. Upon siting down a recording of submarine diving alarm (Klaxon) sounded. She laughed, but I was back in the conning tower on the helm 50 years ago.
"The pilot: Sergeant Gordon Harry Brown. Aged 19"
Such a few words but what a young man he must have been. 19 years old and flying a bomber on night missions over Germany. God bless 'em all ...
Yea that got me as well 19 years old . RIP
Different breed for sure ................ today's youth can tell you everything you need to know about mobile phones
MichaelKingsfordGray - There are no atheists in foxholes.
MichaelKingsfordGray Message from the mentally challenged, from your perspective anyway.
This is an aviation video, why don’t you make aviation related remarks to the posts? I have seen your similar stupid comments in other aircraft related posts. Do you actually believe that you are some kind of a unique entity because you are an atheist? Nobody gives a shit when a nobody like you ever loses an opportunity to try to ridicule people who are religious.
Get a life and move on and allow others the live the way they choose.
Amazing the responsibility on those young men. Wing Commander Guy Gibson was 24 years old when he led the raid on the dams.
i remember the day the radio announced that the last man who fought in ww1 passed away, it was a sad day. knowing i will eventually hear the same thing said of the great men who fought in ww2 is just heart breaking.
Excellent restoration, a fitting tribute to all the men that flew behind them, thank you.
Just like in Maritime where the ship's bell is it's soul. When you ring it, the ship, and it's men, are speaking again. We got to hear the aircraft, and it's crew, one more time.
wow a Merlin engine powered Halifax bomber and a engine that was unearthed from a crashsite in the 40s and ran again. I'm sure that the engines flying days are over, even if someone wanted to mount the engine in a plane. not worth it. too much history. RIP to that Halifax crew.
What an emotional day it must have been for those who attended this service. Very proud of those vets who were able to take part. Myself and my family will remember those too who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Another great video guys, thank you.
Bloody brilliant work guys. Great to see the old boys faces light up 👍🏻we will remember them.
Fabulous work to restore this Merlin, and a very touching "restart" ceremony too. Such brave men.
Well done Lads, well done. What a truly great thing you've done for these veteran bomber crew who so often live in the shadow of the fighter pilots. The loss rate Bomber Command suffered during WWII is staggering. These men are the finest examples of courage in human history. Fighters had more control over there actions in the air. Bomber crews did not and yet they continued flying combat mission all the while knowing the odds were they had little chance of ever coming home. Humbled by their bravery.
As soon as the engine started, you could see the memories flooding back to those guys...
How fantastic and well done to the restoration group!
Down here, I live in a sparsly populated area near Hamilton, Ontario, where I have the pleasure of hearing four of these things go over my house every few weeks or so, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's Lancaster is an amazing bird, often seen flying with the B-25. Amazing to see another one of these engines running!
A fitting tribute to the crew of JD150 and a valuable historical restoration. Well done.
What a great way to honour all that flew those planes then get a former pilot to start the engine for the first time since the crash and have him read out the names of the crew that flew the plane that the engine came from Lest We Forget
Beautiful! Outstanding! Moving! We honour these men and women who flew the Halifax! #halifaxjd150 #handleypagehalifax #merlin #veteran #veterans
You know the stillness of the veterans when watching that engine starting up, their memories from 70+ years came flooding back in their minds..
God Speed and thank you for the fight for freedom..
Fantastic job. Well done to all concerned and involved in the restoration. Brilliant to see the former crews in attendance.
Thanks guys, brought a tear to my eye.
Another Lovey restoration done by Peter Grieve well done
Very moving........... Thanks for upload :-)
Sometimes, and this is one, I wish RUclips would let you like a video more than once!
Wonderful restoration, thank you.
Those veterans, during that moment of silence, i was wondering, what were they thinking of? I mean, all they have been through, the things they have seen, the sounds they have heard.
Thinking about that, you can only have the deepest respect for their afford....
Great memorial to the crew members who lost their lives.
Just amazing they could get any one of the 4 Merlin engines to run considering those engines were not only buried in the ground for 70 years but they must have arrived at that spot rather abruptly.
Well the marshy ground would have slowed down the engines and if continually damp it could also have prevented significant corrosion. It is the wet then dry cycle which aids in the breakdown of many things.
Superb engine, rolls built and unique sound.
@@alancooper6377 I believe lots of the Merlin assembly work was done by females, due to there fine touch and feel !
@@johnfellows2867 no. That's because men where on the Battlefront
It is sad to say that in the US there are people who don’t want the history of WWII to be taught in schools.
. We must NEVER lose the teaching of history. My father was in the navy in WWII and I am so proud of his service. God love people who choose to remember this important era.
Good pics mate. Loved every moment.
Especially intrigued with the ingenious exhaust system.
And that sound made me shiver.
live in biggin hill where someone at the airfield owns and flys a spitfire the noise of the merlin engine is my favorite mechanical noise ever as it flies over the town
goodwood1052221 , I know that there are several spitfires at Biggin hill about six or seven I believe.
You could see in the veterans faces that it took them back. Amazing.
Superb effort and many thanks to all of you for preserving our historical heritage, God Bless you all .
Just found this on RUclips! So pleased to see it. And without doubt, will be visiting you guys soon. Thank you all for your commitment, to preserve this piece of our heritage, and make it work again! x
alan cox
1 second ago
Early Halifax's were death traps due to rudders tending to stick at full lock. The later, big rectangular vertical tail surfaces were designed to remedy this.
Fantastic effort, I love the way they kept as many of the original parts.
Thanks for this. What a great tribute to a lost brave crew. RIP.
Well done boys .fantastic job .
Great story and tribute to the men - thank you.
What a fantastic thing to do for those veteran's, truly fantastic!!
I'm trying to get my head around the fact that the ages of several members of the lost aircrew have been lost. Bomber command had such high physical and mental standards for aircrew and the training was costly and constant. Add that to its meticulous record keeping and it is really amazing that such basic information has been misplaced.
Music to my ears
What a wonderful tribute. Thank you.
Great story just think about it the pilot was only 19 how many of today's 19 year Olds could do this much respect
Glad the engines were saved and not scrapped as mentioned in the video. Remarkable to hear the engine comes to life after all this time. A true tribute to the airmen who used to fly these planes.
Greatest engine ever built.
Glad to see former BC aircrew given recognition. We will remember them .
The work of restoring, repairing broken parts, finding parts, rebuilding, trailer design and building, installing and testing was done by Peter Grieve of Flight Engineering in Leeds. Pity his dedicated work wasn't mentioned.
I would just like to add my thanks to you for mentioning the restoration mechanic, who should have had his important work recognised in this video.
@@markfryer9880 why should he? Did he not get paid? This is a short video not a comprehensive history of every part. Why weren't the original builders of the engine mentioned eh??
A response from wings museum, there was a lot of filming done on the day and it was heavily cut, the priority and what the day was really about was the veterans and the crew of JD150, there are plans to produce a contributors board as there are many people and organisations that need thanking not just one individual.
David ‘
Big thanks to all the mechanics preset and past that keep these machines running.
Thank that very, very thoughtful German man. When one thinks of the terrible destruction wrought on Germany it is quite remarkable that one of their citizens had the decency to try and preserve the engines.
It always amazes me the age of some of these pilots,...19 and in charge of (what was for the time) a huge aircraft AND flying it to war....
now youths of today at 19, we have snowflakes,
Most 19 year olds these years cant even boil a kettle.
@@theravedaddy
Don't worry, the RAF can straighten out any of them, they've been in that business for years.
Won't find anybody doing that today in this Century day and age nor some nineteen-year-old from this Century because it's two different life-forms styles mental capacity Etc you won't find anybody today fighting World War II they don't have it in them
Wow ! What a story and recovery . Amazing to think it sat all those years from a crashed aircraft but could still be rebuilt.
The pilot was just 19 and flying bomber missions over Germany - blimey ! How come the ages are not know of so many of the crew ? Would have thought that was basic recorded stuff.
A very sad and sobering point at 5:00 which is the reality of war. Lest we forget.
My grandfather was navigator with 161 special duties squadron at RAF Tempsford. His Halifax DK119 crashed due to engine failure during a low level supply drop in central France in August 1943
Well done!
Amazing they got it running again.
There is something deeply wrong about hearing the name of someone so young, followed by the words 'killed in action',
Absolutely amazing!!
Well done chaps, I know how hard but rewarding it is to do these projects. David Chairman SYTM
Awesome video,the names of the brave dead were read out loud so that they will not be lost to history and time and those veterans still living and in attendance must have felt like they went back in time in a time when lives mattered enough to go and confront the tyrants of that time and stop them in their tracks.
Good job the brakes on the trailer worked. Guy Martins Merlin went for a run and was stopped by a dry stone wall
Some where sadly destroyed in fires so it is hard to find
Can't beat that sound
I loved it and shared it with my RAAF mates, who loved it as well, cheers
With all four, perhaps they were able to salvage enough still viable parts to make one that was good enough to run. This is living archaeology at its best. Good on you chaps, enjoyed it very much.
My son Nigel is 19. A wonderful young man but in many ways a boy. 19! My God!
Greatest generation.
Wonder how that old boy felt pressing that button and hearing that Merlin roar up......instantly back to 20 years old again I bet
Wow the ages of the crew, shocking when ya hear it
Fantastic
Well done to one and all, great restoration.
This crew covered both ends of the flight crew age range which must have made for an interesting scene during the Crew Up in training where all aircrew were put in a hall and told to sort themselves into crews.
Not going to lie this brought a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat as my great uncle met his fate on jd 147 from 419 squadron rcaf letters vr c
The saxophone changes the merlin noise quite a bit. The blatt is softened right off. Such a beautiful machine, such a horrendous job it had to do.
Well Done. Nice Tribute
Incredible,my dad and moms generation,the best ever,hopefully my President can find modern people to shape their lives after them!
My half brother was killed in a Halifax, on the last punitive RAF raid of the war, over Kiel.
At St Athan in 1951 a Halifax was used for running up training, it had Bristol Hercules 14cyl radials. A great experience for 18 yr olds to feel the power as you opened the throttles.
The engine started and for a moment the crew of that long lost bomber lived again.
Great video
respect x.
Graéat contend, keep up the god work!
🇺🇸 I am American, navy pilot father, and simply love and appreciate the RAF🇬🇧
All those people died on the first day of my life...
I'm Lucky to have the Canadian Lancaster MK X fly over the house in the spring/fall As there is many jets and planes that fly over You know its Vera She sings for you to look up
Can you imagine what it was like in war time with those merlins coming over your head probably normal at that time but now a sound that will never be forgotten thanks to the bbmf and the Panton family at East kirkby
We have an airworthy Lancaster in Hamilton Ontario Canada. It flies several times a week throughout the summer and into the fall. Quite often I see it fly directly over my house, sometimes with a Mitchell bomber. It is maintained by the Canadian warplane Heritage museum along with many other WWII aircraft in flying condition and some on static display. Rides are available for the public on many of their aircraft including the Lancaster.
It looked like the old props were made of laminated wood. Am I wrong? Man this is soo cool! You guys are awesome!
alan cox
Early Halifax's were death traps due to rudders tending to stick at full lock. The later, big rectangular vertical tail surfaces were designed to remedy this.
Brave men,all of them! A long way to Germany from England.
Quite nice to see your channel up and running. Looking forward (or backward in time) for that legendary Gnome-Rhone engine restoration project next!
0:35 is a Halifax Mk.V - square fins and a fully glazed nose
Good eye. My dad flew the radial engine version in 1944. 425 squadron RCAF. Full 35 ops. He was 26.
True hero's ....everyone of em...........
Any more info on the Sinclair.