ADF Serials - Grumman Goose

Aircraft Serial	Type	CN	Aircraft History
HK822	G-21A	1055	11/01/1939 Registered NC3022 to C.B.Wrightsman, Houston, Texas, USA, 19/01/1939 Registered to the Standard Oil Company, Houston, Texas, USA, ??/04/1941 Purchased by the Railway Workers of the United States and presented to the Railway Workers of Great Britain for operations by the British American Ambulance Corps, 28/04/1941 Registered NC3022 to British American Ambulance Corps, New York, USA, 22/09/1941 Presented to the British Government, 21/10/1941 Featured on Radio WEEI Boston with reporter Jay Wesley and photographed by Richard Merill, Shipped from the USA to 107 MU Kasfareet, Egypt, ??/11/1941 Impressed with the RAF Serial HK822, 28/11/1941 Operated as "N" Sea Rescue Flight, RAF Desert Air Force, It was soon realised by the SRF that the Goose was only suitable for inland waters and not well suited to the Flight's requirements, 20/04/1942 Australian Comfort Fund (ACF) advises 1 AAU of transfer of aircraft referred to as "Grumman Widgeon 1212", (Note: Grumman G-44 Widgeon C/N 1212 was the former NC28673 "The Cape Codder" which was also presented British American Ambulance Corps and went to 107 MU RAF Kasfareet in May 1942 before passing to 1314 Flight, RAF, Accra, Gold Coast, and appears to have continued operation with its US Civil Identity NC28673), 21/05/1942 Letter from ACF to 1 AAU advising arrangement for transfer, 04/06/1942 Memo from 1 AAU to RAH WD HQ requesting assistance to have the aircraft assembled and consigned, 06/11/1942 Allotted from Sea Rescue Flight to 1 AAU, AHQ Western Desert to arrange delivery with HQ 201 Group. 09/11/1942 Aircraft noted in 1 AAU monthly Census of Aircraft as allotted from Sea Rescue Flight, HQ DAF via BARU, 01/12/1942 Received by 1 AAU ex BARU Heliopolis Wasp Junior engines 2425 (Port) & 2484 (Starboard), and test flown, 03/12/1942 Following maintenance, flown from from Heliopolis to Benina by Flt Lt J.Bartle, 09/12/1942 Crashed in the Mediterranean 15m N of Benghazi, Libya during 'landing tests" with all crew eventually rescued, All seven aboard the aircraft survived the crash and escaped to a rubber dinghy. From the 1 AAU unit history sheet: The aircraft left Benina on a load test for water landings and take offs. The aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on landing and overturned at a point approximately 15 miles NW by N of Bengasi. The pilots managed to get from the cockpit into the cabin and after some difficulty all seven members of the crew and passengers succeeded in climbing into a small rubber dinghy. They paddled all night but made no headway against wind and current. 10/12/1942 They were located by PO Carson and PO Meldrum in DH.86A A31-7 the next morning and rescued by ship (Barton) or Walrus (Lever) in the afternoon, Pilots were: F/Lt John Phillip Bartle 406171, and P/O Charles Farquhar McWilliam 404183. Along with passengers: F/O Stanley.D.O'Donnell 261901, LAC Geoffrey Thomas Richards 23676, LAC John Douglas Richards 27811, LAC Gerlad Cheston Allen 60506, and AC1 W.J.Milburn 574938 (RAF).