By Wayne Bailey
November 2009

Bolingbroke is Saxon and means "The Home by the Brook of Bullas People" [Go Figure].

The Greenwood Military Aircraft Museum is now home to a Bristol Fairchild / Bolingbroke. The major components, gathered from various locations throughout the prairies , arrived by truck on Monday the 26th of October, and were unloaded by Museum staff, volunteers and personnel from the Base TSME section, and placed in the workshops behind the GMAM.

The Boly is a copy of the Bristol Blenhiem, a twin engine coastal reconnaissance light Bomber, and 4,422 of various Marks were built and flown by RAF Squadrons. Blenheims flew before and during the second world war from the UK and British possessions in the Middle and Far East. The Blenheims were the first aircraft to make reconnaissance on September 3rd, 1939 and the next day, bombing raids into Germany during the opening stages of the war and eventually would equip 70 squadrons at the height of it’s popularity. Other nations such as Turkey, Greece, and Finland also flew the Blenheim.
 

 
   

       
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View the slide show courtesy of Malcolm Uhlman
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The Bolingbroke, forever known as the Boly, was ordered into production in Canada by the RCAF. And the prototype was shipped to Fairchild Canada in Longueuil, Quebec. The first Bolingbroke Mk I in RCAF livery #702, flew at Longueuil, Quebec on September 14th, 1939. After a short run of 18 aircraft, constructed to British specs as the Bolingbroke MK I, Fairchild switched production to the Bolingbroke MK IV with Canadian and American instruments and equipment and extra fuel tanks for longer range. Deicing boots and a dingy were also added and other changes such as two Pratt and Whitney twin Wasps Engines instead of the of the Bristol Mercury VIII, radials were tried with only 15 built. One Mk I was converted to a float plane for a short time, in North Bay, Ontario. but most of the Canadian production were Mark IV with the Bristol Mercury XV (136 built) or the Mark IVT multi purpose trainer (457 built).

A total of 626 Bolingbrokes were built by Fairchild and Bolys served on both coasts and after Pearl Harbour two squadrons served as bombers during the Aleutians Campaign. The Boly’s stationed in Greenwood were Sub Hunters and Training Aircraft as part of the Britsh Commonwealth Air Training Programme.

The project officer for this extensive restorations, is Major Bob Johnson, the CO of #517 Air Cadet Squadron, and was the Project Leader on the recently completed Zenair. More info on he and his restoration crew, will be found in future articles. We will also bring you more history and information on our Boly and others of the type as the restoration progresses. Volunteers civilian, military or ex military for this and other projects at the Museum are always welcome. Those with sheet metal skills would be a definite assets, but not a requirement, and applications and more information can be acquired from the Museum Staff, Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 4:00.

Information found herein courtesy of Warbird Alley (www.warbirdalley.com) and Wikipedia.

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