Billy Bishop Nieuport 17 markings verification, please.

[rvictor]

Hello all. I have tried to do my due diligence by researching this myself...

Some of the information I have for Billy Bishop's Nieuport 17 is conflicting...

I have the tail number as B1566, with red, white, blue striping.

I have the overall color as silver doped linen.

I have UK roundels on each side of the airframe, the top wing and bottoms of both top and bottom wings.

I have a large black "C" and "5" on each side of the fuselage.

Now, some of the conflicting markings...

I have a black "C" and "5" on the top (back) of the fuselage?

I have the same markings on the bottom of the bottom wings?

I have the cowling and wheel covers in blue?

I have the only armament as a single, top wing mounted Lewis gun?

Thank you for any clarifications.

[rexee]

rvictor

one single mounted Lewis on the top wing
wheel covers silver

Image Bank – Canada Aviation Museum

type in aircraft registration# 1566

Rex

[rvictor]

Originally Posted by rexee

rvictor

one single mounted Lewis on the top wing
wheel covers silver

type in aircraft registration# 1566

Rex

Thank you, but this is a reproduction built in 1961? This plane's markings differ from the other two sources I have.

[rvictor]

I found an original photo of Bishop and the plane, and I can see the markings now. The 1961 reproduction looks to be correct.

Thanks again.

[rexee]

rvictor
I thought that reproduction was pretty accurate.
Interestingly and much to my amazement,In photo 22636 one of the pilots beside the wreckage of the crashed Nieuport 17 is my father! The airshow was in Ottawa,1967
My father was flying the Sopwith Triplane from the National Collection at Rocklffe Park. His friend that crashed the Nieuport 17 survived but as you can see the machine wasn't as fortunate.The cause of the crash was later determined as a mechanical failure
I attached an original photo of my father in the cockpit of the Triplane that day
rex

[rvictor]

Originally Posted by rexee

rvictor
I thought that reproduction was pretty accurate.
Interestingly and much to my amazement,In photo 22636 one of the pilots beside the wreckage of the crashed Nieuport 17 is my father! The airshow was in Ottawa,1967
My father was flying the Sopwith Triplane from the National Collection at Rocklffe Park. His friend that crashed the Nieuport 17 survived but as you can see the machine wasn't as fortunate.The cause of the crash was later determined as a mechanical failure
I attached an original photo of my father in the cockpit of the Triplane that day
rex

Great photo. Thanks again for your help.

[Kirk R. Lowry]

Bonjour rvictor!

In respect of the concerns that you have regarding Nieuport 17 B1556 when flown by Billy Bishop -

I believe that the border of the serial B1556 on the rudder was white and blue with the colour, obviously, on the white portion only.

The aircraft was in essence coloured silver.

With the assumption that standard practice was followed British roundels would have been applied to the upper and lower surface of the upper wing and the lower surface of the lower wing and the sides of the fuselage.

C and 5 were applied to the port side and starboard side of the fuselage either side of the roundel ... note that the C was before the roundel on both sides.

As to the issues of concern -

C and 5 may may or may not have been applied to the upper surface of the fuselage ... there does not appear to be absolute confirmation, but, it is assumed by many that the designation was to be found behind the cockpit at some point in time.

C appeared on the starboard wing between the roundel and the fuselage and 5 appeared on the port wing between the fuselage and the roundel.

The cowling over the engine and the wheel covers were painted "Royal Blue" (to quote Bishop).

The armament of the aircraft was a single Lewis gun mounted over the upper wing.

Note as well that the aircraft sported a maple leaf painted on the port side, approximately 12 inches from top to bottom, in autumn colours.

At some time a doll was mounted to the bottom of the starboard struts between the wings.

The majority of the information listed can be found in the article Bishop's Aircraft - Colours And Markings No. 60 Squadron, RFC by the late Philip Markham and Greg Van Wyngarden which appeared in Over The Front, Volume 10, Number 3, Fall 1995.

Salut!
Kirk