Treloar Conservation Centre Aircraft 1999

Warbirds Online has been visiting the Australian War Memorial for over 50 years and one of the great focuses of interest for us has been the extensive collection of Australian Defence Force aircraft dating back over 100 years. This is an internationally recognized collection and is growing by the day.

Recently it was announced that the display space at the AWM is to be grown by a huge 10,000 square meters within the next couple of years and will provide much needed space for the large number of Aviation and other exhibits which have spent decades in some cases in storage as detailed in our news item Warbirds in the Hangar-Australian War Memorial, August 2019.

This redevelopment has seen the dismantling of many current exhibits at the AWM including most of the aircraft contained in the Aircraft Hall and ANZAC Hall.  The exhibits are being carefully dismantled and removed to the recently enlarged Treloar Conservation Centre located at Mitchell in the ACT.

This is not the first time this type of exercise has occurred as from 1998 up to 2003 most of the aircraft and some other exhibits were re located to the Treloar Conservation Centre to allow for the Aircraft Hall and ANZAC Hall to be expanded and renovated which allowed the impressive display of the aircraft to be reopened in 2003 with the subsequent displays entitled “The Knights of the Sky” WWI aircraft display and “Striking by Night”, a permanent exhibition featuring a dramatic sound and light show that re-created a night bombing operation over Berlin in December 1943. Both these displays are now naturally dismantled and will be replaced in due course when the redevelopment of the AWM is complete.

Warbirds Online was fortunate to visit the Treloar Conservation Centre in 1999 when it was possible to tour around the facility via an elevated passageway above the collection laid out on the floor of the huge warehouse like building. It was a fascinating tour and we were able to see many of the aircraft which had been in storage as well as some of those which had been on display in confined space in the AWM. Work was also able to be observed on some of the restorations being carried out on aircraft such as the famous Avro Lancaster Mk. I bomber G for George code AR-G serial number W4783 which was undergoing a very comprehensive refurbishment and conservation program.

Most of the aircraft were relocated back to the AWM in 2003 and no longer as visible in some cases. One drawback on the day of our visit was that the aircraft had to be viewed through windows made of orange tinted Perspex which interfered with the color and focus of images recorded however we pressed on regardless and captured the attached photos to the best of our abilities!

Some of the aircraft seen on the day included Messerschmitt ME262 jet fighter aircraft W.N.500200, Avro Lancaster Mk. I bomber G for George squadron code AR-G, serial number W4783, operated by No. 460 Squadron RAAF during World War II,Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet rocket fighter werk number WN 191907, P-51D Mustang A68-648 a P-51D-20-NT serial No 111-36389 USAAC tail No 44-13106, Albatros D Va single engine biplane scout/fighter aircraft serial no. D5390/17, SE5a scout  fighter A2-4 formally serial number C1916, Pfalz D.XII single engine biplane scout/fighter aircraft, serial no. 2600/18 , Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk aircraft “Polly” RAAF Serial  A29-133  P-40E -I-CU US military serial 41-36084 and DH98 Mosquito PR 41 Reconnaissance aircraft RAAF serial A52-210/319 an FB.40 converted to PR41 on the production line at Bankstown NSW.

We look forward to the future when all of these wonderful aircraft and those that were also stored at Treloar Conservation Centre such as the DAP/Bristol Beaufort and Lockheed Hudson will be on display again in the fantastic new space being created at the AWM. In addition there are many other more modern types to be added such as the F/A 18 Hornet and DHC 4 Caribou waiting in the wings for their turn on display.

We highly recommend a visit to the Australian War Memorial when it reopens and when it is renovated in years to come.

© John Parker 2020