I'm researching this aircraft, as it was the one that a cousin of my wife's, Fl/Off Raymond Yarwood Higginson, DFM, 9 Squadron's Bombing Leader, was killed in on a minelaying mission on 22nd April 1943 and I plan to build a model of it.  I realise that this is the sort of aircraft-related question that would be more properly handled by Lancaster Archive Forums but they closed the day after I posted my enquiry so I'm posting here

It was built as "Part of the fourth production batch of 620 aircraft (being the final part of Contract No. B69247 and Works Order No. 7671) built by A.V.Roe & Co. Ltd., Newton Heath, Manchester."  (http://www.lancaster-archive.com/lanc_prod_avro1.htm)  and delivered to 9 Squadron in March 1943.

From the 9 Squadron ORB's, its first mission was on 3rd April, ie it was in service for less than three weeks.  The minelaying mission when it was shot down was its tenth.

For most of its short operational career its pilot was F/O C.A. Hale, but not on the final mission.

Numerous questions:

Does anyone have any photos of it?   I haven't been find any, although there's plenty of a later WS-G, ED666 (G for Goofy)

Would it have been equipped with H2S?  (I doubt it at that stage but want to check)

Would there have been any other differences from a generic MkIII?

Was there any nose-art?

There appear to be some odd differences with 9 Squadron codes.  I've seen some where the aircraft code was considerably smaller than the squadron code, and also ones where on the starboard side the aircraft code came *before* the roundel and squadron code.  Would either of these have applied?

Re. the mine-laying mission, which type of RAF air-dropped mines would have been used?  (See list at http://www.lancaster-archive.com/bc_bombsmineincendiaries.htm)

Load diagram http://www.lancaster-archive.com/lanc_bomb_loads.htm shows "up to" six mines.  On this mission, where the target was on the French Atlantic coast near the Spanish border, would all six have been carried?

Any and all help gratefully received, including more appropriate places to ask these questions!

Thanks,

Malcolm Street

Canberra, Australia (Home of G for George)