XB259: The Freight Bay
The Beverley was the largest aircraft in service when it joined the RAF and it had, for those days, a truly cavernous Freight Bay. The Bay is 36 feet (10.97 m) long and 10 feet (3.05 m) wide and 10 feet high, and thanks to the wide opening clamshell doors, could take on board very large objects and vehicles. Aircraft such as the Folland Gnat were also carried as were helicopters such as Whirlwinds. Odd loads such as the Lord Mayor of London’s coach were also among the myriad of things Beverleys carried.
Loads were secured to the floor by means of removable swivel ring type strong points laid out in a 20 inch (508mm) grid. These strong points could take a strain of 10,000lbs (4536 kg). Items could also be lashed to the rails running along the side walls of the bay. The photograph shows a 10,000Lb strong point on the floor of the Freight Bay. The nose of the aircraft is to the right. There are 7 rows of strong points. A lashing ring was pushed down over two spring loaded catches in the widest part of the strong point and pushed forward. The rearmost catch then sprang up locking the ring in position. Removal was by simply pushing the rear catch down with a probe, pulling the ring back and removing it. The centre row has seven additional strong points with a strain of 21,000Lbs (9525 kg). These are accessed by removing cover plates in the floor. The fittings for these were used to restrain heavy-drop platforms. Lashing rings were stored in slotted plates fixed to the side walls of the Freight Bay. Chains, lashings and tensioners were stored in pockets at floor level in the walls.
Looking forward along the Freight Bay of XB259. This photograph was taken when it was at the Museum of Army Transport. To the left of centre in the photograph can be seen the ladder which leads up to the flight deck. Five folding paratroop seats are fitted to the left fuselage side. The Navigator's glass fronted position for air-dropping can be seen in the centre. The raised area there we called the Bandstand. The two large containers to the right are 1 Ton (1016 kg) Containers used for the air-dropping of supplies. Between four and sixteen of these would be carried for automatic ejection, eight for manual ejection. Roller tracks down the centre of the floor were used for these containers. For automatic ejection, two Army Air Despatchers would be carried. These men would remove restraints from the containers just before the drop, freeing them to roll out of the aircraft on the tracks when a rear barrier was broken by an extractor parachute. A nose-up attitude of 5 degrees was adopted by the pilot for this type of drop. A crew of four Air Despatchers would normally be carried for manual ejection. One or two containers would be ejected on each pass over the dropping zone.
LEFT & RIGHT: Looking aft inside XB259. Two staircases lead up to entry hatches to the Tail Boom. Staircases would normally only be fitted when the Beverley was configured in a passenger carrying role. The rails along the sides made a handy ladder at other times. The box by the ladder to the right is an air-conditioning unit, fitted to help preserve the aircraft. Such a device would have been a godsend in the middle and far east. Air Despatch exhibits are arrayed down the centre of the Freight Bay and photographs are displayed on the walls.
LEFT: This was the Navigator’s position on the Bandstand for air-drops . From here, he could get an excellent view of the dropping zone and give the pilot directions to the release point.
RIGHT: An extractor parachute release handle and a set of Parachute lights, missing the red lens, in the Freight Bay. Below it are control switches for a camera which was installed at the sill at the rear of the Freight Bay.
Lights and release handles were not normally fitted in the location these are on the starboard side of the Freight Bay, and that, with the camera controls, indicate that these were installed for trials of supply dropping equipment.
LEFT: Auxiliary PSU (Power Supply Unit) on the right-hand side of the Bandstand.
RIGHT: One of five ditching exits in the Beverley, one on the Flight Deck, and four others, two on each side above the rear of the wings. Two of these are reached directly from the rear of Freight Bay, one on each side. The remaining two are at the front of the Tail Boom. Only one Beverley went into the drink’. This was XL132 of 242 OCU which came down in Chichester Harbour after an engine fire. The propeller came off over land, falling onto a property in the village of Bosham.
The enormous Clamshell Doors are electrically operated and each contains a folding parachute door. They were also used to store staging and servicing equipment when fitted to the Beverley.