Of the 177 Wellesleys, the last 80 were serialled in the L block and delivered between February and May 1938. The old Townend cowling ring remained standard issue. Photo assumed taken at the Brooklands factory. We're not sure if the second aircraft on the right is L2656 or L2658. L2652 is on the left. Based at Port Sudan, L2652 did not return from a reconnaissance sortie over Eritrea on 3 July 1940, falling victim to Italian Fiat CR.42 ace Mario Visintini. Photo from: Vickers

Early Wellesleys K7715, K7716, K7717 and K7718 equipped the B flight of No 7 Sqn, which was separated off to start No 76 Sqn at Finningley on 12 April 1937. Photo taken there that month - a group portrait of the new squadron exists with the same aircraft and the same treeline in the background. By 18 October 1938, K7716 was assigned to No 148 Sqn at RAF Stradishall. It collided head-on in mid-air with K7714 that day over Great Dunmow, Essex, and all six crew were killed.

This early Wellesely, the fifth production aircraft, was assigned to No 148 Sqn, but then fitted with a more powerful Bristol Pegasus engine with a long-chord cowl, as seen here, and first flew in this form on 21 January 1938. Although still wearing the squadron number here, it was assigned to Bristol and it crashed near Bristol on Friday 13 May 1938. It is also described as a trials aircraft for the Long Range Development Unit, which spawned from No 148 Sqn, but was not one of the five Type 292 Wellesleys.

L2637 was perhaps the first of five Wellesleys modified to Vickers Type 292 standard for the RAF's Long-Range Development Unit, but this one did not participate in the non-stop flight from Egypt to Australia. Writing on back of print suggests photo taken on 18 February 1938. Photo from: Vickers

Part of the RAF's Long-Range Development Unit Flight that flew non-stop from Egypt to Australia. L2638 was LR1, the lead aircraft. The library caption on this photo says it is at RAAF Pearce but by the time the remaining two LRDU aircraft arrived at Pearce L2638 had already been written off. It had suffered an engine failure near Richmond, NSW. Date of this incident is unclear. The damaged L2638 was dismantled and shipped back to the UK from Sydney. Photo from: State Library of Western Australia

Algy Spurr Collection. Mt. Kilamanjaro in the background.

Algy Spurr Collection. Mt Kilamanjaro in the background.

Algy Spurr Collection. Photos of Wellesleys with Mt Kilamanjaro in the background.

Photo by my father Algy Spurr. Circa January 1941 - L2673 - Vickers Wellesley - Over Nairobi, with the Jamia Mosque and the McMillan Memorial Library on the right. The avenue is today's Kenyatta Avenue.

Five Wellesley single-engined long-range bombers were modified to Vickers Type 292 standard for the RAF's Long-Range Development Unit, with changes including low-drag long-chord cowlings. L2680, centre, and L2638 set a new world distance record in November 1938, flying from Egypt to Darwin, Australia. L2639 landed in Kupang, Dutch Timor, but also broke the previous record. The aircraft then continued to Australia, made an emergency landing while touring the country and ended up in the RAAF as an instructional airframe.