11/30/2011. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "In 1944 the roof of the Avro Anson cabin was raised to increase internal head-room, the 'greenhouse' glazing was replaced by three square windows on each side and flaps and landing gear were hydraulically operated as on the Canadian Anson Mk.II. The modernized Anson was built in two versions, the Anson Mk.11 with two 395 hp Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah 19s driving fixed pitch Fairey-Reed metal airscrews, and Anson Mk.12 with two 420 hp Cheetah 15s turning Rotol constant-speed airscrews. The two marks were only distinguishable externally because spinners were fitted to the variable pitch airscrews of the Mk.12.
In 1945 A.V. Roe and Co. Ltd. fitted an Anson Mk.12 (s/n MG159 with nine seats and five oval windows to satisfy the Brabazon XIX feeder liner specification of 1943. It thus became known as the Avro 652A Nineteen and was handed over to the Associated Airways Joint Committee as G-AGNI for evaluation on internal air routes. Anson Mk.12 G-AGLB was similar converted, but retained its square windows.
A VIP general transport version of the 652A Nineteen, ordered by the RAF as the Anson C.Mk.19 and built at Yeadon, appeared in two versions, Series 1 with wooden wings, and Series 2 with metal tail plane and tapering, fabric covered, metal mainplane of one foot greater span. The first 25, originally laid down as Anson Mk.12s, were followed by a contract for a further 160, of which 67 were Series 2.
Orders were placed later for 124 Series 2 aircraft for the RAF but not all were delivered, 23 Series 1s being diverted to civil orders, one Series 2 to the Afghan Government and nine others to the RAF as Anson T.Mk.20 trainers. A few Series 2 machines were equipped with vertical cameras for photo reconnaissance work, while others had the perspex nose of the T.Mk.20.
Designation Anson Mk.18 was given to a batch of 12 general purpose aircraft equipped for police duties, liaison, transport and survey work by the Royal Afghan AF 1948 to 1956. A second batch of 12, with opaque nose caps and direction finding loops repositioned farther aft, were delivered to the Indian Government as civil aircrew trainers under designation Anson Mk.l8C. Despite their earlier mark numbers, both these types were derived from the Mk.19, the prototype Mk.18 being a conversion of VP511, a production Anson C.Mk.19 Series 2.
The largest fleet of civil Avro 652A Nineteen Series 1 aircraft was that of Railway Air Services Ltd. which operated 14 on routes from Croydon to the North, Dublin, the Isle of Man and Belfast until 1947. The Ministry of Civil Aviation also maintained six at Gatwick for airport radio calibration and for instrument rating tests.
Five were supplied to Egypt, one for Royal use and the others for airline service with Misrair; two to the Emperor of Ethiopia; and others were sold to Hunting Air Travel Ltd., Sivewright Airways Ltd. and Westminster Airways Ltd. G-AIKM, originally the Rochester-based charter machine of Short Bros. and Harland Ltd., later became "Star Visitant", crew trainer of British South American Airways.
Eventually these proud fleets dispersed to the four winds and by 1959 all the survivors had been absorbed by the aircraft industry as 'hacks', G-AGUH by Armstrong Siddeley Motors Ltd., G-AGWE by the Decca Navigator Co. Ltd., G-AHIC by the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield, as an aerodynamic test vehicle (with experimental airfoil sections flown vertically on the roof),
G-AHXK by Hawker Aircraft Ltd., and G-AHYN by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Ltd.
The first production civil Avro 652A Nineteen Series 1 G-AGPG, built at Yeadon in June 1946, remained in the service of A.V. Roe and Co. Ltd. for 16 years. They converted it to Series 2 in 1952 and sold it to Skyways Ltd., Lympne, ten years later. Production of the Avro 652A Nineteen Series 2 for civil purposes was limited to 14 aircraft.
Many civil Avro 652A Nineteen and Service Anson C.Mk.12 and C.Mk.19 machines were eventually modernized to Series 2 and fitted with the metal wing, as were most (if not all) civil Mk.11s.
The pictured was built as an Avro 652A Nineteen and was registered as G-AHKX to Smiths Aircraft Instruments Ltd. of London, UK, on May 18, 1946, it received its CofA No. 7819 on December 17, 1946. After fourteen years of operations with Smiths, the registration was cancelled on August 9, 1960 as "transferred to Canada". Nearly eight months later, March 30, 1961, it reappeared on the British register, again as G-AHKX, new owner was Meridian Air Maps Ltd. of Shoreham.
It was reregistered a number of times, from June 24, 1984 it is in the hands of British Aerospace, subsequently it was completely restored. Presently it is based with the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden Aerodrome near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, where it was pictured at the Shuttleworth Summer Air Display in 2006 (above).
