XW839 was the fifth common prototype of the WG-13 Lynx. With development work completed, the helicopter was allocated to the Royal Navy Engineering College, RNEC Manadon (HMS Thunderer), Plymouth in 1980.
The third prototype of the EH-101/AW-101 Merlin was configured as a civil variant. G-EHIL was allocated British military serial ZH647 in 1993 and continued development flying until April 1999.
The 50th Dragonfly built, WG719 was delivered to 705 Squadron as an HR.3. After conversion to HR.5, WG719 joined 776 Squadron in 1959. In June 1967 the helicopter was stored at RNAY Fleetlands, before coming to Weston-super-Mare in 1989.
Until October 1962, FR-41 was with the Groupe d'Helicoptères No.2 at Sétif in Algeria, coded 'ARB'. Later the Shawnee went to an ALAT training school at Dax, France. Restoration this rare helicopter started recently at THM.
XP165 had been a training airframe at the RAE Farnborough Apprentice School, before being used by Marconi, Basildon, for trials of the 'Hele-Tele' surveillance system. Its remains ended up at Southend Airport in 1975, before coming to THM in 1985.
Before wearing this raspberry ripple scheme, in the early '70s, XM330 had a dark blue/grey overall c/s, with a white lightning bolt along the fuselage. The RAE Wessex is currently under restoration at THM.