Royal Aircraft Factory BE2b (Replica)

The BE2b was a very stable aircraft. On 26 April 1915, in the First World War, 2nd Lt William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse attacked Courtrai Railway Station, Cambrai, Northern France flying BE2b No. 687. Dropping a 100lb bomb he was fatally wounded by ground fire but managed to fly home, and was awarded the first Victoria Cross for an aerial action.

This detailed replica was mostly built under contract at the former RAF Museum facility at Cardington between 1983 and 1988. It incorporates a few original BE2a fittings and the correct original propeller, and carries the markings of the aircraft in which 2nd Lieutenant Rhodes-Moorhouse won his VC.