History – Bring Annie Home …..

Avro Anson – MH120
“Faithful Annie”

Aircraft: Avro Anson

Variant: Mk I

Nickname: “Faithful Annie”

Role: Maritime reconnaissance (originally), later primarily training and communications

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

First Flight of Type: 1935

Service Entry: 1936

The Avro Anson was the first monoplane to enter service with the Royal Air Force and represented a significant step forward in British military aviation design during the 1930s.

Originally developed for coastal maritime reconnaissance, the aircraft was soon reassigned to training duties as more advanced combat aircraft entered frontline service. In this role, it became one of the most important training aircraft of the Second World War.

After crew training, they would then often advance onto frontline Bomber Squardons’

Affectionately known as “Faithful Annie,” the Anson earned its nickname due to its stable handling characteristics and forgiving nature — ideal qualities for novice pilots and trainee aircrew, it was an aircraft with many talents!

MH120 – A Rare Survivor

- - Avro 652A Anson
  - Serial Number: MH120
  - Manufacturer: A.V. Roe & Company (Avro)Nickname: “Gentle Annie”
  - Build Location: Yeadon, Yorkshire
  - Built: 1943
  - Variant: Mk I
  - Delivered: RAAF March 1944

MH120 is of exceptional historical importance. She is recognised as the only flying Avro Anson Mk I in the world — a remarkable distinction that makes her not only nationally significant, but internationally unique.

The Mk I variant was the original wartime production version and featured:

- - Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah radial engines
  - A manually operated gun turret (in early maritime configuration)
  - Mixed wood-and-metal construction
  - Retractable undercarriage/landing gear

The survival and continued flight of MH120 provides a rare and authentic link to early-war RAF operations and wartime aircraft production in Yorkshire.

Technical Specifications (Mk I)

- - Crew: Typically 3–4 (pilot, navigator, wireless operator, and/or gunner depending on role)
  - Engines: 2 × Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah radial engines
  - Wingspan: Approximately 56 ft 6 in
  - Length: Approximately 42 ft 3 in
  - Maximum Speed: Around 188 mph
  - Range: Approximately 790 miles(Specifications vary slightly depending on configuration.)

Wartime Role

During the Second World War, the Anson became a cornerstone of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Thousands of pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, and wireless operators completed their early multi-engine training in this aircraft before progressing to operational bombers and patrol aircraft.

Its reliability and stability made it indispensable throughout the war and into the post-war period, with some aircraft remaining in service into the 1960s. Avro Ansons also were primarily used by RAF, RCAF, RAAF, RNZAF, proving a popular choice with the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

A Yorkshire Legacy

Built in Yeadon,Yorkshire, MH120 represents the craftsmanship, dedication, and industrial strength of the region during wartime. She stands as a tribute not only to those who flew and maintained her, but also to the men and women who constructed her.

Her continued airworthiness ensures that this history is not confined to museums — it remains alive, audible, and visible in the skies, hopefully for many years to come.

Her preservation is supported by an organisation dedicated to safeguarding aviation heritage, RAF Station Czechoslovakia

MH120 “Gentle Annie” is not simply a historic aircraft — she is the world’s only flying example of her kind, and a living tribute to Yorkshire’s contribution to aviation history.

Video Copyright (c)HistAvFilmsUnit - Streamed from You Tube

Avro Anson – MH120“Faithful Annie”

Avro Anson – MH120
“Faithful Annie”