The Beaufort was developed from the Bristol Blenheim - originally built in 1934 as an executive aircraft for the proprietor of the Daily Mail, Lord Rothermere, who wanted a fast plane capable of carrying six passengers. Equipped with two Bristol Mercury engines, the Bristol Type 142, as it was then called, was 30 mph (48km/h) faster than the RAF's latest biplane fighter, the Gloster Gauntlet. In 1937 a heavier version was developed, using much of the components of the Blenheim, including the wings, tail and most of the fuselage structure. Named Beaufort, it was originally designed as a torpedo bomber, but was quickly adapted to other roles. In March 1939, the Australian Government announced that the Bristol Beaufort bomber was to be built in Australia. For a nation which at the time had no aircraft production capabilities, this was a huge challenge for the local industry. However, the Australian government, alarmed by developments in Europe and the Pacific, was looking ahead to a time when the nation might not be able to rely on Britain as its sole supplier of military equipment. With the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, Australia embarked on a major industrialisation program. With Australia�s first mass produced aircraft, the Wirraway trainer, already being built at Port Melbourne by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, the Department of Aircraft Production established the Beaufort Division on nearby land. The manufacture of a modern twin-engined aircraft required the establishment of factories and the training of personnel in new skills - remember this was at a time when Australia did not even have a local automotive industry - and it is a credit to those involved that these facilities were created in less than twelve months. The aircraft required almost 40,000 components and most of these were contracted out to over 600 firms. Seven factories handled the major sub-assemblies which were then transported to the main assembly plants. The Beaufort program made significant use of the existing workforce and skills of personnel in the railway workshops at Newport Victoria, South Australian and New South Wales in addition to training new employees. The first Australian Beaufort flew in August 1941, and was one of a batch of 180 ordered by the RAF for use in the Far East, however when Japan entered the war in December, it was agreed that all Beauforts would be taken over by the RAAF for the defense of Australia. Although not one of the glamor aircraft of the war like the Spitfire or Hurricane, the Beaufort's contribution in the Pacific should not be underestimated, establishing an impressive record in operations against Japanese forces in New Guinea. They attacked shipping in all areas of the South-West Pacific as well as bombing and strafing land based supply dumps and troops. They were also used for routine convoy protection and coastal reconnaissance. I don't know where the rest of the plane went!!!! Well worth a zoom!