Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with Yorkshire Air Museum before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | LV907 |
|---|---|
| Type | Handley Page Halifax B.III (composite reconstruction around Halifax B.II HR792) |
| Fuselage source | Halifax B.II HR792, crashed on take-off at Stornoway, 13 January 1945 |
| Recovered | May 1984, from a farm on the Isle of Lewis |
| Wings | Outer wings from Henry Potter; centre section and intermediate wings from Hastings TG536 (RAF Catterick) |
| Markings | Port: LV907 'Friday the 13th', 158 Sqn. Starboard: NP763 'H7-N', 346 'Guyenne' Sqn |
| Real LV907 | 128 operations with 158 Squadron; survived the war; later scrapped |
| Status | On display |
| Where | Yorkshire Air Museum, York |
The story of LV907
This is not the real LV907. The core of the airframe is a fuselage section from Halifax B.II HR792. On 13 January 1945 HR792 was wrecked on take-off at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis. Its undercarriage came up before it was airborne.
A local crofter, Mr McKenzie, bought the fuselage section and used it as a hen coop. It sat on his farm until May 1984, when the museum recovered it and took it to Elvington.
The museum then spent more than ten years rebuilding a complete aircraft around it. The outer wings came from Henry Potter. The centre section and intermediate wings came from Handley Page Hastings TG536 at RAF Catterick. One registry gives TG556 instead, plus parts from Halifaxes LW687 and JP158.
The finished aircraft carries two identities. The port side is painted as Mk.III LV907 of 158 Squadron. The starboard side represents Mk.IV NP763 'H7-N' with French roundels, for 346 'Guyenne' Squadron, which flew from Elvington.
The real LV907 joined 158 Squadron after the unit had lost seven Halifaxes coded 'F'. Its crew leaned into the bad luck, naming it 'Friday the 13th' and decorating it with a skull and crossbones and an upturned horseshoe. It went on to fly 128 operations, a record for any Halifax, and survived the war. It was later scrapped as surplus.
Seeing LV907 today
The Halifax is displayed indoors at Elvington; walk round both sides to see the 158 Squadron and French 346 Squadron markings.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire Air MuseumYork, North Yorkshire | £17 | 54 | Halifax 'Friday the 13th' — the world's only complete Halifax reconstruction, honouring the type that flew from this very field —… |
Also known as: Friday the 13th · Halifax HR792 · Halifax NP763 · H7-N · Elvington Halifax
- https://yorkshireairmuseum.org/handley-page-halifax-iii/
- https://warbirdregistry.org/halifaxregistry/halifax-hr792.html
- https://ruudleeuw.com/YAM_yorkshire_airmuseum-2025.htm
- https://www.historyanswers.co.uk/history-of-war/month-sees-70th-anniversary-friday-13th-bomber/
- https://lancaster-archive.com/bc_sqn-158.htm
- https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/266031