Manufacturer: Bristol

Model: 162H

Name: Beaumort

Type: Night fighter-bomber

Date: 1941

Status: Service test

Country: Great Britain

Service: Royal Air Force

Designation: Beaumort PR.1

The most elegant of the Beaufighter family of aircraft was most certainly the Type 162H Beaumort. Not to be confused with the Bowmore flying-boat, the Beaufort bomber and the Beaumont bomber project (which he reused the basic Type 162 number from), the Beaumort was the only high-wing variant of the family, a stretched Beaufighter with enlarged tail and a gun turret on top. Another unique feature of the Beaumort was the use of two 2000hp Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 engines with the same 4-bladed propellers that were used on the Spitfire PR.19 fighter. The Beaumort performed remarkably well but the Griffon engines were badly needed on the fighters, and without them, the type was only marginally better than the existing Beaufort so it was decided not to proceed with it.

Below right is the Beaufighter NF.2 picture I used as a basis, and the Spitfire PR.19 picture I snatched the engine from. I think the nose was adapted from a Beaufort fighter. I picked a different background image to make the scene look more dramatic... By the way, there has never been a Bristol Bowmore flying boat. Not yet at least.... As for the name "Beaumort"... Beaumort? Wonder where I got that one from... LOL

• "The Beaumort is one SMART aeroplane, yes sireee! And with two Griffons I bet it goes like crazy!" (PR19_Kit)
• "My personal archives suggest this name came from the designer nickname Mortimer, and French secretaries found him handsome ("beau" in French). How this design bureau joke became an official name, I dont know, but the roots are there." (Tophe)
• "Elegant. The perfect word to describe this stunning design! is it just me or does it deserve a streamlined fish name?!" (SPINNERS)
• "The Beaumort is quite an elegant piece of work. I'd have to wonder... Beaumort - good death, quite literally... could link to the spectacular death that would come from it crashing, similar to the Thud, the Clunk, and such? Still, beautiful design, man." (Sauragnmon)

There is nothing about the Beaumort's design that seems unfeasible, but I guess the Griffons, like the Merlins, were expensive engines that the RAF prefered to save for the sleekest and fastest fighter types.

As for the name Beaumort... well, it's my actual surname, which originated in France's Limousin area and has now virtually disappeared. Less than 50 people are known to use it in the whole world (and about 250 more with the spelling "Beaumord", nearly all located in Brazil!).