Huricanes in Battle of Britain film

If that’s true, then it merits a definite 😀

“ML417’s a beauty – wish we still had her over here “

If the promotional artwork for this year’s Legends is anything to go by,it looks as though Mr. Freidkin will be sending her home for the show.Now he has the Mk.14,perhaps ‘417’s stay will be longer than just a fleeting visit for Legends weekend?

Beautiful shot!!!

ML417’s a beauty – wish we still had her over here 🙁

Classic John Dibbs shot…

Nothing I guess, just wanted to show that us Yanks have good taste by having our British allies aircraft on display in our museums. These beautiful birds still fly.

A Sea Hurricane and a Spitfire LFIX.

This has what to do with BofB movie Hurricanes?

Here’s another pic from the same Museum, take a look at the wing tip on the Starboard Wing…

This pic is from the “Planes Of Fame” Museum at the Chino Airport in Chino CA USA.

I promise not to get narky, but the Buchon is NOT a replica. It’s a licence-built version of the Messerschmitt Bf109G, fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin 500 engine.

The Buchons were cosmetically altered to resemble the DB-engined Bf109E – wingtips, tailplane struts, dummy cannons and MGs.

:rolleyes:

The ME 109E’s in this film where all replicas. Easy way to tell is by the location of the engine exhaust. It’s on the top, when everyone knows that the ME 109’s had the DB 600 series engine which was an inverted, Fuel injected, V-12. The birds in Battle of Brittain film where Hispano-Suiza built a/c.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Snapper
[B]Middle name was Lestocq I think – he was HL Gilbert. It is *assumed* (soory, not very historically correct of me I know!) that Lestocq is that.

Thanks Snapper, for the biog I had always been led to believe that Gilbert/Lestocq had been a Hurricane pilot. Would 609 sqd have had any Hurricanes as hacks at the time!

According to my records H L Gilbert died on 29 Jan 1984 does this match your 609 Sqd records.

Septic.

From what I remember at the start of the movie, at least two Hurricanes bit the dust – one of which expires in spectacular style when strafed by a Messerschmitt. Another is seen to explode shortly after, and a third is tipped up on its nose and catches fire.

Presumably these weren’t like that Feggans Brown fibreglass Spitfires from Piece of Cake that were just patched up and repainted after each sequence. :confused:

Great stuff. So at least five of the six Hurricane replicas are still around. One in NZ, one at Gloucester Airport and three at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum. I guess the sixth one is the one they burnt and blew up?

Septic, that article on Angels One Five will be one to look forward to. Where is it being published?

And that photo of the six looks fantastic. Imagine, this ‘could’ have been a scene from Piece of Cake if it were made today.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see that many real Hurricanes together. What is the highest number that have gotten together for an airshow in the modern era? Has it exceeded three?

I remember the days when there were just three flying Hurris, and just 20 flying Spits. Modern technology is brilliant, and it makes me sick that so many airframes were thrown away because they assumed nothing could be done with them – like that Bf110 and the Portugese Hurricanes. I still wonder if Portugal kept any in a museum.

Snapper, I assume Humphrey Gilbert would have been forced to use his middle name as a stage name by Equity. Often actors had to do that if another was already listed with that name. You probably now this already though I guess.

Hawker Typhoon R7713 PR-Z with Peter Raw DFC, Humphrey Gilbert, Roy Payne, ? , ?

Middle name was Lestocq I think – he was HL Gilbert. It is *assumed* (soory, not very historically correct of me I know!) that Lestocq is that.

Biog and pic coming:

119732 Pilot Officer Humphrey Lestocq Gilbert was a pre-war make–up artist in Hollywood, Gilbert became a British Army Officer, transferring to Royal Air Force. He joined 609 (West Riding) Squadron on 30th June 1942 under Sqdn Ldr Paul Richey, on the same day as Roy Payne and Peter Raw, having attended the same OTU. On 30th July 1942 he crash-landed Typhoon R7816 at Ca****er Farm in Cambridgeshire following engine failure. In August he was concussed in another forced landing and went on sick leave. In December he rejoined 609 under Squadron Leader Roland ‘Bee’ Beamont. Gilbert never flew a single operational mission before being ‘bumped off’ the Squadron on 1st January 1943. The Form 540 Operations Records Book records the following:

“Dec 16th…In the evening there is a bit of a party at the Bridge Hotel, Westgate, to celebrate. This includes P/O Gilbert, now returned to the Sqdn…”

“Dec 26th. Apart from 6 eventless patrols, chief activity of Boxing Day is a ‘comic’ rugger match featuring 609 V. The Station. The MO appears in blood stained shorts, F/O Evans in long combinations, P/O Gilbert in pyjamas. Though the Station team look somewhat askance and take the game quite seriously, 609 wins, despite being attacked with soot bombs by a hostile Albacore of 841 Sqdn.”

“Dec 25th…In the evening there is a dance at Doone House, at which the 2 chief sensations are 1. A horse which enters ridden by a soldier and a Waaf, 2. F/O Creteur dancing without, apparently any trousers – the illusion being achieved by the removal of his shirt and rolling his trousers below it.”

Roland Beamont records it thus:

“Presently the IO, Ziegy’, came in and said “I think you should come and see this”, and when I rounded the door it was just in time to see the rear end of a horse turning from the staircase onto the landing above! It then came to a halt on being confronted by bedroom doors through which it could not enter. Despite this its rider, who could now be seen to be Typhoon pilot Humphrey Gilbert, was urging it on, jumping up and down in the saddle and shouting “Tally Ho!” The horse was clearly impressed by all this and, deciding that Christmas gifts would be appropriate, deposited a number all over the staircase and landing. Humphrey saw me, then dismounted; slid down the banisters and saying “Just parking my horse, Sir” disappeared into the bar. As the senior officer present it seemed incumbent on me to do something; but what? Then light dawned – this was surely what administrative officers were for, so summoning the unfortunate Squadron Adj.O, I issued formal orders. He looked rather forlorn and said “What on earth can I do about this” as he viewed the carnage all round. I said “Try ringing the Station Admin Officer”, and rejoined the party. On the following day a terse message came from the Station Commander demanding my presence, but I found rather conveniently that I had to deal with urgent operational priorities, and the excitement soon died down. This was to be the last of the arisings involving Humphrey Gilbert who, commendably, had almost completed his ‘tour’ on the Squadron and who throughout his time with 609 had gained the dual reputations of irrepressible humorist and practical joker, and formidable pranger of Typhoons. He was becoming a problem in fact and when, without any prompting from me, a requirement came in for the name of a pilot ‘finishing his tour’ for posting to Palestine on target-towing duties, Humphrey was just the man for the job!

About ten years later my wife, Pat, and I were attending an air function at London’s Dorchester Hotel when we noticed that ‘Flying Officer Kyte’ was on the programme. Postwar Humphrey had made a famous career on radio and cabaret with his caricature of an RAF fighter pilot, complete with handlebar moustache and stage name of Humphrey Lestoq. Then he came on stage, still the original Humphrey Gilbert, and began his act. His eyes suddenly focused on our table and he stopped, saying “My God, my old CO! Hello Sir, how are you? – Oh, I say, I rather care for that!” Wondering how to escape this with any dignity, I exchanged a few passes with him, and then he went on with his act. As soon as he could afterwards, he advanced firmly towards us and said ‘Dear CO, I’ve always wanted to ask you…how was it that I was suddenly posted to Palestine to fly target towing?” – I still hadn’t the heart to tell him!”

In later years, due to his magnificent moustache, Gilbert became a member of the ‘Handlebars’ club. He was also awarded a children’s television award for ‘TV personality of the year’, being awarded his silver microphone Coliseum, London. It was decided by a panel of eight children that Humphrey Lestocq (HL as he was known, the stooge) and his friend, (often joined by Sarah Swede and Colonel Beetroot) the string puppet Mr. Turnip (invented by Joy Laurey, and whose voice was created by Peter Hawkins) had the edge over Annette Mills and her Muffin the Mule. Incidentally, HL’s catchphrase was “Goody, Goody Gumdrops” while Mr Turnip’s was “Lawky, Lawky, Lum”. He was also renowned as Flying Officer Kyte in the radio show “Much Binding In The Marsh”

Filmography.

1966 Avengers: What The Butler Saw – Character played: Vice Admiral Willows

1964 Life in Danger – Character played: Inspector Bennet

1962 Design for Loving – Character played: Manager

1962 Waltz of the Toreadors – Character played: Huntsman

1962 The Golden Rabbit

1961 Bomb in the High Street – Character played: Reporter

1961 The Court Martial of Major Keller – Character played: Lt. Cameron

1961 Pit of Darkness – Character played: Bill

1961 The Long Shadow – Character played: Bannister

1961 Two Wives at One Wedding – Character played: Mark

1961 The Third Alibi – Character played: Producer

1960 Not a Hope in Hell – Character played: Cricklegate

1959 The Son of Robin Hood – Character played: Blunt

1959 The Unstoppable Man – Character played: Sgt. Plummer

1953 Meet Mr. Lucifer – Character played: Arthur Simmonds

1953 Conflict of Wings

1953 The Good Beginning – Character played: Thorogood

1952 School for Brides – Character played: Jimmy Bradley

1952 Angels One Five – Character played: F/Lt. ‘Batchy’ Salter

1952 Once a Sinner – Character played: Lewis Canfield

1952 Come Back Peter – Character played: Arthur Hapgood

1950 Fake’s Progress – Character played: Commentator

1949 Stop Press Girl – Character played: Commentator

Some more to add from the Form 540, but am still typing it up!

Originally posted by Snapper
[B]Angels One Five is made, for me, by the fact that F/Lt Batchy Salter was Humphrey Gilbert – ex-609 Squadron Typhoon pilot from 1942. Great film.

Snapper, did Humphrey Gilbert use the name Humphrey Lestocq whilst acting or was it a family name.

Gilbert/Lestocq was a big radio star of the time with his Flying Officer Kite character.

Do you have any photo’s of Gilbert whist with 609.

Septic.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DazDaMan
[B]Aha! Then he pulls one up of the six Hurricane replicas from the “Battle of France” sequence at the start of the movie! 😀

Here’s another view of the Hurricane replicas taken at Duxford, sorry about the poor quality the original is rather poor.

Septic.

Angels One Five is made, for me, by the fact that F/Lt Batchy Salter was Humphrey Gilbert – ex-609 Squadron Typhoon pilot from 1942. Great film.

Just been watching Battle of Britain again tonight. Never gets old that film.

Originally posted by Dave Homewood
Thanks Daz, great picture.

Question is, where are the six replicas now (well, we’ve established one is in Omaka, NZ).

One is at the (temporarily homeless) Jet Age Museum at Gloucester Airport.

http://www.jetagemuseum.org/aircraft/hurricane/index.htm

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dave Homewood
[B]On the subject of film Hurricanes, that film list site I linked to lists the following Hurris used in Angels One Five:

“2 RAF Hurricanes Mk.I L1592 (Now Science Mus. “U S/N”) and P2617 (“US/B”, now BoB Flt), and one Hurricane Mk.IIc LF363 (BoB Flt-burnt out) 5 flyable Portugese AF Mk.II Hurricanes . Avro Anson as camera plane. Actual Bf 110 hulk from a dump. Models. “

Questions: What became of the five flyable Hurricanes from Portugal? And how many had Portugal operated and when did they finish using them? Have they still got any in that country?

LF363 did not appear in Angels One Five, over the years the error has been repeated by various publications and internet data bases. If you look at the film and start comparing exhaust stubs, aerials etc the aircraft is clearly PZ865, then owned by Hawkers.

It is thought that the Portuguese Hurricanes returned to Portugal on completion of filming and were later scrapped. I only know the identity of one PAF aircaft BE371.

A major feature on the film is due to be published shortly.

Septic.