I found this interesting picture in an old newspaper today. Sorry about the poor quality, it was printed off microfilm, then scanned and didn’t come out too clearly. But it reads:
“DECORATION WON IN FAMILY SPITFIRE: Squadron-Leader Barrie Heath shows his D.F.C. to his wife and father, who purchased his son’s Spitfire. It is named “Graham Heath” in memory of an older son, who was killed on active service with the Royal Air Force.”
This comes from the New Zealand Herald, dated the 15th of August 1941. Does anyone out there know more about the Spitfire in this unusual set-up. It must have been an unusual case. Imagine on squadron, “No, you can’t fly that one, it’s mine. My Dad bought it for me, so there!”
Anyone got a photo of the plane? Or a Sqn or anything? Was he British? I assume so, no shoulder titles denoting a foreign pilot.
By: steve611 - 21st October 2017 at 12:43
Spiteful
I regret to say that I can’t help with the codes at this point. FY is a given, of course, but the individual letter eludes me at present. Interestingly enough, while I have a copy of the “Flt/Lt Barrie Heath standing on the wing of Grahame Heath” picture from the 611 archive (but no other pictures of it), I can find no evidence that he ever flew it. Barrie Heath was promoted to O/C 64 Squadron a couple of days after P7883 arrived and there is no reference to her flying actively for the first week. It doesn’t exclude it of course, at would seem odd for him not to if it was serviceable, but there is nothing in the records that I have. If anyone knows to the contrary I would love to hear.
By: jack windsor - 21st October 2017 at 10:32
I did read somewhere in the dark and misty past that the sponsor theme was a good morale thingy, but the cost of actually building a Spitfire was way beyond the collections,
There’s the famous MacRobert Reply, where Lady MacRobert having lost her husband in a air crash and three sons in the RAF donated £25000 for a Stirling and four Hurrricanes…
XV Sq. being the Sq. given the Stirling with the name attached, since 1982 the tradition is that every a/c coded “F” was named MacRoberts Reply…
regards,
jack…
this post may contain grammatical errors…
By: Spiteful - 21st October 2017 at 10:30
Steve611…do you know the aircraft code letters the Spitfire carried?
By: steve611 - 21st October 2017 at 10:28
If you want to know his record with 611 Squadron, I can give you chapter and verse.
By: Sopwith - 21st October 2017 at 09:54
Thank you for filling in the details, I had not seen this thread before, very interesting.
By: Spiteful - 21st October 2017 at 08:50
Sorry for reviving a very old thread, but just wanted to close the story on this one. Details of Barrie Heath and a picture of the Spitfire can be found here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrie_Heath
Spitfire was P7883, which ended up crashing in the Peak District in 1943. https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=164190
By: Hatton - 14th April 2004 at 18:29
If it was a similar situation and the we were again fighting for our freedom then perhaps people would raise the money. I would hope so.
Originally posted by Arm Waver
I wonder what the £6,000 would equate to in today’s money after inflation et al…
Couldn’t see people doing a similar thing these days…
By: Mark12 - 14th April 2004 at 18:00
Originally posted by Arm Waver
I wonder what the £6,000 would equate to in today’s money after inflation et al…
Couldn’t see people doing a similar thing these days…
Cost of a Spitfire ‘Then and Now’.
With the embodiment loan items about the same as it costs today.
Well there is a surprise.
Mark
By: Archer - 14th April 2004 at 14:25
Hmm, imagine that…
“Well son, now that you’ve finished training and will be posted to a squadron I’ve decided that for your 21st birthday I will buy you your own JSF/BAe Typhoon/”
“Your mother and I don’t want you risking your life in one of those government subsidised ones. I’ve taken the liberty of choosing the elephant-leather ejection-seatcovers for you and your mother has picked out the panel colours!”
😀
By: Arm Waver - 14th April 2004 at 14:00
I wonder what the £6,000 would equate to in today’s money after inflation et al…
Couldn’t see people doing a similar thing these days…
By: Dave Homewood - 14th April 2004 at 13:58
yes AR, it was indeed a common thing for towns and companies to raise the needed money through Spitfire funds, etc. However I doubt it was common for anyone to buyn one outright and give it to his son’s squadron to fly with. I’d almost think this was a unique story.
Imagine, we could be the first people thinking about and discussing this particular case in 60-odd years. History is great.
The New Zealand Spitfire Squadron (No 485 (NZ) Sqn RAF) used MkII’s and Mk V’s that had been bought by NZ districts. Bill Wells from my town of Cambridge flew ‘Waikato’ as his personal mount for a while. Waikato is the county that Cambridge sits in by the way. One of the chief people running the town’s fundraisers for Spitfires in Cambridge was Mr Mervyn Wells, Bill’s father. So perhaps there is a slight similarity there, but not quite the same thing.
In the 1940 Spitfire appeal Cambridge raised £209. In 1942 the people of Cambridge (less than 5000) raised over £14,000 in the Bonds For Bombers campaign. Shows the difference in urgency when you have the Japs poised to invade.
By: Snapper - 14th April 2004 at 13:54
The parents of (at that time) Squadron Leader Michael Lister Robinson DSO DFC (CO of 609 Squadron) bought him a Spitfire. Can’t recall the serial though.
By: Aileron Roll - 14th April 2004 at 13:12
Dave
Good Post, I think back in them days it was quite common for a company, town, city etc to “sponcer” a Spitfire. I think I read somewhere that is cost about 6000 pounds to produce each aircraft.
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April 14, 2004 at 1:04 pm