Maharaja of Rajpipla – Spitfires

Gents, my thanks

Gifts of War, Henry Boot, Ray Sturtivant

Windsor Lad

Mk Vb W3009. Named after 1934 winner of St.Leger. TOC MU Brize Norton 7/6/41. Allocated 611 Squadron 25/6/41 to fly circus, rhubarbs and sweeps fron Hornchurch. Damaged and placed 41 Group Deposit Account 10/6/41 (sic) sent for repair to Air Service Training five days later, to await collection 8/1/42. Flown to 33 MU Lyneham 8/2/42, transferred 20/6/42 to 307th Sqn 31st Fighter Group USAAF at Atcham. Cat Ac damaged 28/8/ port undercarriage collapsed after 2nd Lt J.M.Winkler mad a normal landing. Repaired by 16/9/42. Reverted to RAF charge 33 MU 24/10/42 and sent to Philips and Powis at South Marston 10/3/43 for fuel system modifications. Delivered to 12 MU Kirkbride 20/4/43, allocated 312 Sqn Churchstanton 25/5/43, convoy patrols, Roadstead, Rhubarb and anti-Rhubarb operations until squadron moved to Skeabrae 24/6/43. Transferred 234 Sqn Churchstanton 4/7/43, moving to Honiley four days later and West Malling in August. Joined 504 Sqn Redhill 10/8/43 to fly mainly bomber escorts. F/Lt B.F.G.Darby claimed Fw 190 damaged 12/8/43 and another at the end of the month. The Sqn move to Castletown for a rest and W3009 went to 313 Sqn 22/9/43 at Ibsley for sweeps and Ramrods. Allocated 118 sqn Skeabrae 2/6/44, sent to 3501 SU Cranfield 17/6/44, delivered to 313 Sqn Skeabrae 11/7/44. Damaged Cat Ac 11/8/44 when undercarriage collapsed when F/Sgt F.Epstein landed. Sent to Scottish Aviation Preswick 6/9/44. 29/12/44 back to 313 Sqn Bradwell Bay which was equipped with Spitfire Mk IXs. Sent back 6/1/45. Delivered to 45 MU Kinloss four days later, transferred to 6 MU Brize Norton 8/3/45, 18/3/45 61 OTU Keevil. SOC 4/12/45 Marshalls to be scrapped. IWM photo HU88708, also censorship photo1551067

NB. Mayor of Swindon’s Fund made donation of £5,309 in 1940. The resulting aircraft has been quoted as W3009 named Wiltshire I or just Wiltshire. However photos of W3009 in factory finish show it as Windsor Lad.

Rajpipla

Mk Vb W3308. TOC 6 MU Brize Norton 6/6/41 allocated 92 Sqn 17/6/6/41 flyong sweeps, Circus and Rhubarb operations from Biggin Hill. 24/6/41 Sgt W.J.Payne destroyed two Bf 109E and claimed another 25/6/41. On return from later flight the same day Sgt A Pietrasiak overshot landing, engine fialed when pilot open up, turned sharply to avaoid another aircraft, undercarriage collapsed. Sent for repairs at No 1 Civilian Repair Unit Cowley 1/7/41. Delivered 33 Mu Lyneham 30/741, allocated 266 Sqn Wittering 13/9/41. 11/1/42 F/Lt Allen-White, on convoy patrol, gave chase with two other Spitfires a Ju 88 but it was lost in cloud. Only two Spitfires regrouped and despite search no trace of W3008 and pilot were found.
IWM censorship photos 155085 & 155105.

Also donated Spitfire Embargo serial unknown and Hurricane Rajpipla II

According to Gifts of War, “Windsor Lad” was W3309. This aircraft has also been noted as Wiltshire or Wiltshire I. W3308 was “Rajpipla”. The Maharajah was also responsible for a Hurricane Mk.II b with a BD8xx serial, which served as a night fighter”Rajpipla II” and an unidentified Spitfire called “Embargo”. Embargo and Windsor Lad were successful racehorses from the Maharajah’s stable.

http://www.worldnavalships.com/directory/airframeprofile.php?FrameID=2249

http://www.avialogs.com/en/aircraft-production-data/spitfire-and-seafire/w3308.html

Windsor Lad is listed as serial W3308

Source:
Spitfire – The Story of a Famous Fighter (A Harleyford Publication ISBN 0 900435 11 9)

I cannot see the other one listed in this publication.