Spitfire markings

And now we know why Mike needed this info!

http://www.19squadron.co.uk/

Hi Mike, thanks for your reply, toughy that. If I had to pick it would be K 9795. This Spitfire joined 19 Squadron: September 27, 1938 and moved to 64 Sqdn April 18, 1940. On July 13, 1940 it was hit by AA fire while dogfighting with Me 109s and made a wheels up landing at Hawkinge. Pilot, Sgt A.E. Binham was uninjured. It then moved to 603 Sqdn, September 29, 1940 before moving on to 222 Sqdn, October 14, 1940. On Oct 16 it suffered an engine failure and carried out a forced landing at Tillingham Hall; the u/c was damaged, Pilot P/O H.P.M. Edridge was uninjured. K 9795 then moved on to 58 OTU, January 12, 1941 and was converted to mainenance airframe no 4867 January 1, 1942. The well known pic of it is attached.

Best Wishes.
Robert.

19 Squadron Mk1 Spitfire

Robert, thanks for speedy reply.
It won’t be K9794 in the foreground then. I’ll get my green and black paints out and alter the serial number if you would like to choose the one you think has the best or, most interesting, provenance.
Of course, I could change it to one of the K9800 serials, but it has taken so long to get the curve right on the K979…

Mike

Wow! Very impressed with your kind responses and photo sources. Markings are all set, but now I want to choose a serial number from the initial batch of Mk1s delivered to 19 Sqn: K9789 thru K9799.

Does anyone know if any of these Spitfires went on to fight in the Battle of Britain with any success? I gather that K9792 was written off after a landing mishap. Especially curious about the fate of K9794.

Hi Mike,
According to Shacklady, Spitfire, K 9794 was SOC October1, 1939 after a crash, April 18, 1939. K 9795 served with 64 & 222 Sqdns In the Battle. It was damaged while with 64, July 14 and damaged with 222, October 15. K 9793 was with 92 Sqdn when it went missing September 11, 1940. K 9799 was damaged, September 2, 1940 while with 222 Sqdn. Hope this is of help.

Best Wishes.
Robert.

19 Squadron Mk1 Spitfire

Wow! Very impressed with your kind responses and photo sources. Markings are all set, but now I want to choose a serial number from the initial batch of Mk1s delivered to 19 Sqn: K9789 thru K9799.

Does anyone know if any of these Spitfires went on to fight in the Battle of Britain with any success? I gather that K9792 was written off after a landing mishap. Especially curious about the fate of K9794.

Directorate – just a fancy name for a department (growing), run now by a Director. 🙂

Mark

Thx a lot !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having just put a ton of decals representing them on model aeroplanes it was bugging me what they are for. Now i know.

The W/T marking show that the AID ( Aeronautical Inspection Directorate) have verified the electrical bonding of the metal parts. This took the form of wire connections to prevent the build up or sudden discharge of static electricity and the consequent risks of radio interference or fire.

Mark

There you are Fred you have the answer now !

Steve

The W/T marking show that the AID ( Aeronautical Inspection Directorate) have verified the electrical bonding of the metal parts. This took the form of wire connections to prevent the build up or sudden discharge of static electricity and the consequent risks of radio interference or fire.

Mark

It stands for Wired Throughout – an indication that the panels are electrically bonded.

That’s funny, I’ve repeatedly heard the explanation W/T = Wireless Telegraphy – which admittedly doesn’t make sense for the depicted locations…

(Good to see my photo posted like this 🙂

Really ?

But why as many markings everywhere on the plane ?

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/1997/11/stuff_eng_detail_spitfire1.htm

With what are used markings W/T on the fuselage ?

The number with the top of the square is a number of sub-contractors it seems to me.

Thanx !

Hi Fred41, got a feeling they are some thing to do with wireless & telegraphy or transmitter.

Steve.

Ooops, I forgot I had that one online, too 😮 Sorry.

http://www.spitfiresite.com/photos/historic/2007/09/another-official-photo-taken-in-autumn.html

A couple of profiles that may help, not that they are the definitive answer.

Best Wishes.
Robert.

Hi Martin,
That pic on your site, formation one, second aircraft up: K 9797, has red tail marking. This is the one I stated in my earlier posting. The others are open to debate, the old Yellow looks like white etc. There are colour profiles with this colouring but who can say who is right?

Best Wishes.
Robert.

I’ve seen the other photo you mention and agree that more than one colour was used.

One of these photos should be this. By comparison with the roundel colours I’d say that the numbers look like white.

http://www.spitfiresite.com/photos/historic/2007/09/early-spitfire-mk-i-no-19-squadron.html

/Martin

That photo appears in the book Camouflage and Markings Fighter Command by Goulding and Jones (as well as appearing in a few other books). Yes, that one (K9795 ‘A’ scheme cammo) is (as you note) said to be white and may have been the Squadron Commanders aircraft. However both that book and the book Fighting Colours by MJF Bowyer also talk about the yellow and the red 19s being the ‘norm’, as mentioned in my first post. Interestingly in the book Fighter Squadron (a history of 19 sqn) by D Palmer, there is a pic of six of the 19 Sqn aircraft – five of the 19s are light and one is dark – which confirms the view that more than one colour was used. BTW, there is also a picture of 5 aircraft in the book Fighter Squadrons of the RAF by J Rawlings which shows four light and one dark 19 on the fins.

Regards

Paul

One of these photos should be this. By comparison with the roundel colours I’d say that the numbers look like white.

http://www.spitfiresite.com/photos/historic/2007/09/early-spitfire-mk-i-no-19-squadron.html

/Martin

Hi Mike

I found two (fairly poor) photos of those Spitfires in books. Let me know if you want me to scan them and send them to you.

BTW, now that I realise who you are, you might like to know that I have all five remarqued Lightning prints by you taking pride of place in my study!

Regards

Paul