609 Sqd. Question for 'Snapper'

Thanks Snapper,just the ticket,top notch info as always.Wonderful portrait too,those Orde sketches are always something special. I know there was a chap from Palestine who’s counted as one of The Few,but I’m sure I read somewhere that there was a chap from Yemen too,but there’s nobody of that natianality mentioned in the BofB casualty lists-am I dreaming??

Aggy was killed in the Western desert, 16th May 1941, flying Hurricanes with 274 sqdn. Buried in Libya.

Aggy was half Armenian, half French, full rascal. His brother actually flew under the same CO, Horace ‘George’ Darley, later in the war, with 151 OTU at Risalpur, India.

Have yet to do a biog on him, but 7 1/3 confirmed destroyed shows he was no layabout.

Interesting stuff Snapper.I’ve been up to the IWM at Lambeth a number of times,and I always take a certain amount of time to give R6915 a proper look over.She’s a true BofB veteran and IMHO is the best museum-bound Spit anywhere,with her original late-war camouflage with all the untouched wear and tear. Just a shame they had to cut holes in her and string her up! 🙁
Do you have any more info on Noel Agazarian??I read somewhere that he was killed in early July of 1940,but unless there is an amazing coincidence of names,your records show this to be wrong.I seem to remember he was from Yemen,is this correct?

Nothing identifiable from the scanned in stuff. Which means I have to bugger around amongst the unscanned and unsorted boxes. Oh woe is me.

Search fee of one pint of Stella!

Many thanks for that ‘Snapper’,
By coincidence both R6915/PR-U and X4590/PR-F where included in this painting by Wilf Hardy, commissioned by Aircraft Illustrated in 1986.
I was so impressed with the accuracy and draugtsmanship, the best I had seen on any Spitfire painting, I ended up buying the original from Wilf. It is the only aviation related wall hanging in my house, outside my office, and it still gives me immense pleasure.
Mark

Perhaps. Will take a look tonight. The last one will have been after they reformed (disbanded 1946, then back in business a while later with Spits / Mossies / Meteors etc). Very unlikely I have a pic of that one (perhaps amongst some uncatalogued negs, but postwar is not going to happen for a while yet!) Will have a look tonight. One problem is that the serial codes weren’t always applied, the other being that I may have pix of them that aren’t identifiable as them.

The following may be of interest, direct quotes from F/Sgt Tich Cloves diary.:

12/8/40 Plt Off Miller R6915 ME110 Damaged

13/8/40 Plt Off Ostazewski R6915 2 JU87s Probably Destroyed,

25/8/40 Plt Off Agazarian R6915 and Plt Off Gaunt R6631 Destroyed ME110 between them

7/9/1940 Plt Off Agazarian R6915 had a bullet somewhere in his oil system and force landed successfully at White Waltham

25/9/1940 Plt Off Agazarian R6915 and Plt Off Curchin N3288 together HE111 Destroyed,

26/9/1940 Plt Off Agazarian R6915 ME109 Destroyed and 2 DO17’s Damaged

27/9/1940 Plt Off Agazarian R6915 ME110 Destroyed,…..Bullet holes found in X4234 and R6915

30/9/1940 Plt Off Agazarian R6915 HEIII Damaged,…..Plt Off Agazarian in R6915 had his glycol system shot away and force landed at Warmwell.

7/10/1940 Fg Off Dundas R6915 ME109 Destroyed…..Fg Off Dundas R6915 was hit by an explosive shell and received numerous small pieces in his leg. Landed safely at Warmwell and walked casually to Sick Quarters

We had to wait until the 21st Oct, but it was inevitable! Flt Lt Howell X4587 and Plt Off Hill X4590 had the honour of doing the deed, destroying a JU88 which had been machine – gunning Old Sarum. (NB: 100th A/c destroyed)

25th Oct. Plt Off Curchin Landing X4590 forgot to do something. In his own words “I forgot to move the handle”. The handle in question being the one to let the wheels down; aircraft in the usual state.

14th Nov. Sgt Hughes – Rees was detailed to air test X4590 after various new parts had been fitted, including flaps. He decided to test the flaps before take – off, forgetting the starter trolley was still in position and bent the new flaps. Test somewhat delayed.

28/11/1940 Plt Off Ogilvie X4590 arrived back with a shell hole through the rear of the fuselage and tail plane.