87 squadron Hurricane LK-?

re;

The c/o’s a/c makes sense. any pics anybody?

Daft suggestion but it happens these days that some comment is left on a form and taken literally instead of being checked like this so the form would have said GZ-? and was taken as what should be put on, a precedence set and others followed.

Stranger things have happened.

In some cases the Station CO’s personal mount was given one of his Sqn codes followed by ?.

An example of which is Spit MJ730 which carries the code GZ-?

Hi,
I recall it was once explained to me it was used as literally a question ?, Like why was a Y.
Supposedly used when a type of aircraft not normally used, was allocated to a squadron,the mark was used as a sort of a mod/ministry type joke against the pen pushers.
when a mistake was made by those who allocated aircraft movements.

Say for an extreme example, a hurricane being delivered to a spitfire squadron,
or a mg aircraft delivered to a cannon equipped unit.
etc
Then it would be given a ? or Y code letter.

Intresting to know if anyone else was given this explaination I only heard it once.

cheers
Jerry

Have seen photos of a RAAF 79 Sqn Spitfire UP-? and RAAF 453 Sqn Spitfire FU-?, also saw a photo of an A/C in the Mid East can’t remember type but it had a -? on Sqn code and the caption said the a/c was build out of several wrecked airframes and as no one knew which was the main airfame the a/c was given -? as a code

Something that I have often wondered!

c’mon, spill the beans someone:)