Flt Lt James Nicolson VC and the RAF's Display Typhoon

Ah….possibly! Apologies.

Hi Andy

You may have me confused. Are you referring to my brother, Steve, who’s post I quoted?

Nick – good to see you here. And thank you for your comprehensive account.

I never did get a set of the decals, by the way! Can you prod anyone?

Well done indeed. Strangely though, earlier this year I was packing up some old American modelling magazines (IPMS Quarterly vols 1 to 20) for sale and in an early issue was a profile of Nicholson’s Hurricane, complete with devil badge. So this is something that was known about in the ’60s but had been forgotten.

Originally posted by DWW

Hi folks.

I’m the ‘independant researcher’ Andy has referred to previously (Hi Andy!). Just a few words from me, if I may, to explain where I fit in to all this. You should also understand that I set out to answer two questions –

Was there such an emblem on Nicolson’s Hurricane on and prior to August 16, 1940.
2. What did it look like?

Sometimes an innocent surprise can be the catalyst for a chain of events that are at once, unexpected and out of step with anything that could be reasonably anticipated.
*
I received a phone call from Airfix Model World (AMW) Editor Chris Clifford back in the earlier part of this year, in the wake of my test shot build of the new 1/48 Airfix Hurricane, to advise he’d received a complimentary email. The test shot didn’t come with decals, so I was free to choose the markings. That was an easy decision for me, as a long term admirer of James Nicolson VC and so the kit was duly published in the AMW March 2015 issue as ‘GN-A’ P3576 in a special Battle of Britain supplement.
*
The email was from Jim Nicolson, nephew of James (JBN) and within the body of the narrative was the remark “I thought you and Steve might be interested to know that, according to his widow, my uncle apparently had a red devil figure painted on the nose of P3576”. This was an intriguing revelation. I had no such marking on the Aviaeology decal sheet I’d used in the Hurricane build and so contacted Terry Higgins at the company, who confirmed he had no knowledge of such a thing either.
*
Dialogue with Jim (a really lovely guy) revealed that he’d visited JBN’s widow, Muriel many times before she died, who had told him of a letter JBN had written to her in 1940, prior to the VC engagement on August 16, 1940 in which ‘Nick’ mentioned that he’d had a ‘red devil’ emblem painted on his Hurricane. Jim confirmed that Muriel’s mind was sharp as a tack and that he regarded her recollection as entirely accurate.
*
Jim also disclosed to me during our initial contact, that JBN’s uniform and Mae West were on display at the Tangmere Museum of aviation and that there was a red devil emblem to one side of the display case, which he speculated, was possibly a German bomber Geschwader symbol. I was curious about that, as JBN’s only known ‘kill’ was the Bf110 he took down over Southampton. Given that the ‘110’ was not a ‘bomber’ per se, I couldn’t personally see what relevance to the Tangmere display might lay in an arbitrary German symbol, so with that in mind, ‘parked’ those thoughts temporarily.
*
In essence, I’d reached ‘critical mass’ at this point and determined to ‘chase down’ this elusive red devil that I’d never previously seen appear on any decal sheet or any finished model that I was aware of. First order of business then, was to Google it to a standstill and happily a particular enquiry phrase threw up a comment by one Andy Saunders, on Key Publishing’s forum way back in 2009, that the emblem was ‘…a detail often overlooked’.
*
Next up, was some background checking on Andy (who, to my everlasting shame, had never heard of before) that quickly revealed him as a respected aviation historian, who had worked on some very notable restoration projects, among them the recent ‘Guy Martin’s Spitfire’, so I did the next logical thing and emailed him to ascertain the source of his assertion in 2009. He was just off on a project for three weeks, so there it rested. I picked up threads with Andy on his return and a short while later he dropped back to me and attached to his email was a scan of an IPMS article drawn up by the late Doris Reeves and illustrated by Gary Davidson both from the Souders-Earhart chapter of the IPMS in the USA – the piece having appeared in ‘Wings and Wheels’ sometime before Doris passed away in 2000. Entitled “Heroic Hurricane”, it included a port side profile drawing of ‘GN-A’ and a detail illustration of the red devil emblem. The narrative made mention of having been derived from the November 30, 1940 article in the now defunct Illustrated London News (ILN).
*
The ILN piece, it turned out, was a double page centre spread, dominated by a painting by noted war artist, Bryan De Grineau and endorsed with the statement “Specially drawn for the Illustrated London News by our special artist Bryan De Grineau from details personally supplied by Flight Lieut. Nicolson VC”.

The narrative itself included “On the side of his ‘Hurricane’ he carries as a symbol a little devil making a defiant gesture”. This material, together with Muriel’s personal testimony eradicated any doubt that there was indeed, such a symbol in Nick’s Hurricane on August 16, 1940. What remained, was to establish, as far as might be possible without photographs, what the emblem looked like.

It’s perhaps useful to add here that my discussions with Jim Nicolson revealed that Tom Neil advised him that ‘Nick’ caused some degree of irritation on 249 due to his ‘fastidious’ approach to things and always wanting them to be ‘right’.*

According to Jim, (who has the actual telegram and one ‘Nick’ sent to Muriel, his wife, on being told he would receive the VC) Nicolson dictated a telegram to a policeman by the roadside immediately after being shot down. He is reported as having given the police officer ‘a rocket’ for adding an ‘h’ erroneously to his surname. Fastidious indeed. I mention this, as ‘Nick’ would not have ‘signed off’ on the ILN material without first checking its veracity.
*
So, back in research mode, the emblem on the cabinet at Tangmere matched that in the Souders-Earhart article and further background checks then revealed that Andy Saunders was actually the founder of the Tangmere Museum (something else I wasn’t aware of). It was clear therefore that the origin of the Tangmere painting had to be established and so I picked up with Andy again. He kindly verified that he had indeed commissioned the now late Michael Payne to paint the emblem and that the Souders-Earhart article was the source of it.
*
I then felt compelled to examine the ILN edition myself and lashed £33.50 (putting my money where my mouth is) for an original example from the publishing date. It tallied with the Souders-Earhart article and as such, it seemed reasonable to share the outcome with Terry at Aviaeology. I asked if he would revise his decal presentation to include the red devil and happily, he agreed to do so, in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/24 and that was the conclusion of my initial investigations, that were obviously driven from a modelling perspective.
*
As you might imagine, I was pretty content at the fact that I’d taken Jim’s email ‘aside’ and united the pieces of an aspect of aviation history that had become separated and ‘lost’ (and had zero cognisance among the world wide modelling community) and that it all pertained to one of my great heroes…but there was more to come and it really was unexpected.
*
I was touring Facebook a little over a month ago when I tripped over a three quarter frontal shot of a Eurofighter Typhoon in dark earth and dark green. On its flank was what looked like ‘GN-A’. I emailed Jim to ask if he knew about it – he didn’t and as someone who regularly gives illustrated talks about Nick, was very excited by this and keen to know more, so I lapsed into research mode again and traced the Tiffie to Coningsby. After a couple of transfers I ended up with Yvonne Masters in their Media Comms Office. I explained my Airfix Model World role and my contact with Jim and asked if they had a Nicolson tribute aircraft. Yvonne confirmed that they did and we spoke about it for quite a while, during which (surprise, surprise) I mentioned the matter of the red devil emblem and that I would share the material more particularly mentioned above with them. As the conversation wound down, Yvonne added that there was going to be an official press unveiling on Thursday 21 May. I suggested they’d benefit from having Jim and his Nicolson artefacts present on the day and guess what, no surprise, I said it was essential I go too and happily ‘The Angel of Coningsby’ gave it her blessing.
*
I duly forwarded my evidence to Yvonne and requested that the RAF place Nicolson’s emblem (as depicted on the painting at Tangmere) on their Tiffie as a further mark of respect to Nicolson. This, I was advised, initially went to the SEngO of 29® Squadron, who I now know to be Bryn Kirby, who helped begin the process of examining my application. Well, the correspondence naturally flowed between Coningsby, me, Jim, Andy and Chris, until I spoke to Yvonne last week and pressed her about the status, to which she replied that it was looking ‘98.5% certain that the emblem would be applied’. On Wednesday of this week, the day before the unveiling, I received an email from Coningsby verifying that some 75 years after Nicolson’s emblem had last appeared in the skies over Southampton, it would once again take flight. It was an emotional moment – more so when Jim and I were escorted to the aircraft on Thursday, ahead of the press pack and saw his symbol emblazoned on the Tiffie. Next to it, was stencilled “Flt. Lt. James Nicolson VC.
*
I’ll never forget what that engendered in me. A conversation with Bryn on the apron revealed that the sign off within the RAF to my request was “…second in overall command”. Jim and I were later invited to lunch with Ben Westoby-Brooks, the synchro pair display pilot *and Bryn Kirby in the officers mess and later had a very pleasant chat with Andy ‘Milli’ Millikin, current boss of the BBMF, before a tour of the hanger. A truly epic day and it was very evident to me, that Jim’s presence on the day gave a depth and focus to the event that greatly benefitted the RAF and the media in consequence. He’s going back for a gala dinner with senior RAF personnel and to give his famous talk about ‘Nick’ to the squadrons and personnel on base.

And now, some thanks and recognition from me. First up, has to be Jim Nicolson, without whose email and ‘aside’ about the red devil, I’d never have gone galavanting off on all this in the first place or ended up at Coningsby and that leads me naturally on to Andy Saunders, who’s very kind co-operation in providing the Souders-Earhart scan and answering my many questions with patience and consummate professionalism led me to Tangmere and the painting he commissioned. Thanks also to Tangmere Museum for ‘minding’ me so closely and attentively while I was on-site and for co-operating with my photography request.

So, we all played a part in a piece of modern aviation history but do you know what? It’s not actually about Jim, Andy, Tangmere or me – it’s about James Nicolson VC and his astonishing act of bravery over Southampton in those dark days of 1940, when the Germans stood on the North French coast and planned their invasion of Britain.

May I close with the following.

In Memorium

With the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in mind, I regularly navigate the Purley Way near to where I live, either by car or motorcycle as the need dictates. Heading south, the road ascends through playing fields, past an area that once was Croydon Aerodrome, the busiest international airport in Europe in the 1920s and 30s and later a front line fighter station when the Germans stood on the French coast in that hot summer of 1940 and contemplated an invasion of Britain. A large RAF Battle of Britain memorial now stands by the road in commemoration of the events and sacrifices connected with the area. I often wonder, as I motor past, one of the hundreds of thousands who do so every year, just how many are consciously aware of what the memorial and others like it actually stand for. How many hear the sound of Merlins in their mind, imagine Hurricanes bumping across the grass at full throttle and their twisting pursuits of an enemy bent on our wholesale destruction, punctuated by the rattle of .303 machine guns. A minority I suspect.******

With that thought in mind, I’d like to dedicate my AMW Hurricane to the memory of all those RAF pilots, wherever they hailed from, who fought and died selflessly in the skies above my home.

This modeller will never forget them.

Great piece of research and credit where it is due for sniffing this one out, once and for all. 😎

A nice little piece of newsreel from the period…albeit rather stilted in a Mr Chumley-Warner kind of way!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ERvv0yaV9M&feature=youtu.be

My personal vote of thanks

Simon Spitfire’s post reminded me that saving Flt Lt Nicolson’s was a damn close run thing! The story behind it being in the museum at Tangmere is probably not well known, and possibly not known at all by Pete P and the current team at Tangmere Museum and so they may be interested in the background.

When I went to see Muriel Nicolson in 1979 I asked about the uniform which I had discovered she had certainly kept post war. She was surprised that I knew she had kept it, and confirmed that she still had it, but: ‘…nobody will be interested in the old things. They are like a bundle of rags. I keep meaning to put them in the bin.’ I persuaded her that wasn’t a good idea and to let me have them for display in the (then) embryonic Tangmere Museum. The museum didn’t open until 1982 but I kept them in a bank vault until then. Without a doubt, they would have been thrown away were it not for my fortuitous visit in 1979.

On that same occasion I asked if I could see the VC, but she couldn’t remember where it was! Eventually, she found it rattling around in an old Sharp’s toffee tin inside her work box. I persuaded her to ask nearby RAF Church Fenton to look after it for her, and they duly did so. The rest is history, but I’d just add that it was on that occasion that I ‘discovered’ the medal was incorrectly dated 10 November 1940; neither the date of his action or the date of the relevant London Gazette. And when it was sold at auction for £110,000 to the RAFM there were only two bidders in the room. One an agent acting for the RAFM, and the other bidding for the RAFM. Thus, as I think Simon Spitfire will be able to confirm, the RAF Museum ended up bidding against itself for the medal.

Hi Andy:

Been meaning to post this for the last week but time and all that…
With reference to Nick’s apparel and medal I’m personally grateful for your decisive intervention in saving the uniform, Mae West and shoe when you did and finding a secure home for the VC at Church Fenton.
That and your involvement in the founding of the Tangmere Museum has been a source of great pleasure for folk like me and many, many others, to then have the chance to see and enjoy artefacts from a man of great courage and determination. Without you, there would be no uniform and Tangmere would have been immeasurably poorer as a result.

Thanks again Andy…and take a bow… 🙂

Best regards

Steve

I suggest the Saint logo was adopted from a current novel of the time.Leslie Charteris was well established and his Saint books best sellers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prelude_for_War

That’s a great picture.

I don’t think anybody knows why, but here is a shot of him.

Thanks for that, have read up on him a bit, but can’t see an explanation as to why he carried the saint logo, perhaps Andy S knows, as I did see a mention of him with regards to the search for Sgt Ellis

That will be Sgt John Hugh Mortimer Ellis 85 Squadron KIA 1.9.40

Hopefully not too far off topic, (new draconian forum rules notwithstanding) but this has been bugging me all week, in one of the older TV programmes I saw a fleeting glimpse of a BoB pilot with the “saint” emblem on his Mae West, something I remember, but don’t! I’ve tried googling all names relating to the character, and looked on the BoB pilots list, but am still non the wiser; please put me out of my misery, who is he?

Superb,thanks everyone for taking the time to write accounts here.As a former researcher for the British Aviation Archaeogical Council I can recall the satisfaction of solving members requests.(I still have all my research files )

Your joint end results just prove how many keen people there are and keeps the cynical side of me under control.

Gary Brindle.

Simon Spitfire’s post reminded me that saving Flt Lt Nicolson’s was a damn close run thing! The story behind it being in the museum at Tangmere is probably not well known, and possibly not known at all by Pete P and the current team at Tangmere Museum and so they may be interested in the background.

When I went to see Muriel Nicolson in 1979 I asked about the uniform which I had discovered she had certainly kept post war. She was surprised that I knew she had kept it, and confirmed that she still had it, but: ‘…nobody will be interested in the old things. They are like a bundle of rags. I keep meaning to put them in the bin.’ I persuaded her that wasn’t a good idea and to let me have them for display in the (then) embryonic Tangmere Museum. The museum didn’t open until 1982 but I kept them in a bank vault until then. Without a doubt, they would have been thrown away were it not for my fortuitous visit in 1979.

On that same occasion I asked if I could see the VC, but she couldn’t remember where it was! Eventually, she found it rattling around in an old Sharp’s toffee tin inside her work box. I persuaded her to ask nearby RAF Church Fenton to look after it for her, and they duly did so. The rest is history, but I’d just add that it was on that occasion that I ‘discovered’ the medal was incorrectly dated 10 November 1940; neither the date of his action or the date of the relevant London Gazette. And when it was sold at auction for £110,000 to the RAFM there were only two bidders in the room. One an agent acting for the RAFM, and the other bidding for the RAFM. Thus, as I think Simon Spitfire will be able to confirm, the RAF Museum ended up bidding against itself for the medal.

Fabulous and engaging turn of the thread, so enlightening. Thanks all.

Moggy

Not forgetting of course 5/JG52 also used the Red Devil emblem!

Thank you DWW for such an exhaustive summary of the chain of events (sometimes frustrating!) and I remain delighted to have played a small part in facilitating all of this and seeing the final outcome, although I was sorry that pressure of work prevented me from taking up the kind invite from RAF Coningsby to attend. As you say, and as I alluded to in my post at #7, it is all about honouring James Nicolson VC and not about individuals or organisations.

And thank you Simon Spitfire for your kind comment.

Also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI1hMLtaaBk

Hi Andy.

Oh, that’s me…’exhaustive’ and ‘exhausting’ in broadly equal measure lol. Yes, there was the odd bit of unexpected frustration but as we both know, a good heart and honest intentions always overcome and the outcome is rewarding beyond words. The modelling community will soon have a very broad awareness of Nicolson’s personal emblem and be able to depict his ‘cane more accurately than before (thanks to Aviaeology Decals) and Kursad at Caracal Decals is on the cusp of knocking out a commemortive EF Typhoon sheet that’s ‘bang up to date’ – another boon for modellers.

Actually, my narrative left out that Yvonne asked me to draft a ‘history’ of Nicolson’s red devil, for inclusion in the official press pack and that I happily did and Chris has given me a guest editorial slot in next month’s AMW to boot.

As Bilbo Baggins said, “It’s a dangerous business Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road and if you don’t keep your feet there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” 😉

Happy days

Steve
Must remember to do the lottery tonight… :-))

Thank you DWW for such an exhaustive summary of the chain of events (sometimes frustrating!) and I remain delighted to have played a small part in facilitating all of this and seeing the final outcome, although I was sorry that pressure of work prevented me from taking up the kind invite from RAF Coningsby to attend. As you say, and as I alluded to in my post at #7, it is all about honouring James Nicolson VC and not about individuals or organisations.

And thank you Simon Spitfire for your kind comment.

Also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI1hMLtaaBk

Hi folks.

I’m the ‘independant researcher’ Andy has referred to previously (Hi Andy!). Just a few words from me, if I may, to explain where I fit in to all this. You should also understand that I set out to answer two questions –

Was there such an emblem on Nicolson’s Hurricane on and prior to August 16, 1940.
2. What did it look like?

Sometimes an innocent surprise can be the catalyst for a chain of events that are at once, unexpected and out of step with anything that could be reasonably anticipated.
*
I received a phone call from Airfix Model World (AMW) Editor Chris Clifford back in the earlier part of this year, in the wake of my test shot build of the new 1/48 Airfix Hurricane, to advise he’d received a complimentary email. The test shot didn’t come with decals, so I was free to choose the markings. That was an easy decision for me, as a long term admirer of James Nicolson VC and so the kit was duly published in the AMW March 2015 issue as ‘GN-A’ P3576 in a special Battle of Britain supplement.
*
The email was from Jim Nicolson, nephew of James (JBN) and within the body of the narrative was the remark “I thought you and Steve might be interested to know that, according to his widow, my uncle apparently had a red devil figure painted on the nose of P3576”. This was an intriguing revelation. I had no such marking on the Aviaeology decal sheet I’d used in the Hurricane build and so contacted Terry Higgins at the company, who confirmed he had no knowledge of such a thing either.
*
Dialogue with Jim (a really lovely guy) revealed that he’d visited JBN’s widow, Muriel many times before she died, who had told him of a letter JBN had written to her in 1940, prior to the VC engagement on August 16, 1940 in which ‘Nick’ mentioned that he’d had a ‘red devil’ emblem painted on his Hurricane. Jim confirmed that Muriel’s mind was sharp as a tack and that he regarded her recollection as entirely accurate.
*
Jim also disclosed to me during our initial contact, that JBN’s uniform and Mae West were on display at the Tangmere Museum of aviation and that there was a red devil emblem to one side of the display case, which he speculated, was possibly a German bomber Geschwader symbol. I was curious about that, as JBN’s only known ‘kill’ was the Bf110 he took down over Southampton. Given that the ‘110’ was not a ‘bomber’ per se, I couldn’t personally see what relevance to the Tangmere display might lay in an arbitrary German symbol, so with that in mind, ‘parked’ those thoughts temporarily.
*
In essence, I’d reached ‘critical mass’ at this point and determined to ‘chase down’ this elusive red devil that I’d never previously seen appear on any decal sheet or any finished model that I was aware of. First order of business then, was to Google it to a standstill and happily a particular enquiry phrase threw up a comment by one Andy Saunders, on Key Publishing’s forum way back in 2009, that the emblem was ‘…a detail often overlooked’.
*
Next up, was some background checking on Andy (who, to my everlasting shame, had never heard of before) that quickly revealed him as a respected aviation historian, who had worked on some very notable restoration projects, among them the recent ‘Guy Martin’s Spitfire’, so I did the next logical thing and emailed him to ascertain the source of his assertion in 2009. He was just off on a project for three weeks, so there it rested. I picked up threads with Andy on his return and a short while later he dropped back to me and attached to his email was a scan of an IPMS article drawn up by the late Doris Reeves and illustrated by Gary Davidson both from the Souders-Earhart chapter of the IPMS in the USA – the piece having appeared in ‘Wings and Wheels’ sometime before Doris passed away in 2000. Entitled “Heroic Hurricane”, it included a port side profile drawing of ‘GN-A’ and a detail illustration of the red devil emblem. The narrative made mention of having been derived from the November 30, 1940 article in the now defunct Illustrated London News (ILN).
*
The ILN piece, it turned out, was a double page centre spread, dominated by a painting by noted war artist, Bryan De Grineau and endorsed with the statement “Specially drawn for the Illustrated London News by our special artist Bryan De Grineau from details personally supplied by Flight Lieut. Nicolson VC”.

The narrative itself included “On the side of his ‘Hurricane’ he carries as a symbol a little devil making a defiant gesture”. This material, together with Muriel’s personal testimony eradicated any doubt that there was indeed, such a symbol in Nick’s Hurricane on August 16, 1940. What remained, was to establish, as far as might be possible without photographs, what the emblem looked like.

It’s perhaps useful to add here that my discussions with Jim Nicolson revealed that Tom Neil advised him that ‘Nick’ caused some degree of irritation on 249 due to his ‘fastidious’ approach to things and always wanting them to be ‘right’.*

According to Jim, (who has the actual telegram and one ‘Nick’ sent to Muriel, his wife, on being told he would receive the VC) Nicolson dictated a telegram to a policeman by the roadside immediately after being shot down. He is reported as having given the police officer ‘a rocket’ for adding an ‘h’ erroneously to his surname. Fastidious indeed. I mention this, as ‘Nick’ would not have ‘signed off’ on the ILN material without first checking its veracity.
*
So, back in research mode, the emblem on the cabinet at Tangmere matched that in the Souders-Earhart article and further background checks then revealed that Andy Saunders was actually the founder of the Tangmere Museum (something else I wasn’t aware of). It was clear therefore that the origin of the Tangmere painting had to be established and so I picked up with Andy again. He kindly verified that he had indeed commissioned the now late Michael Payne to paint the emblem and that the Souders-Earhart article was the source of it.
*
I then felt compelled to examine the ILN edition myself and lashed £33.50 (putting my money where my mouth is) for an original example from the publishing date. It tallied with the Souders-Earhart article and as such, it seemed reasonable to share the outcome with Terry at Aviaeology. I asked if he would revise his decal presentation to include the red devil and happily, he agreed to do so, in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/24 and that was the conclusion of my initial investigations, that were obviously driven from a modelling perspective.
*
As you might imagine, I was pretty content at the fact that I’d taken Jim’s email ‘aside’ and united the pieces of an aspect of aviation history that had become separated and ‘lost’ (and had zero cognisance among the world wide modelling community) and that it all pertained to one of my great heroes…but there was more to come and it really was unexpected.
*
I was touring Facebook a little over a month ago when I tripped over a three quarter frontal shot of a Eurofighter Typhoon in dark earth and dark green. On its flank was what looked like ‘GN-A’. I emailed Jim to ask if he knew about it – he didn’t and as someone who regularly gives illustrated talks about Nick, was very excited by this and keen to know more, so I lapsed into research mode again and traced the Tiffie to Coningsby. After a couple of transfers I ended up with Yvonne Masters in their Media Comms Office. I explained my Airfix Model World role and my contact with Jim and asked if they had a Nicolson tribute aircraft. Yvonne confirmed that they did and we spoke about it for quite a while, during which (surprise, surprise) I mentioned the matter of the red devil emblem and that I would share the material more particularly mentioned above with them. As the conversation wound down, Yvonne added that there was going to be an official press unveiling on Thursday 21 May. I suggested they’d benefit from having Jim and his Nicolson artefacts present on the day and guess what, no surprise, I said it was essential I go too and happily ‘The Angel of Coningsby’ gave it her blessing.
*
I duly forwarded my evidence to Yvonne and requested that the RAF place Nicolson’s emblem (as depicted on the painting at Tangmere) on their Tiffie as a further mark of respect to Nicolson. This, I was advised, initially went to the SEngO of 29® Squadron, who I now know to be Bryn Kirby, who helped begin the process of examining my application. Well, the correspondence naturally flowed between Coningsby, me, Jim, Andy and Chris, until I spoke to Yvonne last week and pressed her about the status, to which she replied that it was looking ‘98.5% certain that the emblem would be applied’. On Wednesday of this week, the day before the unveiling, I received an email from Coningsby verifying that some 75 years after Nicolson’s emblem had last appeared in the skies over Southampton, it would once again take flight. It was an emotional moment – more so when Jim and I were escorted to the aircraft on Thursday, ahead of the press pack and saw his symbol emblazoned on the Tiffie. Next to it, was stencilled “Flt. Lt. James Nicolson VC.
*
I’ll never forget what that engendered in me. A conversation with Bryn on the apron revealed that the sign off within the RAF to my request was “…second in overall command”. Jim and I were later invited to lunch with Ben Westoby-Brooks, the synchro pair display pilot *and Bryn Kirby in the officers mess and later had a very pleasant chat with Andy ‘Milli’ Millikin, current boss of the BBMF, before a tour of the hanger. A truly epic day and it was very evident to me, that Jim’s presence on the day gave a depth and focus to the event that greatly benefitted the RAF and the media in consequence. He’s going back for a gala dinner with senior RAF personnel and to give his famous talk about ‘Nick’ to the squadrons and personnel on base.

And now, some thanks and recognition from me. First up, has to be Jim Nicolson, without whose email and ‘aside’ about the red devil, I’d never have gone galavanting off on all this in the first place or ended up at Coningsby and that leads me naturally on to Andy Saunders, who’s very kind co-operation in providing the Souders-Earhart scan and answering my many questions with patience and consummate professionalism led me to Tangmere and the painting he commissioned. Thanks also to Tangmere Museum for ‘minding’ me so closely and attentively while I was on-site and for co-operating with my photography request.

So, we all played a part in a piece of modern aviation history but do you know what? It’s not actually about Jim, Andy, Tangmere or me – it’s about James Nicolson VC and his astonishing act of bravery over Southampton in those dark days of 1940, when the Germans stood on the North French coast and planned their invasion of Britain.

May I close with the following.

In Memorium

With the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in mind, I regularly navigate the Purley Way near to where I live, either by car or motorcycle as the need dictates. Heading south, the road ascends through playing fields, past an area that once was Croydon Aerodrome, the busiest international airport in Europe in the 1920s and 30s and later a front line fighter station when the Germans stood on the French coast in that hot summer of 1940 and contemplated an invasion of Britain. A large RAF Battle of Britain memorial now stands by the road in commemoration of the events and sacrifices connected with the area. I often wonder, as I motor past, one of the hundreds of thousands who do so every year, just how many are consciously aware of what the memorial and others like it actually stand for. How many hear the sound of Merlins in their mind, imagine Hurricanes bumping across the grass at full throttle and their twisting pursuits of an enemy bent on our wholesale destruction, punctuated by the rattle of .303 machine guns. A minority I suspect.******

With that thought in mind, I’d like to dedicate my AMW Hurricane to the memory of all those RAF pilots, wherever they hailed from, who fought and died selflessly in the skies above my home.

This modeller will never forget them.

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