Happy Birthday TomW – 57 OTU Pix

try www.hannants.co.uk for decal sheets – they stock code letters and numbers etc in a range of scales and colours etc.

And yes, the a/c looked so different to the ones we see in museums / at airshows (or don’t see, in the case of Janie). They were tools back then, with a limited life expectancy. But I bet they could, in the main, fly as well, if not better than those still around.

AR213 – 57 OTU etc

Nice photos – I love to see the old black and white ones, they’re just so nice to look at, especially seeing the Spitfires as they were then!

I’ve built a model of AR213 in her 57 OTU markings, although with it being 1/72 scale, and the markings handpainted (though not too rough) it doesn’t look too impressive.

Much more impressive is my 1/24th AR213 in her 609 Squadron guise, between whose undercarriage the 57 OTU version sits! I’m currently finishing off a 1/10scale flying version (fun-scale) in the familiar 609 Sqdn markings.

Any idea when AR213 might be flying again? She’s got to be my favourite Spit, as I’d seen her many times at the old Blue Max Movie Museum at Booker, and last time (1996) had a very entertaining tour around the museum AND curtained off restoration department – which WASN’T on the actual tour!

Thanks, Snapper. E-mail on its way to you.

No problem mate. What size would you like, and whats your address? My email is: [email]609photos@tiscali.co.uk[/email]

Sales are sales! All buyers are welcome! And welcome to our ‘home’, too.

And any reference from Merlin is bad – he’s a Scot and tight with his money. And when he does pay, it’s with those Monopoly notes you have up there!

Snapper,

First post, so be gentle with me!

I was well impressed with the Turbinlight photo and wondered if it would be possible to purchase a photographic print to add to the Archive?

I realise you may be a bit wary of a newcomer asking a question like this, but Merlin knows me (we’ve met at the launch of my East Lothian at War book) if you want a ‘reference’.

Yeah, i’ve done that mate. Been Googling since yesterday – nearly Google-eyed I am. Have a few units to check out though, and don’t have the books. That RAF Commands site is very handy for units / dates, but I need more specific things right now.

I know you have probably done the searches by now but here a link to RAF Commands website that lists most of the bases the OTU visited.

http://www.rafcommands.currantbun.com/Fighter/57otuF.html

Hope it helps some.

By coincidence (these pix were taken 1941 – 42 by my friend who had by then left 609), it turns out that Babe Haddon was at 57 OTU from 2/10/41 until 9/12/41. Screwball Beurling was also there – and was a right scruffy bugger who wouldn’t polish his buttons etc.

Just thought i’d add that. And now, I need gen on this unit if anyone has any! To use to write my Johnny Wiseman / Alan Haddon story.

Cheers.

Excellent series of photos Snapper, Ive kept an eye out for anything on 57 OTU for a long time and am really pleased to come across these.
Hope you’re able to show some more, its good that someone had taken the time to record the images and also look after them for so long.
For anyone interested in RAF Hawarden/ Broughton airfield have a look at ‘BROUGHTON from Wellington to Airbus’ by Norman Barfield. isbn 0-7524-2130-1
A little more on AR213 can be found in SPITFIRE flying legend by John Dibbs & Tony Holmes(60th Anniversary BoB).
The airfield now echos to the sound of the almost daily Beluga flights, and the irregular T&G’s of RAF Valleys Hawks.
The mud that can be seen on most of the photos has been present again whilst the area used by the OTU 60 years ago has been turned into the West factory for production of the A380. Wings.
Cheers Paul

OOPS, sorry Ian, totally forgot to re-email you regarding the logbook etc as my inbox got well and truly filled last time you tried sending them and then I think you were off on your travels so we missed each other so to speak. I’d love to see the logbook and anything else relating to 53 OTU you have as I’m trying to piece together some history from ‘213’s past and the part where 53 OTU is concerned is quite lacking in any content thus far so any assistance would be greatly appreciated 😉 BTW are you interested if I tell you that ‘213 has a wingtip from an EN— serialled Spit/Seafire?

Tom

WAHEY! nice one there Mr Snapper, some cracking shots, the one with the boss flying her made me grin too 😉 It’s really nice to see pics of her in service. So far as it goes I know that she was built by Westlands in mid ’41 and entered service with 57 OTU shortly afterwards, going on until having a cat C accident and then being transferred to 53 OTU after repairs were carried out (probably where the wings were changed). I’m in the process of reading Buerling’s book ‘Malta Spitfire pilot’, he was trained by Lacey among other instructors at 57 OTU during 213’s time there so it’s quite likely that she ‘bounced’ the young ‘Screwball’. Postwar the machine changed ownership when Allen Wheeler bought her and later on donated it to what is now known as The Shuttleworth Trust. She languished there for a few years before Hamish Mahaddie got together as many spits as possible for the forthcoming production of ‘The Battle of Britain’ as all of us know from Robert’s excellent show he did for us in the new year. After Simpson Aero Services had finished the major work needed to get her airworthy she sported a 4 bladed prop complete with Merlin 35 and it is rumoured that they also fitted the later-style windscreen which is currently off the airframe while the rebuild takes place. As soon as production had ceased the aircraft was owned by the film company and then passed on to The Hon Patrick Lindsay who owned her until ownership once again changed when Victor Gauntlett, then chairman of Aston Martin, bought her. Victor sold her to Sheringham Avaition a few years ago and it is under their instruction that we at PPS are rebuilding her to MKI status. Just thought I’d fill everyone who doesn’t know her history in on it as I know that Mark (AKA Snapper) was asking.

(chuffed) Tom 😀

Happy Birthday TomW – 57 OTU Pix

what a superb set of images, many thanks for sharing them.

I must admit, I think Hawarden has a mole problem – look at those holes !

phlyer phil.

AR213

I know I’ve posted this before Tom, if you’re interested I have the Flying Log for W/O R G E Wilson who flew AR213 on several occasions while she was with 53 OTU at Kirton in Lindsey, though I don’t have a photo of the old girl I can send a shot of Wilson and copies of the flying log.

More up to date…

Here’s one I prepared earlier:

http://www.keypublishing.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=320&highlight=turbinlite

Hello Snapper,
Any change of you posting any pictures of Turbinlite Havocs on this forum???

Just finished reading “Pursuit Through Darkened Skies” by Michael Allen DFC**. What a fantastic reading 😀 😀

Michael Allen and his pilot Harry White were posted to 29 squadron in 1941, and their flight commander was no other than the great Guy Gibson. After a couple of screw ups on the sqaudron, Gibson had them posted away, to 1455 Flight flying Tubinlite Havocs at the time.

Allen and White became ace crew later in the war on Beaufighters and Mossies. Allen credits it to the time they had to catch up while on 1455. Just want to see what the beast looked like in the flesh…….

Regards

By the way – anyone know anything about 57 OTU and/or AR213 while we’re here?

Well, the rest of the negs haven’t turned up as yet, though a couple of prints did:

57 OTU Spitfires

Familiar photos! The shots of AR213 both with and without the stripes will not disappoint.

YEEEEHAAAAAAA! Thanks mate, they are some truly superb piccies, I’ll be gawping at them for a long time this evening I can tell you. I can already see one which looks very much like it has the nose of ‘213 in it (spitfires at dispersals, the spit with the three rings on the spinner but with covers on the cowl 🙁 As for the reason behind my interest in 57 OTU is that what with working on AR213 I’m looking into the history of the old girl a bit more as little is known about her service life after Lacey’s exploits, and there is little extant of her time with 53 OTU later on in the war after a minor prang which, I think, necessitated a double wing change seeing as she now has a MKI wing and a MKII wing, not to mention aelerons from a MKV which was sent to Russia and was never heard of again! Thankyou once again bud, I’ll buy you a beer or two next time we meet up 😉

Tom

P.S. they are a brilliant birthday pressie, sorry I couldn’t post earlier only I was forcing cake down me neck last night, you know how it is, can’t let it go to waste 😉