Old Photos – 2

Many thanks for that, Mark! I might just buy that big Tamiya Spitfire kit yet….!

Dazdemodeller request.

Detail shots of TB900 GE-D

Note minute RAF serial on the tail to the rear of the frame 19 break line.

Upper wing roundel

Didn’t even know he had flown a XVI!

A little added interest from Eric Dessouroux in Belgium:-

Prior to TD237 replacing TB900 it had been the personal Spitfire of ‘Johnny’ Johnson when 349 “Belgian” Squadron was under his command in 135 RAF Wing.

A first for me to see JEJ codes on a Belgian liveried Spitfire.

Mark

Image:- Eric Dessouroux Collection

I ran these images past Belgian Historian Daniel Brackx.

He had a very similar image in his collection. By burning out the contrast with PSP the under-wing serial is confirmed as TD237 with code GE-D…the TB900 replacement.

Mark

EXcellent, BTW

It will be a Medevac, not a Casevac, A Casevac is from a battlefied, a Medevac is from one place to another point of treatment.

He will be giving the prop a good bootful to get it off the splines.

Does it really matter?? the photos are fanatastic! I hope you find more!

Not the famed TB900, is it?

I hadn’t considered that, but you may well be correct. Good spot.

This shot of TB900 shows the camouflage and ‘Winston Churchill’ stuff coming off and the non standard rear view mirror on a low back is noted.

Mark

“Supermarine Spitfire LF.16 TB900/GE-D “Winston Churchill” of 349 Squadron CO Raymond “Cheval” Lallemand being stripped

of its paint to become one of two overall silver painted “presentation” aircraft of the unit (together with TE191/GE-G “Stad Gent”).

As TB900 crashed shortly after the repaint, a third aircraft (TD237) was used which thus became the new silver GE-D.”

Not the famed TB900, is it?

I am indebted to ‘Credible Sport’ for access to these very small originals.

After some ‘work’ they reveal that the Mk XVI Spitfires are painted in Post WWII Belgian Air Force livery.

They are from a batch of some 26 Spitfires loaned by the RAF to Belgium in 1946 pending delivery of Mks IX and XIV in 1947/8.

Mark

It’s a Woolly area, but generally a casevac is whipped off the battlefield stabilised at a medical facility then medevaced back to a major hospital etc, casevac being the initial recovery and treatment, medevac being shipped back when stabilised, I can understand the text as it confuses the press and those in the forces. Basically the casevac is the trauma urgent one.

TonyT
As I told a previous poster, I only printed the captions as they were written on the back of the photos.
Surely a casualty does not have to occur on a battlefield? 🙂

CS

EXcellent, BTW

Casualty evac. This is the aircraft I travelled in from Singapore. Notice the British nurse under the port engine.

It will be a Medevac, not a Casevac, A Casevac is from a battlefied, a Medevac is from one place to another point of treatment.

Considering your life depended on the engine I was surprised to see people clambering all over it in post #18.

He will be giving the prop a good bootful to get it off the splines.

What wonderful photos. The picture of the group in front of the Auster in Japan December 1954, seems as if the numerals of the serial are 516. This hopefully is VF516 which saw service in Korea and Japan and is now a Terrier 2 G-ASMZ based at Eggesford.

Martin

Lovely pictures. A couple of quick comments. It is interesting to see the asymmetric carriage of a fuel tank on the starboard wing of the Typhoon

In this photo?

Isn’t there a 45 gal tank and two rocket rails on each side?

Ref Post No.8 – I think the a/c at the rear – far right is a Tomtit.

Halton Pics are great for ex Apps.

Thanks for posting these great pics. Credible Sport,
The RAF Halton ones are great to me, especially that first one of the march line up of Apprentices about to leave the (New ) Airframes Workshops, to go back to barracks. Been there, seen it and done that (88th Entry Airframes). I would have been in the Pipe band that played as they marched and led Formation across Main Point Cross roads. (Side drummer)– ( Underpass ??? never heard of that. ) Like others in here, I was surprised to find these (NEW) Workshops were up and running in WW2, wheras the “Old Workshops”(Engines trades,etc. ) dated from WW1.

Also looking at that first Airfield Pic. with Biplanes in and see the Instructer in dust coat standing in front of his team, notice he has a metal chevron displayed on his arm. That was a common “Halton” Ground Trades Instructors thing as they were still using these up to and beyond my time there, (Late 50’s ) And I’m pretty sure each Instructor made his own.

Rest of pics. are wonderful to look at to, especially the Typhoon/Tempest ones.

Bill T.

The crashed Spitfire XIV at Sylt appears to be a 412 Sqn RCAF aircraft, possibly coded VZ*A, NH??5. That might make it NH905, recorded as damaged beyond repair in a flying accident on 19 December 1945 (412 attended an armament practice camp at Sylt between 8 and 21 December 1945). The unusual underwing serial presentation, with the letters on one side and numerals on the other is something I’ve only seen before on 411 Sqn Mk.XIVs, also on APC at Sylt around that time.

Wonderful photos. Thanks for posting.

Interesting to see the 3 bladed prop on the Typhoon in 1945 – I’d thought that most had been changed over to 4 blade by then.

Elwick

Well, it did appear in service before the Mk.II, so perhaps it’s understandable… The Mk.I, III and IV Tempests did not go into production, the Mk.II was delayed by problems with the Centaurus. These things happen.

Graham Boak

The photo of the Tempest I has the following caption written on the back:-

‘Tempest I standing in R & I hangar June Sylt 1946’

I have put this caption under the photo in good faith.

When I meet my uncle in the afterlife I will be sure to ask him about it 🙂

CS