Hi,
I’m Xan Berasategui a french (basque) modeler.
I ‘m looking for information about Spitfires Mk V of the 602th sq. based in Kinley between March and July of 1942.
I want to represent the plane of De la Poype, Free French, who flew in team with Paddy Finucane.
I wrote to the 602th sq. museum and they tell me he flew those plane :
BM114, BM156, and BM 128
They had not pics of those aircraft, but send me a picture of another plane of the same period.
I wrote to Roland de la Poype and I told me he couldn’t remenber, but he signed me the pics, which has been a great honor for me.
At the moment I only know they were neither LO / Y seen on this pic, nor LO / W which was Finucane’s airplane. (De la Poype was Paddy Finucane’s wingman and they were very friends)
Has anyboby got pics of spit MkV of the 602th squadron, between March and July of 1942 ?
Does anyone have any information about others airplanes (serial numbers and letters of the plane) ?
Thank you
Xan Berasategui
By: xan - 27th April 2014 at 08:16
Thank you Bob for those precious informations!
Thanks to you I know now about two more code which were not the BM 128 ‘one…
Thanks to brisfire too, but I knew about BM 124…
Xan
By: brisfite41 - 24th April 2014 at 08:24
BM124 was LO-W and carried the name Queen Salote, it was one of three presentation aircraft from the people of Tonga. There is a photo of BM124 in Fighter Squadrons of the RAF and Decals are available in the Xtradecal range
By: Bob - 23rd April 2014 at 22:25
I have a couple of photos of LO-F and LO-J which I believe were flown by John Niven DFC – he was at Kenley as OC A Flt 602 Sqdn during the time Paddy Finucane was OC 602. There is a photo of John Niven plus 3 others pushing out Finucane’s aircraft – “Pushing out the “Boss’s” kite “W””
(EDIT – Just found a group photo which includes “Popeye” De la Poype…)
I am in contact with John Niven’s son and have copies of John’s Logbooks and photos.
Niven flew the following Vb’s –
March-April 1942 (Kenley) – BL288 (14), W3882 (1), P8799 (2), W3709 (3), W3898 (2), R7337 (1), BM161 (31), BM186 (2), BM228 (1), BM142 (5), BM187 (1), W3756 (4), BM113 (3)
MAY-JULY (Redhill) – BM524 (3), BM204 (59), BM385 (3), BM469 (1), BM142 (2), BM245 (1), BR243 (1)
I assume that LO-F or LO-J could be either BM161 or BM204, as they seemed to be his ‘regular’ aircraft? (In October/November 1941 Mk VB, AB848 could have been carrying LO-F code as a couple of photos in the logbook show dogfight damage)
LO-F – http://www.ambaile.org/en/item/item_audio.jsp?item_id=135428
LO-W – http://www.ambaile.org/en/item/item_audio.jsp?item_id=135430
Another view of the ‘push out’ photo – http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10313643&wwwflag=3&imagepos=10&screenwidth=1440
Pilots are Dick Lewis, Dickie Barrett, John Niven and “Ozzie” (at wingtip) – aircraft in the background is LO-Y
Hard to tell from the photo of LO-Y but could the serial end in 86? That could make it BM186?
By: xan - 23rd April 2014 at 20:11
In Brittmodelers, Edgard answer me that:
Your man flew many Spitfires, during that time; unfortunately the ORB lists only serial numbers, and no codes, but he flew BL476 (one sortie); BM114 (2); BM156 (5); BM128 (19); BM145 (1); BM228 (2); BM157 (1); BM385 (1); BM236 (1); BM124 (1); BM201 (5); BL928 (1); BM245 (1);BM292 (1); BM136 (1); BL920 (1); BM133 (3).
Edgar
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April 23, 2014 at 8:10 pm