Serving RAF Pilot Memories from 'Battle of Britain Film

Excellent work Mk12 – thank you very much! I shall print off your notes and use them for refrerence when I next watch the film.

Regards,

Seafuryfan,
The identity of ‘Bumps a daisy’ Spitfire AI-H.
At least two Spitfires were used for this sequence – the ‘flying pass’, the ‘taxi in and stop’, the ‘cut to the cockpit’ followed by ‘the walk away’.
The ‘flying pass’ is a Mk IX by virtue of the long Merlin, symmetrical shallow radiators and the long intake fairing. So it is MH415, MH434 or MK297, the three ‘Spitfire Productions’ machines, all of which carried the code AI-H during the span of the filming.
The principal variances and identifying features on these three machines are exhaust system, round or flared, smoke generating attachment, underbelly camera box, strobe machine gun attachments, the famous short underbelly aerial and, if on the ground, 10 ¼ inch wheels. After that it is down to a study of the minor variations in basic camouflage application, artificial distressing of the livery by the film technicians, natural oil stains, and paint chipping all compared against an archive of reference photographs.
The ‘taxi in and stop’ sequence machine is a Mk XVI or ‘Markaddie’ in deference to Hamish Mahaddie who master minded the acquisition and gathering of all the aircraft. Key indicators in this shot are, it is moving under power, the 12 inch wheels, the lack of navigation lights and the fuselage frame 11 behind the pilots seat. This is one of the high back, as opposed to low back converted Mk XVIs brought up to taxi condition – so SM411 or TB382. Distinctive camouflage and various paint chippings on the starboard engine cowling fasteners identify this as TB382. The walk away shot, at North Weald, appears to be TB382 also, with SM411 to the rear. Both these machines were fitted with three blade props for the majority of the filming.

The training sequence ‘takka takka takka takka’ are combinations of the Mk IXs all three of which were coded both AI-A and AI-H during the filming. In all probability this was not filmed in one take and is a composite of takes. With my main video player duff and only the crudest of flashing freeze frame on my secondary machine I will wait for the DVD to pronounce 100% on these combinations of identities.

Interestingly those who have the ‘Dark Blue World’ DVD with special effects feature, which uses footage from the BoB film, can see how with digital manipulation the code letters were changed on a pair of Spitfires actually in flight from CD-M and CD-E to AI-A and AI-H respectively.

Mark12

Thanks guys, especially for the tip on the MH434s aerial Dezz. I’ll look out for it on the next viewing.

I think skippers aircraft, in that part of the film coded asAI-A N3310 is MH434 as I am sure I can see the little aerial sticking out the bottom of it, don’t know the other one though.
Dezz

Seafuryfan,
My offer to identify BoB film Spitfires was based on ‘post an image’. I will however run the tape and freeze frame the ‘bumps a daisy’ and come back to you. Of course this will get easier when the UK Region DVD is released.
Mark12

Oh yes Mk 12!

Under the influence of red wine (at time of writing), the identities of the following ac would be appreciated….

AC that ‘bounces’ after bad landing (“one of your earlies…tried to land without wheels…”)

Two ac that do the subsequent ‘ Training sortie’.

That’ll do for now MK12 – may I agree with you on your choice of Spitfire – Alex Henshaws preffered type.

MH415 confirmed. Before the exhaust change.
Anybody out there with BoB film Spitfires that need an identity?
Post away.

Did Tim Fly this one. I think the aircraft is MH415 but I could be wrong.!

I think you may be correct Pembroke, it would make sense, the bloke saying “mine”, its nice to see someone else other than me and seafuryfan have a bobf fetish.. 😀 not forgetting, of course Moggy and Miss York’s stockings. 😉

Dezz 🙂

I think that Dezz is almost correct, but I am sure that the actual wording is ‘did anyone see mine go in’.
This would be to substantiate a claim for a kill.

Or is it possible that I have seen this film too often?

Regards

Pembroke

Thanks Ashley 😉

Re: Serving RAF Pilot Memories from ‘Battle of Britain Film

Originally posted by Seafuryfan

…If anyone is able to contact Robert Rudhall, please could they bring the this thread to his attention – I’m sure he will be interested.

Regards, [/B]

He may already have seen this thread, but I’ve forwarded to link to him just in case 🙂

Ashley

How about Needles and Pins by The Searchers? For years I thought the lyrics were:

“I can tell by your smile you think I’m well hung…” :p

Bee Gees – How Deep is Your Love
“… when you come to me in a submarine”

Good link, could be there for days.

(Feel quite smug, realised where they got the site name from in a minute or so)

If you like this stuff..

www.kissthisguy.com

passes a few minutes :p

Abba – Super Trouper

“… when I saw you last night at Tescos”

Moggy

Sorry for late reply Dezz, away with work.

Of course! It all makes sense now. I’ve been telling BofB mates for years about this and they’ve been scratching their heads. Thanks for solving the mystery.

Mind you, I also swore for years as a kid that Hot Chocolate said
“I believe in murcos”! (“Where ya from….you sexy thing” etc)

I know the part you are talking about and I am sure he says, “did anyone see one go in” referring to a heinkel the other pilot says he shot down.
Dezz 🙂

Spencer Flack would have shown them – he fitted four strobe lights into the cannon ports of G-FURY. I saw them in action in 1980 at Shoreham on an awful day and they were outstanding.

By the way, can you pin down something with me?

Remember after the Norway HE111 battle and the pilot comes out of the office after speaking to the Into after the Into says ‘Only a third of a kill laddy, a third’ – remember that?

As the camera follows him out of the office, you hear one of the three pilots who were sitting in the Int Hut say something like:

“Anyone seen my (sounds like) goldfish?”

And someone else says:

“Didn’t know you were with us”

I think the last speaker are referring to one of the pilots who was in the battle and who is talking about a kill Dezz, and I know its not ‘goldfish’ that the first speaker is saying.

What is he saying?

Sorry my post seemed to make sense when I wrote it, but reading it back now looks like im asking you where you got it from. 😀
yeah it does look like a model (winking Hurricane gun ports) its nice to see all the aircraft as opposed to seeing the most of the wings chopped off as in my old 4:3 version.
Dezz
🙂