Spitfire mirror variations

The Guy Martin Program mentioned the use of an MG mirror on N3200.

Standard fitment to the MG sports cars of the time (and many other British sports cars) would have been the Lucas type 160 mirror as replicated here and sold by many other MG spares companies. This mirror was still in use post war as it is on my fathers 1954 MGTF

http://www.vintagemgparts.com/mirror_arms.html

I don’t know how this differs from the Desmo mirror already mentioned – Desmo were also in common use by car manufacturers of the time – except to say the Lucas has a single fixing centrally mounted on the back and the Desmo mentions a two lug fixing but I can’t find any pictures of it.

Presumably the surround mounting was then made locally in the workshop at the squadron. It is similar in design to some Brooklands era race cars I’ve seen but there wouldn’t have been many of those to steal so would have been copied from pictures I guess.

Not Spitfire but an interesting mod..Third post down.
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/600984/2742

Supermarine didn’t start to fit mirrors until September 1940, but there are stories of pilots going to the local car dealers, and getting their own (your Triumph items, perhaps?)
In December 1940, a leaflet was issued, telling units how to fit their own, and it called for “26AJ/24855 Mirror, Desmo Type 44 (2 lug attachment.)”
An “improved” mirror was introduced in December 1942 (sorry, don’t know the type) on all Marks, except P.R.

Not Spitfires but Hurricanes at Duxford, according to this chap.
“They had the Messerschmitt and they would try to get behind our boys where they couldn’t see them and hit them up the tail,” he said. “One day my section leader said go and get some car rear-view mirrors. Flight Lieut Pearce has designed some brackets so we can fit them in our planes. Try and get 50 so there is a mirror for everyone. I got a WRAF to drive me into Cambridge and I went round the car dealers. I told them to them out of the second-hand cars. I got the 50 mirrors and they fitted those into the Hurricanes so they could see what was going on behind them, and that modification saved quite a few of our pilots.”

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/king_s_lynn_battle_of_britain_veteran_returns_to_duxford_1_3857743

Like his quote about Bader.

What about any originals left? Surely there must be somewhere?

Thanks Fouga, you pipped me to the post. Yes, I came across a picture of N3200 last night, although the detail on the side on the ‘new’ N3200 shows more bolts/screws than the b & pic above from Mark12 which only shows 2. The only period ones I’ve seen show just 2 bolts.

The mirror on N3200 was made using an assessment of a range of photographs of which this was the best.

Mark

Goodwood – Interesting.

I’ve been down at Goodwood for the last couple of days and yesterday John Romain dropped by the Boultbee Academy to meet a notable, bringing N3200 with him

[ATTACH=CONFIG]231055[/ATTACH]

I happened to notice, though the image doesn’t show it brilliantly, that this Mk1 is fitted with the mirror more or less as seen at #2

I don’t doubt there’s many a close-up picture to be found on the internet if you search.

Moggy

Just out of curiosity, which Mk I would this be?
Mark

P9503 Wooden replica

Thank you Edgar, is there a publication I could find that shows this? The on from 41 Sqn above shows a two-bolt side fixing, but others have 4 bolts per side.

According to the leaflet, you need drawing 30030 sht 33, and it implies that you need to remove four already-fitted screws (2 x 6 BA & 2 x 4 BA,) then use the holes as a template to drill four holes into the mounting bracket 30030/541, countersink the 4 BA holes, then refit the bracket using 4 & 6 BA screws (not bolts) + nuts.

Our Mk1 a will have ………

Just out of curiosity, which Mk I would this be?

Mark

Thank you Edgar, is there a publication I could find that shows this? The on from 41 Sqn above shows a two-bolt side fixing, but others have 4 bolts per side.

Supermarine didn’t start to fit mirrors until September 1940, but there are stories of pilots going to the local car dealers, and getting their own (your Triumph items, perhaps?)
In December 1940, a leaflet was issued, telling units how to fit their own, and it called for “26AJ/24855 Mirror, Desmo Type 44 (2 lug attachment.)”
An “improved” mirror was introduced in December 1942 (sorry, don’t know the type) on all Marks, except P.R.

Pilots from 41 Squadron. Tony Lovell and Norman Ryder in the photo too if my memory isn’t too bad.

Hugh, Hugh, Barney Magroo, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub taking the picture… To be honest they may not be known…

The centre one is S/Ldr Finlay, his name is on his, and I presume it is his, Mae West.

Some names to these guys would be nice !

Steve”P”

I’ve found this good example. ?.