WW2 aircraft gate guards

PK664 RAFM Store, RAF Stafford

SL542 USA / Canada

RW382 Airframe Assemblies, IOW (Spitfires never die !!!!)

TB252 USA / NewZealand

LA255 RAF Cottesmore

Dumbspar

Now I could only remember the serial.

It’s Spitfire F21, LA255. Have a pic taken several years ago on a base tour, whilst at Wittering.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/phillip.charlton/witterng.html

I’m actually looking for info on a Tempest 5 SN215 that was on the Gate at RAF Middleton St George, now Durham Tees Valley, specifically where it and the Spit that was next to it, serial unk at this time, went.

>edit

Suprisingly, the aircraft still exists, albeit under another number.

http://www.hawkertempest.se/NV778.htm recounts a series of moves, followed by a major overhaul at which it was discovered that a large percentage of the airframe was from NV778, and so on repainting, that was the number it was given, and it now resides, hanging from the roof, in the RAF Museum at Hendon.

I wish the USAF would replace these World War Two birds with fiberglass replicas…
P-40 and P-47 at Peterson AFB Colorado Springs, Colorado
B-25 at Grand Forks AFB in Grand Forks, ND
P-51 at Hector International Fargo, ND

In 1986, Conningsby had a 50th anniversary of the Spitfire airshow which featured every current flying example, or so was said, which I recall was 7, as well as static a/c, some of which were gate guards. I am sure that one of these had been the Spitfire from Wattisham and possibly the one from Coltishall, but there were others, unfortunately I have to take my son back to Uni today so I don’t have time to check out my slides, I remember that it was so hot that day, that apart from my pal getting sunstroke, they were concerned about the merlins overheating prior to take off.
The Batemans had a cooling affect though.
Does anyone know which Spitfires flew that day or have a list of the ones on the ground, most of which were gate guards from all over the place. I believe that the fliers were 4 from the BBMF, Mk2, Mk5 and 2x Mk 19, Spencer Flacks red G-FIRE, Rolls Royce Spit and either MH434 or Shuttleworth Mk5, surely there must have been others flying at that time.

The first known gate Guard was a Spitfire F MkVb “BM597” at RAF Hednesford from 1945. It spent many years at Church Fenton

BM597 didn’t arrive at Hednesford until 1950, prior to this it was utilised as an instructional airframe at St Athan (5718M). It remained at Hednesford until the camp was as an RAF camp and BM597 moved to RAF Bridgenorth where it remained until the early 1960’s from there it was transferred to RAF Church Fenton.

Apart from a short period when it was used as the mould for the relpicas Spitfires built for the film Battle of Britain and a couple of years at Linton, when Church Fenton was put under care and maintainance in the early 1970’s, BM597 was to remain at Church Fenton until it was included in the Tim Routis exchange deal at the end of the 1980’s.

An old picture (mid 1970’s) of Spit MK912 when it was on gate guard duty, mounted on a concrete plinth at the Royal Belgian Air Force Technical School located in Sint Truiden-Saffraanberg, belgium 1955-1988. Of course there are better pictures of this A/C at this location, but at least this one I made myself 🙂 .
She now flies in Canada as C-FFLC.

Tillerman.

There was a spitfire in the garden of a guy who lived at the end of the runway at RAF St Mawgan if memory serves me correctly. Think he had a Canberra nose and some other aviation related things too. Anyone know if it’s real or plastic? And what is it’s history?

GRP Spit – it’s been covered here before, and not very long ago, either.

Not sure if it counts…….

There was a spitfire in the garden of a guy who lived at the end of the runway at RAF St Mawgan if memory serves me correctly. Think he had a Canberra nose and some other aviation related things too. Anyone know if it’s real or plastic? And what is it’s history?

G-ORDY – are you going somewhere in the U.K or heading abroad?

Which was dismantled for spares and struck off charge.

I’ll have more details on that after a little trip I’m making on Thursday…..

Spitfire L.F.XVI TB382 “LO-X” (7244M).

Which was dismantled for spares and struck off charge.

cestrian, thank you. Nobody believed me when I told them that I used to see a Spit on the gate at Sealand in the ’70’s, back when I used to check the gas supply to Sealand (subcontracted to British Gas at the time in my late teens).

‘Start ravin you are’ they suggested. I knew it wasn’t a dream, although, like all young boys and men of good upbringing, I did dream of flying a Spit…managed it years later.

Boy oh boy, am I a lucky b@$t@rd.

Middleton St George

Got any BE-2c bits left Geoff? 🙂

More seriously, can anyone jog my memory on the identity and fate of the Hawker Tempest that was once the gate guardian at RAF Middleton St. George (now Teesside / Durham / Vic Reeves International Airport)?

Among my earliest aviation memories is seeing it and a Spitfire from the train as a five year-old!

The Tempest is now displayed as a TT5 at Hendon. It was built up by members of No.33 Sqdn at Middleton from components retrieved from the P&EE at Shoeburyness in 1958 and used for its Standard Presentation Ceremony in April that year. Afterwards it joined Spitfire L.F.XVI TB382 “LO-X” (7244M) on the Middleton gate.

When Middleton closed the Tempest went to Leeming (the Spit went to the RAF Hospital at Ely, Cambs) and was eventually restored – for the RAF Museum by No.27 MU at Shawbury in 1968. 🙂

jbs,

SL574 forced landed at Bromley, not Bexley. Would have been nice to have a Spitfire prang on my doorstep, to add to the Be.2c…….

Geoff.

Got any BE-2c bits left Geoff? 🙂

More seriously, can anyone jog my memory on the identity and fate of the Hawker Tempest that was once the gate guardian at RAF Middleton St. George (now Teesside / Durham / Vic Reeves International Airport)?

Among my earliest aviation memories is seeing it and a Spitfire from the train as a five year-old!

I remember bodding around BM597 at church fenton.
It didnt look too clever. It never occured to me it was a real one.
Or maybe it wasnt that important when I was 13.

Flypast, October 1988

Right then, ladies and germs, here’s what the magazine has to say about gate-guardians in 1988. I’ll only include the historic types discussed on this thread and also, if I know the answer, where these machines are now.

Abingdon: Spitfire F22 PK624 (now with TFC)
Bentley Priory: Spitfire XVI TB252 replaced by replica, Hurricane LF571 replaced by replica (now at Manston)
Biggin Hill: Spitfire XVI SL674, Hurricane replica to replace LF738, Spitfire F21 LA226 in store
Binbrook: Spitfire F22 PK664
Church Fenton: Spitfire VB BM597
Coltishall: Spitfire XVI SL542
Edinburgh: Spitfire XVI RW393 (now at Cosford – replica stands outside Edinburgh Airport)
Leuchars: Spitfire F21 LA198 (now at Museum of Transport, Glasgow)
Manston: Spitfire XVI TB752 and Hurricane II LF751 (the Spitfire & Hurricane Museum)
Northolt: Spitfire XVI TE476 (now flying with Kermit Weeks, Florida)
Sealand: Spitfire XVI TD248 (airworthy, Historic Flying)
Uxbridge: Spitfire XVI RW382 (lost in fatal crash, 1998)
Wattisham: Spitfire VB EP120 (airworthy with TFC)
Wittering: Spitfire F21 LA255

Hope this helps somewhat! I’m sure someone can fill in the blanks here.

Originally posted by von Perthes
jbs,

SL574 forced landed at Bromley, not Bexley. Would have been nice to have a Spitfire prang on my doorstep, to add to the Be.2c, Hurricane, 2xDornier 17, A-20, Bf109, and Meteor.

Geoff.

Geoff,

D’oh :confused: :confused:

I have Bromley in my notes, I have no idea where Bexley came from

Thanks for the correction

John
(A Gravesend lad, so not too far from you)

jbs,

SL574 forced landed at Bromley, not Bexley. Would have been nice to have a Spitfire prang on my doorstep, to add to the Be.2c, Hurricane, 2xDornier 17, A-20, Bf109, and Meteor.

Geoff.

Lovely aircraft. 🙂

Ta!

Moggy

Just for Moggy here is a pic of TA634 on it’s way from Speke to London Colney in about 1973(Pic taken in Timperley )