A local (not Cornish) walking into my garden and lambusting me for having a Polish (Country) emblem on my Spitfire and not a Commonwealth squadron namely New Zealand, SAAF or Australia.

I did try to explain that both sides were a different country and the starboard was Polish and the port is Canadian. I also tried to explain that when I respray this Spitfire every 3/4 years I try to honour 2 new and different countries and that NZ and the RAF were honoured last.

This made no difference to his stance, in fact he did not like the idea that next time I change the countries, starboard will be USA with stars and bars and port will be the Russian star!

Luckily in my garden to witness this conversation was wingcomanderflap:D

Sadly, people unload quite rudely not understanding the time, effort and money it takes, not to mention our allies at the time and the sheer number of countries who flew this magnificent aeroplane.

In the end I said it’s mine and I’ll paint it what-ever colour I like.

That didn’t make any difference either and when he felt he had given me a good telling off, he left.

Throughout the year I am verbally attacked once a month by racist, bigotted and self opinionated people, normally suffering in silence, today I can moan and let off steam as it was seen by another member of this forum:)

Baz

This was quite unbelievable. Having excused himself from entering the garden in the first place, via the closed “No Entry” gate, he began to question Baz as to why the Spitfire wasn’t representing a more worthy Squadron than the Poish one depicted on her starboard side. Initially, he enquired as to why it wasn’t a NZ squadron for example. It transpired he was from NZ, or at least lived there for most of his life. He pointed out quite strongly, that the were other nationalities involved in the B of B and given this was the 70th year since, that anything other than Polish should be displayed. Baz kept his cool and explained as per his post above.

The arrogance of this chap was quite unbelievable, he clearly had a major issue with the Polish, although he never really explained why.

It never fails to amaze me just how rude some people can be these days. Barry didn’t deserve that and neither did the Polish Squadrons. 😡

A “close up”…..

Nice camo jumper !!

I think it was 4 Jun 84, a Sunday morning if memory serves me right? Took off from RWY 31 on a Sarex as part of the Tacevel that we were under at the time. Landed on RWY 13 eight minutes later. I believe it was caused by a flare rattling loose and igniting in the back of the bomb bay. Flames were seen below and rear of the aircraft, but to the crew it appeared to be from one of the engines. The hydraulics were burnt through. It was drooping flares and debrit as it approached RWY 13 from the sea, a little south of the centreline. XV257 landed with it’s bomb bay doors down !! the undercarriage held and the pilot vacated at “N” south which is where Baz took the above photo. Look carefully and you can see the fire still burning……I shall never forget watching it unfold and feeling helpless to do anything about it.

Credit to the Fire Crew and the the aircrew for getting it back in one piece.

I later heard that the pilot was critizised for not ditching it in the sea, but I don’t know whether that is true or not.

It spent a year in 403 hangar. It was then stripped of it’s bombay, had it’s undercart “welded” down before finally being flown to Warton by a volunteer crew. They used a Devon as a “chase” plane. It took off, flew one circuit for the pilot to be happy and then flew north to Warton over the sea.
I understand XV257 was crushed in a hangar collapse at Warton sometime later. I believe the Charles Church Lancaster was destroyed in the same incident.

Love the photo’s of the crash vehicles chaps!!

Well, I’m convinced………

NOT

I believe it made the surface (of the sea) briefly. Trouble is, I was busy snapping on the lense to my camera to catch the image shown, by which time it was all but over and I missed it really. Not uncommon down here, although I have only ever seen this one and then nothing, until last year. It formed briefly as a funnel cloud then it was gone. Fantastic to see it though.

Photo below taken by me from the back of a Microlight. It shows the VHT control tower, the rear of 404 Hangar, the SC9 Canberra (is that right James?) and just visible, leaning up behind 404, the forward section of scrapped AEW Mk3 Nimrod. We landed on the disused 02/20 top right of photo. The compass base is just visible at the end of it. Just behind the DRDF is Baz in the BCU wagon awaiting my return.

A shot of Carnanton Wood, well edge of anyway, in later years.

Mr John (yes, of course I got an airfield driving permit!) Cowling, out and about in his Landrover, with a Nimrod keeping an eye on him 😉

Nick B………….yes the two photo’s are in sequence, before the days of auto wind, for me anyway. I was working in the VCR at the time and nipped onto the balcony quickly for the shots. The C5 had already flown over the airfield before this landing.

spitfireman……no photo between the two, I’m afraid, see above. Such is the life with manual wind.

Chox……it most certainly is !!

Dr S…… twin rigs are the best !!

Pagen…. excellent aerial of Carnanton, haven’t seen that one before.

Happy days chaps, happy days……:)