..Alas no photos, but Kirbys scrapyard, the “other” side of Rochford always had a constant suppy of Hercules, and Twin Wasps and anything else Aviation Traders wanted to dispose of (and that was LOTS..) just sinking into the mud in the sixties and early seventies

The “old” Kirbys scrapyard was a pretty dodgy place with areas of bottomless oily mud. I think they then moved to a second site nearby when houses were built on the original site – presumerably after it had been decontaminated. I remember a Hercules engine – with cowlings? at the second site which was considered for rescue by the Southend Museum but I think the idea was abandoned. I wouldn’t swear to it but I think that particular engine got moved to Purdys Way but I don’t know what happened to it after that.
There were rumours that there were plenty of classic cars tucked away in the two old yards as well but I don’t know what happened to them.

The Southend Museum was very active in “borrowing” aircraft to add variety. This included Haydon-Baillies Sea Fury and T-33’s, the Moth collection that was then owned by Tony Haig Thomas, the WW1 flying replicas owned by Thorpe Park and various single aircraft from private owners as well as the Parnall Elf from Old Warden (prior to the rebuild to fly) and various aircraft loaned by other museums and groups.
At that time it was possible to get the airworthy aircraft in and out using the road that linked to the airfield taxiway although it wasn’t viable to have aircraft which would be flying every week or so. In those days Aviation Way was a little used private road and some aircraft were even taxied rather than towed up to the museum gates although there was the occassional close encounter between cars and aircraft. Unfortunately most of our current museums don’t have such easy access to a runway and modern Health and Safety standards wouldn’t allow them to move aircraft up to the size of a Sea Fury along a road unless it was closed to all other traffic.
The museum also had displays of classic motorcycles at one time which helped draw in the punters.

I heard something along the same lines.
Ray Thomas was working at Aces High when the CASA was there. He said that the salt air at Southend had caused serious spar corrossion so the chances of ever restoring to fly were pretty small.

[ATTACH]191282[/ATTACH].The Rothmans Southend Museum display was 1972.I remember seeing the Heinkel/Casa 111 flying then before going to the museum.That dates me!

As far as I know the CASA last flew in 1968 during filming for the Battle Of Britain film. It came to the museum by road from West Malling where it had been stored ever since filming ended.
It did visit Southend during filming along with a single Spitfire and B-25 N6578D – The Psychedelic Monster.
I know they arrived mid afternoon as I saw them on approach over our sports field – about 1/2 mile or so short of the runway threshold – during a games lesson. The CASA carried the codes 6J + PR so it was almost certainly the same one that ended up with the museum.
It barely seems believable now that most of the Spanish CASAs got broken up because there was little interest in them. With the modern warbird movement I suspect things would be a little different.

I think they have also been allocated to composite airframes where the identity of the source airframes is unclear or where they have been built from part finished components which never got onto the production line. Seems to ring a bell that there was a Tiger Moth with a BAPC number that had been built up from an assortment of bits and pieces.

When I needed to colour match for a model of a historic race car an artist friend who airbrushed a lot of motorsport artwork turned up with a massive book of Pantone colour chips and we matched them as closely as possible to the car. I appreciate that this may not be the best way but I can’t think of any more helpful solution at the moment.

That photo brings back some memories.
Bill’s house was on the corner of Oaken Grange Drive and Hampton Gardens and he had to put up with myself and hordes of the other local spotters peering over the wall. The Spitfire later moved to the Southend Museum where Bill contiinued to work on it. I was there when it was unloaded and spoke to Bill many times as I worked full time there during school holidays. As a teenager I found it very hard to believe that the battered pieces Bill assured me could be repaired / rebuilt including a pair of very moth eaten wings would ever fly again.
A Spitfire – even a battered part restored one -was a real coup for a museum then and the museum ensured that they got every ounce of publicity out of it to try to up the gate numbers.

Where do I get one? WANT ONE RIGHT NOW !!!! jumping up and down on spot…please somebody get me a paper bag for my breathing.

Unfortunately you will need that paper bag for a while.
Projected release date for the Stirling is May 2011 and the Hawker Hart is planned for July so you never know the Corgi Stirling just might be at Legends!