Popham is to be the old girl’s short-term home until the owner has re-enforced the roof of his garage upon which it is to be mounted atop IIRC.

Tom

She’s being dismantled and loaded today afaik, hopefully the M1 roadworks won’t cause a problem.

Tom

Makes you weep doesn’t it!

It does make you weep when you read this: http://cz-raf.hyperlink.cz/Bio/dygryn.html

A nighfighter of some repute and I’ll bet that’s not all it did other than it’s laminar-flow wing trials.

Tom

Have a look here James: http://www.military-airshows.co.uk/spitaw.htm

Most of her history is on there other than the pilots who she was flown by during WWII, most notably Jim Lacey (he preferred not to be called ‘Ginger’). Mark 12 mentioned in a post some time ago about him hearing one Jim to remark “AR213, my old Spitfire” on set during the shooting of the Battle-of-Britain but nobody made the link until years later.

John Freeborn, ‘D’ Flight Commander at 57 OTU in 1941/42, recalled in his autobiography ‘A Tiger’s Tale’ that Jim Lacey was Commander of ‘E’ Flight, Flt. Lt. D.H. Watkins Commanded ‘C’ Flight.

I have a feeling that Bob Doe possibly flew her when he was at 57 OTU but have not been able to find out for certain as yet.

If anybody has any info on a Flt. Lt. A.J. Brooks I’d be grateful, as he ferried her up to Northumberland when 57 OTU moved there in ’42 according to the unit ORB.

Tom

…as would have been the stripes but alas, I tried my best.

Tom

AFAIK PP972 is now at Greenham Common, allegedly 😉 and was in Pacific Fleet colours when I saw her looking reasonably complete early this year.

Tom

Peter, the two middle images are of a Harvard starter handle, it’s definitely a winter job starting one by hand!

Tom