The year is the year in whcih those service numbers were allocated to the reception centre. The 1926 allocation is 20,000 numbers, it would have taken quite a while to get that many apprentices through the system. It is worth noting that the next aircraft apprentice allocation was in 1944.

I’ve done some checks on the FreeBMD site and have the following

Peter J Paine, born September Quarter 1917, Edmonton District (covered parts of Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex) (Mother’s maiden name was Pakeman).

He had/has a brother, Michael C Paine, both December Quarter 1920 (also in the Edmonton district).

Their parents were married in the Pancras district of London in the March Quarter of 1916.

Peter married Ruth Hobday in the Bromley district in the June quarter of 1941, she was born in the December quarter of 1920 in the West Derby area of Liverpool. Her birth was registered as Ruth R Hobday.

They didn’t seem to have had any children in the few months they were married.

VF300 is recorded in Broken Wings as “broke up in dive after roll”, sounds like a fairly classic overstressing of the airframe causing it to come apart.

Firebex, take a look at Page 4 of this thread, I think that will answer your question about a Whirlwind crash in Scotland.

I think it shows just how far from the original topic this thread has moved, how about having two, one for recoveries of Whirlwinds and another for building a replica?

40 46’28.31″N 19 55’54.79″E

Was it not that one that was sold complete with wings & tail booms and the buyer left those at Millom? Or was that the other Vampire?

Oh, Vampire T. Mk.11 + rare jet fighter + mid 1940s doesn’t really go together does it. It was delivered in 1954. Now an F. Mk.1 would class as rare jet fighter.

Was it a Ju88, I know of one lying in fairly shallow water off the east coast.