Note the heart symbol under the nose
This is how ‘blwfa’ appeared on the stbd side.
Another photo from the same series as your Ray Harries photo. Note the censored ‘blwfa’, which will give you an idea of the style of lettering used. ‘BEXLEY’ and the borough coat of arms have appeared. Note also the ‘wing mirror’.
I don’t expect the coat of arms in too much detail, a whitish blob with some dark areas would look okay at the size of your profiles. Can you do Greek lettering for ‘blwfa’?
Another nice one Dan, mate, pal, chum, buddy (yes, I am after something.)
Geoff.
Mark12,
The episode I’m thinking of is ‘Tales of old Dartmoor’, when for reasons too complicated to go into here, the gang sailed HMP Dartmoor across to France, leaving a cardboard replica in it’s place. Don’t recall one with a cardboard Kent though.
The ‘gushing’ presenter (he grates a bit on me too, but I put up with him to watch the programmes) was Mark Horton. He did appear on Time Team, but he certainly isn’t much liked by the bods on the Time Team Forum.
Geoff.
Another view of MA807. ‘Spitfire-The ANZACS’ says that this is a Mk IXc, which has no outer cannon stubs, and that it is not fitted with a ‘b’ wing.
MA807/’BROMLEY’/SK-T/formerly NX-K. If you look at the ‘T’ you can see part of the painted out ‘K’. (photo – Wally Marr, on right in foreground)
Dan,
Your photo is one of a series of photos of 131 squadron’s Spitfires taken on two visits to the squadron in 1942. The batch from which yours comes was taken between 14/5/42 and 5/6/42. Ray’s Spitfire at the time was BL600, which almost certainly carried the code letters NX-H (‘H’ for Harries!)
I have no documentary/photographic proof that BL600 was named ‘BROMLEY’, but it is I think a fairly safe bet that it was.
Bromley presented their Spitfire prior to 131 squadron becoming the ‘County of Kent’ sqdn (R7262 as jbs mentions) but when 131 sqdn was named, the name ‘BROMLEY’ was transferred to a 131 sqdn Spitfire.
Each time a Spitfire was lost/transferred etc. the name it had carried was painted on the replacement a/c, so each name would be carried in turn by a number of a/c. On 131 sqdn, there were as many as four ‘BROMLEY’s in turn, BL600, EN944, BM121 & MA807, and maybe even more!
Here’s another photo of Ray with ‘BROMLEY’
Geoff.
Bloodnock – ‘Tell my ATS driver to put the car away, I shall be needing her’
‘No more curried eggs for me!’
Is ‘Tales of old Detling’ the one you’re thinking of?
Answer- Sago
Dan,
Thanks a lot, you’ve done a really good job there. Re the colour of ‘KARMIE’, they would obviously have used paint they already had to hand, so it would be either white, yellow, or one of the shades of grey used on the upper/lower surfaces, or some other suitable light colour held by the stores. Maybe there’s someone on the forum who could offer us their opinions on the colour used?
Anyway, thanks again & I’ll let you get on with any other requests that have come in.
BTW how about adding the Me109E to your stable?
Geoff.
Dan,
I think we’re getting there.
From looking at the original photos, I’ve added in a brighter green, the two areas where I’d like you to extend with the correct camouflage green. I’ve had to use a little guesswork around the area of the w/t mast, but I think I’ve got it right below that. The area behind the exhaust stubs is guesswork too, but the demarcation line does finish forward of where you have it. I’m sure you can do a better curve to the edge than I have.
I don’t know what colour ‘KARMIE’ was. Does it look yellow to you? Perhaps you could do one version of it in white & one in yellow?
If you can make these changes, then that’s about as close as we will get it without more photos. I don’t know if it’s the light or the paint surface, but the demarcation line is very difficult to see in places isn’t it.
Geoff
Dan,
I have photocopies of Chris’ logbook for the time he was with 131 sqdn, and of the logbook he used to record the sorties of ‘B’ flight, which he commanded.
Here are Chris and Ray together. Had a copy of this done for Chris at his request.
Can you change the camouflage pattern at all? I notice that there are differences between the photo & your profile on the nose & rudder. The demarcation line between the grey & green follows a slightly different line from your profile, otherwise it’s great to see it in colour.
Geoff.