A330crazy,
I suggest that you e-mail Henry Boot, author of the forthcoming AirBritain ‘bible’ on presentation Spitfires, and a mate of mine. His e-mail address is- [email]enboot@yahoo.com[/email] Anything you want to know on presentation Spitfires he’s your man.
He’s always on the lookout for photos of presentation Spitfires, so it would be a good idea to attach a copy of your photo to the e-mail. You never know, it might be one he hasn’t got a photo of.
Geoff.
Never mind Steve, thanks for looking.
TomB,
L1131 served with 82 & 62 sqdns, missing 4.4.40. Sorry, can’t find anything re the cause of it’s loss, or the crews names.
L1108 served only with 62 sqdn, crashed on overshoot, hit Watch Office, West Freugh, 14.11.38
L1113 served with A&AEE, 62, 82, 57, 229 & 219 sqdns, and was abandoned nr Ewhurst, Hastings, Sussex, 12.10.40.
Photos must therefore have been taken on 62 sqdn, before 14.11.38.
I don’t know if there is a website that could help you, otherwise it’s down to Kew I’m afraid, and the 62 sqdn Operations Record Book. The 62 sqdn association has closed it’s doors. You could try the Blenheim Society (betty.blenheim@tesco.net)
You could always get the RAFM to send you photocopies of the Aircraft Movement Card (AM Form 78) for these three aircraft. They will tell you when they were taken on charge & where, what dates they joined the squadrons, and the dates of any accidents. For the latter you can you can get Hendon to send you the relevant Accident Record Card (AM Form 1180) for details of the accident.
Hope this is some help.
Geoff.
I know, from having done research there, that DoRIS does have a fire protection system, if there is a fire you’ve got only a little time to clear the dept before it fills with something to stop a fire taking hold. Some sort of inert gas I imagine. Mind you it wont help if the rest of the building’s gone up in flames, gravity is against you!!
Was it the French Musee de L’air that had a bad fire some years ago, they lost a Spit I seem to remember. Then there was the CWH fire. Just goes to show they aren’t safe on the ground either.
A plaque somewhere in the cemetery is a good idea, not sure how the cemetery authorities would be with that, but it’s worth going for if the family still prove untracable.
I did consider a memorial at the crash site, though I haven’t got an exact fix for it, but what are the chances that it would be vandalized?
The surname would be Jones wouldn’t it!! (Sorry to all the Jones’ reading this). Perhaps any Jones’ reading this could ask around the older members of their family to see if they are related to FRJ, KJ, or their parents, Frances and Mary Margaret Rachel Jones. The latter were residing in Sutton, Surrey, at the time of their deaths (mid-1941). I did try newspaper appeals in the area, and also the Sutton Local history dept, with no joy. At the time of FRJ’s death (May ’39) they were living in the Dulwich, London, area.
The FlyPast articles concerned with the making of the film ‘Battle of Britain’ can be found in the September 1999 issue, pp 14-25, & October 1999, pp52-55 & 61-65.
The August 2000 issue, PP 42-44 has a ‘Collectair’ themed on collecting memorabilia connected with the film.
Many thanks for the info, but I’ve done quite a bit of research on these aircraft/incidents already. All I’m looking for are the photos. The crash involving the Belenheim L1439 is a rather sad one. AC2 Francis Roy Jones, aged 19, is buried in an unmarked grave, along with his parents who died of natural causes in mid-1941, presumably before they were able to errect a headstone to their son’s memory. There was a ‘K Jones’ (brother of FRJ) who registered his parent’s deaths, so why he didn’t see that a headstone was errected I don’t know, unless he died during the war? I’ve tried the CWGC website for K Jones but with no luck. I’ve also tried newspaper appeals, again with no result.
I did see if I could get a headstone placed on the grave at my own expense, but it seems I need the consent of the family. I raised this matter with the MoD & the CWGC, but they can do nothing to place a headstone there, as he died before the war.
The photo shows the unmarked grave where Francis & his parents are buried in Camberwell New Cemetery, S.London.
VN485/7326M at Duxford, 18/4/90.
50 not out!
What can I say but thanks again. The ‘Washingtons’ are according to the info on the back of the photo ’18 of a group of 27 from the 301 Bomb Group’ and were part of the final flypast at the display.
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