You can view the footage thanks to Viv Bellamy family on youtube The 5th picture was the collection of Messers at Duxford I am the mechanic in white on the far right of the picture
I was airframe/engine mechanic and eventually the last man standing with the Heinkels on the Battle of Britain film after the Spaniards went home. The only Brit working with the Spanish I was issued with a ‘Procedures checklist’.

Battle of Britain stories.
My contract at Handley Page was coming to an end, I had heard about the Battle of Britain on the grapevine so I went to Henlow Camp and pestered dear ole Tubby Simpson to “Giss a job”. I started there as airframe and engine mechanic fixing the Spitfires and Hurricanes from camp gates to C of A standard so that the mad RAF pilots could fly them to Duxford. We followed later and then the Messers and Heinkels arrived from Spain complete with their own pilots and mechanics. We British as per usual could not organise the proverbial drink-up in a brewery and were always struggling to keep the planes in the air, working all sorts of hours. Unfortunately one of the Spanish mechanics had to go back to Spain so they came to us for a replacement, as you can guess not one of the English guys wanted to change camp and as I was the last to join it was me that got ‘volunteered’ to go. You could hear the sigh of relief and see the smile on the faces of my old crew, Well the smile was soon wiped off their face because the Spaniards were that well organised and good at their jobs that when there was a lull in the flying because of bad weather etc it was siesta time for them and their new member. We were sitting about playing cards and football, even going to the camp cinema to watch films like the Magnificent 7 whilst the English boys tried to get their work done. Plus the fact that I got flying hours in the Heinkels and special catering in the billeting hall. Boy were they envious!!
Not an aeroplane story, just recalling good times on the Battle of Britain.

I was Connie Edwards personal mechanic on the B o B and was responsible for his Messer, we had some narrow scrapes but I do not recall any burning Spitfire.

Regards
John

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Still from the Battle of Britain film B25 camera ship showing the Isle of Dogs towards the city of London

Moggy C
I’ve posted some photos and I seem to have made a Pig’s Ear of it, if you could tidy them I would be obliged.
Regards
John

Stuka [Henlow Camp]

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A proper one.

Hi Seagull,

I remember working on these, we worked all night putting false fairing on them to look like Mustangs with the promise that if we did it on time they would treat us with a bonus and a bottle of champagne. We did the job and got £5 and a bottle of cheap pomagne.
Regards
John

Moving the CASAs from Bovingdon.

When the film was winding down I had about 40 hours flying tuition [in broken Spanish/English] in the CASA. This meant that when the Spanish went I was the only person in the UK with any knowledge of the planes.
They found a pilot who I gave instructions to, and they wanted us to do circuits at Bovingdon with de-synchronised engines [to get the droning sound effects], however, because of a difference of opinion between myself and the pilot we had to abort this after take-off. [He insisted that I get the U/C up and I said ‘no’ for they were on the same hydraulic system as the flaps], he lost his temper and tried to lift the U/C, this set off alarms and claxons and as a results one leg was locked down and one was blowing in the slipstream. We had no radio but a ‘spotter’ plane was supposed to guide us to West Malling, of course that was nowhere to be seen either over the airfield or over Enfield reservoirs which was our emergency rendezvous. We decided to head to West Malling and landed successfully after I hand-cranked the landing gear. That was just the pilot and myself. The second CASA went directly to West Malling with ‘passengers’ in every nook and cranny.
Regards
John