I note the that the query came from New Zealand, part of the British Commonwealth, just as South Africa was at the time. They, and the Canadians and Australians for that matter, don’t take kindly to being described as something they are not.

The author of the photo albums was a South African on an SAAF squadron; and I think that it’s important that we don’t forget their contribution and sacrifice.

Perhaps the thread title could be changed, in the interest of accuracy?

DD

It’s nothing to do with slighting them and more to do with the fact they all fought shoulder to shoulder. As such most of us see no point in making an artificial distinction between fighting men who all swore an oath to the same King.

To me, they’ll all part of ‘the family’ wether they were born in Michigan or Mombasa, or Pretoria or Prestwick.

Thanks Jayce

Great reading, nice pictures, would never have found it(!)
Don’t start me on another Duchess:D

cheers

Baz

Glad I could help (a little tiny bit).

Great artwork, by the way. 😎

If it was Spitfire would happily pay 10K but its just a Seafire I have half a dozen of those chucked at the back of my shed a couple of them were flown by Nelson at Trafalgar.

Should I look out for those on Spitfire Spares? 😉

I’m afraid it’s not just aviation either, I’ve seen these kinds of self-important egoists destroy everything from friendships, romances, sporting clubs and internet forums right up to turning a major international merger at the firm where I used to work into a complete shambles and don’t even get me started on the jobsworths I had to deal with while in the RAF! :rolleyes:

I dimly recall that this story ended up as the basis of a Commando comic was suitably embellished and subsequently grew in the telling.

There may well be a grain of truth in there somewhere but I’d guess the story as it’s now know has little in common with the event that inspired it.

On the bright side, the price has dropped by 80%.

In a roundabout way, that probably makes it a good candidate for an airworthy restoration. There’s so little of the original left you’re not losing much, even if all you use is the data plate.

I suppose an exercise of judgement comes into it. Personally, for restorations, I’d scrap u/s airframe components but pass on u/s fixtures and fittings into the collector scene. For preservations, I’d try and retain as much of the original as I could.