What about Enola Gay, has that been repainted?

I’m not sure about this, but I’ve been told the C-47 in the RNZAF Museum is in the same paint and configuration it wore in 1953 when HM The Queen toured NZ in it. However, as it was in service into the 1970’s, the paint was probably touched up.

The “spare” TBF-1 Avenger that the museum had, which is now at GAPS in Gisborne, seemingly still carried it’s factory paint in the 1990’s. It had at some stage been repainted by enthusiasts to represent ‘Plonky’, and they must have done this over the original RNZAF paint, bacause where this had worn off from outside exposure, right down to the US roundel poking through. I was told it was thought to be original, which was odd as I’m sure it would have worn a silver scheme postwar too, and if true, it had never been fully stripped back. I think GAPS are restoring it so the original paint will probably be/have been lost.

We’ve since been told that white chickens tend to have a bit of a chip on their shoulder

Mmmmm… chicken & chips

Thanks chaps

Oh wait, no, I was thinking of George Armour Bell, he was 609’s doctor who also wrote a book on them

Leslie Hunt was the IO with No. 488 (NZ) Squadron, and in 1949 he published a book on the squaron which must have been drawn from both his own records and memories. It is called Defence Until Dawn, and is very rare indeed. That’s the only one I can think of.

Interesting James, you’re right. Books from ground mechanics are thin on the ground, but other ancilliary staff in a squadron are non-existant. What about the cooks, barmen, firemen and supliers, etc attached to squadrons, they must have seen as much as anyone else but never write about their experiences (or at least never get published).

An amusing aside to ‘Skull’ Skullion – if you look really carefully in the opening scenes of Battle of Britain, in France before the Bf109’s attack the Hurricane squadron, there is an intelligence officer burning records and paperwork. He looks remarkably like Skull!

Check this link out for details of the 50th Anniversary scheme on our RNZAF Forum
http://rnzaf.proboards43.com/index.cgi?board=Postwar&action=display&num=1112666262

Here’s one of my favourites (RNZAF Official)