This aeroplane, which was a part of the pre-war ‘historic types’ collection of the RAF, was destroyed in an air raid on Hendon during WW2. Can someone tell me the date on which it was destroyed? Was it 7.9.40? Also I understand that it was stored at Hendon along with other ‘historic types’ – possibly a Farman F.40, an LVG, a Sopwith Triplane and an SE5A. Can anyone identify the other aircraft with which it was stored and say whether any of them were destroyed along with the Brisfit?

Firstly, F4587 was not part of any RAF collection, it was a privately owned, civil aircraft. Nevile Buckle flew it at the 1937 Hendon Air Pageant and on its retirement from the RAF he bought it for himself and registered it as related in previous posts. At the 1937 Pageant it was in all-silver:

as shown in this photo copied from Chris Barnes’ book Bristol Aircraft since 1910.

Secondly, what is not disputed is that it was destroyed during WW2, the questions are where, when and how? Where is the evidence that it was hangared at Hendon when it was destroyed and that the destruction was as a result of enemy action? Both Barnes and A.J.Jackson state simply that it was destroyed during WW2 – they don’t mention a location or enemy action. Buckle was posted to various places between 1939 – 1945 and it is perfectly possible that his aircraft was simply burnt to save hangar space – as were many impressed civilian aircraft let alone WWI-era obsolete types. All that we know for certain is that it was taken off the register in 1946.

Thirdly, where is the evidence that the other types mentioned were ever hangared at Hendon. The types mentioned, Farman, LVG, Sopwith Triplane, SE5A et al were ones which had appeared in the so-called “Old Crocks” events at the 1936 and 1937 Hendon Pageants but they were privately owned (in the case of the Farman & SE5A) by R.G.Nash (t/a The International Horseless Carriage Corporation) and were hangared at Brooklands not Hendon. The LVG and the Sopwith Triplane had been in the collection of the Imperial War Museum although stored in the basement of the Science Museum between 1924 and 1932. These were later dumped at Cardington but were moved to Hendon in 1936 for restoration to fly by Buckle and F.S.Scott – both appearing in the 1936 and 1937 Pageants together with an SE.5A (F938/G-EBIC) and Bristol Fighter (F4587). The Triplane and LVG were noted in poor condition at No.5 M.U. Kemble on 21 June 1945 – their subsequent histories are known.

Finally, where is the evidence that any other “historic types” were ever “stored at Hendon” – apart from when they were participants in the 1936 & 1937 Pageants?

I accept that the Finnish Buzzard answers the third of my questions. Can someone inform me about its history? However I think that G-AFAX is a tenuous claimant to the answer to the second of my questions. I was really thinking about products of the Martinsyde company. But I would have thought that the first of my questions would have been the easiest to answer. Maybe I’ll have that by the morning!

The F.6 (an F.4 derivative) was the last true Martinsyde, the Type A was produced at around the same time. The company went out of business in 1923 and its aviation assets were taken over by ADC at Croydon who produced a couple of derivatives using surplus parts:

Martinsyde ADC.1 (1924)
ADC Nimbus (1926)

The very last F.4 derivative was G-ABKH (known as the Martinsyde A.V.1) which was assembled at Croydon in 1931 by ADC Aircraft Ltd – it was based on the F.4A but had many modifications designed by its owner, C. Amherst Villiers, who based it at Brooklands. Sold to C.B.Field in Oct 1932 it was damaged at Bekesbourne in Feb 1933 and was taken to Field’s private strip at Kingswood Knoll, Surrey where it was scrapped in 1935. Brian Field dealt in all sorts of second hand aircraft and was killed when test flying for Miles Aircraft during WW2.

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-ABKH.pdf

There is a Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard preserved in Finland.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Finland—Air/Martinsyde-F.4-Buzzard/1357143/M/

As far as the last ones produced you might consider the B.A. Eagle as it was designed by G.H.Handasyde and flew in 1934.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/BA-Eagle-2/1111164/M/

Noisy Brutes!

I was working at Hatfield in those days and driving up & down the A505 each day to work – amazing sights of multiple B-17s in flight.

The most memorable occasion was one Friday evening when I was working in the garage – getting our bikes ready for a triathlon that weekend – probably Windsor but I digress! Anyway, there was this amazing noise of aero engines heading my way and as I walked out onto the drive the entire film unit flew low over the house, all five B-17s, plus a motley collection including a B-25, a couple of P-51s, Buchon and I think there may have been an Avenger mixed in there too! This was the formation flight from Duxford to Yorkshire.

My ears were ringing for an hour after that!

Saturday afternoon

There I was enjoying the BBC coverage of the Olympics and some hooligan buzzed my house in a VERY low-flying Lancaster. Looked to be no more than 500 ft but Fluffy could probably put me right on that!

(South of Newmarket heading on a direct track towards Duxford)

SL674 history

Here you go.

Spitfire L.F.XVIE, SL674
RAF Museum Reserve Collection, Stafford, UK
Originally ordered on 1 February 1944, SL674 was to be one of a batch of 800 Mk 21 Spitfires forming the sixteenth order placed with the Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory. The order was cancelled in August 1944 but partially reinstated for 558 Spitfire Mk IX which were eventually built as a mixed batch of Mks IX and XVI.

Delivered to No. 29 M.U. at High Ercall on 26 July 1945, SL674 had been built at the Castle Bromwich plant as a low-back Packard Merlin 266-powered L.F.XVIE. It was issued to No. 17 O.T.U. on 1 April 1946, but this posting was a short one and on 23 October the Spitfire was delivered to No. 6 M.U. at Brize Norton. Here it was prepared for service with No. 501 (County of Gloucester) Sqdn RAuxAF and delivered on 7 August 1947 as “RAB-R”.
Damage was inflicted during a landing accident at Filton on 4 September 1948 and repairs were effected by a party from No. 34 M.U. at Montford Bridge between 29 September and 8 November, when ’674 rejoined its unit.

The aircraft was transferred to No. 612 (County of Aberdeen) Sqdn RAuxAF on 29 April 1949 and assumed the code “RAS-H”, which was later replaced by “8W-H”, here it remained until retired on 17 July 1951 and delivered to No. 9 M.U. at Cosford, where it remained until 11 September 1954, when it flew to Biggin Hill for exhibition alongside the Royal Air Force Memorial Chapel.

Unlike most of the other Spitfire gate guardians SL674 was not “called up” during the making of The Battle of Britain and remained at its post at Biggin Hill. It was refurbished at St Athan between 21 April and 8 June 1970 returning to be exhibited in a variety of paint schemes for a further 19 years, being finally removed in February 1989 and transported to RAF St Athan, its place at Biggin Hill being taken by a fibreglass replica.

At St Athan its 612 Sqdn markings “RAS-H” which it had worn during its final years at Biggin Hill were removed and it was repainted in overall grey and stored for possible exhibition use or to be exchanged for a type on the RAF Museum’s “Most Wanted” list. Eventually SL674 was surveyed and its wings were found to be in surprisingly good condition – good enough to be used in the restoration to flying condition of the Mk IX MK356 (q.v) which had for many years been the gate guardian at RAF Locking.

SL674’s type “E” clipped wings are now fully rejuvenated and flying with MK356 as part of the RAF Battle of Britain Flight at Coningsby whilst its fuselage, and MK356’s wings, are retained in store at Stafford for possible future exchange by the RAF Museum Reserve Collection.