30 30 • warbird digest warbird digest • sept/oct 2017 Photo: Scott Slocum • sept/oct 2017
of numerous Spitfire Mk. IX-equipped squadrons of the Second Tactical Air Force on primitive dusty airstrips across France, Holland and Belgium following D-Day, justified this modification on all aircraft. The introduction of the Vokes Aero-Vee filter also necessitated the repositioning of the external starter battery socket from the lower nose cowl to the starboard cowling panel. A problem-free, first post restoration flight was carried out from Biggin Hill, in beautiful sunshine on August 31, 2016, in the capable hands of Pete Kynsey. Due to the varied wartime career of BR601, the decision on which codes it should wear took longer than expected, meaning that no codes were worn for the first flight. Collings explained how they determined which codes to use, “When we purchased the project, we had gotten to know Tony’s stepson, and received photos of the aircraft, and found out what it’s marking actually were. In the case of 64 Sqn., their official records list the serial number for each mission and the pilot, but not the individual aircraft letter. We had to go to Tony’s logbooks to collate that information. He would list his particular missions by the aircraft letter, in this case F. By cross-referencing the two documents, we were able to determine that BR601 was SH-F. The logs are quite colourful. He had made a lot of sketches in them, drawing an airplane, or swastika when he got a kill, or probable, etc. There is even a drawing of an Me-262 on fire…” With the new information in hand, in September 2016 BR601 emerged accurately replicating the markings she wore in 1942, when serving at Hornchurch with her first unit, No. 64 Sqn., as SH-F. A point of particular note, is the positioning of the squadron code letters on the aircraft fuselage, the SH is aft of the roundel, as was the practise of No. 64 Sqn. at that time. Coincidently, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Mk. V, AB910, currently replicates a 64 Sqn. machine with the codes SH-F, also with the SH aft of the roundel. The particular style of lettering used for the squadron codes was also faithfully replicated on BR601, including the “fish-hook” ends on the S, which, while not being RAF standard, were worn on the majority of No. 64 Squadron’s Spitfires. Placed on the U.K. Civil Aircraft Register as G-CIYF on February 15, 2016, in the name of Peter Monk’s Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar Ltd., BR601 made her public debut in the static park at the Goodwood Revival on September 9, 2016. The significance of Goodwood was not lost on Collings, “We went to the Revival because Tony was very well known there as a cofounder of Goodwood, and he’s actually buried there. It was a great commemoration of him. We thought that was the pinnacle of the aircraft’s history, but as mentioned earlier, we later learned much more about the aircraft’s past, particularly as it related to the USAAF. The highlight for me on the history of this Spitfire is the first Eighth Air Force mission. That may be the biggest highlight, but it also flew the first Eighth Air Force B-24 mission, first B-26 mission, first P-38 mission, etc. Of its 121 combat missions, 48 of them were escorting American bombers.” Collings pondered, “There are a few missions we would like to get more information on. One was recorded on May 14, 1943, when according to No. 453 Sqn. records, F/O Ewins ‘escorted two Lancasters on a secret mission.’ This was three days before the Dambuster raid…so we wonder if there might perhaps be a connection?” Investing this entry led Warbird Digest determined that No. 617 Sqn., the famous Dambuster squadron had received their top-secret Barnes Wallis designed ‘Upkeep’ weapons on that day. Could BR601 have been involved in escorting the delivery of some of these weapons, or possible a test mission? The second mission that was under question, is from No. 165 Sqn.’s daily report for January 20, 1944. The entire squadron, including BR601, escorted an unknown VIP traveling in a Flying Fortress over England. “Could that have that been Eisenhower, or even someone more important to the war effort?” wondered Collings. Warbird Digest dug into the incident, and finally an 1 Restoration complete, BR601 is pushed out for photography in the evening sun, on August 30, 2016. Photo: Fred Mussard. 1 31
Change language