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The Spitfire

  • Thread starter Thread starter O.C.
  • Start date Start date
Hereare two  great photo's from the Spitfire plant at Castle Bromwich which has far as I know have never been published before I can name two of the men on the Photo's (which I will do later )
Small format as I have the large ones
 
Re: Spitfire Replies Here

Frantic, Sorry for the long delay but just caught up with this post, if ya look at reply 29 on the Spitfire page couple of plans which you could use easy to work the scale out to your plane
 
Nice Spitfire Cartoon that appeared in the Daily Mirror Wed July 2nd 1941
 
Local people, towns villages and cities could raise money to buy a Spitfire then the name would be put on of whoever sponsored it
Three photo's ... The Dart Valley Spitfire, Smethwick Spitfire and The City of Birmingham IV Spitfire
 
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Cosford Spit

Cromwell lets hope the name & its memory will live for ever.
As long as we have great museums like COSFORD it should.
HERE IS A PIC I TOOK ON A TRIP WITH MY SONS AMERICAN FAMILY THIS MONTH.
What a great free day out.
ASTON
 
Not about the Spitfire I know but slightly related, Alex Henshaw, the chief test pilot at Castle Bromwich was the only pilot ever to roll a Lancaster Bomber while testing it.
 
spitfire

I recall Mother saying how they would all stand outside the factories eating their lunch while watching the new Spitfires being tested, the test pilot died recently but to my shame his name escapes me in spite of his pin-up status with the ladies of those troubled times. I believe he lived at Streetly.


Alex Henshaw
 
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Yes Alex Henshaw did live in Streetly when Supermarine first appointed him as chief pilot at Castle Bromwich, he later moved to Hampton in Arden.
 
The Schneider Trophy (the cup established for fast flying) was won outright by Britain in 1931 Flight-Lieutenant G.H. Stainforth (inset on photo) registered the record speed at 408 M.P.H in a Vickers Supermarine S.6B which was brilliantly designed and engineered by Rolls Royce. ..A direct descendant of this plane was .....THE SPITFIRE
The Spitfire made its maiden flight in 1936 at an Eastleigh aerodrome in Hampshire were the test pilot "Mutt" Summers flew and successfully landed the prototype of a new Supermarine single seater fighter plane which went by the name of Spitfire
 
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Last Sunday a Spitfire from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight bearing D Day markings flew very low over our bungalow, what a lovely sight and sound.
 
When told that his aeroplane code name K5054 henceforth was to be known as the Spitfire, R J Mitchell replied.... "thats the sort of bloody silly name they would give it".
 
I would like to share the picture I have hanging on my wall at home.
Spitfires flying over Castle Bromwich.
I see something different in it every day.



attachment.php
 
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John the picture was taken at Castle Bromwich Aerodrome Dad is 11th from the left - the first row behind the airmen sitting cross legged - the man in civies is the squadron's doctor -

I could name a few that were captured by the Japanese during World War 11 and who never did return home!
 
spitfire replies here

Thank's Beryl now I know why there were all those houses around the drome with all those RAF they needed them did your Dad live in? I went to the last air show before the drome closed down can't remember the date would any one on the forum know?
 
Great thread!
Rod, the wav of the Merlin engine roaring by, sent shivers up my spine. What a great and mighty sound! Makes me proud. Even my kids like it :)
 
Yes Dad often lived in on weekends

It should be noted the No.605 reformed as an Auxiliary Air Force squadron at Honiley on 10 May 1946, but recruiting began in November was v ery slow so it was not until April 1947 that it received its first operational Mosquito night fighter. A policy change altered the squadron's role to that of a day fighter unit and in July it began to receive Vampires. These it flew until disbanded on 10 March 1957.

To answer your question John the last air show would have been prior to that date!
 
Spitfire Ace

Hi

Just read about the death of Spitfire Ace
Arthur Tomblin.
member of 66 and 132 squadrons.
awarded MBE and DFC.
Headed up M&B Capehill Breweries
set up his home in Acocks Green.
Thanks for all you have done

Mike Jenks
 
Interesting photo of a Spitfire at Castle Bromwich named after the town of Faversham with its coat of arms from Sponsor a Spitfire
 
Cosford Air Show

It's the National Service Association (RAF) Parade on the 24th June ,but it's Cosford Air Show on the 10th June,and the Battle of Britain display team will be taking part,that should include the Lancaster,Hurricane and the Spitfire,if they are all operational,show also includes The Red Arrows and the Eurofighter Typhoon


Colin
 
we down here in a few years time will have a spitfire roaring through the skys we live 11 miles from where it will be kept a small airport at haverfordwest. :)
 
My grandfather, Jim Hastings worked at the Castle Bromwich plant during the war. He worked for Supermarine originally and was moved up to Castle Bromwich at the beginning of the war. My uncle, who lived in the same house as my grandparents bought when they first moved up to Castle Bromwich, died recently and when we were sorting out his belongings, my brother and I unearthed a large amount of papers, books, tools etc which may (or may not) be of interest to those interested in the Castle Bromwich factory. They include photos of the factory, telegrams between my grandfather, Alex Henshaw and a chap from the Ministry of Aircraft Production, test flight logs, maintenance manuals, blueprints for parts of the "Harvard" plane, various tools and even a propellor (which I think is from one of Alex Henshaw's Hawker Tomtit planes). So far I have only shown them to the RAF museum who were very interested but seemed to want me to give them up to them so they could catalogue them and have them archived. If anyone is interested in knowing more about them or has any expert knowledge (especially the tools - difficult for a non-expert to know what is what), please let me know. I also have plenty of stories from my grandparents about that time. My grandmother once told me that a Polish pilot came down once in Castle Bromwich, and whilst not very badly hurt, was a little dazed. He was first found by local children (including my father) and as he could not speak English they assumed he was German and took him prisoner. When the authorities arrived the poor chap had been tied up and taunted with sticks by a group of 6-10 year olds.
 
Hello & Welcome Hast1066 :) watch out fer them thar arrows ;)

Nice posting,, thats a lovely & interesting memorabilia collective you have there your G,dad,, an unsung Hero of his genre
Not surprised the RAF were "interested",, but i would suggest your inheritance is quite valuable
& maybe you oughta get it valued by experts?,,Collectors of such vaunted as you aptly describe would give arm+leg for ?
Anyway,,a great posting including chuckle of Up the Pole :P
Thanks & welcome JohnY
 
Hi Hast1066,

Welcome and thanks for the very interesting story, we would love to hear more!

A long time ago I did try and start a similar thread, on a different forum to this, trying to find people with relatives, friends or memories of Castle Brom's Spitfires. This was before I 'found' BHF. I had very few replies and left it at that, guess I was on the wrong forum judging by the amount of stuff on here, mostly thanks to 'Cromwell' (Graham). I will have to 'dig' up those that did reply and try and get them on this thread.

My fascination for Castle Brom is derived from the time shortly after the war, when I stood in awe looking at the shot-up lump of concrete that I found on the site. This 'lump' was where they allined the bullets to converge coming from the Spit's 8 Browning's!
 
Hi, My dad also worked at Castle Bromwich. He tried to enlist but was sent back because he was a skilled sheet metal worker. I often wonder when I see a picture of a Spitfire if it was one he worked on. There were other bombers that he worked on too. He trained as a brassmith in the 1920's and made some of his own tools which my brother has including his tool box.
 
Sheri,

Wonderful!

You might be able to find out which years he worked on the Spitfire at CB, then compare that with the data base that must contain the date that each plane was built. Then you can find if there are any still surviving and where.
 
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