discussion Long term project - The Aircraft of my Father

[Guest]

Excellent news, my application to get my father's war records from the RAF archive bore fruit today and two A3 photocopies of my father's record cards are now in my hands! I put the application in back in July and paid the £30 and then had to wait and wait and wait... however it was well worth it!

The record shows that my dad enlisted in Feb 1941 - he would have been 20 then and spent the first year in training as an Electrician. He was then posted to RAF Detling for 6 months before being attached to 122 Sqn, which at that time was equipped with Spitfire Vb and Vc. In October 1942 he then joined 81 Squadron which at that time was in Gibraltar and stayed with them until Nov 1943, travelling into Algeria and Tunisia then ending up in Sicily, all the time working with Spitfire Vc (trop probably) and IX. Then he was shipped out to India to join 5 Squadron and shortly after the rest of 81 Squadron were also shipped out to India and from looking at the maps there were times when they were just down the road from each other - in fact in my Dad's effects was a Xmas dinner menu from 81 Sqn dated Dec '43. 5 Squadron at this time was equipped with Hurricane IIc and IId, having just converted from Curtis Mohawk IVs and then in Sept they converted to Thunderbolt I which they flew until March 1946. However my father was shipped back to UK in August 1945 and demobbed.

So this is my long term project... build a model of each of the aircraft he would have worked on! So this gives me a list of:

Detling:

Hurricane IIc from 239 Sqn

Mustang I (possibly) from 239 Sqn

Avron Anson (possibly) from 280 Sqn

122 Sqn:

Spitfire Vb

Spitfire Vc

81 Sqn:

Spitfire Vc (trop)

Spitfire IX

5 Sqn:

Hurricane IIc

Hurricane IId

Thunderbolt I

I've also got a Curtis Mohawk in the stash so I'll probably add that to the 5 Sqn list even though it was a bit too early!

Hmm thats a lot of Spitfires

Sadly in my earlier research I believed my Dad stayed with 81 Sqn during their time in India and Burma when they were equipped with Spitfire VIII, so I picked up a Tamiya VIII in 1:32, but sadly that isn't required. I'll have to pick up the HobbyBoss Spitfire Vb in 1:32 and convert to a Vc so I can build the diorama I have in mind with an electrician with a bush hat working on a Spitfire! I've got a couple of photos of my Dad in bush hat and shorts, taken in Africa and Burma, so I'd love to be able to represent him in that outfit.

Are there any decent Hurricane kits in 1:32 - apart from the old Revell one that is?

This will be a long term project but it will be good to have this collection in 1:48 Just need space to display it!

 

[yak face]

Sounds like a great project andrew. Apart from the simplified cockpit , the revell hurri is a good representation of a mk IIc (although they sometimes passed it off as a MkI in a different boxing -- Naughty!!) If you decide to do the project in smaller scale , once again Revell have a Hurricane IIc , this new tooled 1/72 scale kit is beautifully detailed , ive got one in the stash. Cheers tony

 

[Ian M]

Sounds like a great project.

You can never have to many Spitfires.

Ian M

 

[stona]

That's a great project. I think a personal connection to the subject makes it all the more interesting.

Hats off to your dad too,he certainly did his bit.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Guest]

Been studying the records a bit more and found the training section where is specifically lists Hurricane and Thunderbolt in 1944 and in 1945 it lists Thunderbolt, Lancaster and Mosquito! Not sure if he was in a location that would have seen Lancs and Mossies at that time, but I guess its possible they might have passed through...

 

[Guest]

Great, great project!!!

You have to feel very proudly! It will be a very nice tribute to last in the time!!

I wish all the best with it!!! Very good luck friend!!

Ps: I can suggest ... for his your mention to the lack of space... It's only a idea!!! Create a few small pictures of crystal in relief where to put the planes and the photos of your Dad as soil / bottom. A few portraits in 3D positions in vertical that might occupy a wall, this way there isn't dioramas or distinctions between them. And have the posibility to put light too.

Best regards

Polux

 

[mossiepilot]

Great tribute mate, and it'll keep you going for ages.

Tony.