1948-1950 Airfield

[CamberrySauce]

Hi all,

I've just got a small query concerning airfields in England. Would a Spitfire F Mk. 22 be seen on the same airfield as a Gloster Meteor?

Thanks in advance,

Cam

[KevinK]

Basically, yes, it was certainly possible as the Spit 22s were in RAuxAF service until around 1951, when they were replaced by Vampires and Meteors.

 

You don't specify the Mark of Meteor, so given a free choice, you could see anything from a Mk III to a T Mk 7 or a Mk 8 from say 1948-51. Some Auxiliary Squadrons re-equipping with Meteor 4s from Spitfire 22s would most definitely had both types on the same airfield during the conversion.

 

Kevin

Edited February 20, 2017 by KevinK
Typo

[KevinK]

One further point: in those days, the Auxiliary Squadrons would go on Summer camps to RAF Stations. For example, my Dad's Squadron, 613 (City of Manchester) went to RAF Horsham St Faith. They would take twelve Spitfires, plus the Squadron Harvard, for weeks of exercises with the regular Squadrons of Fighter Command.

 

These exercises were quite big things by modern standards, involving multiple Auxiliary and regular Squadrons. It's worth remembering that the Auxiliary pilots were almost all very experienced wartime 'retreads', while the regulars had much less experience, on balance, so that Auxiliaries showed up quite well. A further point is that prior to the Korean War 'wake-up call', Fighter Command's regular day-fighter Squadrons had become largely a Monday-Friday operation, so that at weekends, the Auxiliaries WERE Fighter Command.

 

You could (with good conscience) model a Summer exercise 'somewhere in England' with a RAuxAF Spit 22 and an RAF Meteor 4/8.

 

Kevin