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Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle's last Hurricane AS988 - The gen?


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Hi all - as some you may know, my decal company Marmaduke Press, is named in honour of the RAF's somewhat forgotten ace of aces Marmaduke Thomas St John "Pat" Pattle DFC & Bar.  His death at the hands of German Me 110's over Piraeus harbour on 20th April 1941, while selflessly flying to the aid of a fellow Hurricane pilot, despite having been severely ill for several days should probably have warranted a VC,  and his total of kills, officially recorded at 40 (also making him the highest scoring gladiator ace and Hurricane ace), should probably be more - 50 very likely, perhaps even 60 - but records from the Greece campaign did not survive it and the rest as they say, is moot.

 

His last Hurricane in which he died is usually ascribed as AS988 - one of a small batch of Mk1 Trops that it seems, arrived in Greece only a day or 2 beforehand, having been delivered via the famous trans-African Takoradi route earlier in the year to Egypt.  

So now we come to the meat of the issue - colour schemes.

It would seem that most Hurricanes, if not all, in Greece wore the standard Dark Earth/ Dark Green temperate land scheme top colours. Undersides could have been Sky, or perhaps Sky Blue - which it seems was used on many early Mediterranean Hurricanes as a better, more "Mediterranean" colour than Sky ( from my understanding it was an official colour rather than a local "hone-brew" too).  We perhaps have an option of the dark earth being overpainted with mid-stone or light earth to give the "sand & spinach" scheme - but from BW pics I can find - Greece theatre Hurricanes don't seem to be as contrasty in BW shots as this should give.  I cant seem to find any evidence of Desert Camp Hurricanes in Greece- but never say never.

Finally - there is the issue of propellors: Mk 1 Trops normally had a DH Prop and DH Hurricane spinner, but there is also the possibility it may have had a Rotol prop and Rotol Hurricane spinner - the later longer one, more associated with the Mk II that is. Fitting of this prop/spinner to late Mk1's isn't unheard of - you can find them on Malta for instance. Its an intriguing thought that would lend some interest to a model.

 

Finally markings: While one can find profiles showing AS988 with 33 squadron NW codes, my feeling is this is unlikely as the aircraft was possibly only in Greece for 2 days before it was shot down! And I further think the profiles unintentionally confuse AS988  with the pic of V7419 that has a rather non-standard NW code.

 

So that is at the moment the summation of what I can find.

 

I'd be grateful for anymore though on anything really - codes, props, colours.   

 

 

Cheers

 

Jonners

 

 

 

 

 

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There was a special Hurricane issue of Quarter Scale Modeller that included an article about this aircraft - by Neil Robinson, I think. In fact, looking at this list, it was Issue 1: the article isn't mentioned but I'm sure it's in the magazine. I recall the author believed that as a very late production Mk I AS988 did have the Mk II style Rotol, and that it was Dark Green/Dark Earth. And if I remember rightly his model had the NW code but no individual letter, and that this was educated guesswork on his part, so he wasn't working from a photo.

 

 

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The article was in the Hurricane Special that Neil published before the first QSM. I have it in storage and if you like I can look it up. Remember it was published over 22 years ago and research has moved on.

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1 minute ago, Silver Fox said:

The article was in the Hurricane Special that Neil published before the first QSM. I have it in storage and if you like I can look it up. Remember it was published over 22 years ago and research has moved on.

That would be damn decent of you sir!

I would be good to see if it has moved on in the 22 years! ( I suspect not as much as one might think)

 

Jonners

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I remember when i was about 11-12 and started my life long quest to study WW2. One of the first names i came across was "Pat" Pattle’s. I remember it was an article about his gladiator, and his role in the war. I agree not many know about him as ive found out over the years. When i eventually build a gladiator I would love to build his. 

 

Dennis

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Ok that was an easy find.

 

Neil's article was published in November 1995 and he says it is very much a series of speculations. I'm seeing him on Thursday so I can ask what his current theories are.

 

Anyway, he says that AS988 was one of 4 added to the fourth production batch, (AS9887 to AS990) and delivered via the Takoradi Trail. The other machines in this group were delivered to 6 and 73 Squadrons around May 1941. In E C R Bakers biography of Pattle,  he says that five replacement Hurricanes were delivered to 33 Squadron with 'new type propellers'. Neil decided to use  a 'pointed' Rotol propeller.

 

Neil decided to portray his model with Dark Earth /Dark Green upper surfaces and  Sky undersides with a black port wing. He speculated that the letters NW were applied, though he also made reference to the photo of V7419.

 

There are photos in Roahl Dahl s biography taken at the same time by Dahl with his own camera show no such codes.

 

As Neil said he was trying to build the model as a tribute to the man but he made no claims for accuracy.

 

I hope this is of some use

Edited by Silver Fox
edited for spelling
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2 hours ago, Silver Fox said:

Ok that was an easy find.

 

Neil's article was published in November 1995 and he says it is very much a series of speculations. I'm seeing him on Thursday so I can ask what his current theories are.

 

Anyway, he says that AS988 was one of 4 added to the fourth production batch, (AS9887 to AS990) and delivered via the Takoradi Trail. The other machines in this group were delivered to 6 and 73 Squadrons around May 1941. In E C R Bakers biography of Pattle,  he says that five replacement Hurricanes were delivered to 33 Squadron with 'new type propellers'. Neil decided to use  a 'pointed' Rotol propeller.

 

Neil decided to portray his model with Dark Earth /Dark Green upper surfaces and  Sky undersides with a black port wing. He speculated that the letters NW were applied, though he also made reference to the photo of V7419.

 

There are photos in Roahl Dahl s biography taken at the same time by Dahl with his own camera show no such codes.

 

As Neil said he was trying to build the model as a tribute to the man but he made no claims for accuracy.

 

I hope this is of some use

It is very much of use - the pointed Rotol prop would make sense - and as Tony O'Toole states its helped with climb rates - so might be "bagged" by the OC as the newest, and possible best crate.

Im going towards sky blue undersides for mine - and I'd be interested to hear what NR thinks too.

 

Many many thanks. 

Jonners

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1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

As a Canadian-built Hurricane, the new Rotol prop seems unlikely. 

gosh, that's interesting news, I checked my Putnams Mason and he has it as Langley built. As a Canadian  built machine I too would doubt the Rotol.

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Oh.  I had it as Canadian.  Sorry I'm away from my references and was relying on memory - as you say a Langley aircraft would be much more likely to have the Rotol. Thanks to Google I find it was one of four ASxxx aircraft added to the fourth batch. Every other Axxxx Hurricane was Canadian-built...

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1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

As a Canadian-built Hurricane, the new Rotol prop seems unlikely. 

Why Canadian?

AFAIK, ASxxx is not in that range of serial numbers.

 

Sorry, my comment just crossed Graham's reply.

Edited by ClaudioN
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I`ve sent you some pics Jon including a 33 Sqn Hurri bearing the NW codes with an individual letter too, captured in Greece by the German`s!

 

Cheers

         Tony

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