Airfix 1/72 Spitfire VA - 81 Squadron

[Acklington]

Finished today, an Airfix 1/72 Spitfire Mk.1/II kit, completed as one of the rare Mk.Va versions. The Airfix kit has all the necessary parts to make a Va, and indeed they have re-issued the model as such.

P9448, 81 Sqdn, Ouston, 7 February 1942 (4) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr

P9448, 81 Sqdn, Ouston, 7 February 1942 (6) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr

P9448, 81 Sqdn, Ouston, 7 February 1942 (8) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr

P9448, 81 Sqdn, Ouston, 7 February 1942 (18) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr

P9448, 81 Sqdn, Ouston, 7 February 1942 (19) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr

This is Spitfire Mk.Va P9448 of 81 Squadron at RAF Ouston, Northumberland on 7th February 1942, and there is quite a story to this aircraft. It was originally built as a Mk.1a, first flown at Eastleigh on 4th April 1940. It was issued to the ETPS at Farnborough for medical and negative G trials. It then went to 72 Squadron on 4th June 1940, based at RAF Acklington, Northumberland. This was the height of the Battle of Britain, and it probably participated in 72 Squadron's response to the major but disastrous Luftwaffe raid on the North East on 15th August 1940. Among 72's pilots was a New Zealander, Ronald Thomson, and he was part of a flight detached to RAF Woolsington (now Newcastle Airport) on the night of 26/27th June 1940, when he downed a Ju88 caught in searchlights, one of the very few night time Spitfire victories. He was not flying P9448 on that occasion, but he was flying it on 1st September 1940 after 72 Squadron had moved to Gravesend. He and P9448 were attacked and shot down by a Messerschmitt 109, and Thomson suffered multiple wounds from canon shell fragments, but he glided down for a crash landing. Unfortunately the field he chose had been strung with anti-invasion cables, and P9448 was wrecked and subsequently declared a write-off.

Thomson returned to 72 Squadron six weeks later, and P9448 went back to the manufacturer to be rebuilt as a Mk.Va with the larger Merlin 45 engine. History then repeated itself as the 'new' P9448 was issued to the RAE for high G medical black-out trials. After that it went to 53 OTU at Heston. On 26th June 1941 it was one of a number of Mk.Va's collected together to form the initial equipment of 81 Squadron (just back from Russia flying Hurricanes) at RAF Ouston, and P9448 was once more in Northumberland. It survived with them until 7th February 1942 when it ran-off the runway at Ouston, hit a snow bank and flipped over on to its back. This time it was not repaired.

There is a photo of P9448 on its back at Ouston in the snow, in the "Action Stations" book No.7, and as far as I can tell this is the only photo in existence of an 81 Squadron Mk.Va. This photo means that the markings on my model are pretty accurate.

[HOUSTON]

Hello  Acklington.

 

WELCOME   ..

 

Great bit of historical background to your build.

 

A STUNNING looking Spitfire.

 

Jolly Splendid Work.

 

   

[cngaero]

That's a lovely looking Spitfire and a nice potted history of the actual aircraft. 

Thank you for sharing it with us. 

[Hobo]

That is a very nice Spitfire. Thank you for the history.

[Meatbox8]

A beautiful looking Spit.  It's not often you see earlier marks in the DG/OG scheme.   I very neat paint finish, plus I've learnt something as I didn't know any other squadrons than 164 flew the VA.  Gives one more options.

[F-32]

Nicely done, looks like a quality build

[stevej60]

Another fine build in your series of Northumberland based aircraft,excellent back story too.