Boxes on the wall of a fighter pen

[DeepSea]

Hi all,

 

I've an idea in my head to try and build part of a fighter pen for my spitfire model - I'm taken by the aircraft shown in these pictures - but there's a set of boxes on the wall of the pen (It's clearer on pg77 of RAF Tangmere In Old Photos).  Does anyone have any ideas as to what they are/were used for/any schematics or anything to help model them?

 

Many thanks in advance

 

David 

[Work In Progress]

Have a look at these 

https://www.501csw.usafe.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/436959/70-years-later-fighter-pens-still-tell-story/

https://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/downloads/publications/Culmhead.pdf

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1444385

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1020978

 

... all of which collectively give a substantial amount of information on Type B and Type E fighter pens but do not, as far as I can see, directly answer your specific question about the stowage. 

 

Given what we know about the daily life of a fighter dispersal pen the only reasonable use I can think of is for daily stowage of ammunition as that's the main consumable needed at the location, apart from fuel which came via self-propelled bowser.

 

[Denford]

Maybe Gas Masks.   

Some aircraft had gas detection patches.

As a chemist, I see it as hard to make a patch (which would have to be waterproof, reducing its sensitivity) which would 'respond' to the many types that might be used.

Except for Carbon Monoxide, the nose is by far the best gas detector.  If you note a curious/unfamiliar smell, put on a mask.  Better safe than sorry

[cngaero]

29 minutes ago, Work In Progress said:

Have a look at these 

https://www.501csw.usafe.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/436959/70-years-later-fighter-pens-still-tell-story/

https://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/downloads/publications/Culmhead.pdf

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1444385

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1020978

 

... all of which collectively give a substantial amount of information on Type B and Type E fighter pens but do not, as far as I can see, directly answer your specific question about the stowage. 

 

Given what we know about the daily life of a fighter dispersal pen the only reasonable use I can think of is for daily stowage of ammunition as that's the main consumable needed at the location, apart from fuel which came via self-propelled bowser.

 

Great link to RAF Culmhead.

[Graham Boak]

Chocks.  Fire extinguishers.  Oxygen cylinders.  Other air supplies for topping up pneumatic systems.  Tools.  Trolley-accs for starting the engines.  Engine covers,  canopy covers. Tape/patches for gun ports.   Grease guns.  Oil etc needed by the fitter/rigger.  Fabric/metal for battle damage repair.  Ditto dope.  Probably not live ammunition - too dangerous.  Gas masks would normally be the individual's responsibility, but there may have been local lockers to avoid them getting in the way of work.

 

The gas patch was only effective against the likeliest gas - whether this was Chlorine or Mustard I don't know, but probably what the Italians had been using in Ethiopia.  More exotic nerve agents etc came later.

[Asmodai]

It was for Mustard and its derivatives. While not the deadliest of chemical agents, mustard was widely used at the end of WW1 for one main reason - it got over everything, and was persistent, and could cause casualties and injuries long after other agents would have dissipated. Contamination of equipment was, and is, a major concern. Vehicles that have been splashed with mustard can be a hazard that is not immediately obvious, until exposures happen. The color change of the gas patch was supposed to provide a quick alert that something might be amiss if a plane had happened to exposed while on a low level mission. 

[Work In Progress]

10 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Probably not live ammunition - too dangerous

Feel free to explain why it is too dangerous to stow boxes of belted .303 in a bin at the side of a blast pen and where you would consider to be a safe place to keep it within reach of the aircraft you are about to re-arm.  Inside the blast pen in a bin embedded into the relatively munitions-proof structure is surely safer than anywhere else in the immediate vicinity?

The pen already contains an armed and fuelled fighter for much of the time, so how is a box of ammo in a bin an unaccceptable raising of the risk?

Edited October 21, 2020 by Work In Progress

[DeepSea]

Thanks all for the input on this - @Work In Progress I'll take a gander at the links you put up - cheers for that.

 

I realise I can use some artistic licence to choose what's in there - if we can't find an authoritative source/idea but I'm also genuinely intrigued by them now!

 

I'm not remembering seeing them on any other photos of the blast pens, although if anyone does have other photos showing them/similar ones I'd be very much obliged if you could link them in this thread.

 

Cheers

 

David

[Graham Boak]

Just how much ammunition are you planning on storing?  One reload? Two?  Ten?  Is there an armourer for each pen?  Belted ammunition is just as safe as unfused bombs, but they are not kept in fighter-bomber dispersals but in dedicated sites run by specialists under somewhat securer conditions.  They are then distributed as required, but not before.  Remember that at this time the UK was also under threat from IRA attacks, and Irish labourers were working on the airfields during the BoB.  Just how safe from pilfering would ammunition be if stored under these conditions?   In your example the fighter may be fuelled, but enough fuel for the next sortie isn't stored in the pen.  A bowser comes around (or is sitting waiting) and delivers it when needed.  Similarly a 15cwt (or whatever) will drive round from the ammo store and drop off enough, as required. 

 

Bear in mind that for most airfields most of the time aircraft, even fighters, would simply sit around at lower standards of readiness and only be armed when on alert for a mission requiring weapons.  What are the long-term storage conditions for weaponry in these lockers (or whatever)?  Would they require a guard overnight?

[DeepSea]

I've also found this site - https://www.kenleyrevival.org/content/history/significant-dates/kenleys-blast-pens - but again no information about those sort of boxes.

[noelh]

I would  agree with Graham that the boxes probably contained all the bits and pieces required to maintain an aircraft. Safely stored out of the weather.

 

Ammunition would be highly unlikely. Then as now weapons and ammunition would be well guarded and issued as and when required to be loaded by armourers.

 

Security wise, there was also real concern generally about fifth columnists and sabotage not just the risk from Irish labourers???? Who like those Irishmen serving in the RAF were not well disposed to the IRA mucking things up for everyone.