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602 Squadron Spitfire question


StevieD

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Hello 

 

I’m thinking of having a crack at a Spitfire whose pilot lived just up my street.

 

On September 11, 1940 Flight Sergeant Mervyn Sprague of 602 Squadron was flying Spitfire N3282 when he was shot down and killed over the Channel.

 

 602 is LO but I can’t find the individual code letter for this Spitfire.

 

Any help greatly appreciated.

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4 hours ago, StevieD said:

602 is LO but I can’t find the individual code letter for this Spitfire.

 

Any help greatly appreciated.

Questions like this come up from time to time, I have asked them myself.   

 

Squadron ORB seem to list either serials, or individual letters,  sometimes, if you are lucky,  there are cross references, pilot log books,  or rarer, a photo.  

 

Or you just find there is no more data.    You can leave off the individual letter,  or guess. 

the Spitfire production site has this

 

N3282 Ia 494 EA MIII FF 9-1-40 24MU 16-1-40 234Sq 15-4-40 FA 27-5-40 AST 602Sq 19-8-40 damaged by Do17 9-9-40 Sgt Whall inj. Shot down by Bf110 over Sussex Coast 11-9-40 Sgt MH Sprague+

 

I tried putting "Spitfire N3282 602 Squadron" into google

 

there is a 602 Sq museum, and this .pdf

http://www.markhillier.net/resources/RAF Westhampnett 80th latest July 20.pdf

 

I'd try asking them, as they  may have some more information.  

 

I'll @Peter Roberts  @lasermonkey  as they may have some ideas.

 

HTH

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Snap Troy! You answered just as I was perusing the Squadron ORB for September. I don't have copies of the ORB for other months prior to September, but for the subject, N3282, you would only need August as this is when the aircraft joined 602 Squadron.

 

The ORB for 602 Squadron only has serial numbers, as do most of the Squadron ORB's. However, pilots usually recorded the aircraft code letter in their logbooks, so if you can get the two, you can tie up code letter to serial number by checking details for a given sorties across both sources.

 

Sgt Sprague wasn't the only pilot to fly N3282. In September, Sgt Whall also flew this plane on 6th (17:55-18:55), 7th (11:55-12:15; 17:20-18:20), 8th (14:20-14:50) and 9th (17:00-18:20). This Spitfire was also flown by P/O Fisher on 9th (10:20-11:05). A long shot, but if you can find these pilots logbooks and check details for these dates/times, you should be able to identify, as best as one can these days, the aircraft code letter. There maybe other articles or record entries online for these pilots that have this information so these pilots may be worth a Google.

 

HTH

 

Edit - In case you are not already aware, Squadron ORB's are available from the National Archives UK. I would recommend you do an advanced search with 602 Squadron as the search, using information from AIR 27 documents, for the date period 1940 - 1940. This will give you a list of documents, each one typically relating to a particular month of 1940. There will usually be two entries for each month - one will be a summary, the other will be details of events. The latter will give you individual aircraft details. Good luck! :) 

Edited by Peter Roberts
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More information here, and another possible subject, Spitfire Mk I, N3226

 

http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Sprague.htm

 

And here

 

http://www.markhillier.net/resources/RAF Westhampnett 80th latest July 20.pdf

Edited by Peter Roberts
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5 hours ago, StevieD said:

Hello 

 

I’m thinking of having a crack at a Spitfire whose pilot lived just up my street.

 

On September 11, 1940 Flight Sergeant Mervyn Sprague of 602 Squadron was flying Spitfire N3282 when he was shot down and killed over the Channel.

 

 602 is LO but I can’t find the individual code letter for this Spitfire.

 

Any help greatly 

This article identifies LO-P as N3282 but I have my suspicions. Even if it is a misidentified later production Mk1, this could have happened because whoever misidentified it knew that N3282 was LO-P and that was what they based their ID on.spacer.png 

Edited by wmcgill
clarity
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1 hour ago, wmcgill said:

This article identifies LO-P as N3282 but I have my suspicions. Even if it is a misidentified later production Mk1, this could have happened because whoever misidentified it knew that N3282 was LO-P and that was what they based their ID on.spacer.png 

 

Nice find! Difficult when the serial number has been painted out. One little snippet - Sprague was apparently a member of ‘B’ Flight which fits (usually) with a ‘P’ code letter.

 

Looks to be from a reputable source, even if not primary.

Edited by Peter Roberts
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Many thanks for all your help with this! 

 

I’ve dug around in the National Archives and come up with 602 ORB and combat reports. More of that later.

 

I came across Mervyn Sprague after being asked to write the history of the area where I live. This small community - the Alberts - is made up of 400 workers’ cottages in Richmond Upon Thames. Built in the 1870s they were home to families who built and serviced the villas and big houses that now surround them. I was fortunate to be given oral histories recorded in 1980 from residents in their eighties whose memories of day-to-day life, go back well before WW1. Fascinating listening. 

 

The ‘big houses’ they worked on are mentioned, but only one ‘well-off’ family is named.  The Spragues were remembered with affection by several residents. They lived at 43 Kings Road, Richmond a few hundred yards away from me. Colonel Sprague served in the Field Artillery in the First War. His wife was a respected local councillor, ‘a lovely woman’ one resident recalled.

 

Their only son Mervyn was born in 1910. After school he joined his father’s accountancy firm and served in the RAF 'F' Reserve from 13th May 1935 until 14th May 1938 when he joined the RAFVR. He was called to full time service at the outbreak of war and in in June 1940 was posted to 602 Squadron at Drem. On August 12 the Squadron moved south to relieve a battered 145 Squadron at Westhampnett.

 

On September 9, war came to the Alberts. At 4am bombs fell across Richmond Hill (possibly from a bomber that strayed too far west of London). Incendiaries fell on 2 houses in the next street, the fire gutting both. At 6pm the same day one resident coming home from work looked up to see “our fighters coming down on the Jerries!” Moments later he was blown off his feet as a stick of bombs destroyed several big houses. The whistles of ARP wardens were heard as they raced through streets on bicycles shouting “You must leave immediately and as you are!” With UXBs in the area, residents were evacuated, unable to return for days. 

 

One house that took a direct hit and later demolished was 43 Kings Rd. The Colonel and his wife weren’t at home but worse was to follow. Just two day later their son was posted ‘missing in action’ after combat over the Channel. Mollie Sprague - his wife of just 4 months -didn’t give up hope. After all, her husband had bailed out on August 25 and was picked up by a Walrus. She rented a caravan near Westhampnett and visited the airfield every day. On October 10, the body of Sgt Mervyn Sprague came ashore on a Brighton beach. He’s buried in St Andrew's churchyard, Tangmere.

 

I’ll post my findings from ORB and combat reports from September 11 about Sgt Sprague’s last flight later when I’ve been through them properly.

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Sgt Meryn Sprague. 11 September 1940

 

602 ORB Scant detail throughout. Every day ‘Duty’ is recorded as ‘Patrol’ with no indication of whether combat took place. Aircraft serial and pilot are recorded as well as ‘Time Up’ and ‘Time Down.’ The ‘Remarks’ section is always blank.

 

602 ORB - September 11. Eight spitfires are recorded under a Patrol where ‘Time Up’ is 15.45. ‘Time Down’ for seven of these is between 16.30 and 16.40. The other Spitfire, (N3282 Sgt. Sprague) is 16.10 as ‘Time Down.’ Reading just the ORB you would assume Sprague returned early due to engine problems or similar - obviously that wasn’t the case.

 

602 combat report. 11 September

Compiled from pilot reports by OH Cranbrook Intelligence Officer. Eight Spitfires of 602 to patrol at 19,000ft. Combat took place at 16.10 about 5 miles off Selsey Bill. 20-30 Do17 and 20-30 Me100 were sighted 3000ft below. 213 Squadron Hurricanes were to engage the bombers, 602 the fighters. 

 

“Blue 1 and Blue 2, Green 2 and Red Section in line astern dived to attack Me110s which had formed a defensive circle. Green 1 was suspicious that Me109s might be present so flew a full circle of the e/a at 19,000ft and was shortly attacked by 109s and compelled to dive to 8,000ft to escape.” 

 

The report then gives extracts from combat reports of different pilots. It concludes: 

 

“7 Spitfires landed Westhampnett by 16.35 hours. OWN LOSSES – S/P Sprague missing.” 

 

The ORB ‘Time Down’ for Sprague of 1610 makes no mention that he came down in the channel. The last mention of Sprague is as ‘Green 2’ in the line astern attack. Given that Green 1 (McDowall) pulled out of the attack, could it be that Sprague followed him and was caught by the 109s McDowall had to dive to escape?  No one will ever know.

 

The Battle of Britain (like most battles) is told through the leaders, aces, medals, big engagements. Yet the great majority of the battle was made up of events like this. Young men thrown into combat, whose luck ran out in weeks or even days, who simply disappeared unknown and unrecorded in our history books.  Their contribution and courage were no less than that of the greatest of aces.

 

With the ORB and combat reports not giving individual aircraft letters, and thanks to your efforts, I’ll go with ‘LO P’ as Mervyn Sprague’s aircraft on September 11. Once complete one of the local pubs or the café will display ‘The Alberts Spitfire’ as part of our history. 

 

Thank you. 

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Great story and info, thank you for posting.

 

That sounds like a wonderful project.

 

One other small piece of evidence - the Spitfire LO-P in the photo above wears Type 'B' camouflage, which would be consistent with an even serial number such as N3282. Not definitive but indicative.

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An absolute corker of a project Sir and a tribute to a lesser(so to speak)member of the Few.

 

As StevieD mentions,the Battle was fought by so many young men like these whose life was none but a flashing spark.

 

Their history and sacrifice needs to be found and,this is the reason there are airworthy Hurricanes and Spitfires,

so that they can be remembered by us whom they gave up their today for our tomorrow.

 

One think's Sir,that this is one of the best historically researched threads to produce such a historic aeroplane

that one has ever come across on a forum.

 

Very well done Sir,very well done.

Edited by Dave Wilko
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