Anyone know when the Spitfire PR1G entered service?

[Dave Fleming]

Read through all my Spitfire books last night and they are all pretty vague about when the PR1G entered service (possibly because many originate from the same Dr Alfred Price stuff).

Anyone know?

[Tony Whittingham]

Hello Dave,

According to the Shacklady book, Spitfire - The history, the PR 1Gs were conversions done by Heston Aircraft. So I do not think there was a specific production start date. The serials were in the R,N,AA,AB batches. The Shacklady book has abbreviated airframe histories.

Hope this helps

[Dave Fleming]

Hello Dave,

According to the Shacklady book, Spitfire - The history, the PR 1Gs were conversions done by Heston Aircraft. So I do not think there was a specific production start date. The serials were in the R,N,AA,AB batches. The Shacklady book has abbreviated airframe histories.

Hope this helps

Thanks Tony,

Had a look at STH, like most of the other sources it doesn't state when the 1G entered service - I guess I'll have to look through the individual histories and see which airframes were converted first.

My guess is late 1940, but my curiosity wants to know when!!

[Edgar]

N3113 27-3-43; N3241 2-6-42; P9328 11-6-42; P9505 19-2-43; P9518 4-5-42; R6910 2-1-42; R6964 30-8-42; R7028 17-1-42; R7059 1-5-42; R7116 20-1-42; R7130 11-6-42; R7139 22-2-42; R7143 29-10-42; R7197 23-6-42; R7211 13-3-42; R7308 14-2-43 then converted to XIII; R7335 re-converted to XIII; X4021 re-converted to XIII 29-4-43; X4162 4-2-43; X4333 12-4-42; X4384 27-2-42; X4411 2-10-42; X4555 4-4-44 to Canada for trials; X4596 8-1-43; X4599 6-8-42; X4620 4-2-43; X4645 1944 (cat "E" 7-9-44); X4672 30-9-42; X4766 re-converted to XIII; X4784 ? -42 FTR 14-4-42; X4786 3-1-42; X4839 13-9-42; X4907 17-1-43; AR234 13-3-42; AR235 10-2-42; AR239 22-11-42; AR242 5-4-42; AR244 13-2-42; AR245 30-1-42; AR257 4-3-42 (painted pink at some stage); AR258 25-3-42; AR260 20-5-42; AR261 5-5-42. At least I think so.

Edgar

[Super Aereo]

Confusing subject: if the PR Mk.I Type G was renamed PR Mk VII in the autumn of 1941 alongside the other PR Mk. I models, it should logically have been produced before this date.

[Dave Fleming]

Thanks Edgar - I was looking through StH as you were posting (Just means working later this evening!).

Incidentally, StH gives R7059, which is the earliest I have found so far, being converted in March 1941, which would explain why it was at St Eval in May 1941

[Edgar]

I didn't put the converted date, which could have been (and was) some time before the date of entry into service, which I took to be the date when it went to a Squadron, OTU, or whatever, and those are the dates above (according to STH, anyway.)

Edgar

[Silver Fox]

The Ventura book on Merlin engined PR Spitfires, states the PR 1G was used to photograph the first Freya siites in France in Spring 1941. I'll confirm the dates when I get back to my references, but well before May.

[Silver Fox]

The Ventura book on Merlin engined PR Spitfires, states the PR 1G was used to photograph the first Freya siites in France in Spring 1941. I'll confirm the dates when I get back to my references, but well before May.

Ok, checked the book, it talks about the photgraphing of the Freya site at Auderville. It gives first mission date as 16th February, flown by Sgt Parrott, which was driven off by AA fire and the second, successful mission, as 22nd February, flown by P/P W K Manifould. No serials ae mentioned.

Hope this is of use

[atdb27]

Incidentally, StH gives R7059, which is the earliest I have found so far, being converted in March 1941, which would explain why it was at St Eval in May 1941

And this a/c was one of the 'Presentation' a/c being named Southampton 1

From Edgars list the following also had names.

X4599 - Plymouth and Southsea 1

X4907 Macclesfield

Source Harlforg Pub by Bruce Robertson.

Spitfire Story of a Famous Fighter

Adrian

[Dave Fleming]

Ta guys, that gets the time line reasonably OK

[ben_m]

I've been reading through some documents again, and I have a letter from Sidney Cotton to Geoffrey Tuttle, dated 11/06/40. At the end, Cotton (who sent the letter from Tigeaux) says, "Have requested the armed Spitfire from you today." I don't think Cotton would have had any need for a non-PR Spitfire, so I can only guess that they had a prototype IG as early as this.

Edited October 16, 2009 by ben_m

[ben_m]

I should have carried on reading before posting... I have the reply from Tuttle to Cotton, dated the next day, 12th June 1940:

"The armed SPITFIRE did not leave today as the guns had not been fully tested but is leaving tomorrow morning and I am sending a corporal armourer with tool kit to look after it.It has, as you know, two split 8" cameras in the back but no extra tank. It will however, I suggest be quite useful. At any rate, it will give us a line on the suitability of armed aircraft for our work."

Edited December 23, 2010 by ben_m