HISTORY AFRICAN SPITFIRES
18 FLYPAST March 2018
Below
Spitfi res SR87, SR85 and
SR83 are identifi able in
the line-up, believed to
be at New Sarum, around
July 1954. Note the rocket
rails.Minister Sir Godfrey Huggins and
hundreds of locals. Three days later
they were officially taken on SRAF
strength and given the serial numbers
SR58 to SR68.
Among the first orders of business
were several air pageants where the
Spitfires were put through their paces,
much to the excitement of gathered
crowds more used to the genteel
displays of various de Havilland types
and Harvards.
Dakota SR25 departed Cranborne
again on November 9, 1951 for
the UK, carrying the second
group of ferry pilots. Poor weather
over Europe delayed the planned
December 6 departure from Brize
Norton by 24 hours. Following
departure on December 7, thick
cloud was encountered over France
and it is believed that Owen Love,
flying Spitfire F.22 PK344, become
disoriented and strayed from the
pack.
Love’s aircraft dived into the
ground near Auvilliers, killing him.
He was buried in St Marguerite des
Logos with full military honours
a week later. He was laid to rest
next to his cousin – occasionally
quoted as being his brother – Flt
Sgt Wilfred Love. Flying a 266
(Rhodesia) Squadron Hawker
Typhoon, Wilfred had been killed
on August 17, 1944, in a dogfight
with Focke-Wulf Fw 190s.Two days later the remaining
ten Spitfires reached El Aouina in
Tunisia before proceeding to Fayid
on December 10. Further misfortune
occurred when Dave Richards crashed
on landing at Entebbe on the 16th,
seriously damaging PK482.
Nine F.22s eventually reached
Salisbury on December 19. Their trials
were not over as a Spitfire was slightly
damaged when the tailwheel failed to
deploy on landing. Twenty airframes
were finally taken on charge by the
SRAF, survivors of the second ferry
flight having been allocated the serials
SR80 to SR88.SHORT SERVICE
The Spitfires officially left
Cranborne on April 1, 1952 for the
new aerodrome, originally named
Kentucky, then New Salisbury and
eventually New Sarum. The fighters
were allocated to 1 Squadron in
the ground-attack role. Six of the
type celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s
coronation year with a formation
flypast over Salisbury on June 2.
The Spitfire’s period of service
with the SRAF was short. By mid-
1953 the colony was preparing to
move into the jet age and the first
personnel left for de Havilland inHISTORYHISTORY AFRICAN SPITFIRESAFRICAN SPITFIRES
FIRST SPITFIRE FERRY – MARCH 14 TO 22, 1951:
Aircrew: Lt Col Ted Jacklin, Lt Jock Barber, Lt Bobby Blair, Sgt John Deall, John Hough, WO
Charles Paxton, WO Mike Schumann, Dave Barbour*, Lt Ben Bellingan*, Lt Dicky Bradshaw*,
Lt Jack Malloch*, Lt Ossie Penton*, Lt Basil Hone*. (Auxiliary personnel marked *)Spitfi re F.22s: PK330, PK350, PK355, PK408, PK506, PK514, PK575, PK576, PK625, PK
and PKSECOND SPITFIRE FERRY – DECEMBER 7 TO 19, 1951:
Aircrew: Lt Bobby Blair, Lt Ted Cunnison, Lt Bill Smith, Sgt Ossie Penton, Lt John
Campbell*, Lt Alan O’ Hara*, Lt Peter Pascoe*, Lt Dave Richards*, Lt Ray Wood*, Sgt Owen
Love*. A move from the auxiliary to regular forces meant a change in rank for Penton,
who took part in both operations. (Auxiliary personnel marked *)Spitfi re F.22s: PK326, PK344 (crashed December 7, 1951), PK370, PK401, PK432, PK482 (crashed
December 16, 1951), PK494, PK548, PK572, PK594, PK649 (crashed December 11, 1953).