Mystery Spitfire

Hello, new here.

The attached image has been taxing the brains on the Flypast Forum. The image is thought to be from the period 1945/6 and came with similar sized and Velox marked images with training Harvards in South Africa. The implication is that this was an aircrew trainee returned to UK. There were no recorded Spitfires at this time in South Africa bar one. Close study of the dismantled Spitfire post a belly landing is intriguing. The New Flying Training Command codes painted on to a local area of Silver on tired camouflage suggest they were painted after the accident. The codes have stumped the top experts Andy Thomas and Vic Flintham. Note the RAF serial has been painted over. The under-wing serial and the reflections in the glass show the serial to be TB***. One train of thought has pointed to 10 and 11 Air Gunnery Schools at Walney Island and Andreas. Walney looks now to have been eliminated by the Walney Historian John Nixon. One POSSIBLE candidate is TB744 that was in this vicinity and subsequently converted to Ground Instructional.

I wonder if any of your specialists recognise the location. Thank you

Peter

It does not match with any of the known 500 odd personal codes listed by Thomas & Flintham in 'Combat Codes'.

It does however match in timing and style the new four digit codes allotted by Flying Training Command in 1946/7.

Peter

Following a hunch by Andy Thomas, he suggested that although the code F-CRB is not known it is following a trend of Flying Training School units that operated Mk XVI Spitfires.

In consequence I filtered out all the 'TB' serial Spitfires that operated with FTS in their recorded history and produced a shot list of ten. Two are particularly promising and in the right time frame, one from 17 SFTS, a forced landing at Hixon and the other with 7 SFTS, an undercarriage collapse at Hibaldstow. The latter airfield known to have several blister hangars.

Can anybody please link the image to either of these two airfields?

Peter

In the rear of the blister to the right of the trolley is a vertical post with a simple fence around it.

To the right of aircraft prop hub in the mid-distance is an earth bank.

If the 'post' is a Main Beacon and the earth bank is an arm of an aircraft E pen then it could be Hibaldstow.

At Hibaldstow in the southwest of the airfield was a group of Blister Hangars and E-Pens and judging the angles of view from the viewpoint in the image the northernmost Blister would be a contender.

The 1945 RSP does not show a hut adjacent to that Blister but .....

RSP snip:

Many thanks for that. Encouraging.

My current state of play on the identity is post 74 here:-

forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?1...Spitfire-Query/page3

Peter

Hi Mark 12: I have been watching your thread about this Spitfire in another place and note with interest the focus on Hibaldstow.

It just crosses my mind that you might also look at Kirton-in-Lindsey as well. My understanding is that at the relevant time Hibaldstow was then a satellite of K-L and perhaps the picture was taken there instead. I do not have a site plan of K-L to hand but I recall seeing a pic or two showing one or two Blister hangars.

I can't be sure, but perhaps it would be fruitful to look at K-L as well.

JCB

JCB wrote:

Hi Mark 12: I have been watching your thread about this Spitfire in another place and note with interest the focus on Hibaldstow.

It just crosses my mind that you might also look at Kirton-in-Lindsey as well. My understanding is that at the relevant time Hibaldstow was then a satellite of K-L and perhaps the picture was taken there instead. I do not have a site plan of K-L to hand but I recall seeing a pic or two showing one or two Blister hangars.

I can't be sure, but perhaps it would be fruitful to look at K-L as well.

JCB

Kirton had four Over Blisters but none located and oriented to shown the embankment to the right of the OP photo. Typically Lincolnshire the surrounding terrain is flat. A 1945 RSP shows that the relationship between the E-Pens nearest to any of the four blisters do not indicate a match. Worth a try, thanks.

The Spitfire we think it is suffered a failed take off at Hibaldstow.

If we are wrong any blister hangar is a possibility. .

Peter