Post by acklington on Oct 5, 2017 16:24:47 GMT 1
P9306, 131 Sqdn, Ouston-Catterick, July 1941 (8) w by Philip Pain, on Flickr
P9306, 131 Sqdn, Ouston-Catterick, July 1941 (14) w by Philip Pain, on FlickrThis is the latest Airfix 1/72 scale kit, finished as Spitfire 1a P9306 'NX-M' of 131 Squadron at RAF Ouston / RAF Catterick in July 1941. 131 squadron was reformed at Ouston in June 1941, but this may have been initial manpower and admin only, before relocating, with their Spitfires being delivered to Catterick in July 1941. The squadron's 'B' flight was made up of Belgian pilots, and eventually there were enough Belgians for them to be split off to form a new 350 Squadron, which has continued into modern times as part of the Belgian Air Force. There is a good website for the squadron, and on it are some pilot logbook entries, including entries for P9306 at Catterick in October 1941, coded 'M'.
All this matters, because until I was doing this research for the model, it is likely that the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry had no idea that their Spitfire 1a P9306 was once coded 'NX-M', and may have once looked something like my model. It has been strung from their ceiling since 1943, and is a Battle of Britain veteran with several victories. And it all matters to me, because I joined the Air Cadets in 1962, with 131 (F) Squadron ATC in Newcastle upon Tyne, just 10 miles from RAF Ouston where I did my gliding course.
