To finish off by answering my own question regarding the stories of the aircraft acquired by "Bunny" Brookes at his Hoylake premises and where they are now.THE AIRFRAME HISTORIES OF MR. BROOKE'S AIRCRAFT
V-S Spitfire FR.XIVe NH904 Built by Vickers Armstrong at Aldermaston as a Spitfire FR.XIVe. On 24th March 1945
NH904 was issued to No.6 MU at RAF Brize Norton, then to 414 Sqdn RCAF and made its only operational sortie on 14th April 1945 as the following day the aircraft received battle damage (Cat.B, return to an approved factory). On 7th December it was moved to Air Service Training at Hamble for repair. It was ready for collection on 5th April 1946 and on 28th was back with No.6 MU. On 4th November 1946 the Spitfire moved to 610 (County of Chester) Squadron at RAF Hooton for a year and half. On 5th April 1948 it was transferred to RCSU (Reserve Command Support Unit?) until return on 21st May 1948 to 610 Sqdn at RAF Hooton for a further year. On 2nd May 1949 it was returned to 6 MU. The R.A.F. career ended on 14th November 1950 with the aircraft puchased back by Vickers Armstrong or onward sale to Belgium.
The aircraft was test flown in the UK before delivery with a Supermarine 'B' class serial G-15-146 noted 11.50. Refurbished and now as
SG-108 it was delivered to the Belgian Air Force on 17th April 1951 and issued to No.31 Squadron with fuselage code 8S:K. It was slightly damaged in a collision on 5th May 1954 and after repair moved to the Conversion Flight with code B2:K. Later flying with the Ecole de Chasse at Coxyde as IQ:V before being struck off charge on 21st September 1954.
SG-108 was sold to Oscar Dewachter, a scrap merchant at Stene, near Ostend, and placed on the flat roof of his premises. It was having been seen there that it was reported to Bunny Brookes, who subsequently purchased the aircraft around December 1965. The wings had sliced off with a blow-torch and the rest while mostly complete was in poor condition.
Following rebuild and mating with the wings from RM694, the aircraft was assembled after in excess of 2000 hours of effort and displayed outside the Petrol Station in pale blue overall for a short while. From there it went to Hendon in 1/68 with Group Capt TG Machaddie and was reputedly used in static scenes of the B of B flim. With Jeff Hawke at Henlow in 1969 still in the ‘Nimrod’ blue scheme applied by Bunny Brookes (which cast doubts on its film set use). It was sold in August 1971 to Sir WJD Roberts and stored initially on his estate at Filmwell, Sussex then moved to storage at his Strathallan Collection, January 1977. In January 1979 it was sold to Spencer Flack, who had to repeat the whole strip-down and rebuild process at Elstree, but this time under CAA supervision, while the Griffin 65 was sent to California for rebuild. First flight of the rebuilt aircraft was made at Elstree on 14th January 1981 in the hands of Ray Hanna, with 'out of sequence' registration
G-FIRE confirmed a week later. In a striking red scheme it was demonstrated at a number of events around Europe for several years. It was operated by Classic Air Displays from February 1983 and then owned by Stephen Grey at Duxford for a while in 1988.
In December 1988 it was sold to Bob Pond of the Planes of Fame Museum at Plymouth, MN and exported to the United States and became
N8118J (sometimes misquoted as N811BJ), and flown around the US Air Show circuit. Then in April 1981 became
N114BP (flying as NX114BP) still with Bob Pond Warbirds but now at Eden Prairie, MN. In December 1997 his collection was moved to the Air Museum at Palm Springs, California and in July 2001 repainted as W2:P with rather fanciful camouflage colours as a 80 Sqdn RAF Spitfire 24 aircraft operating from Hong Kong in 1950. It continues to be maintained in flying condition and appeared in the '90s film 'Aces:Iron Eagles' and the 2000 production of 'Pearl Harbour', along with performing at Air Displays.
V-S SPITFIRE F.XIVc RM694A Spitfire F.XIVc, powered by a Griffin 65 engine,
RM694 was built at Chattis Hill shadow factory, Hampshire and completed 22nd October 1943. From there it was flown to RAF Lyneham for armament, radio etc to be fitted and delivered to 91 Squadron on 18th July 1944 who were based at an Advanced Landing Ground at Deanland, Sussex, with their aircraft coded DL:•. With clipped wings to increase speed and maneuverability to chase and tip-over V-1 flying bombs, she flew 30 V1 inception mission, and Monday 7th August 1944 at 06:01 flown by FO AR Elcock shot down a V-1 doodlebug. Then to 402 Sqdn RCAF at RAF Hawkinge, near Folkestone for bomber escort missions and known to be have been coded AE:J. The unit moved to Deurne 30th September 1944, near Antwerp, Belgium and a few days later, while being flown by the Squadron’s commanding Officer throttle failure and a subsequent wheels-up forced landing near Koksijde caused Cat.B damage (not repairable on site) so RM694 was transported to Air Service Training Ltd for repair, which was completed on 21st April 1945. Then to 6 MU at RAF Brize Norton on 13th May 1945. Six months later issued to the Central Fighter Establishment at RAF West Raynham. Following damage sustained on 4th November 1948 the aircraft was grounded, and on 25th February 1949 was issued to No.5 School of Technical Training as
6640M for instructional purposes. In May 1950 she was issued to RAF Hornchurch as a guardian outside the Officers and air crew selection Centre. When RAF Hornchurch was closed in 1963 she was moved to RAF Bicester in 1964 then to RAF Dishforth in 1966 for disposal and it was from there that Bunny Brookes acquired the aircraft for £250 and it was transported to Hoylake around March 1966 (date amended). With no undercarriage or wheels, no propeller and other parts missing or damaged, restoration was a daunting task.
While with Mr Brookes at Hoylake the wings were moved onto NH901. The fuselage was sold to JD Kay of Manchester Tankers Ltd in 1966 and moved to Charnock Richard. The aircraft was considered at Elstree by Simpsons Aero Services for use in the Battle of Britain film, but rejected and moved to RAF Henlow. In March 1968 the fuselage was returned to Charnock Richard by owner JD Kay. Purchased by AW Francis in January 1969 and moved to Southend Airport and placed in external storage, then bought by Bill Francis, then around 1972 sold on to John Lowe and Larry Matt of Chicago and moved to the USA and stored for a while until acquiring a set of Mk.18 wings, then for some years was stored at the Victory Air Museum, Mundelein, Illinois. In 1985 acquired by Doug Arnold's Warbirds of GB Ltd and returned to the UK and stored in his high security compound at Bitteswell. RM694 was then re-exported back to the USA in 1989 on purchase by Don L Knapp/DK Precision in Florida and then onto Vern Schuppan also in Florida.
Returned to the UK in either 1995 or 2000/2001 and stored at an off-airfield indoor location at High Wycombe for the next 20+ years. On 30th March 2009 registration
G-DBKL was reserved by PM Andrews of High Wycombe, with the CAA to enable restoration work to commence, but it was not until early 2021 that the aircraft was moved to Biggin Hill and entered the Spitfire Company’s Heritage Hangar to commence a painstaking deep restoration back to flight. It has been found that as little restoration work has ever been done that the original cockpit controls and systems are untouched making it one of the most original Spitfires to enter restoration for quite some time, some 55 years after disposal by the RAF.
AUSTER AOP.9 XN437The new aircraft was awaiting collection from Auster Aircraft at Rearsby, Leicestershire on 31st December 1959 and on 2nd January 1960
XN437 was delivered to 19MU at RAF St.Athan. On 8th March 1960 it was at 2 MU RAF Sealand for dismantling and packing then left the UK via Birkenhead Docks on 3rd May 1960 headed for Aden and use with No.8 Independent Flight, Army Air Corps in Kenya at the time of the Mau Mau emergency. On 22nd April 1964 the aircraft was noted back with 19 MU at RAF St.Athan. On 28th November 1967 she was struck off charge and sold to Mr AH Brookes of West Kirby.
After sale by Mr Brookes it was registered
G-AXWA on 13th January 1970 to Mr T Platt of Oldham. It would appear that he contracted CM & ML Edwards to rebuild the aircraft, possibly at North Weald. In March 1988 the aircraft was registered to CM and ML Edwards of Kent and in February 2004 to just CM Edwards of Kent. It would appear that the aircraft has been resident at North Weald, Rush Green (eg 2007) and Biggin Hill. As of August 2021 the aircraft is not airworthy, with a ‘no flight’ declaration standing since 10th April 2018 as the aircraft is still registered.
Some of the better information sources, but a 'Google' of the registration will get multiple hits:Michael Lewis's "Rapide" magazine for the N.W. Vintage Aviation Enthusiast, No.7 of 2003
Under B-Conditions, British Manufacturers' Trials Aircraft since 1929, Doug Revell, Air Britain 2020.
Web sites:
MK XIV Spitfire RM694 arrives at Biggin Hill for restoration - Fly a Spitfire
spitfire/rm694 - Warbird Registry
Home (sonsofdamien.co.uk)
Warbird Registry - Supermarine Spitfire - A Warbirds Resource Group Site
Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - Supermarine Spitfire FR.XIVe, s/n SG108 FABe, c/n 6S-648206, c/r N114BP
There is exceedingly little regarding a lowly Auster AOP.9 out there on the Internet. Does anyone have access to the entry in the recent (and costly) Air Britain book on the subject?
