This post is a short one, more of a response to this post and the photo which was found in a jumble sale in 2016 by Julie Chettleburgh. It contains a fabulous photo of a Spitfire on Farmer’s Avenue (above) which caused a flurry of excitement as everyone either remembered it or tried to work out which spitfire it was. Finally after a bit of Faffing about Peter Arnold – a spitfire expert has got in touch and confirmed one of the various ideas that was being thrown around, which was that this Spitfire above was the Gate Guardian at Coltishall which he has confirmed it was.
You can see what a remarkable hobby Peter has here on Youtube.
He has provided me with three images of SL542 in situ transferred to Coltishall in 1963 with the BBMF.
Image 1: Horsham St Faith in July 1962 with the Grey/Green camouflage and type C1 roundel, all correct for a Mk XVI.
Image 2. RAF Coltishall some time after the move from Horsham St Faith. Note exact match to your Norwich image but in the incorrect scheme of Brown/Green with early type roundels.
Image 3. RAF Coltishall in March 1983 but repainted, again incorrectly in the Brown/Green scheme. Note camouflage delineation changes.
Curiously I remember the gate guardian from going to RAF Coltishall in the 1970s when we used to cycle there to use the swimming pool which was opened up to the public during the summer holidays.
Images courtey of Peter Arnold with huge thanks.
In 1973 as a member of the BBMF ground crew I stripped the undercarriage off this spitfire to remove the undercarriage mounting pintles, with a hope they would pass NDT tests so they could be used on the rebuild of spitfire AB910. two non flight pintles were refitted and the undercarriage replaced. The interior of the aircraft was heavily contaminated with bird droppings.
I remember this aircraft being in ASF’s hangar at Coltishall – probably about 1975 as I was tasked, amongst others, to strip the paint ready for a repaint, then remember it being transferred back to the main entrance roundabout, suspended under a Coles Crane. Happy days.
Is this the same Dave Goldsmith who lived next door at Colt ?.I Iwas at BBMF till SEPT posted to 17 Bruggen
Yes it is Tom, How the hell are you, If you ever see this we live in Norwich, just a few miles from where we lived next door to each other, I am in the Norwich Phone book