Corgi WWII Spitfire PRXIX (AA38704)

Product Description

Corgi WWII Spitfire PRXIX
- PS915 The Last
- Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight, Coningsby, Lincs PS915 entered service just too late for the war, joining 541 Squadron at Benson in June 1945 before moving to the PR Development Unit to take part in tests of new cameras. Assigned to 2 Squadron at Wunsdorf in Germany she later flew strategic reconnaissance sorties in connection with the East/ West divide of Europe. She was returned to the UK in 1951, moving to 9 MU at Cosford before joining the THUM Flight at Woodvale in 1954. In 1957, PS915 became a founder member of the Historic Aircraft Flight, the forerunner of the BBMF, but was quickly retired to gate-guardian duties, serving in that capacity for nearly 30 years at West Malling, Leuchars & Brawdy. She re-joined the BBMF in 1987 after being modified to take an ex-Shackleton Griffon 58 engine & refurbished to flying condition by British Aerospace (Warton Division).PS915 currently wears the colour scheme & markings of PS888, a PRXIX of 81 Squadron based at Seletar in Singapore during the Malaya Campaign. This aircraft conducted the last ever operational sortie by an RAF Spitfire when, on 1 April 1954, it flew a photographic mission over an area of jungle in Johore thought to contain hideouts for Communist guerrillas. For the occasion the aircraft’s ground crew painted the inscription ‘ The Last!’ on the left engine cowling. The longevity of the Spitfire design is evident, as the aircraft type which first entered service in 1938 was still serving operationally with the RAF 16 years later despite rapid developments in the performance of military aircraft during that time.