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Restoring Sandy’s Spitfire - the Great Escape Spitfire - to flight. Incorporating the Photographic Reconnaissance Charity, PRU Archive, National PRU Monument Campaign, and the Reconnaissance Heritage Flight. www.spitfireaa810.co.uk
safely back to base.
P/o Ferdinand Kepka (seen on right) and navigator F/Lt Karel Vokoun (seen on left) both posed with their aircraft which was damaged 81 years ago today. These men are two of seven Czechs to appear on our planned National PRU Monument:
www.spitfireaa810.co.uk/national-mem...
height rapidly control was regained at 6,000ft but they came under more attacks by an FW190 and then anti-aircraft fire from the ground. Descending further the crew flew at such low level that the aircraft impacted trees, tearing two holes in the port wing but despite this they managed to fly
TODAY IN 1945
An extraordinary event occurred on this day in PR history, when a Mosquito PR.XVI MM276 of 544 Squadron was attacked East of Frankfurt at 33,000ft. The ME109 attacking hit the tail of the aircraft causing it to lose control and the crew prepared to jump from the aircraft. Losing
and teachers who got stuck in to our build challenges.
If you, your children, or schools that you know want to access free educational content visit www.spitfireaa810.co.uk/schools
FORCES IN STEM AT RAFM
We were delighted to return to the RAF Museum, London yesterday for the first Forces in STEM event for 2026. We met hundreds of primary school children through the day alongside 20 industry partners in Aerospace and defence and had some superb engagement from pupils
abroad. Post war she worked for the Foreign Office based in Ismailia in Egypt on the banks of the Suez Canal.
Today, 101 year-old Veronica lives in Dorset
WAAF WEDNESDAY
Veronica Mary Rawson was born in Tunbridge Wells on the 20th September 1924 to the Rawson family, well known motor dealers in the town.
Joining the WAAF she served with 540 PR Squadron at RAF Benson and was also involved with the preparation of PR aircraft for service
then took from his briefcase a number of very clear photographs and with a flourish laid them in front of me. “I took these!”
authority he replied “well you know that the RAF have been attempting to obtain photographs of the Siegfried defence line since September without success, I was able to arrange an appointment with the minister and show him these photographs.” He
of drama and excitement associated with a big schoolboy adventure story but knowing Sidney‘s entrepreneurial character I was also aware of how implausible it could turn out to be. When I questioned a number of points, for example how he had been able to sidestep the RAF and been given so much
Wood. His plan was to use the fastest aircraft available, with carefully selected pilots experienced in all weather conditions, to photograph highly sensitive and vulnerable targets with the object- again using the right aircraft - of bombing them out of existence. His plan certainly had the aura
the subject of using the Spitfire came up, as Henshaw recalls:
It was doing the first week of November 1939 that I received a telephone call from Sydney Cotton asking me to meet him at the RAF club. Over lunch he outlined a scheme he was just submitted to the Air Minister Sir Kingsley
And the answer is…
Founder of the PDU Sidney Cotton used the club as a remote office as he found his way into the necessary departments he needed to work with to get RAF reconnaissance to where it needed to be. In one meeting with then Vickers-Armstrong Assistant Test Pilot Alex Henshaw,
come through highs and lows over the decades. But historically within these walls something occurred that links it to our project. Who knows what this might be?
Answer at 2000 GMT…
RAF CLUB - THE PR LINK
The RAF Club at 128 Piccadilly is well known to those serving, those who have served, and those associated with the RAF, but it has an interesting link to wartime PR.
Opening in January 1922 but with its roots firmly set back in January 1917, the club has
to the ground in the Angers area killing F/O Jesse Reynolds and F/Sgt Frank Baker.
Both men will be recognised on our monument:
www.spitfireaa810.co.uk/national-mem...
MOSQUITO MONDAY
Today we feature PR.IX MM243, a Hatfield built aircraft that was delivered to 140 Sqn in late 1943. On the 5th June 1944 the aircraft departed Hartford Bridge at 1015 for a reconnaissance of the Nogent - Le Mans area. Reportedly damaged by flak, the aircraft crashed
which used aerial reconnaissance imagery to produce scale models- an essential part of war planning #internationalwomensday #iwd #raf #wwii #history
Happy International Women’s Day! Did you know that a third of the PIs (Photographic Interpreters) that worked at RAF Medmenham processing the RAF PRU’s ‘eyes in the sky’ photographs were women? Seen here, Helroise Hawkins is hard at work in V Section- the Model Making Section,
SPITFIRE AA810 AND RAF FORCES IN STEM
Next week we start our big public STEM engagements in partnership with the Royal Air Force STEM team at the RAF Museum London. With 1200 young people booked in for the day, we are looking forward to inspiring the next generation with some Spitfire STEM!
STEM team and The Scouts.
This year we will be celebrating the Spitfire at 90 with our hands on STEM activities, and can’t wait to share our learning material with more young visitors! See you there!
ROYAL INTERNATIONAL AIR TATTOO 2026
Following on from yesterday’s anniversary, we are delighted to announce that we have been invited back to The Royal International Air Tattoo for the third year running to deliver STEM learning to thousands of young visitors in partnership with the Royal Air Force
What better way to mark the birthday of something special than a bit of Spitfire media! 5th March - the Spitfire’s birthday and the loss of AA810 six years to the day later. Not many more 5th’s of March until AA810 flies again…
youtu.be/1BNgHHifS00?...
the UK, his Spitfire would only return 76 years later.
For more information on Sandy's shoot down, please see the full story of what happened today on our Facebook page: lnkd.in/ezpgafwX
84 YEARS SINCE THE LAST FLIGHT OF AA810 AND SANDY GUNN
Today is the anniversary of the first flight of the Spitfire in 1936, today also marks the last flight of Sandy Gunn
Today in 1942 Sandy Gunn took AA810 to the skies over Wick heading to Norway. Sandy would never return to
obliques of them and of Trondheim. Also Orkundal and Halsa Fjords, Orlandet airfield, Kristiansund and Aalesund, plus a convoy. Returned in fairly good weather to Wick making landfall at the Orkneys for a total duration of 4 hours 50 minutes.”
Tomorrow, it will be Sandy’s turn in AA810…
briefing. Took 2hrs 15 minutes to get there instead of 1 hour 45 minutes. Took photos of Trondheim but saw I had forgotten the wind strength and was drifted right off. So carried on with Vaernes airfield, the Tirpitz, Scheer and Eugen and as they started firing and I was worried about the drift took
Sumburgh as winds were supposed to be fairly strong, but mainly because of possibility of dud weather on return leg. Set course for Stadlandet and found visibility was terrific. Saw Norwegian coast 150 miles away, wind turned out to be 60 mph at 60 degrees not the 45 mph at 230 degrees given at
TODAY IN 1942
Sandy had hoped for a trip today in 1942 but it was AFP Fane who was picked to go to Norway. Taking AA810 Fane was to experience the anti aircraft defences around the Tirpitz before bringing AA810 back home again:
Mission 12, Spitfire AA810, Trondheim and Naval units.
“Refuelled at
MOSQUITO MONDAY
Today’s aircraft is PRXVI NS705 of 680Sqn. Built at Hatfield in 1944, the aircraft survived the war, being SOC in August 1945.