About 25 years ago i was given some photographs by a family member or relative , i believe from Australia. I can no longer ask where they came from as the people have sadly passed on. I apologise for the quality of the photos, but they have been around a day or two. I believe the Bf-109 is one now preserved is Australia somewhere but if anyone has any idea's about any of the pictures then please say, some are obvious others not so, hope they are of interest to someone. Messershmidt Bf-109; Boeing 727 Boeing KB-50 Spitfire T8 G-AIDN Sud-Ouest SO.1221 Djinn F-ZVLU
The Me109 is probably from Bankstown just outside Sydney. It is likely to be Bf109g wknr163821 . In 'Vetran and Vintage aircraft' 1967 it is listed as owned by Sid marshall of Marshall airways. It states the 109 has been stored for 17 years and is intended for the Canberra war museum. The Short Scion in the hangar is VH-UUP along with a Marshall Airways Dakota. The Spitfire is G-AIDN probably taken at Eastleigh when in use by the Hampshire Aeroplane club.
The helicopter is SO1221 Djinn F-ZVLU c/n FC18, photos on the web of this in Australia, maybe on a military demo?
The hangars in the RB-50 tie up with those in the Bf109 shots so presymably Bankstown too.
Thanks for the Pictures of BF109G WRK Nr 163824. These photos were taken early 70's
In 1979, some years after the death of Mr Marshall, the Bf 109 came to the attention of a British collector who sought to export the aircraft to Britain. It was at this stage of the plane’s journey that Customs officers became involved.
On 3 December 1979, Customs officers opened the crates to reveal the Messerchmitt in pieces without an export permit. The crates were seized by the Commonwealth and placed in storage at an Air Force base at Regents Park, NSW, while legal proceedings were undertaken. The case was eventually settled in 1987 when solicitors acting for the British collector filed a notice of discontinuance, with each side paying its own costs and the verdict for Customs. Vintage aircraft enthusiasts around the country were divided as to who should be given the seized plane, and whether it should be kept in Australia. Questions were asked in Parliament on a regular basis as progress of the investigation, as allegations of a deal to swap the Messerschmitt for a less significant aircraft were made. After long legal proceedings, Customs won possession of the plane and handed it back to the AWM in 1987. Since then, the Messerschmitt has remained in parts in a storage centre in Canberra. Curators will need to carefully remove some paint from the propeller and wings before the plane can be fully reassembled. “Had it not been for the diligence of Customs officers, Australia would have lost one of its rarest – irreplaceable – aircraft specimens,” the Aircraft magazine reported in 1980. The Australian War Memorial values this plane as part of its collection and is looking forward to resurrecting it so that it can take its place on display in the newly built ANZAC Anzac hall at the Australian War Memorial for all to observe and understand its significance in history.
Hmm. I have a feeling I might know who that (late) collector was..... another 109, an Emil I think, did arrive at Blackbushe in bits and I remember a story that it had been exported from its point of origin as "scrap metal".
The 109 has been on display in the AWM for some years, still in its original paint.
Geoff Goodall's Warbirds Directory (and several online sources) state Doug Arnold was the UK buyer and that it was to be registered G-SMIT. Some sources - none to hand right now, unfortunately - state the Messerschmitt was covered in some kind of silver film and that paperwork referred to it as a P-51.
As Zac has stated along with a number of the AWM gems she wears original paint and the not often seen Galland Hood canopy, tricky to photograph, very dark.
