Page 54 - The Old Ratcliffian 2012

T The Old Ratclifan 2012 | Nostalgia The Old Ratclifan 2012 | Introductionhe Old Ratclifan 2012 | Introduction NOSTALgIA The Ratcliffe Spitfire Supported by The Leonard Stillwell Bursary and The Spitfire Society Working solely in an extra-curricular club, two members of staff and a handful of students aged between eleven and sixteen are building a full- sized replica Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1. The club is run by Mr Berry (Head of Art and Design) and Mr Cluley (Head of ICT and a Design Technology teacher). Named ‘The Ratcliffe Spitfire’, it will be an exact copy of this famous WWII fighter and will have a faithfully reproduced cockpit that will be able to be used. It will sit on its own undercarriage, enabling it to be wheeled to wherever it is needed and will form a pretty impressive sight on special occasions. There are a number of reasons for undertaking the project; the first being to create a tangible link to Ratcliffe’s aviation past and to Students at Ratcliffe working on the Spitfre project honour the hundreds of often unsung pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary who flew from Ratcliffe Aerodrome during WWII, known then as No. 6 one of them was seen to be trailing Ferry Pool. A very important reason black smoke. The unfortunate pilot is to interest students in aviation, was Plt Off Paul A. Baillon, who engineering, woodworking and managed to release his harness and problem-solving skills as well as in struggle from his crippled aircraft. history. They will, of course, also His parachute opened successfully learn a great deal about flying and and he floated down into the waters aircraft. The final reason is to honour south of the Needles. Plt Off Keith A. an Old Ratcliffian, Paul A. Baillon Ogilvie circled above the ballooning (32). His story for us begins in the silk canopy but saw no signs of life. late afternoon of 28th November (His body later washed up on the blueprints. These have formed the 1940, in the deceivingly tranquil shores of France and he is buried backbone of the research and initial skies above the southern tip of in Bayeux War Cemetery). Minutes build, however, Steve Clark (79) the Isle of Wight. A flight of 609 later, Wick was shot down by Flt Lt has very kindly supplied the project (West Riding) Squadron Spitfires John Dundas DFC, who was himself with what is known in the warbird are making just another patrol. then shot down by Wick’s enraged restoration community as the definitive Unbeknownst to them, they had wingman. A third Spitfire was also publication on the Spitfire, Spitfire just been spotted by Messerschmitt lost in the engagement, bringing to Mk. IX & XVI Engineered, written by Bf 109s of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG a close just another incident in what Paul H. Monforton. This book details 27 - 27th Fighter Wing); to make was to become known as The Battle the Spitfire down to the last nut and matters worse, this was a crack unit of Britain. I have been in touch with bolt, together with every conceivable of very experienced and decorated Paul’s daughter, who has very kindly dimension. Despite it being for the Mk German pilots. Leading this attacking allowed us to build The Ratcliffe 9 and 16, a great deal is the same on group was the Luftwaffe’s highest Spitfire as R6631, the aircraft her the Mk 1, so we now have everything scoring ace, and its youngest Wing father was tragically flying on that we need to be able to manufacture our Commander, twenty-five year old fateful day. plane, apart from the Mk 1 canopy. Helmut Wick. With height advantage, I was very fortunate, some years The first Spitfire canopies were flat- Wick’s squadron ‘bounced’ the ago, to be given a disc of over three sided and flat-topped, but these were Spitfires and it wasn’t long before thousand Supermarine Spitfire quickly replaced with a bubble-top 54 54