JG891 - a High Back Mk Vc with Rolls Royce Merlin Power

Spitfire JG891 a Mk Vc single seat fighter was built at the Castle Bromwich factory of Vickers Supermarine and delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force. Arriving in Melbourne on 13th April 1943 it began service with No. 79 Squadron. In January 1944 at Kiriwina, Solomon Islands, upon returning from scramble, it overran a wet weather strip while landing in gusty weather, swung to avoid another aircraft, overturned and was badly damaged.

In 1974 the stripped hulk was recovered from Kiriwina by N Monty Armstrong and moved to New Zealand. It was later sold to Don J Subritzky, registered ZK-MKV in 1974 and moved to his family workshop/hangar on their North Auckland Dairy Flat property for restoration with parts from EF545.

The aircraft was later sold as a partially restored fuselage and incomplete set of wings to Historic Flying Limited; arriving in the United Kingdom in July 1999 and re-registered G-LFVC. The fuselage required some re-skinning of the rear end to correct its profile, systems were installed and tested and the engine bearers refurbished. A fully overhauled Rolls Royce Merlin 35 engine has been fitted, the three-blade Dowty propeller built up and the wings were assembled in HFL’s jigs. Many original pieces of wartime equipment have been installed and the cockpit now sports a genuine gunsight and IFF transmitter unit.

In 2006, nearing completion and already in desert camouflage the owners, Spitfire Limited, looked for a suitable scheme for the aircraft. The scheme chosen was that of a 249 Sqn Spitfire Vc based at Takali in Malta during 1943 - Spitfire JK879 coded “T-B”. At least three spitfires wore the “T-B” codes, but the scheme on JK879 was of particular interest as it had the “Saint” motif on the port fuselage side and 26 bomb mission symbols on the main fuel tank panel.

The current aircraft was originally completed with the deep ‘chin’ cowl associated with the ‘Vokes’ air filter fitted for desert use, but has recently been fitted with a chin cowl design as used by the Australians. G-LFVC with No.79 Squadron was based on Goodenough Island off the New Guinea coast in 1943. As there was little dust present in this area of operations, the squadron at this time dispensed with the usual Vokes filters and on most aircraft substituted more streamlined hand-beaten aluminium cowlings. The local modification was made to these aircraft in an attempt to reduce drag and gain extra speed. The owner of G-LFVC now has the option to fit either cowl.