E-MAIL spitfirefactory@aol.com

My thanks goto Matthew O'sullivan ( Keeper of Photographs ) for the pictures and Therese Angelo info@AFW.CO.NZ for her co-operation in supplying the History.

TE288

The history of the RNZAF Museum Spitfire is as follows:   CBAF11892 TE288

  Built by Vickers Armstrong, Castle Bromwich Brought on charge May 1945; to storage To No 16 Operational Training Unit,Keevil from May 1946 To No 501 (County of Gloucester) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Filton, from November 1946 (Unit code RAB-D) To No 6 Maintenance Unit, Brize Norton, from February 1949 To 102 Fighter Refresher School, North Luffenham, from April 1951 To No 33 Maintenance Unit, Lyneham, from October 1951 Officially grounded 1954 Used in film "Reach for the Sky" in 1955 Gate Guardian at Kenley in August 1955 To No 60 Maintenance Unit, Rufforth in October 1955.

Maintenance serial 7287M allotted 24/10/1955. Unit moved to Church Fenton in 1959. Acquired by Christchurch Brevet Club in early 1963 and crated for shipment by No 2 Maintenance Unit Shipped from Liverpool 19 April 1963 per Hinakura. Arrived Lyttelton, NZ, 28 June 1963. Assembled at RNZAF Base Wigram November 1963 and had its first public outing at the Christchurch Agricultural and Pastoral Show, 13 November. Mounted on a steel plinth outside Canterbury Brevet Club on 3 March 1964. Presented to RNZAF in 1984 in exchange for a fibreglass replica Refurbished at RNZAF Base Woodbourne 1984-85 before display in RNZAF Museum.