Boulton Paul Defiant fighter arrives safely at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum Trust
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
The Boulton Paul Defiant fighter finally arrives at the Kent Battle of Britain
Kent Battle of Britain Museum Chairman Dave Brocklehurst MBE in the cockpit of the Defiant as it arrives at its new home© Kent Battle of Britain Museum Trust LtdThe full-size replica of the World War Two Battle of Britain RAF fighter made the journey on the back of a flat-bed truck on Sunday February 9, its wing tips removed. Upon arrival it was finally craned over the museum's perimeter fence with the museum’s chairman, Dave Brockelhurst MBE, in the cockpit.
It will now become a key display in time for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
After several months of hard work and planning, the final leg of its journey took several hours, travelling at a speed of just 40 miles per hour with an escort. Hundreds of people turned out to line bridges and roads along the route, cheering and photographing the historic aircraft as it made its way to Kent.
At Hawkinge, locals, volunteers and children and families from the local school, which has been taking part in a drawing competition based on the Defiant, welcomed the new arrival.
Thanking both locals and fellow volunteers for their hard work and support, a relieved Dave said taking delivery of the Defiant was a "privilege and an honour”, and said museum volunteers were “ecstatic” and already “getting ready to put the wings back on” the aeroplane.
Lovingly constructed using many original parts over several years by Jack Holmes and his fellow former employees of the Boulton Paul Association at their erstwhile factory at Wolverhampton, it is estimated to have taken more than 50,000 hours to construct the fighter.
Sadly, in March 2013 the Boulton Paul Heritage Museum was forced to close when GE, the owner of the site of the original Boulton Paul Aircraft Factory at Wolverhampton, decided to prepare the site for sale following the move by Moog to a new industrial site nearby.
After an initial deal to show the aircraft together with other items from the collection at the RAF Museum at Cosford fell through, the association approached the Kent Battle of Britain Museum to see if they could take her.
The Boulton Paul Defiant on the M26 in Kent.© Kent Battle of Britain Museum Trust LtdThe faithful replica, which bears Battle of Britain era daytime camouflage, will now take pride of place alongside a Hawker Hurricane and Spitfire, making it the only display of its kind.
“It’s nice because where else in the world can you see a Spitfire, a Hurricane and a Defiant in daylight camouflage lined up together?” said Dave.
“We’re eight weeks and three days away from opening so it’s a case of getting a few vehicles repainted, finishing jobs, and getting some new displays around the Defiant”.
The museum possesses an engine recovered from a crash site of another plane from the Squadron represented by the replica Defiant, which is often overlooked in histories of the Battle of Britain.
In fact, the Boulton Paul Defiant flew operationally in two squadrons during the summer of 1940, although both were decimated in July and August of that year.
Flying from their forward base at RAF Hawkinge where the Museum is based, No. 141 Squadron were nearly wiped out within sight of the airfield on their first encounter with the enemy on July 19 1940. The day has become known as the Slaughter of the Innocents.
“We want to make sure it’s a fitting memorial, not just to the aircrew that flew her but also to the lads of the Boulton Paul Association who built her,” said Dave.
“My heart goes out to them because they lost their premises and their aircraft, but even Jack [Holmes[ who led the project and did most of the building on it rang me up on Saturday to thank us for looking after her. She has gone to a good home.”
- The Kent Battle of Britain Museum opens on April 3 and is open Tuesday-Saturday Easter to October 31 (10am-4pm April, May and October, 10am-4pm June-September, closed Mondays except Bank Holidays.) Visit kbobm.org or the museum's Facebook page for further information.
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Boulton Paul Defiant fighter rescued by Kent Battle of Britain Museum in Hawkinge
