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Old 14-07-18, 05:34 AM
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Default Where Have All the Spitfires Gone?

These two 1953 aerial photos show a number of Spitfires parked up near the circular "Beehive" building at Gatwick. They are waiting to be broken up.

The Beehive was built in 1936 as the terminal building for Gatwick Aerodrome.

Gatwick Aerodrome and the nearby Gatwick Race Course are today Gatwick, London's second airport.
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File Type: jpg Gatwick 1953 Beehive Spitfires to be Broken Up.jpg (57.4 KB, 116 views)
File Type: jpg 1953 Beehive More Spitfires.jpg (65.4 KB, 100 views)
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Old 14-07-18, 07:41 AM
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Despite all those aeroplanes that are gone for ever, there remain a considerable number of airframes in museums, in particular, in Great Britain, as well as airworthy examples that can be seen upon the air show circuit, although, in the case of the latter, I suspect this number will decline.
I have certainly never thought of them as a particularly rare sight.
Regarding the photograph, I think you have answered your own question, a clue, would have be the use of the phrase broken up.
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Old 14-07-18, 12:57 PM
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I did realise where the Spitfires had gone when I wrote that post.

The title was an oblique reference to this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9t7LbNpQcE
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Last edited by BWEF; 15-07-18 at 03:13 AM.
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Old 14-07-18, 01:14 PM
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Lovely photos.

Some while back a restored Spitfire sold at auction for £3.1 million. On that basis, just on a rough count, there must be about £108 million worth of Spitfires sitting there waiting to be scrapped. I wonder how much they got from scrapping them?

Mind you, if they had saved them all instead of scrapping them I guess they wouldn't be worth £3.1 million each!

Roger
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Old 16-07-18, 07:35 AM
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I seem to remember reading somewhere that many were sold off to other countries after WW2. I think that some went to Israel and I certainly saw one used as a gate guard outside a military base in Burma back in the 1980s.
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Old 28-07-18, 01:09 PM
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Hello

Where Have All the Spitfires Gone?............... in France

https://www.museeairespace.fr/aller-...ire-lf-mk-xvi/

http://foxalphazoulou.overblog.com/2...en-france.html

cordially
Didier
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Old 28-07-18, 10:14 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Just View Post
Hello

Where Have All the Spitfires Gone?............... in France

https://www.museeairespace.fr/aller-...ire-lf-mk-xvi/

http://foxalphazoulou.overblog.com/2...en-france.html

cordially
Didier
This link is giving me virus warnings ........
[url]http://foxalphazoulou.overblog.com/2014/04/les-spitfire-survivants-en-france.html[
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Old 29-07-18, 07:59 AM
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Burma. Buried in crates.
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