Churchill's Funeral

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19 years 11 months

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Just been watching the Paxo programme on Churchill's funeral which I remember watching sitting on a footstool at my grandparents. I remember the cranes dipping - but apparently it certainly wasn't as spontaneous as it seemed.

It was said that a lone Spitfire flew over Bladon churchyard at the tme of his interrment. Can anybody hazard a guess as to which one it was - there can't have been many airworthy at the time - given it was some years before the BoB film

Original post

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14 years 5 months

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Don't know about the spitfire but I remember as a 9 year old boy watching his funeral train pass my house in Putney the line ran passed the bottom of our garden.

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13 years 8 months

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If I remember correctly it was Hawker's Hurricane flown by Bill Bedford. It was Chartwell not Bladon.
Could there be two events?

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14 years

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I'd hazard a guess that there were four (UK) Spitfires flying in 1965, all belonging to the RAF ?

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I seem to recall G-AIDN being on the civil register at that time. (i.e. In my Ian Allen Spotters book!)

Moggy

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If I remember correctly it was Hawker's Hurricane flown by Bill Bedford. It was Chartwell not Bladon. Could there be two events?

Two events, methinks.

Most likely candidate for the Spitfire at Bladon would be AB910. Looked like a single seater, also a dark colour.
MH434 was also around in 1965, flying as G-ASJV.

The 16 Lightnings flying up the Thames also received a mention.

Planemike

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Longshot
Thank you so much for posting your #8
I had no idea it passed through were I live !!

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9 years 8 months

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To be fair to Paxman his programme last night was Very good.
I was livid when his comments came out about ego etc etc .

Watching the programme he repeated those comments near the end, but in a sort of throw away line.

This proves how the press pick out comments and expand them completely out of context. everything printed was said, yes.......but bears no resemblance to the whole story.

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19 years

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Pretty certain it was AB910 and LF363. I think PZ865/G-AMAU was tucked up at Dunsfold in January 1965, I'll check.

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16 years

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I remember there was a Shackleton flew along the Thames as well but never found out which one,
Jim

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9 years 5 months

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I was 14 years old at the time of Churchill's funeral, I watched on TV at the time & it must have had a big impact on me, because I remembered every detail as if I'd seen it yesterday. I think it's great we we salute the great man again 50 years on, my belief is, he did a job second to none in WW2, I heard some negative mention of him being an imperialist, hardly surprising, he was defending the British Empire!
To the best of my knowledge, the Spitfire over Bladon church was AB910 & am I right in thinking that Spitfire G-AIDN was a two seater at one time owned by John Fairey?
Regards, Rich.

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I remember watching it all on TV, for some reason I think it was at school or were we all given the day off?

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11 years 2 months

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If it was AB910 then it was most probably flown by Jeffrey Quill out of Wisley. It may be possible to have his log books checked would this be useful information for the Forum?

As to G-AIDN -the Tr8 two seater, yes it was owned by John (?) Fairey for some years. It was usually kept flown out of RAF Andover airfield. It lost the rear bubble canopy on at least one occasion and I remember seeing a "Have You Seen A ..... on your field or garden" in the local newspaper! I think we are looking forward to seeing it take the air again soon..... this year maybe ???

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19 years

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I'm sure a recall both a Spitfire and a Hurricane flying over the churchyard, if so then it wasn't PZ865 as she was hangared at Dunsfold, last flight of 1964 was 19 September when Bill Bedford flew her home from a display at Biggin Hill, first flight on 1965 was a one hour CofA test flight on 9 April (Bill Bedford again). I do seem to remember Bill Bedford saying something around the time that he was flying PZ865 near Chartwell (don't know the occasion but he flew it a lot) and he took the opportunity to perform a private flypast, obviously not in January 1965 though.