Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Hawker Hurricane Mk I LK-A, L1630, 87 Squadron,
Plt Off W D David, Lille Seclin France, Late 1939
Scale 1:72 Wingspan 6.66" (169 mm)
Base size 6.37" (162 mm) square (No. 4)
Weight not including base 9 ozs (259 grams)
Total number of models produced 195
Part of the original batch of 20 two-bladed Hurricane Is delivered to
No 87 Sqn at Debden between
July and September 1938 as replacements for the unit's Gladiator Is, this
fabric-winged machine was
sent to the continent (along with the rest of the squadron) just 24 hours
after Britain declared war on
Germany.Having survived eight months of relative inactivity in northern
France, L1630 enjoyed ten
days of near-constant fighting during the Blitzkrieg before finally being
abandoned by No 87 Sqn
(almost certainly at Merville) during the unit's retreat to the Channel
coast. It was flown almost
exclusively throughout this period by prewar pilot Dennis David, who seemed
to find the reduced
performance of the fighter due to its original 'Watts prop' of little
consequence in combat. Indeed,
he was credited with 7 and 2 shared destroyed (plus an eighth solitary
kill in 'two-blader' L1870),
three unconfirmed and 2 damaged whilst flying L1630 between 10 and 19
May. Like the Hurricane
of Off W D David, Lille/Seclin, May 1940 No 85 Sqn's 'Dickie' Lee, this
machine also participated in
the Lille/Seclin inspection held on 6 December 1939, although photographs
taken at the time indicate that it was then devoid of the squadron standard
(a serpent) on its fin. Prior to the German invasion, the aircraft had
had a crowned red lion on a yellow crest painted onto its starboard cockpit
door, and as Plt Off David scored more victories, so small skulls (five
in total) were added above the artwork. An enterprising No 87 Sqn rigger
unhinged the door soon after L1630 was abandoned in France and brought
it back to England with him for eventual presentation to the unit. Donated
to the Air Historical Branch in the early 1960s following the disbandment
of No 87 Sqn, the door went on display at the RAF Hendon Museum in the
1970s. In 1996 now Grp Capt Dennis David (retired) arranged for the historic
relic to be exhibited on a long-term loan basis at the Shoreham Aircraft
Museum in Kent.
Source: Osprey Aviation Books, Aircraft of the Aces Vol 18. ISBN 1-85532-597-7
