Warbirdnerd wrote:
From ANN:
Quote:
Discovered in a Cape Town scrap yard in the 1970s, it was
acquired by the late Charles Church and brought home to the UK. Church began to restore SM520, but when he died in 1989 the
aircraft was sold to Alan Dunkerley, who in turn resold it to Paul
Portelli in June 2002.
Before this becomes part of Spitfire folklore and although the quote is from the restorer's, Classic Aero, web site I am can find no evidence to support that the late Charles Church had any connections with this aircraft.
I suspect that there is confusion with a sister ship of SM520, from the same SA Metals yard in Cape Town, RR232, which indeed he did retrieve to the UK via Australia in early 1987
PeterA