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Restoring Sandy’s Spitfire - the Great Escape Spitfire - to flight.

Incorporating the Photographic Reconnaissance Charity, PRU Archive, National PRU Monument Campaign, and the Reconnaissance Heritage Flight.

www.spitfireaa810.co.uk
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC FLIGHT SPECIAL

For those who read National Geographic, their edit of our supplied article has published in this special publication which is available now, featuring 12 pages of reconnaissance history!
February 13, 2026 at 8:55 AM
ON THIS DAY IN 1942

Sandy gets in the air for the first time in a month. Taking off from RAF Wick (pictured) he would have a particularly challenging time:

“Mission 29 - Spitfire AA793

Did a trip though prospects looked poor. Off at 09:55 weather over North Sea fairly good. Just
February 12, 2026 at 8:26 AM
212 SQUADRON FORMATION

Today in 1940, 212 Squadron was reformed at RAF Heston as a photographic reconnaissance unit, working with the Photographic Development Unit and deploying detachments to France with Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk IC and Bristol Blenheim Mk IV aircraft for strategic sorties over
February 10, 2026 at 8:55 AM
ON THIS DAY IN 1944…

Mosquito PR.IX LR412 of 540 Squadron took off on a practice cross-country flight and air test from RAF Benson. Flown by F/o Marek Slonski-Ostoja of the Polish Air Force together with Navigator F/Lt Paul Riches DFC, the aircraft was to impact the side of Aran Fawddwy Mountain,
February 9, 2026 at 8:19 AM
SPITFIRE SUNDAY

Today’s aircraft is PR.V X4385 taken having been captured following an emergency landing at Deelen Airfield near Arnhem on the 22nd September 1941.

F/Lt Tomlinson piloting suffered engine failure in cloud during a sortie to photograph Hamburg. Spotting a large field below him he
February 8, 2026 at 9:44 AM
THE PR.XI HAS LANDED

Our latest silk offering from Gieves & Hawkes is this fabulous silk Spitfire pocket square. Just 20 available at £50 each inc UK posting. In stock now, message us for details.
February 6, 2026 at 8:12 AM
YALTA ANSWER - F/O ERIC HILL DFC DFM

So the link we were looking for yesterday was Eric Hill of 544 Sqn. As a navigator Eric flew mostly with pilot Frank Dodd, the pair completing 53 PR operations together after joining 544 Sqn in March 1944, including flying diplomatic mail to the three
February 5, 2026 at 9:07 AM
Just in PR Spitfire silk pocket squares!

We’ve made 20 silk pocket squares to complement the Great Escape pocket squares we produced in the Autumn. This collaboration with Gieves and Hawkes is exclusive to us with 100% of funds going to the restoration. Priced at £50 inc UK P&P
February 4, 2026 at 8:43 PM
YALTA AND THE PRU

The Yalta Conference began today in 1945, when the three allied leaders, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin met to discuss the future politics of a post war world. Churchill was accompanied by his Photo Interpreter daughter Sarah, but there is another link…
February 4, 2026 at 8:19 AM
FEBRUARY 1942 - INTRODUCTION OF THE F52

Manufactured by the Williamson Manufacturing Company Ltd, the F52 came into service in February 1942 to replace the previous standard F24 camera. This new camera used a print format of 8.5"×7" in magazines of up to 500 exposures and could be
February 3, 2026 at 8:32 AM
MOSQUITO MONDAY

Today’s subject is a Mosquito PR Mk XVI of No. 140 Sqn warming up its engines at Melsbroek in Belgium, before taking off on a night photographic reconnaissance sortie, 15 February 1945.
February 2, 2026 at 9:01 AM
SPITFIRE SUNDAY

Today’s aircraft is PR.XI EN657 of 683 Squadron shown here at Ponte Olivio on August 16th 1943. This aircraft would go missing just over a year later on a sortie to Udine, Italy with 23-year-old F/Sgt Alan McLaren at the controls.
February 1, 2026 at 8:14 AM
TODAY IN 1942…

Freddie Malcolm took AA810 to Norway on a successful mission to photograph the build up of Luftwaffe resources at both Lade and Vaernes, the two airfields tasked with protecting the Tirpitz.

Freddie Malcolm had been in the Army at the start of the war and…
January 30, 2026 at 12:02 PM
ON THIS DAY IN 1942

Robert Tomlinson took AA810 on a successful high level reconnaissance of Tirpitz and the Scheer in Trondheim bay in a round trip lasting nearly five hours.

Two of his photos from that mission are shown here and his return to Wick this day in 1942 was also
January 29, 2026 at 8:24 AM
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, marking 81 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Allies photographed the camps in April 1944, growing evidence as to the existence of these horrendous places.

It is important to never forget history.
January 27, 2026 at 9:06 AM
AUSTRALIA DAY

Today is the national day of Australia, and an important day to recognise the 87 Australian nationals who flew RAF unarmed reconnaissance. Many Australians flew with the Mediterranean and Far East units including 682 Sqn shown in…
January 26, 2026 at 8:10 AM
SPITFIRE SUNDAY

We have recently had a fair bit of focus on our work on the PRU Monument, and today’s picture is a reason why we champion the cause so much.

It features F/o William Fortt of Quebec, Canada with a PR Spitfire of K Flight 1 PRU at RAF Detling. On the 12th April 1942 he departed for
January 25, 2026 at 8:21 AM
F/O PHILIP WYNNE ‘STUMPY’ HERBERT

Today we remember Sandy’s friend ‘Stumpy’ who crashed 84 years ago today during transfer from Benson to Wick. Having joined 1PRU just 10 weeks earlier, he had already completed 8 operational sorties in incredibly poor weather. He was gravely injured landing
January 24, 2026 at 8:32 AM
TODAY IN 1942

Pilot AFP Fane finds the Tirpitz hidden in Norway, his account from the day:

Set course for Stadlandet – climbed up to 27,000 ft and flew on and on. Clouds cleared a bit near Norwegian coast – trails dropped sharply with temperature to 17,000 ft. Made landfall about 20 miles south of
January 23, 2026 at 9:16 AM
ON THIS DAY IN 1942

Freddie Malcolm takes AA810 on its first trip to Norway. The weather was not fantastic, and although he managed to gather photographs of the bays around Trondheim, he was unable to locate Tirpitz.

Our photo today colourised by Colour by RJM
January 22, 2026 at 8:26 AM
TODAY IN 1944

No.8 Mobile Field Photographic Unit was formed at RAF Sawbridgeworth.

Mobile Field Photographic Units (MFPUs) were to prove crucial in the Allied advance before and after D-Day using specially equipped vehicles to rapidly process aerial and ground photos for
January 20, 2026 at 8:37 AM
MOSQUITO MONDAY

Ground crew of 684 Sqn change the starboard engine of Mosquito PR.XVI NS645/P at Alipore, West Bengal, in 1945.
January 19, 2026 at 9:13 AM
SPITFIRE SUNDAY

Today’s aircraft is PR.XIX PM655 '6C-W', of the Air Photographic Development Unit, based at RAF Benson. Built in June 1944 it took part in the aerial mapping of Great Britain in 1950. It was sold for scrap in September 1954.
January 18, 2026 at 8:25 AM
PDU FORMATION ANNIVERSARY

Today in 1940, the RAF’s Photographic Development Unit was formed at RAF Heston. It would later be renamed the Photographic Reconnaissance Unit on the 18th June 1940 and became No.1 PRU in November the same year.
January 17, 2026 at 9:39 AM
PART APPEAL

Following on from our recent appeal for a Flare Pistol which has opened up the possibility of three examples, whilst we continue those discussions we are also seeking an aluminium gun button to complete our spade grip. Whilst AA810 was unarmed, the grips were supplied…
January 16, 2026 at 9:05 AM