Spitfire on display within Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow.
Spitfire LA198 flew with 602 (City of Glasgow) Squadron between 1947 and 1949 and is 'Glasgows Spitfire'. The aeroplane was flown by Glaswegians who saw action in WWII and is a symbol of their heroism.
This aeroplane crashed on landing and was subsequently used as a gate guardian at RAF bases before being retired to RAF Cardington. It was returned to the City of Glasgow by Parliamentary Approval in 1998, and was painstakingly restored over a period of three years.
602 was the first of 21 auxiliary squadrons to be formed within the Royal Air Force and began flying from Moorpark Aerodrome at Renfrew. It was originally a bomber squadron but converted to fighters in May 1939.
Two of its pilots, The Maquis of Douglas & Clydesdale (later The Duke of Hamilton) and Flight Lieutenant David MacIntyre, were the first men ever to fly over Mount Everest. Such was the confidence of the Air Ministry in this unit that 602 was the first Auxiliary Squadron to be equipped with Spitfires - and, indeed, 7th in the whole Royal Air Force.
With these Spitfires it was involved in the shooting down of the first German aircraft in UK skies in the Second World War. Later, the Squadron moved south into the thick of the Battle of Britain where it soon established itself as one of the leaders finishing the conflict with the second highest total of "kills", the lowest pilot loss rate and the longest serving squadron in the front line.
Great info and link Matzos, thanks. I must visit the RHF Regimental Museum again soon, where the 602 Sqdn. museum is to be added. Its a few years since I've been there.
BTW, where the aerodrome at Renfrew was, is now a housing estate with streets named after aircraft.
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