Rhubarb over Somerset

After more than 2 months in the making my “Rhubarb over Somerset” diorama is done. If it were to be displayed anywhere I’d add a frame and plaque but over time it will probably be dismantled and its parts repurposed for another creation as it is the building that I find most fun. 

The inspiration for this diorama is a mysterious incident which occurred 80 years ago in Somerset not far from where we live. It was on a summer morning of 4th June 1943 that a Czech fighter pilot of 313 Squadron stationed at RAF Church Stanton (renamed RAF Culmhead in December 1943) clipped the roof of a GWR railway carriage with the wing of his Spitfire Mk.Vc, causing him to tragically crash in a farmer’s field near Bradford on Tone. 

During this period of WW2 the squadron was engaged in ‘Operation Rhubarb’, offensive low-level sweeps over northern France harrying ground targets such as military convoys and trains. It is possible that this pilot was at the time of the incident practicing a low-level attack on a passing locomotive and approached too low to clear the carriages. 

In creating this diorama I’ve incorporated a number of images from the period which although having no historical link to the event of the 4th June could well have been seen at some time or another in the Somerset countryside during the summer of 1943. Look out for the men of the Home Guard manning a pillbox along the Stopline Way, originally built to prevent a German beach invasion getting to London.

The Tank Regiment’s 11th Armoured Division are on the move from Bovington Camp, the Armoured Fighting Vehicles School, preparing drivers, gunners and engineers for D-Day. On the railway bridge a Scammell tank transporter carries a ‘Hobart Funny’, the Churchill Bridge Layer (coincidentally Percy Hobart was the first commander of the 11th Armoured Division when it formed in 1941), while, in the absence of signposts, a group of officers are having to check their map for directions. 

Meanwhile, a farmer shares a cup of tea with a soldier from 88 Brigade Workshop (REME) while a boy watches on sat on a milk churn. 

The railway signalman chats with a fellow soldier while he waits for the train to pass so that the rest of the convoy can proceed over the Bradford level crossing. I like to imagine that the tank transporter should be part of this convoy but they got separated hence now being lost! 

The stars of the scene are the Castle Class locomotive which I’ve repainted in a drab GWR wartime livery and a couple of clipped wing Spitfire Mk.V in RAF Church Stanton markings. The wings are clipped as this configuration was found to improve manoeuvrability at low level. 

Phew!

For those interested, here’s a list  of the 20+ models and figures I’ve used in the making of this diorama:

Airfix 1:72 Spitfire Vc, 1:76 Scammell Tank Transporter, Churchill Bridge Layer, Bedford QLT & QLD Trucks & Willies Jeep. 

Modelu military, farm and railway figures 

Ratio Plastic Models 1:76 Telegraph Poles, Crossing Gates, GWR Signals & Signal Box

Metcalfe 1:76 Stone Style Railway Bridge, Manor Farm House & Pillbox. 

Peco 1:76 Lamp Hut & Wooden Sleeper Tracks. 

Ancorton Models 1:76 Anderson Shelter.

A Year's Scale Modelling Diorama

It's been a year now since I removed my old Scalextric track in the loft from its baseboard so as to showcase some of my 'lockdown' builds, and having now completed my latest diorama, the RAF Airfield from Autumn 1943, I can't believe I have finally run out of space! 🤦‍♂️

It has been suggested that there may be opportunities to display one or two of these at model shows etc, but how I not only cut them into their respective scenes, let alone bring them down from the loft, is somewhat perplexing me! 🤷‍♂️

I have, however, seen some folk building smaller dioramas, which I understand are called vignettes, using old picture frames, such that I may now have to do a tour of the house to see which pictures I can repurpose!🤭😂

Suggestions welcomed!

Spitfire Squadron - Part 4

Spitfire Squadron … Part 4

It’s finally time to reveal the date of my diorama, a season and year which can be derived from perhaps an unusual source; the RAF vehicle paint scheme and I have to thank Mike Starmer on the Airfix Tribute Forum for this following factoid: 

1937 RAF vehicles were officially RAF Blue Grey BS.33 
1939-40 vehicles in France and Southern England were painted brown and green as used for building camouflage.  
1941 August (AMO 618/41) the RAF fell into line with army’s Khaki Green with Dark Tarmac stripe disrupter. 
1942 December (AMO 1397/42) changed to SCC2 Brown with SCC1A British Brown disrupter in a 'Mickey Mouse' design. 
1943 October changed the disrupter from SCC1A British Brown to SCC14 Black with the same 'Mickey Mouse' design.  
1944 September change to an overall SCC15 Olive Drab paint scheme.

1946 (AMO 306/46), following the end of the war, changed the scheme back to Gloss RAF Blue Grey

As the majority of the RAF vehicles are in the brown and black wavy 'Mickey Mouse' design and none are in Olive Drab it is at least October 1943 and no later than September 1944, and as I opened sating it was between 1941 and 1943 and the trees have autumn leaves, it has to be between October to November 1943!

So, what else is going on this RAF Airfield in Autumn 1943?

Beyond the control tower, there are parked up 3 vehicles. There is no surprise to see an RAF Standard Tilly, but the presence of the two Jeeps is intriguing. 

One is from the British Army 6th Airborne Division and the other the US Army 4th Divisional HQ. The 3 drivers, now deep in conspiratorial conversation, have just delivered their respective military leaders to the control tower, where they they are now being escorted within, to collaborate in vital D-Day planning! 

Spitfires, like the fighter‐bomber equipped Mk.Vc in front of the hanger, went on to provide essential air support for the D‐Day landings. Around 55 squadrons of Spitfire participated in the invasion of Normandy, between 5 to 7 June 1944, carrying out ground attack missions; perhaps the most famous occurring after the D-Day landings, was on 17 July 1944 when General Rommel himself was wounded in an attack by a Spitfire fighter.

There was much fear during this period of 5th Columnists and Nazi spies. While in reality, and backed up by Ben Macintyre’s excellent book ‘Agent Zigzag’, these fears were mostly unfounded, however, towards the rear of the airfield, you’ll see a spy cornered by 3 RAF Police officers, who, with the high profile visitors on the base, are taking no chances! In Ben Macintyre’s book, the British double agent Eddie Chapman is dropped into England during early 1943 to blow up the Mosquito factory on the outskirts of London; so there was certainly a desire on the part of Germany to use such spies to disrupt the British war effort.

In October 1941, with the Luftwaffe now concentrating on the Russian front and air raids on Britain lessening, so did the need for anti aircraft defences, however, the presence of senior military leaders on the base also has the Bofors 40mm Anti Aircraft gun and crew, repurposed from a my North African campaign collection, scanning the sky for a surprise Luftwaffe attack.

Finally, did you spot the set of camouflaged De Havilland Vampire wings at the back of the hanger? 

I had these left over from a previous build so thought I’d drop them in for fun, as the prototype of this single jet engined DH.100 De Havilland Vampire, Britain’s second jet fighter code named ‘Spider Crab’, conducted its maiden flight from Hatfield Aerodrome on 20 September 1943. 

Although it didn’t actually enter service until a few months after the War, it did go on to be adopted as a replacement for many of the wartime piston-engined fighter aircraft, such as the Spitfire. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed my take on this post Battle of Britain, pre D-Day airfield, and the backstories to the various scenes.

The End