SOUTHERN at WAR

Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th May 2008

World War II   23rd Sussex (Hastings and Bexhill) Battalion of the Home Guard Spitfire Flypasts - now confirmed as Mk19 PS915 - see below Military Displays and Vehicles Wartime Cinema Films Concert Party Shows Fancy Dress competition - Discount for passengers wearing period costume Intensive Steam Train Service Plus much more from the dark and difficult days of World War II Please Note: Identity Cards (which will be issued to all passengers) MUST BE CARRIED at all times.

Events taking place: Saturday and Sunday

• Visit our wartime 'Yankie' Tank Locomotive No. WD1959
• Military Vehicles
• The Robbins Concert Party Show
• Band Concerts (afternoons)
  

• Displays by the country's top Home Guard re-enactors - see their web site
• SPITFIRE FLYPAST (weather permitting) - Saturday 10th May 2008 @ 14:55 hrs - Sunday 11th May 2008 @ 11:50 hrs by an aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight - see more details below.
• Military and period vehicles on display
• Wish Me Luck Concert party shows
• War-time Cinema Films
• War-time period fancy dress competition. Judging 1.30pm. All visitors are invited to attend in period costume should they wish - discount on train travel for those who do).

• WRVS Canteen
• Temporary Kingscote Post Office display
• Samples of Home Front wartime food
• Signals Post in station forecourt
• Military re-enactors and encampment
• Children's Quizzes

 
The Aircraft is now confirmed as Mk19 PS915 of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Weather permitting, the flypasts take place on Saturday 10th May 2008 @ 14:55 hrs and Sunday 11th May 2008 @ 11:50 hrs

PS915 entered service just too late for the war, joining 541 Squadron at Benson in June 1945 before moving to the PR Development Unit to take part in tests of new cameras. Assigned to 2 Squadron at Wunsdorf in Germany she later flew strategic reconnaissance sorties in connection with the East/West divide of Europe . She was returned to the UK in 1951, moving to 9 MU at Cosford before joining the THUM Flight at Woodvale in 1954. In 1957, PS915 became a founder member of the Historic Aircraft Flight, the forerunner of the BBMF, but was quickly retired to gate-guardian duties, serving in that capacity for nearly 30 years at West Malling, Leuchars and Brawdy. She re-joined the BBMF in 1987 after being modified to take an ex-Shackleton Griffon 58 engine and refurbished to flying condition by British Aerospace (Warton Division).

PS915 currently wears the colour scheme and markings of PS888, a PRXIX of 81 Squadron based at Seletar in Singapore during the Malaya Campaign. This aircraft conducted the last ever operational sortie by an RAF Spitfire when, on 1 April 1954 , it flew a photographic mission over an area of jungle in Johore thought to contain hideouts for Communist guerrillas. For the occasion the aircraft's ground crew painted the inscription `The Last!' on the left engine cowling. The longevity of the Spitfire design is evident, as the aircraft type which first entered service in 1938 was still serving operationally with the RAF 16 years later despite rapid developments in the performance of military aircraft during that time.

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