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Home New Releases RAF Spitfire PR Mk XI (PA929) D-Day Combat Loss Relic Display
 

RAF Spitfire PR Mk XI (PA929) D-Day Combat Loss Relic Display

$300.00

Own a rare and historically important piece of D-Day history! Ron Cole has combined his original artwork of this RAF Spitfire PR Mk. XI (PA929 of 16 Squadron, flown by Flight Lieutenant Michael Aidan McGilligan) above the beaches of Normandy on June 6, with an actual piece from this specific aircraft's unique camera control panel!

 Spitfire PR Mk XI PA929:

As the sun rose over the English Channel on June 6, 1944, the fate of the free world hinged on the success of Operation Overlord. While the massive amphibious assault unfolded on the beaches of Normandy, another critical battle was taking place high above the clouds. Unarmed and alone, the pilots of the Royal Air Force's Photographic Reconnaissance Units flew vital missions to map German defenses and track enemy movements in real time. Among these aviators was Flight Lieutenant Michael Aidan McGilligan of No. 16 Squadron, RAF, piloting Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk. XI, serial number PA929.
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The PR Mk. XI was a masterpiece of wartime engineering. Stripped of all armor and weaponry to reduce weight, these aircraft relied entirely on speed and altitude for survival. They were fitted with a more powerful Merlin engine, greatly increased fuel capacity, and a smooth, polished finish in a distinctive "PR Blue" — a carefully chosen shade designed to render the aircraft nearly invisible against the high-altitude sky. The Mk. XI's primary armament was not machine guns, but cameras. Its universal camera installation could accommodate various configurations of the F.24 and F.52 aerial cameras, including vertical and oblique arrangements, allowing pilots to capture sweeping photographic mosaics of enemy-held territory from altitudes that no German fighter could easily reach.
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Through the winter of 1943 and into the spring of 1944, No. 16 Squadron — part of 34 (PR) Wing under Group Captain Rochford Lousada and based at RAF Northolt on the outskirts of London — flew relentlessly over occupied France. Their Spitfires photographed transport networks, coastal fortifications, and troop concentrations, building the detailed photographic mosaics upon which the tactical maps of the coming invasion were founded. During May 1944 alone, the squadron flew 244 sorties. The intelligence they gathered was instrumental in the planning of Operation Overlord.
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On D-Day itself, the weather over Northolt was dull and overcast, yet the squadron persisted. The first of 16 sorties launched at 0700 hours. Pilots pressed on through cloud and uncertainty, photographing airfields, transport hubs, and the areas around Caen as smoke from the bombardment rose over the Norman countryside. It was dangerous, demanding work — and it was utterly indispensable.
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Tragically, the war ended for Flt. Lt. McGilligan just two days after the invasion. On June 8, 1944, his Spitfire crashed at Bletchingley, Surrey, while returning from a photo-reconnaissance mission over France. It is believed that McGilligan either lost control in thick cloud or suffered an oxygen failure that rendered him unconscious. He was 25 years old. The young Irishman is buried in the Commonwealth War Graves section of Redstone Cemetery, Reigate — just a few miles from where his Spitfire fell to earth. He never witnessed the victory for which he gave everything.
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In October 2012, an aviation archaeology team excavated the crash site of PA929. Buried deep in the heavy Surrey clay, they recovered poignant remnants of the aircraft: fragments of the Merlin engine casing, the propeller hub in remarkably good condition, pieces of the F.24 reconnaissance camera film spools, and sections of the airframe still bearing the original PR Blue finish. Each fragment is a testament to the mission and the man.
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The Cole's Aircraft Collection is honored to preserve a direct piece of this history. Among our holdings is an original camera control panel face recovered from a Spitfire PR Mk. XI — the very type flown by McGilligan and his comrades of 16 Squadron. Clearly legible across its face is the label "CAMERAS — PORT OBLIQUE STARB," identifying this as the cockpit selector panel by which the pilot commanded his oblique camera system, choosing between port and starboard orientations to capture the flanking views of targets below. The surface of the panel bears the unmistakable patina of wartime service: layers of camouflage paint, worn rivets, and the honest corrosion of more than eight decades. It is not a museum reproduction. It is the real thing.
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Each of these very limited run displays (less than 20) include a 1x1.5-inch aluminum artifact from PA929's camera control panel (the face including data tag will be preserved as one piece) that retains much of its original RAF cockpit green.
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This artifact bridges the gap between history and the present in a way that no photograph or document can fully replicate. When you consider what this panel represents — the quiet, mechanical act of a pilot pressing a selector switch while flying alone and unarmed over enemy-held France — the weight of it becomes profound. The photographs taken by men like Michael McGilligan helped crack open Fortress Europe. The camera control panel in our collection was the instrument through which that work was done. At Cole's Aircraft, we believe that history is most powerfully understood when it can be seen, studied, and — quite literally — touched.

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Limited to only 20 - though there will likely be only about 15 before material from this aircraft will run out. Signed & numbered by the artist.

Size: artwork is 11x17-inches, with frame roughly 13x19-inches.

We've included an homage to Michael McGilligan on the reverse of each of these displays, along with a signed COA.  

For more information and photos about PA929's excavation, please visit Wings Aviation Museum

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