Merlin magic

There's a fantastic new attraction waiting to greet visitors to the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust's Wing visitor centre.

Pride of place in the reception area has been given over to a battle-damaged Rolls Royce Merlin Mk XII engine from a Spitfire once flown by top pilots from the famous Polish No 303 Squadron.

The engine has been loaned to the Trust by Laguna’s Spitfire Legacy (LSL), a not-for-profit project that is restoring Mk IIb Spitfire P8331 Sumatra, the aircraft this engine powered during World War Two. It was excavated, along with the aircraft, many years after Sumatra crashed in France during the war.

LSL, which describes its aims as "Remembrance, Unity, Legacy and Education (RULE), delivered through a philanthropic approach to restoration and preservation for future generations”, is aiming to restore P8331 to flying condition.

It believes that its historical significance in terms of its rarity and links to the famous No 303 Squadron, one of the highest-scoring Hurricane squadrons in the Battle of Britain, make it one of “the top three most important Spitfires in the world”.

The Mk IIb Spitfire was the first to leave the factory armed with cannon. Only 170 were built, and while three survive, none is in flying condition. No flying or restored No 303 Squadron aircraft from the war years are in existence and there are no surviving Polish squadron wartime aircraft in government ownership in that country. LSL plans to gift the restored P8331 to the people of Poland.

The aircraft’s pilot log contains famous names such as Kent, Drobinski, Lapkowski, Laguna and Kolaczkowski, the first four of whom are aces associated with the Battle of Britain. Wing Commander Piotr Laguna, who was killed flying this aircraft, flew Hurricanes with No 302 (Polish) Squadron at Duxford during the Battle of Britain.

No fewer than 12 of the 15 men who flew the aircraft were awarded the Virtuti Militari (sometimes described as the Polish equivalent of the Victoria Cross), eight were aces and eight had lost their lives before the end of the war.

The Trust is grateful to Laguna’s Spitfire Legacy for the most generous loan of this unique and inspiring reminder of the courage and sacrifice made by the Few, who came from so many different nations to defeat the Nazi threat of invasion.

There is more information on all the Allied aircrew who flew in the Battle of Britain in the electronic Database of the Few held at The Wing.