With Remembrance to the fore the British Legion usually do something in the town centre at this time. Late on this afternoon I discovered they had a Spitfire on show! This is unusual as the normal items are merely small arms and the like. So I rushed off just in case it was moved. Indeed it will be moved as it is only here for the day, tomorrow it will be on show elsewhere, and no doubt just as popular.
When standing next to a plane you get a better idea of size, it appears so small in the air. The cockpit appears to be quite tight for an individual, though the German fighter the Me 109 was not quite so good, and the heavier cockpit canopy opened to the side, rather than slide back making escape difficult.
The Legion was as always there to talk and take contributions. Personally I never find them that communicative though occasionally one of them will talk well. They had no interest in the aircraft, only their own world was important. This one has many medals from his time in the French Foreign Legion.
Some kids were seen standing close by, an occasional male would be telling them how it was, though they themselves appeared to have been born long after the war. Many I met who were children during the war told off how the sky could be black with aircraft of all types. The local bomber bases nearby constantly flew overhead. The men themselves making use of the pubs and clubs of the town. The US airmen were popular with the townsfolk until they finally departed in 1992.
