Anglican League Air support

Hi all,

just finished this 1/48 Sopwith camel by New-ray http://www.newrayusa.com/index.php?link=product&productline=25&b_id=0&s_id=1617&page=2. I picked it up for a £5.00 in my local newsagents ages ago thinking I'd find a use for it sometime. The pilot is from Copplestone's Back of Beyond range. Generally I've kept to the the colours the model came in, just magic washing the whole model in my usual Winsor & Newton Peat Brown and Future floor wash mix. Followed up by drybrushing on some highlights. I did however paint the RFC roundels solid blue and add White crosses to mark it out as an Anglican league flyer.

As for background I discovered this little tid bit on the web and figured I could justify some air support for my Anglicans.

SWANAGE/WORTH Aerodrome:N50.35.32 W 02.02.46:Private aerodrome which opened on 16-8-1928.Located between Worth Matravers and St.Albans Head,it was operated by the very active Isle of Purbeck Light Aeroplane Club.The club used a Simmonds Spartan aircraft and in 1928 had a total of 128 members (Pilots,Observers & associates).Date of closure not known ,but certainly by 1939.However ,during 1940 a site in the locality,was used by Avro 504Ns fromthe Christchuch based Special Duties Flight, towing gliders for Radar trials.Maps exist showing the site used as approximately the same as the prewar aerodrome.However there is information that it was on the cliffs further south, adjacent to the TRE which was established in spring/summer 1940. .

Sadly I couldn't find any 1/48 Simmonds Spartans. I figured however a flying club might have all sorts of elderly old aircraft to use as pleasure craft. Thus this venerable old warhorse has spent the 30's mothballed after being used as a pleasure craft in the 20s. Now with civil war looming the Sopwith gets a new lease of life as a ground attack aircraft. Lets hope the Royalists don't have any Bofors guns................

Cheers Jon