RAF No 131 (County of Kent) Squadron

Supermarine Spitfire photographs

Spitfire MkVb RAF 131Sqn NXA with NG Pedley at Merston Sussex IWM CH5883

Spitfire MkVb RAF 131Sqn NXA with NG Pedley at Merston Sussex IWM CH5883a

Spitfire MkVb RAF 131Sqn NXB AD411 NXE and NXK at Merston Sussex IWM CH5879

Spitfire MkVb RAF 131Sqn NXB AD411 NXE and NXK at Merston Sussex IWM CH5879a

Spitfire MkVb RAF 131Sqn NXE AD425 at Merston Sussex IWM CH5877

Spitfire MkVII RAF 131Sqn NXB MD110 England 1944 01

Spitfire MkVII RAF 131Sqn NXB MD110 England 1944 02

Spitfire MkVb RAF 131Sqn NXA with NG Pedley at Merston Sussex IWM CH5883

Squadron Leader N G Pedley, the Commanding Officer of No. 131 Squadron RAF assisted by his ground crew, prepares to set out on a sweep in his Supermarine Spitfire Mark VB, BM420 'NX-A' "Spirit of Kent/Lord Cornwallis", from Merston, a satellite airfield of Tangmere, Sussex. Maybe serial BM420

Imperial War Museum IWM CH 5883 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205210198

Spitfire MkVb RAF 131Sqn NXB AD411 NXE AD425 and NXK AD552 at Merston Sussex IWM CH5879

A line of Supermarine Spitfire Mark VBs of No. 131 Squadron RAF, being prepared for a sweep at Merston, a satellite airfield of Tangmere, Sussex.

Imperial War Museum IWM CH 5879 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205210197

Spitfire MkVb RAF 131Sqn NXE AD425 at Merston Sussex IWM CH5877

Supermarine Spitfire Mark VBs of No. 131 Squadron RAF undergo maintenance in their dispersal area at Merston, a satellite airfield of Tangmere, Sussex.

Imperial War Museum IWM CH 5877 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205210196

Spitfire MkIX RAF 131Sqn NXA MA83x landing mishap at Hawkinge 4th Feb 1944 IWM CH18692

No.131 Squadron [Kent] R.A.F. Crashed avoiding wrecked aircraft. 4th February 1944 Hawkinge.

Imperial War Museum IWM CH 18692 https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205441858

Spitfire MkVb RAF 131Sqn LOW SqnLdr Michael GF Pedley CO BL299 at RAF Lianbedr Jan-Apr 1942 0A

Info Eduard: Michael Pedley joined the RAF in 1935 and served with No. 2 (Army) Squadron until 1939, when he became an instructor. In November 1941, he took command of No. 131 Squadron. During Operation Jubilee (the Dieppe landing 19 August 1942), he scored two aerial victories. In September, he was awarded the DFC and promoted to commander of No. 323 Wing, with which he took part in Operation Torch in Northwest Africa. During the war years, he scored five aerial victories and in 1956 was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in directing and commanding offensive air operations against terrorists in Malaya. He retired in 1957. An interesting feature of the Spitfire BM420, which S/Ldr Pedley flew with No. 131 Squadron, is the non-standard size of the lower wing insignia and the fresh application of the type C insignia, under which the original type A insignia shines through. The inscription Spirit of Kent refers to the county of Kent in Great Britain, which paid for the entire Spitfire squadron. Lord Cornwallis was largely responsible for the collection of funds from the residents of Kent. He appealed to the people of Kent, and after a meeting of the War Emergency Committee, the Kent County Spitfire Fund was established. The residents of Kent and the surrounding towns soon began competing among themselves to see who could raise the most money, and by November 1941, they had managed to raise more than £100,000, which was enough for an entire squadron of Spitfires.