Ex-Marshall's Spitfire Mk VIIIc MV154 Going to Germany
Ex-Marshall's Spitfire Mk VIIIc MV154 bought by a German warbird operator.
At last it is leaving UK and going to a presumably reputable owner. So much for the disreputable UK spives who illegally spirited it out of Australia so many years ago. Presumably now UK is on it's uppers and the fast money boys (banker aka ******) are having to liquidate a few assets. John |
Hmm, like to fill us in on the story???:confused::confused::confused:
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Bloody amazing a Spitfire resident in Germany, who would have ever thought this could happen.
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THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
HISTORY Model HF Mk. VIIIC Serial MV154 Built at Supermarine's Southampton Factory, 1944. Delivered to RAF as MV154. Assigned to 6 MU, Sept. 1944. Delivered to RAAF as A58-671 Stored, crated, RAAF Richmond, NSW, 1944-1949. Sydney Technical College, Ultimo, NSW, Sept. 1949-1961. Aubrey John ("Titus") Oates, Sydney, NSW, 1961. Sid Marshall, Bankstown, NSW, 1963-1975. Open storage in yard, Bankstown Airport. Jack P. Davidson, Bankstown, NSW, 1975-1977 Brian A. Simpson, May 1977-1979 Illegally exported to UK from Sydney, Sept. 18, 1979. Robs J. Lamplough, Duxford, UK, Sept. 1979-1982. Stored off airfield, pending restoration. Fighter Wing Display Team Ltd, Duxford, Dec. 23, 1982. Robs J. Lamplough/The Air Museum (North Weald) Ltd, North Weald, 1982-2002. Rebuilt to airworthy. First flight May 28, 1994. Question No. 3307 Mr Les Johnson asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce, upon notice, on 14 October 1981: (1) Following the conclusion of legal proceedings against certain parties concerning the illegal export from Australia of a rare Spitfire Mk VIII MV 154 will the Government pursue the return of this aircraft to Australia now that the case has finished. (2) What steps are being taken to prevent the possible future illegal exporting of historical aircraft. (3) Will the penalties for the export of historical aircraft or artifacts be increased. (4) If the Government is not to proceed with attempts to recover the Spitfire, what are the grounds for not doing so. Mr Peacock —The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows: (1) and (4) The Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department has advised the Comptroller-General of Customs that an English court would probably not enforce a claim by the Commonwealth based on the forfeiture provisions of section 229 of the Customs Act 1901 and has advised against the instituting of proceedings in the United Kingdom. The then Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs accepted that advice and I have found no reason to disagree with that decision. Proceedings to recover possession of the aircraft to which the honourable member refers will not be instituted in the United Kingdom. (2) The Department of Industry and Commerce exercises control over such exports through the Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations. Offences or attempted offences against this legislation render the persons concerned subject to the penal provisions of the Customs Act including the forfeiture of the goods concerned. It would seem that there are persons who are prepared to become involved in schemes to circumvent known Customs controls over the export of aircraft of historical interest. Assurance is given that the Department will investigate such attempts and take appropriate action wherever necessary. (3) Yes. Legislation recently passed by Parliament, but not yet proclaimed, increases the penalties from $1,000 to $50,000 or three times the value of the goods (where the Court can determine the value), whichever is the greater. THE ONE THAT NEARLY GOT AWAY JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN CUSTOMS SERVICE VOLUME 4 No 2 OCTOBER 2001 31 The actions, in 1979, of Sydney Customs officers stopped the illegal export of a World War II German fighter plane, the Messerschmitt Bf 109. On its arrival in Australia, the Bf 109 was accessioned by the Australian War Memorial (AWM), but the plane remained in its crates at No. 1 Aircraft depot, Laverton, Victoria, and then Tocumwal, NSW, until it was relocated to the completed War Memorial store at Duntroon, Canberra, in 1955. The Bf 109 stayed packed away at Duntroon until 1963 when the AWM Board of Trustees gave permission for the Bf 109 to be sold to a Mr B. Wetless, of Illawarra Flying School, for 250 pounds. Finally, in February 1964, the Bf 109 went on display, but not until another change of ownership occurred. Mr Sid Marshall, of Marshall Airways, bought the plane from Mr Wetless. Mr Marshall hung the plane in his hangar at Bankstown. In 1979, some years after the death of Mr Marshall, the Bf 109 came to the attention of a British collector who sought to export the aircraft to Britain. It was at this stage of the plane’s journey that Customs officers became involved. An export permit for the Bf 109 was denied due the rarity and historical significance of the plane. Customs officers had been alerted to the movements of the plane and placed the Bankstown Airport on 24-hour surveillance for several weeks before the plane was packed in air cargo crates and prepared for export. On 3 December 1979, Customs officers opened the crates to reveal the Messerchmitt in pieces without an export permit. The crates were seized by the Commonwealth and placed in storage at an Air Force base at Regents Park, NSW, while legal proceedings were undertaken. The case was eventually settled in 1987 when solicitors acting for the British collector filed a notice of discontinuance, with each side paying its own costs and the verdict for Customs. Vintage aircraft enthusiasts around the country were divided as to who should be given the seized plane, and whether it should be kept in Australia. Questions were asked in Parliament on a regular basis as progress of the investigation, as allegations of a deal to swap the Messerschmitt for a less significant aircraft were made. After long legal proceedings, Customs won possession of the plane and handed it back to the AWM in 1987. Since then, the Messerschmitt has remained in parts in a storage centre in Canberra. Curators will need to carefully remove some paint from the propeller and wings before the plane can be fully reassembled. “Had it not been for the diligence of Customs officers, Australia would have lost one of its rarest – irreplaceable – aircraft specimens,” the Aircraft magazine reported in 1980. The Australian War Memorial values this plane as part of its collection and is looking forward to resurrecting it so that it can take its place on display in the newly built ANZAC Anzac hall at the Australian War Memorial for all to observe and understand its significance in history. |
Here is MV154 being unloaded at Roselands Shopping Centre in Sydney on 6 January 1967. The aircraft was part of a temporary aviation display which also included Sid's Oscar, the Mustang A68-175 and Victa Gyrocopter VH-MVB. That's Sid under the tail of the Spitfire supervising the unloading.
http://www.adastron.com/aviation/vault/MV154-A263.jpg |
It is still happening. An extreemly rare Junkers A20 Junior was exported without heritage consent last year from Port Maquarie to Germany.
Heratige has been informed and the silence was deafining. |
Thanks Fantome:)
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