Spitfire Dashboard Gauge

[BrodieBartfast]

Hello folks.

I've had this piece for a very long time. It's part of a very large collection of relics amassed by my great uncle. When he was still able to walk through fields for hours on his own, he would spend a good deal of his spare time metal detecting in the local area. Living right in the centre of 'Bomb Alley' as it was known, he now has a sizable collection built up in his shed. This includes a large plastic bucket filled to the brim with pieces with shrapnel, shell fragments, fired bullets... and aircraft components.

This was one of two Spitfire pieces given to me for a school show and tell project, along with various other bits and bobs. The other was a small piece of canopy frame, with the green paint fully intact on the outside. And then there's this, which I was allowed to keep.
I'd really appreciate any info on this, given it's been with me for some time. I unfortunately have no idea exactly which crash site it was recovered from, and so can't pin it to a specific aircraft. The closest I can get is Fordcombe, which is where I'm told the crash site was.

The markings are as follows, in light of picture quality.
Front side: 'MARK IB*' 'No 3431/41'
Reverse: 'JF'

If any information can be gleaned from these markings, I'd be happy to hear it. This relic was clearly involved in a very violent crash, having been found apart from the rest of the gauge assembly. The chances of matching it to a known aircraft are next to none, but I thought you'd all appreciate this little fragment of history.

Regards, B.B.

[AZPhil]

A very cool piece. I used to work at Tiger Aviation aircaft instrument shop when I got out of the Marine Corps. I would overhaul instruments(bearings ,jeweled movements, decal and paint) This is a VSI or a Vertical Speed Indicator. It shows how quick you climb or dive in Feet of altitude.
It sure came from a hard landing!!!

Added:
These are also called a Rate Of Climb indicator!!

Semper Fi
Phil

[BrodieBartfast]

A very cool piece. I used to work at Tiger Aviation aircaft instrument shop when I got out of the Marine Corps. I would overhaul instruments(bearings ,jeweled movements, decal and paint) This is a VSI or a Vertical Speed Indicator. It shows how quick you climb or dive in Feet of altitude.
It sure came from a hard landing!!!

Semper Fi
Phil

It's from the Battle of Britain; that much I know. So the damage is most likely the result of a dogfight. I don't know the circumstances of the crash, or if the pilot survived or baled out. I only wish researching crash sites in the area was easier. There are no comprehensive databases of information I can trawl through. I could speak to my great uncle again, but I'm not sure if he even remembers where the relics came from.
After a bit of research, it seems this gauge came from a Spitfire Mk1b, one of the first combat variants of the aircraft. It would be great if the serial number beneath the 'Descent' lettering turned out to correspond with the aircraft, but then I've read all sorts about record keeping for British aircraft being notoriously unreliable.

B.B.

[ian_]

Hello BB, the face is from a British aircraft and was standard fit on almost every RAF plane as part of the 'basic six' blind flying instruments, google a spitfire cockpit! The No 3431/41 means it was made in 1941, so not from a Battle of Britain loss. Would be interested to see the canopy frame, and any other aircraft bits. Thanks for posting.

[BrodieBartfast]

Hello BB, the face is from a British aircraft and was standard fit on almost every RAF plane as part of the 'basic six' blind flying instruments, google a spitfire cockpit! The No 3431/41 means it was made in 1941, so not from a Battle of Britain loss. Would be interested to see the canopy frame, and any other aircraft bits. Thanks for posting.

Thank you for the information! The other aircraft pieces are currently in the possession of my great uncle, and will remain so until he passes. Anything war-related of his will pass to me when the time comes. Of course, I hope I won't receive these things for some time yet!

B.B.

[Danmark]

An evocative piece ..... though ended up being less of the CLIMB and more of the DESCENT ......

[BrodieBartfast]

An evocative piece ..... though ended up being less of the CLIMB and more of the DESCENT ......

I would imagine the needle was spinning like mad before the gauge blew apart in the crash. Really hammers home the violent forces at play in aerial combat, and the bravery of the individuals who piloted the machines.

B.B.