Wing Commander Chadburn’s Aircraft
Mark 5b Spitfire, AEA
Flown by W/C Lloyd Chadburn
Few today are aware that one of the aircraft flown by Lloyd Chadburn during the war survives to this day as a part of The Fighter Collection at The Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England.
Chadburn’s logbook entries confirm that the aircraft was flown by him on numerous occasions in the months preceding his death in 1944.
This aircraft a Mark 5b Spitfire, EP120, Registration G-LFVB AEA was originally delivered in May 1942 to 45MU Royal Air Force. It served with 501, 19, and 402 City of Winnipeg Squadrons, finally ending with 53OTU.
After a distinguished RAF career, in which its pilots were credited with 9 enemy aircraft shot down, it acted as Gate Guardian at a number of RAF airfields before being acquired by The Fighter Collection. It returned to the air on September 12 1995, and is currently based at the Duxford aerodrome in England. The aircraft has been rebuilt and it is now in pristine condition. If you are so inclined you can actually hire the aircraft to appear at air shows and special events in the UK.
The photo above shows Squadron Leader Jeff Northcott and Lloyd Chadburn with the aircraft as it was during the war years when it was flown as an aircraft of 402 City of Winnipeg Squadron.
The second photo shows members of the Squadron who were photographed with the aircraft inside the Museum at Duxford in 2000.