Spitfire P8677 (Colchester & District) Giclée Art Print

High-quality art print of Spitfire P8677 'Colchester & District', a Mark IIA Spitfire that flew with No. 118 Squadron RAF, with the markings NK-X. P8677 was a 'presentation Spitfire', meaning that rather than being bought by the Air Ministry, it was paid for by donations. Thousands of individual Spitfire funds ran throughout not just the United Kingdom, but the British Empire and the rest of the free world, raising more than £13,000,000 - enough to fund over 2,500 Spitfires at £5,000 apiece.

The Mayor of Colchester's Spitfire Fund, taking donations from throughout Colchester and the surrounding villages (and a generous donation from the people of Colchester, Connecticut in the United States) raised £7,206. Fundraising efforts included the repeated auction of a calf (£70 10s) and a man touring the town with a barrel organ (£60). Other funds in Essex paid for Spitfires R7065 (Chelmsford), R7066 (Galleywood), and P7743 (Brentwood), among others.

Spitfire P8677 was initially assigned to No. 118 Squadron at RAF Ibsley in June 1941. The following month it was reassigned to No. 124 (Baroda) Squadron at RAF Castletown, and remained there when 124 left, being taken up by new occupants No. 54 Squadron; at this point the markings were changed to KL-M. In June 1942 P8677 was assigned to an Operational Training Unit, and continued in that role until July 1944 when it was struck off.

This illustration by Rob Wisdom is a high quality Giclée art print on cotton-rich fine art paper.

12x16" art print shown. Cropping and title position (if applicable) may differ slightly on 'A' size art prints. With thanks to Henry Boot and Ray Sturtivant, whose book 'Gifts of War' provides a wealth of information of presentation Spitfires.