An article of inspiration for fellow Whiffers

[Rheged]

This document came to light recently whilst I was reviewing an assortment of archive  material . Fellow Whiffmeisters might find it of interest and inspiration.  I have added  a few thoughts of my own, but I would be delighted to see better modellers and illustrators than me  developing the theme.  It is therefore offered completely copyright free to anyone who feels that they can use it.  Some of it is even accurate!


A Brief History of Perfidious Albion PLC.

It all started with Edwardian gentleman with the wonderful name of  Oscar Gnosspelious, who experimented (with varying degrees of success) with hydro-aeroplanes on Windermere before the First World War.  His letters from that period are held as part of the Arthur Ransome Trust  Collection (Gnosspelios was a friend of the author of the Swallows and Amazons books).  There is a fascinating exchange of letters with a  naval officer   by the name of Murray Sueter.  Gnosspelious suggested that in the foreseeable future, aeroplanes would be launching ".... incendiary darts and  grenadoes at one another in mortal combat..."  Both of them concurred that seeking out intelligence on potential enemies was vital, but Gnosspelios went further. His suggestion was that should hostilities occur, a group of  "adventurous fellows,  trained mechanics and useful in a scrap"  should be assembled with the necessary  equipment to seek out downed machines, recover and repair them, and promulgate the information to the aeronauts of the British and Empire  forces.
In late 1914, Sueter set up the Aeronautical Equipment Recovery Organisation, with a small group of R N  engine room artificers, two injured pilots and  a  one-armed Lieutenant- Commander called John (Jack) Armstrong. Their recovery and "acquisition" abilities became legendary, and Armstrong was known throughout the service as "Hydraulic Jack"....he and his men could "lift" anything! " Their task was to recover and repair as many German aircraft as possible, and  fly them against RNAS and RFC aircraft.  By 1916, their equipment was a mixture of Crossley tenders, Rolls Royce armoured cars and a pair of elderly RE8 aircraft painted  in red, white and blue.  The vehicles carried an identity panel of the same colours, not dissimilar from  modern "Raspberry Ripple".

Idea one:  a diorama of AERO "lifting" a wreck.

No one is quite sure who authorised the raids, but during 1917 a group of irregulars whose parents were Heligolanders who had returned to Britain when the island became German succeeded in abstracting from a German replacement aircraft park in northern Belgium a total of eleven machines, which were flown to Holland.  It is suggested that money changed hands at this point, as the aircraft were not interned, but were all loaded onto a Dutch vessel in Rotterdam and conveyed to an airship station near Stranraer.

Idea two: anything German current in 1917 in any variant of red, white and blue you care to use.

After the armistice, Captain Armstrong had expected his organisation to be integrated with the new RAF, but due to its irregular nature it was overlooked in post war euphoria.  The Admiralty, however, decided that AERO was too useful to disband, and negotiated its absorption into the Crown Agents Organisation. It became a subsidiary of Crown Agents, trading as a private company by the name of Perfidious Albion Limited, with  Armstrong as the first managing director. Little is known of their inter-war activities, other than the unexpected arrival of  Me109 and He111 aircraft  in Gibraltar during the Spanish civil war. These were crated and taken to West Fruegh  for further investigation.

Idea three: Me109 and/or He111 in Raspberry Ripple

When war broke out in 1939, Perfidious Albion Limited used cash from the intelligence budget in several imaginative ways.  The arrival of a pristine FW190 (delivery mileage only) in Tel Aviv in September 1941, having flown in from Turkey, is believed to be their work.   Similarly, the "swept wing Meteor" being trialled at Cranwell in December 1943 is now known to have been an Me262, purchased  by a Swedish front company for Perfidious Albion Limited, crated and flown out of Stockholm.

Idea four: Me262 in UK prototype markings

Post war austerity resulted in many cut-backs, but perfidy continued unabated. The covert shipping of the Miles M52 to Woomera has been covered elsewhere (where did all of that  unattributable trans-sonic data so helpful to the EE Lightning design term originate?)

Idea five:  a Lancaster with M52 underslung

With the commencement of the Korean War, information was urgently needed about opposition jet aircraft.  The arrival of an RFA in Hong Kong with a "funny looking Sabre" as part of its cargo   yielded  vital data on the MiG15. All the RFA crew would say was that the aircraft was "bought second hand" and that they were delivering it for a friend. In later years, a number of RAF "Cossack" aircraft were acquired by a variety of dubious methods. These have covered elsewhere on this website. P.A. aviation services (allegedly an air taxi and surveying company)  may also be connected in some way with this organisation.

Idea six: any commuter aircraft in P.A. Aviation Services livery.

Since 1962, the work of Perfidious Albion PLC has been covered by the 50 year rule for the disclosure of government documents.  Further details of their work will be published if and when it is declassified.

[Old Wombat]

I like this; it walks the line between realistic innovation & Boy's Own adventure.

[pyro-manic]

Haha, this could be a good excuse for all sorts of things.

[TallEng]

Its "Watsons Wizzers" only in reverse, and with a bit more scope timewise
A nice idea... Like I need (not!)

Regards
Keith

[lancer]

Idea four: Me262 in UK prototype markings

Post war austerity resulted in many cut-backs, but perfidy continued unabated. The covert shipping of the Miles M52 to Woomera has been covered elsewhere (where did all of that  unattributable trans-sonic data so helpful to the EE Lightning design term originate?)

I've actually got an idea along similar lines to this but I've decided to clear all the part built and unfinished kits cluttering the edges of my work bench before I build it.

[Rheged]

Haha, this could be a good excuse for all sorts of things.

...............as if any of us   ever needed any excuse!

[NARSES2]

Wonderfull amd one wonders where the line between reality and myth actually really, really lies  

[lancer]

Wonderfull amd one wonders where the line between reality and myth actually really, really lies  

You mean you've been here all this time and you still don't know?!?!?!?

[Geoff]

Wonderfull amd one wonders where the line between reality and myth actually really, really lies  

You mean you've been here all this time and you still don't know?!?!?!?

Reality? What?

[RussC]

Wonderfull amd one wonders where the line between reality and myth actually really, really lies  

You mean you've been here all this time and you still don't know?!?!?!?

It wouldn't matter anyway, because just when you think you have the line fixed and located, somebody moves it, bends it, ties it in a knot, erases it, draws their own or ... draws a design like this:



This clipped from anthropomorphic artist wsache007 over on DeviantArt (Some people really put the deviant into that group! ) 
Give his gallery a look -

[NARSES2]

Now that's like something out of old school pulp sci fi 

[Rheged]

Now that's like something out of old school pulp sci fi 

Thread drift virus strikes again!

[NARSES2]

Now that's like something out of old school pulp sci fi 

Thread drift virus strikes again!

Yup, brains like butterflies 

[Go4fun]

Now that's like something out of old school pulp sci fi 

Thread drift virus strikes again!

Yup, brains like butterfly's

Butterflies usally have a general direction they are moving in, unlike us WhIfers.

[RussC]

We navigate more like outhouse flies...