Corgi AA35501 Hawker Hurricane Mk I RAF No.249 Sqn, James Nicholson VC

F/Lt James Nicholson, a Yorkshire man was Fighter Command’s only VC, he had won his award flying with No 249 Squadron over Southampton. On August the 16th1940 Nicholson in his Hurricane (P3576) with two other pilots from No 249 Squadron, attacked enemy Messerschmitt 110’s near Southampton. The three RAF planes were in turn attacked by Bf 109s. After recovering from his severe burns and other injuries (other injuries included being shot in the buttock’s by a trigger happy Local Defence Volunteer as he descended in his parachute), Nicholson returned to flying in April 1941 as a Squadron Leader. Tragically, he went missing while flying as a passenger in a Liberator over the Bay of Bengal on the 2nd of May 1945.

Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Based on the Fury biplane and designed by Sydney Camm as a monoplane fighter, the Hurricane was first flown on November 6th, 1935. With its wide-set landing gear, easy handling, reliability, and stable gun platform, the Hurricane was suitable for a variety of different roles such as intruder, ground strafing and night fighter. Steel-tube construction meant cannon shells could pass right through the wood and fabric covering without exploding. The Hurricane underwent many modifications during its lifetime, including an upgraded Merlin engine and interchangeable multi-purpose wings, staging twelve 7.7mm guns and two 40mm anti-tank guns and carrying two 500lb bombs.