Historic:

John Agorastos Plagis was born in Rhodesia of Greek parents, in 1919. He failed to gain entry into the Rhodesian Air Force, due to his Greek parentage, so applied to join the RAF, who desperately needed pilots. Following completion of his flying training, he was posted to Malta and on 6th March 1942, his Spitfire left the deck of HMS Eagle to enter the cauldron that was Malta! Plagis flew with great skill and courage in defence of this beleaguered island and would score the majority of his combat kills during this time. He was awarded the DFC for his actions, but would suffer complete mental and physical exhaustion, which required evacuation to England. He was later to command No 126 Squadron, flying this beautiful Spitfire IX. Four Luftwaffe fighters were to fall to the guns of this Spitfire, before his squadron re-equipped with the Mustang III. Plagis ended the war with 15 aerial victories.

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries before, during and after World War II. The Spitfire was built in many variants, using several wing configurations, and was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft. It was also the only British fighter to be in continuous production throughout the war. The Spitfire continues to be popular among enthusiasts; about 54 remain airworthy, while many more are static exhibits in aviation museums throughout the world. The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928. Mitchell pushed the Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing (designed by B. Shenstone) to have the thinnest possible cross-section, helping give the aircraft a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane. Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith took over as chief designer, overseeing the development of the Spitfire through its multitude of variants.

Info: Spitfire Mk IXc No.602 Sqn, Pierre Closterman, RAF, July 1944