Witham Supply Paint for restoration of movie star WW2 Hawker Hurricane replica
A full-size replica of an iconic World War Two RAF fighter plane which starred in the 1968 movie The Battle of Britain, has been unveiled at a museum in Lincolnshire.
The model of the Hawker Hurricane, which has been restored using Witham paint, is now on show at the award winning We’ll Meet Again Museum near Boston. Paul Britchford, who founded the museum in 2017 with wife Linda, purchased the damaged fibreglass, steel and wood replica back in August 2023. With the help of supporters, Paul painstakingly spent months restoring it – despite suffering with terminal cancer.
A full-size replica of an iconic World War Two RAF fighter plane – The Hurricane Hawker
The Hurricane, which was originally built in Pinewood Studios in London, was in a poor condition when they retrieved it – with birds’ nests in the exhaust pipes and damage to the coverings. Paid said the restoration was a huge challenge – especially as they decided to stick to traditional Second World War methods.
Paul explains:
The restoration work has been a real group effort. We have had some great support from enthusiasts helping us with things like the cock-pit rebuild and coverings. The Witham Group also supplied all the correct paint free of charge.
The Hurricane model was one of several that were made as part of the Battle of Britain film production. Amazingly, this replica was actually craned on to the roof of Lincoln’s Odeon cinema for two months when the Battle of Britain film was released at the end of the 1960s.
The model Hawker on the roof of the Odeon in the 1960s
The museum team are hoping the new exhibit will attract more visitors, and hope that in future the Hurricane can be hired out to a small number of events around the county to help raise funds for the We’ll Meet Again Museum Charity. Read our article about the We’ll Meet Again Museum here:
Paul & Linda Britchford with Mayor at Hawker Hurricane Launch
Paul & Linda at Hawker Launch
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