The kit is the Airfix early fabric-wing Hurricane, and as most, if not all, modern Airfix kits, it is easy and fun to assemble. The detailing is quite good, but the plastic is quite soft. Thus, be careful when cutting and sanding. I used decals from several sources: LF Models 'Hawker Hurricane Mk. I. Battle of Belgium" for the roundels markings and Aviaeology's 'Vital Storm pt. 1' for stencils. Seat belts were added from masking tape, and some figures were added from the old Airfix RAF ground crew set. Dunn's Hurricane had the second type of exhausts, and not the original 'kidney' exhaust. It was also equipped with the two-blade Watts wooden propeller. The picture may indicate that Dunn's Hurricane had the early type of radio mast, and not the late type with a short and a long aerial shown on the LF Models instruction sheet.
So, what about the pilot, Pilot Officer Horatio James 'Jimmy' Rennie Dunn? He was awarded his pilot's certificate on December 17, 1938, after successfully passing through the RAF College at Cranwell. He was married to Denise Dunn, neé Foster. Dunn's war was fairly short, and he may have been a bit of an accident-prone pilot. Pilot Officer Dunn flew for No. 87 Squadron, and he was initially based in Lille/Seclin air base in France. On November 10, 1939, Dunn ran out of fuel after having engaged a reconnaissance Dornier over Tourcoing, and being lost, he was forced to land in the Mouscron area in West Flanders, i. e. in neutral Belgium. The Hurricane, L1619, was slightly damaged. Dunn was interned by the Belgian authorities near Antwerp, but he escaped on November 24, 1939, subsequently returning to his base.
Pilot Officer Dunn flew various Hurricanes during the Battle of France, and he claimed one Bf 109 on May 19, 1940. After being evacuated back to Great Britain, Dunn was flying a training flight in a Hurricane nn June 1, 1940. Unfortunately, Dunn failed to recvover from a stalled turn, and he was killed when the aircraft crashed near Yeadon at 12.30. Dunn was only 23 years old.
Source: http://www.henhamhistory.org/DunnWMem.html
Source: www.belgian-wings.be
