Untouched Toy Aeroplane For Child Killed in Blitz

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

A toy aeroplane bought for a child during World War Two was never unwrapped and played with when he was killed in the Blitz.

The tin monoplane given to a youngster in 1941 was recently found wrapped in newspaper in a loft in Bristol where it sat untouched for 70 years.

The newspaper included a story on Bristol's having been bombed heavily two nights before - the first time the city was hit by the Blitz.

Tragic: The tin monoplane was given to a youngster in 1941 - but it is thought he never got to play with his new toy

Loss: The plane was purchased as a Christmas present in 1940 but its pristine condition suggests it was a gift that was never given

BRISTOL IN THE BLITZ

Bristol was the fifth most heavily bombed British city of World War II.
The presence of Bristol Harbour and the Bristol Aeroplane Company made it a target for bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe who were able to trace a course up the River Avon from Avonmouth.
At 6pm on 24th November 1940 Bristol experienced its first Blitz lasting six hours.
Coventry had been badly bombed just 10 days before the Bristol Blitz. This raid had been widely reported in the newspapers. The government did not want to lower public morale.
Between 24 November 1940 and 11 April 1941 there were six major bombing raids.
In total 1299 people were killed, 1303 seriously injured, and 697 were rescued from debris
89,080 buildings were damaged including 81,830 houses destroyed.
On 3rd January 1941 Bristol was hit by bombing yet again with the raid lasting nearly 12 hours and during it a 4,000lb bomb was dropped on Knowle. This bomb did not explode and the people of Bristol called it Satan. It was made safe and was included in the 1945 London victory parade.
 

 

Winning bid: The mint condition plane was bought for £10,000 by an American collector at auctioneers Vectis in Thornaby, Yorkshire

Rare: The small metal toy is one of three known to exist shows a WW1 propeller driven plane with US Air Force badges

 Experts believe the plane was bought for a youngster who was never able to play with it and died during the bombing. The camouflaged monoplane is one of only three made by iconic British toy manufacturers W. Britain.
William Britain Senior turned his hand from brass maker to toymaker in 1893, and pioneered the use of lead-casting toy soldiers. His firm began making camouflage-painted toys after war broke out in 1939, but by 1941 had switched their manufacturing tools to help the war effort.
The mint condition plane was bought for £10,000 by an American collector at auctioneers Vectis in Thornaby, Yorkshire.

Spokesman Simon Clarke, said 'Although they produced thousands of aircraft, W. Britain only produced a very small number just prior to ceasing production during the war with a camouflage finish.
'It was quite a good price - I was over the moon. It’s not unusual to achieve those types of prices for W. Britain toys - they’re sought after all over the world.
'In that period from the outbreak of war to when they stopped making toys the next year, they made a lot of crazy toys related to war.

Under attack: Bristol was the fifth most heavily bombed British city of World War Two

'They made them only for a matter of months, then they went over to war productions. From 1941 they stopped making toys and started making hand grenades.'
The plane was originally bought for 9s 6d - or £18.30 in today’s money - from Gyles Brothers of Bristol.
It still packaged in its original box which could be turned into a ‘hangar’ by following instructions.