History[]
Built at Leavesdon in 1945, and brought on Charge 29 August 1945. Accepted by 13 OTU at Middleton St. George, and coded KQ-G. Transferred to No 266 Squadron on 31 October 1946, TV959 was passed to 54 OTU at Eastmore on 24 April 1947. Acquired by 228 OCU at Leeming on 17 May 1947, she was transferred to 22 MU at Silloth on 20 September 1950, to be maintained and stored.
Transferred to 204 Advanced Flying School on 15 July 1951, the aircraft was damaged, with repairs carried out by Brooklands Aviation Ltd, Sywell. Passed to 27 MU at Shawbury on 6 February 1952, TV959 was transferred to the Home Command Examination Unit at White Waltham, on 15 May 1952, before being passed to 49 MU on 20 August 1953. Acquired by 27 MU on 16th November 1964, it was transferred to Home Command Examination Unit at White Walthamon 16 December 1955. Transferred to Fighter Command Communications Squadron, the aircraft served with 3 CAACU at Exeter, coded Y between 30 April 1959 and 31 May 1963, when the aircraft was Struck off Charge, and loaned to Film Aviation Services, Elstree, 1963.[1]
After taking part in the classic, though wholly fictitious, 1964 war film, 633 Squadron, appearing as MM398 (coded HT-P) during cockpit and ground sequences, TV959 was acquired by The Imperial War Museum following filming, and displayed the Mosquito for many years at their facility in Lambeth, London, but sadly not before sawing off her starboard wing so that she would fit the exhibit hall! With another Mosquito in their collection (also a veteran of the film 633 Squadron), IWM sold her on to The Fighter Collection at Duxford in the early 1990s, who in turn sold her to Paul Allen in 2003. TV959 arrived at AVspecs in May, 2011, and they made fast work on getting the ‘wooden wonder’ flying again. She made her first post-rebuild flight in September 2016, and once the requisite hours were on the clock, the restoration team disassembled the warbird for transport to the USA. Whilst TV959 retains some of her trainer variant features, Paul Allen had AVspecs configure her more like a wartime FB.Mk.VI fighter-bomber.[2] The airframe has now been painted to represent NS838 (UP-J), an FB.VI operated by 605 Squadron, and was displayed as such at Skyfair on 22 July 2017.[3].