When war was declared in September 1939, the school dropped the “Reserve” from its title, the Tigers were camouflaged, and their numbers swelled to 120 Tiger Moths in four flights based at the airfield. Officially handed over to the RAF in January 1941, XT was assigned the military serial number BB860 and in her time at 7 EFTS her only recorded accident involved an incident with fellow Tiger Moth R4776 which landed on top of XT on the 17th June 1941 again at Desford. Following the accident, XT emerged from the workshops on 28th July 1941 and continued at Desford before being transferred to the newly formed 29 EFTS based at RAF Clyffe Pypard near Swindon, Wiltshire on 6th September 1941.

29 EFTS had opened in August 1941 as yet another sponsored flying training school, (in this case run by Marshals Flying Schools - now Marshals Aerospace). In 1942 29 EFTS were given the task of providing the first 40 hours of basic instruction to the Army Glider Pilot Regiment in preparation for the June 1944 Allied assault on fortress Europe. During 1944 29 EFTS became a center of navigational training for the RAF and following D-Day in 1944 trained several intakes of Fleet Air Arm pilots.

With the war in its closing stages, and the need for pilot training reducing, she flew a few miles down the road to Number 10 Maintenance Unit at RAF Hullavington, being taken on charge there on the 2nd August 1945. When the war ended, Reservist training moved on to newer types such as the Percival Prentice and the Tiger Moth became somewhat dated. Upon arrival at 10MU, XT along with a lot of other war surplus was put into storage, her military flying days over. She sat at Hullavington until she was struck off charge on the 25th May 1950, Eventually put into auction and sold to the Christchurch Aero Club at what is now Bournemouth Airport she left the RAF on the 8th June 1950. Having not flown for nearly 5 years, her future looked bleak.

Slowly robbed for parts, John Pothecary, who was working for the Christchurch Aero Club at the time, saved her from a transfer to the rubbish dump in the mid 1960s. Being in poor condition, John also acquired the wreckage of G-ADWO (that had crashed in 1958) and in 1976 started a rebuild that combined both airframes.

Finished on the 2nd January 1979, John flew her for many years in her original Reid & Siegrist colours until he made the decision to have her parked up in September 1983. Then at Shoreham Airport, she was dismantled by Southern Air Ltd and was put into storage until being acquired by British Airways Captain Roger Hanauer in 1988.

Having been kept in the back of a hangar, she was reassembled again by John Pothecary. Under Roger’s instructions she was given a period, but non-original blue and silver colour scheme. Upon completion she moved to a new home at Goodwood Aerodrome where she continues to live to this day. Apart from displaying to the public at numerous airshows as part of the Diamond Nine Display Team, she led a leisurely life flying friends and members of the public for charity. Rebuilt completely again over a period of two years, she emerged from the workshops in the scheme she is in today in the summer of 2003

With just 400 hours on the airframe since its major 1970s rebuild, Plane Heritage bought XT in the summer of 2008. She will continue to be hangared at Goodwood whilst she embarks on a new commercial life with us, introducing enthusiasts to the ways of aviation as it was 70 years ago.

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