Retired RAF officer accused of stealing train nameplate

AN RAF officer stole a commemorative nameplate for a Battle of Britain steam train from his base and sold it to a dealer for £12,000, a court has heard.

Philip Angus, 66, a retired squadron leader, is alleged to have stolen the metal nameplate from a secure fine arts store at RAF Bentley Priory between January 1999 and January 2000.

Mr Angus, who denies theft, was in charge of the officers’ mess on his base and claims he took the nameplate home for restoration, Harrow Crown Court heard. It bears the name “Lord Dowding” and was a tribute to Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding.

It was one of two identical nameplates that sat on either side of a steam locomotive from 1947 named in honour of the Battle of Britain.

The nameplate was loaned to RAF Bentley Priory in 1990 by Lord Dowding’s stepson, David Whiting. James Keeley, prosecuting, said that Mr Whiting had requested the return of his family heirlooms in 2006 but the nameplate could not be found.

It was sold between 2010 and 2011 to David Jones, 62, a dealer. He denies handling stolen goods. Mr Angus claimed he had “agreed to dispose of some old memorabilia” in 1999, the court heard. The trial continues.