Bob Spence’s Fairey Swordfish
Invariably Attracted Attention

Report and photos by Gord McNulty
February 2025
The Swordfish in an appearance at a CFB Borden air show.
Correction: Re the obituary for Robert J. (Bob) Spence in the In Memoriam of the January 2025 e-newsletter, I originally stated that Bob’s Fairey Swordfish C-GEVS/HS 554 was painted in Royal Navy colours. In fact, it displayed Royal Canadian Navy markings.
 
Britain’s Navy Wings organization has noted that Swordfish Mk II HS 554 was built in 1942 and was one of 99 Mark IIs (updated and delivered as Mk IVs) delivered to Canada by the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Swordfish in Canada served as gunnery trainers and in anti-submarine patrol work, operating from No. 1 Naval Air Gunnery School Yarmouth and Dartmouth (both RCAF administered) in Nova Scotia. 
Yarmouth was set up to train Telegraphist-Air Gunners (TAGS) for the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. More than 700 gunners had been graduated when the school closed in 1945. The Swordfish, not being economical to repatriate to Britain, were donated to the RCN before finally being retired from service in 1946.
 
As mentioned in the obituary, HS 554 was among seven derelict Swordfish acquired by eccentric collector Ernie Simmons at Tillsonburg, ON. Bob Spence acquired it in an auction sale after Simmons’ death in 1970 and registered it C-GEVS in memory of Simmons. 
 
Beautifully restored after a painstaking effort, HS 554 took to the air again at Bob’s Muirkirk, ON airfield in 1991. The rare warbird instantly became a major attraction at air shows and fly-ins. While the celebrated aircraft made a strong impression in flight, its Bristol Pegasus engine proved to be a handful to maintain. HS 554 became part of the Vintage Wings of Canada collection in 2006. It subsequently was sold in 2019 to private owners at White Waltham Airfield Ltd. in the U.K., shipped overseas in two sea containers. 
Bob Spence and crew testing the engine of the Swordfish during the Muirkirk fly-in in 1991.
Bob Spence's Fairey Swordfish at the 1995 Muirkirk air show.
The White Waltham staff were delighted to welcome the celebrated Swordfish to their collection, though they noted the engine “was the source of some consternation over in Canada.”  
 
These photos of mine show HS 554 in action. Excellent photos and background on the story of the legendary Swordfish are on the Vintage Wings website.
The Bristol Pegasus engine was a handful for Bob and volunteers, during a show at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.