Gin Ye Daur!

A Spitfire over Leith, albeit in model form. It's just over 75 years since the prototype Supermarine Spitfire, K5054, flew from Eastleigh Aerodrome with famous test pilot "Mutt" Summers at the controls; eight minutes of history on the 5th March 1936.

Edinburgh has, like Glasgow and other cities, it's own squadron, No. 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, that was formed in 1925 at RAF Turnhouse as part of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. It was 603 Squadron that shot down the first enemy aircraft to be shot down over Great Britain since The Great War; on 16th October 1939 a Luftwaffe bombing raid headed over the Firth of Forth to bomb warships at Rosyth, attacking HMS Southampton, HMS Edinburgh and HMS Mohawk before interception by Spitfires from 602 and 603 (City of Glasgow) Sqn - bringing down two Junkers Ju-88 bombers of Kampfgeschwader 30 by the end of the day.

603 Squadron's motto is "Gin ye daur", Scots for "if you dare".