By: kev35 - 11th June 2003 at 13:55
Manonthefence.
I may be wrong but have you replied to the wrong thread?
Refards,
kev35
By: Manonthefence - 11th June 2003 at 13:55
Kev
Yep
Off to beat myself severely
By: Ashley - 11th June 2003 at 12:09
Latest expected line-up for Sunday:
http://www.iwm.org.uk/duxford/spitfireday.htm
Ashley (Fluffy brush at the ready :))
By: TJ - 6th June 2003 at 08:51
Found this on usenet this morning in relation to Spitfire:
“WWII pilot found in wreckage
Spitfire shot down in ferocious dogfight
Relatives thought he was in family plot
VANCOUVER—Archaeologists and Britain’s Ministry of Defence are grappling with a mystery after the body of a Royal Air Force pilot shot down in the Battle of Britain was found recently in his wrecked Spitfire, more than 1,000 kilometres from where he’s supposedly buried.
But the fighter pilot’s last surviving sibling, who lives in Canada, said she doesn’t want his grave disturbed to find out who’s really buried there.
Beatrice Strathdee, who lives in Vancouver nursing home, said she sees no reason to question whose body is in the grave at Mortlach Church in Dufftown, Moray, Scotland.
As far as she is concerned, it is that of her brother William (Sunny) Gordon, 20, shot down Sept. 6, 1940, during a ferocious dogfight with three German Messerschmitts over the Sussex Downs in southern England.
“Let sleeping dogs lie,” said Strathdee, 88. “I don’t think that’s fair. It was so long ago. What can they do about it now anyway?”
But the recent discovery of Pilot Officer Gordon’s body in the buried wreckage of Spitfire No. X4036 on Howbourne Farm, Hadlow Down, raises questions about who is buried in his plot.
Aviation archaeologists who had permission from the British Ministry of Defence to recover the aircraft did not expect to find a body in it.
Their understanding was that Gordon’s body was recovered in 1940 and handed over to the family, which then buried it in a family plot in the church cemetery of tiny Dufftown, population 1,700.
Strathdee did not want to believe her brother’s bones remained in his aircraft for 63 years, especially since his family had held a very public funeral, including having the closed casket rest in state in the family home for several days.
Gordon’s death came one day before the British war ministry issued its coded “Cromwell” warning, indicating it believed Nazi Germany was set to invade within 12 hours.
On the day he died, Gordon and other members of 234 Squadron were attacked by Messerschmitt fighters high in the skies over the Downs.
The next day, the “Cromwell” code led to the Home Guard being called out, bridges being blown up and church bells ringing across southern England.
In the confusion, Gordon’s remains were hastily sent to his parents.
His father, a former army officer who became the district registrar, duly recorded his son’s death. But apparently no one opened the casket to check the remains.
If they did, they kept quiet, although Beatrice Strathdee said Tuesday she had heard before that the body might not be that of her brother.
The body was buried with military honours. The commander of RAF Lossiemouth arranged a fly-past.
Despite Strathdee’s misgivings, the grave will likely be opened, said Rev. Hugh Smith, minister at Mortlach Church.
CANADIAN PRESS”
TJ
By: Ashley - 6th June 2003 at 08:45
It is an IWM organised event for Father’s Day…ten Spitfires are expected in the static line-up with three of these taking to the skies at 3pm…Battle of Britain pilots will be in attendance and there will be an Aston Martin club gathering too…
A special gift pack is available for those who are interested – see http://www.iwm.org.uk/duxford/press11.htm for more info
Ashley, Duxford Correspondent
By: patb - 6th June 2003 at 08:38
I e-mailed Duxford for some more info. Little useful stuff back but they did say that there is a Sptfire scramble due at 3pm
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June 5, 2003 at 9:29 pm