I am corresponding with a gentleman who has an aircraft clock which was given to him my someone who said he had got it from a photo reconnaissance Spitfire which crashed into a wood near Midhust in Sussex, returning to Tangmere in thick fog some time in WWII.
He also mentioned that the pilot who was killed in the incident, was in full dress uniform as he had been at some function when he was called on to do the flight.
Is anyone able to offer more details of this aircraft incident?
By: paulmcmillan - 18th January 2013 at 15:31
Suppose Spitfire F.Mk.IXC LZ920 F/Sgt Miroslav Kratochvil 310 Sqn 2 May 1945 can be discounted?
By: aircraftclocks - 18th January 2013 at 12:52
It is a Mk IIIB clock with a 1939 serial number and a 1940 repair mark on it.
By: Arabella-Cox - 18th January 2013 at 12:41
I suspect that is one for Mark12 when he is back from his travels…
By: R6915 - 18th January 2013 at 12:35
Flim flam or a shred of truth?
Extending the question further, a couple, or more years ago, in Canada, the family of a then recently deceased Southampton Supermarine employee said that they had found a family artifact stored for some years. This was a piece of hardwood that supposedly held some Spitfire Mark l flying instruments previously placed on the late gentleman’s mantle piece.
But the Canadian connection went dead on me when a request for a photo was responded to with a request for a valuation ! I said I was unable to do so myself as it was not part of my current knowledge but offered a couple of friends who should know and as far as I know the trail went dead. All rather odd but a strange question to be asked just for amusement even so.
All they Had said was that these were in “Turkish Script” taken out of the ten (or twelve) Spitfires retrieved from the export packaging originally destined for the Turkish Air Force in May / June 1940 at Southampton before onward road dispatch to Castle Bromwich (by road) to re-emerge as the first month’s Castle Bromwich production of Spitfires. The recently deceased gentleman used to tell the family the story that the instruments were in the scrap bin when he retrieved them.
To add a little weight to the story about the Castle Bromwich connection, Supermarine’s Works lorry driver in 1940 was still alive and living in Winchester some twelve years ago and always said that the Southampton works staff were told never to mention anything about these Spitfires going up to CB. Previously when I asked Denis Webb one of their then managers (author of Never A Dull Moment) he always said he would never comment on that question!
Can anyone add anything either positive or negative to help clear up that small splinter history?
By: Arabella-Cox - 18th January 2013 at 07:44
There are a few possible candidates.
What pattern of clock? This will at least (possibly) help to eliminate some by virtue of its pattern/age.
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January 18, 2013 at 3:54 am