Aircraft Dumped & buried at Kenley? (2004 Zombie)

[QUOTE=Wrenchbender

That is my neck of the woods Rob, it was called Freeman field down by French lick, Indiana. I was down there several times and all they found were a few parts and some at a local dump. There is the remains of a PT-19 in a local forest that was dumped for the civil air patrol to find[/QUOTE]

Freeman field yes that the place, if I remember right they found all sorts of Germand stuff including a complete Fin some engines and other bits and peices.

Now for the PT-19 is it still thier and could we swap it for a Spam Can.

Also Wrenchbender it looks like we are going to try to have some sort of gathering in Nov with the North East Wix patrol just a heads up.

Cheers Crazymainer

One item that came out of this buried cache was a Spitfire undercarriage door.

This puzzled me for a while and then I realised that every photograph of the Mk VII EN474, post its US flying evaluation, showed the aircraft minus gear doors.

Mark

Mark,

Mmmm, interesting.

One of the photo’s a published in FlyPast also showed a Typhoon/Tempest radiator while being dug out. Wasn’t Typhoon MN235 based at Freeman Field at one point and isn’t it now missing its radiator? Put two and two together and voila. Don’t think they ever had Tempests in the States for evaluation (or did they?). Perhaps Hendon want their Tiffie radiator back.

Cheers

Cees

I think it’s safe to say that every airfield had a dump of some sorts.
In the early 1980’s I was invited along to Stansted to help excavate the quite large dump left behind by the departing USAAF in 1945. It was full of bits and pieces of battle damaged parts removed from B-26 Marauders while Stansted was used as a repair fascility for the 9th AAF. Notetable finds were panels with flak and bullet damage, along with items such as armoured glass from the tail gun positions, kitbags full of leather flying clothing and a complete Indian motorcycle in a crate were also found, although where they ended up I dont know. Now as far as I am aware only part of the dump was excavated, I know for a fact that the huge trench that was dug for the dumping of material like this extended for a good way further but was left undug. When you drive down the westbound part of the new A120 at a point roughly opposite the Control Tower of Stansted airport, you are indeed very close to the remains of the wartime dump.
At the moment I am investigating the whereabouts of the dump at Hunsdon airfield, although enough bits and pieces of aircraft and other items have been found behind former dispersal points on the airfield, such as RAF and NAAFI stamped cutlery and crockery are also in evidence
The stuff is out there, it’s just finding it thats the problem!.

Aaaaah! Mk 12……THE ULTIMATE SPITFIRE SLEUTH!!!

US The Air Technical Intelligence (ATI)

Yes, I remember this one – Texas somewhere? It was covered extensively in Flypast at the time. I remember loads of prop-blades amongst other gear. IIRC part of “Watson’s Whizzers”?

One item that came out of this buried cache was a Spitfire undercarriage door.

This puzzled me for a while and then I realised that every photograph of the Mk VII EN474, post its US flying evaluation, showed the aircraft minus gear doors.

Mark

Snapper, you’re not talking about -‘Boney’s Island’ are you? Went there a few times in the early 1980s despite the warnings about UXB – all I found was a Victorian rubbish dump! Stll, they may have dug a pit and used the old dump as landfill

Wasn’t Ellough home to 618 Sqn High Ball Mosquitos and 810 Sqn Barracudas, Warwicks, Walruses? It would be great if some bits were burried in the dump

-nick

This reminded me that there is something (no idea what) dumped on Beccles Common and surrounded by barbed wire, Whether its munitions or what I don’t know.

are there any stories of buried treasure on yorkshire bomber airfields ?

[QUOTE=crazymainer]Skypilot,

I can think of three here in the States.

1) Lex Crally yes the same person who just beat the US Navy over the Brewester Corsiar found a rather large collection of Buried german items at a field in a Mid-West State here US I can’t remember the name of the Field but the USAF used it for capture German Evos.

That is my neck of the woods Rob, it was called Freeman field down by French lick, Indiana. I was down there several times and all they found were a few parts and some at a local dump. There is the remains of a PT-19 in a local forest that was dumped for the civil air patrol to find

Alleged Swordfish under runways at Manchester (Ringway) anyone?

Personally, I love all these rumours because the boy in me still longs for them all to be true and that I’ll be the one who…well, we can all dream can’t we? And you just never know when it may be true. Dreams help me to cope with the harsh reality. Of for the halcyon days of yore, with scrapyards overflowing with yet another Spit/Typhoon/Mossie etc.! I dreamt of flying aeroplanes as a young boy and that finally came to be so who knows! Rest assured, when me (& Indy of course!) eventually do find just one of these stashes, I’ll let you all know first, promise. No, honestly I will.

Maybe. 😉

Dean

Now about those boxed/crated Merlins/Lancasters/Spitfires at ………..(insert any airfield you want)……….

Merlins (complete, dont know about crates though ! ) & Mossi parts under buildings or taxiways/aprons at Glasgow Airport- ex Abbottsinch ( HMS Sanderling )

Firebrand & Seahornet ex fire training remains buried on site at ……….

At Walnut Ridge in the USA (biggest WWII disposal site ?), small parts are still poking out of the ground according to a recent environmental report

Barracuda parts at an ex airfield in Scotland, now a site of special scientific interest, so no access (pics here a few months ago)

Skypilot,

I can think of three here in the States.

1) Lex Crally yes the same person who just beat the US Navy over the Brewester Corsiar found a rather large collection of Buried german items at a field in a Mid-West State here US I can’t remember the name of the Field but the USAF used it for capture German Evos.

Cheers Crazymainer

Yes, I remember this one – Texas somewhere? It was covered extensively in Flypast at the time. I remember loads of prop-blades amongst other gear. IIRC part of “Watson’s Whizzers”?

These are fairly recent recoveries though. I’m curious as to where the above mentioned “apocrypha” actually originated in the first place as the stories have been doing the rounds for years. I’ve heard them on the Isle of Man too (only 3 airfields to choose from!), including a variation on a theme which was motorbikes instead of airframes or engines being buried. There are similar stories abounding in Cornwall about Camp XYZ that the US troops used prior to D-Day then abandoned, dumping/driving all their gear into old mines etc.

As a side note regarding my flippancy about the usual urban myths, is there any single instance where this has been known to be the case. i.e. it really did happen? Or is it like the Holy Grail type thing where tails of buried treasure always exist but don’t necessarily have any basis in facts?

Skypilot,

I can think of three here in the States.

1) Lex Crally yes the same person who just beat the US Navy over the Brewester Corsiar found a rather large collection of Buried german items at a field in a Mid-West State here US I can’t remember the name of the Field but the USAF used it for capture German Evos.

2) Chino Calf. two or three years ago they started to do a enlargment on the airport and unearth a pit containing A-20 parts, P-40,P-47 parts along with other items.

3) At NAS Charlston back in the mid-70s three Corsairs two ADs and bits a nd peices of varoius other navy Aircraft were dug up.

Cheers Crazymainer

PK665 – a complaining spouse objected to it in the family garden and it was scrapped.

Hmmm, scrap your Spitfire or divorce complaining spouse – he made the wrong choice I think. 😀

As a side note regarding my flippancy about the usual urban myths, is there any single instance where this has been known to be the case. i.e. it really did happen? Or is it like the Holy Grail type thing where tails of buried treasure always exist but don’t necessarily have any basis in facts?

Yes. Crated Gipsy Moth engines were unearthed at former RNZAF Taieri, near Dunedin, NZ, in the early 1990’s I believe, and they also thought there were whole crated Tiger Moths buried but I don’t know if they found any evidence of this. I doubt the crated engines were in perfect condition though after 50 years underground. Does anyone else recall this? It was on the news at the time.

There’s a paddock full of buried Corsairs, Venturas, P40’s and even TBF’s down the road from me. They won’t let you dig them up though as it’s under the main runway at Hamilton International. Pity.

Although of course I know that the Holy Grail was indeed found. I remember seeing a documentary about it. There was this bloke with a fedora and a whip who’d had limited success at recovering holy artefacts and he had a hard time from other interested parties and I think he had some help from his dad and…

There is a new Indiana Jones film coming soon. I heard a rumour he’ll be going after the most prized and elusive treasure of all this time, those boxe buried Lancasters and sunken Sunderlands. 🙂
Indiana Jones and The Will It Be At Legends?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367882/

Spitfires TB885 and PK665 were on the surface on the Kenley dump in 1958. They were latterly buried and then recovered.

TB885 – is ‘Von Perthes’ territory.

PK665 – a complaining spouse objected to it in the family garden and it was scrapped. Some connection here with the HAPS/Reflectaire group I think. The tail fin however ended up on Seafire 46 LA564.

Also on the dump at that time were a Lincoln with a broken back and some very rusty tubes which I think had been an Anson.

Spitfire RR263 was on guard at the gate.

Mark

So there was some truth to it then but old news obviously. Fantastic to know that the stuff is “still out there” albeit in decreasing numbers.

Now about those boxed/crated Merlins/Lancasters/Spitfires at ………..(insert any airfield you want)……….

As a side note regarding my flippancy about the usual urban myths, is there any single instance where this has been known to be the case. i.e. it really did happen? Or is it like the Holy Grail type thing where tails of buried treasure always exist but don’t necessarily have any basis in facts?

Although of course I know that the Holy Grail was indeed found. I remember seeing a documentary about it. There was this bloke with a fedora and a whip who’d had limited success at recovering holy artefacts and he had a hard time from other interested parties and I think he had some help from his dad and… 😀 😀 😀

Kenley

Spitfires TB885 and PK665 were on the surface on the Kenley dump in 1958. They were latterly buried and then recovered.

TB885 – is ‘Von Perthes’ territory.

PK665 – a complaining spouse objected to it in the family garden and it was scrapped. Some connection here with the HAPS/Reflectaire group I think. The tail fin however ended up on Seafire 46 LA564.

Also on the dump at that time were a Lincoln with a broken back and some very rusty tubes which I think had been an Anson.

Spitfire RR263 was on guard at the gate.

Mark

Even I, a non-dedicated Spitfire fan know about this one….

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/registry/spitregistry/spitfire-tb885.html

We should not discount these memories so quickly.

Well at least he doesn’t say they were drained, treated with inhibitor and covered in bubble wrap as most of these tales recount.

Moggy