Thanks Tangmere!

Yes this would also comply under the PMA 1986, where ownership is still regarded as crown property so one can be assured that its not for sale as they might have a vested interest if a recovery was undertaken

You all appear to be sumwhat off the mark anyhow as the site has yet to be located which recent alterations to the airport are likely to have covered the site if reports are to considered accurate. however i would like to point out that i am sure there are many spitfires closer and easier to recover that this one especilly as several attemps by locals have already failed to find the site some 20 years ago.

This project was started a few years ago with the help of the local historian as it was one of our Welsh 53 OTU pilots posted to 152 squadron hence my interest, however with added support of the family its become more of a challenge than a recovery to locate a piece of their family history. If it was to be recovered many permissions would need to be sort where a display was intended to be placed on at the City of derry airport in memory of the aircrew that were lost flying from the squadron.

Gareth

To answer your question you won’t find them, the one is now under the motorway and the other mined out. I was shown where they crashed years ago. Come on ian even your memory cannot be that bad!

What they really needed was more people sending in a few donations or ideas and not posting junk on here. It was always in my view an ambitious project and money cannot always buy you sucess, as with 73 years of sitting in salt water you do need the element of luck on your side.

This time next week you will know if the revised plan worked or not, but what ever happens they should get some credit for atleast making the effort as after all option 2 could be to leave it disolve to nothing!!

Might be able to assist having researched this pilot and his family history enabling us to return a lighter found during the recovery. Gareth

Pilots of 238 Squadron were patroling Dorset on the 5th November 1940 when they were ‘bounced’ by JG2 led by Major Helmut Wick at 25,000ft. Four Hurricanes fell, Sergeant Jeka baled out over Sturminster Marshall,

Sergeant Jeka’s Hurricane, V7535, dived absolutely vertically into the ground at tremendous speed and disappeared but in 2006 his hurricane was eventually found, the fist of a few sticks to come out of the ground in the following years but the first is always the most memorable

Jozef Jeka survived the war, finally commanding 306 Squadron. He later became a test pilot in America where he became the first Polish pilot to fly at Mach 2, but he died in a Lockheed U2 crash, his medals come up for auction a few years ago but were out of my price range at £32,000.

Thats looking good Ian, if only i had one!….

Here one i dug up with the gun button from a Mk1 Defiant N3291 all be it a little battle damaged, but i do have the selector box….Nick you need to look harder:diablo:

Its a grass safe/fire selector with with a bakelite gun button. Hope this helps

I think there is a thin line between publishing efforts of finding missing aircrew, and to publish an article in graphic detail regarding the maps and photos of individuals picking through personal effects.

I was lead to believe this was the second attempt at its recovery, it would be a great shame if any remains are lost in the hundreds of tons of earth they have excavated.