And that three 56sqn Hurricane pilots shot a Dornier17Z down on the beach at Whitstable in Kent. Seconds later, the engine of one burst into flames and he made a split-ass belly landing nearby, tripping into a cowpat in his haste to leave his burning aircraft. He was the only one of the airmen involved in that action to survive the war…

52 years later I nearly killed my stupid self on its bomb load…

RIP all of you.

I have to ask… Is the sig a self-composition in honour of a nasty moment, or is it something you found?

Adrian

They’re in the wrong order – the Bofors pic should come immediately after the Jungmann! :diablo:

Other than that, not bad – especially for a non-dustbins-on-the-end photographer!

Adrian

Apologies for kicking a moribund thread – does being dead a week make it a zombie thread yet?

Steve,
I really cannot be sure where any items from the EAG ended up after I left. I do remember a vague comment by an interested party, that much ended up with a private collection near Epping.

Perhaps the items from the Fjord were spread about to several museums? On the display board for the surviving fin at Duxford it mentions who recovered the items, but I fail to remember who by myself.

I have unearthed my copy of the EAG’s information book.

According to that, the Heinkel parts I remember – I recall a rear fuselage section, though as I was an anklebiter at the time I can’t be sure – came from the IWM itself. Presumably these, then, have been returned to the IWM?

The aircraft itself was a bit of an enigma – supposedly an He111E that crashed onto the frozen Storvatnet lake in Norway in April 1940 following an engine fire. However it was wearing markings that did not appear until September 1940, and did not have the E version’s elliptical wing. A google tells me that After the Battle No 6 carried an article and pics of the recovery – anyone got one lurking?

I’ve also found these – the fin and an engine are still at DX. There is a suggestion that the rest was scrapped – possibly all it was fit for after all those years outside, I fear, but the thread that post linked to has died.

http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/battle_of_britain9.html
http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/battle_of_britain10.html

Does that help, or just muddy the waters?

Adrian

Some of the bits are/were at Spains Hall, they were presented to Sir John Ruggles Brise, he showed them to me once during one of his epic guided tours, I definately remember handling a really shiny piston from the Merlin.
Did you know he passed away earlier this year, I worry for the future of the house and it’s amazing contents, aviation or otherwise.
By the way, I don’t miss living in Finchingfield one bit.
Incidentally, did anyone excavate the real Heinkel 111 that the Hurricane shot down, I believe it was somewhere near Gainsford End.

That doesn’t suprise me at all – especially given that Sir John was in the Ack-ack during WW2, so he’d have been interested.

Yes, I knew he had gone – a shame, a gentleman in the old sense of the word.

Are you sure about the Heinkel? I thought the Spains Hall Hurricane was an OTU machine from Debden?

Adrian

A bit small for Cees, methinks, but interested to see that the chap wants what seems a sensible price for it. If it was my sort of thing, I’d take a punt. Meanwhile *cups hands to mouth* CEES! OVER HERE!

Adrian