Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I X4588

Supermarine Spitfire X4588
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

A day out in the Brecon Beacons yesterday located the crash site of Spitfire X4588, fatally crashed by Sgt. D P Carruthers during a formation flying exercise in May 1942 probably as a result of a combination of bad weather and a slight navigation error.

The efforts of the local National Park staff in the Brecons to prevent the activities of magpies (as previously reported) are probably the reason for this being our most extensive Spitfire wreckage visited to date.

Location: SO 01677 18458

World's End

World's End
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

Went up to a place called World's End above Minera (near Wrexham)on Monday in a fair bit of snow looking for some of the wrecks up there. Four are given in High Ground Wrecks: Beaufighter NE203, Spitfire TE210, Fulmar N4074, and Master N7442.

As with last week in Yorkshire, we found nothing anywhere near the HGW coordinates for the ones we got to.

A great day out though, and we had the added excitement of very nearly losing the Landy over a steep bank. Excitement is not quite the right word though, we were a few inches from a 30m drop sideways.

The road is basically impassable in any amount of snow, as even locals were finding out the hard way. Quite a few people went past points of no return, and we had to take a couple of carfuls back down to safety as dark closed in. I should imagine this has been world's end for a few drivers over the years, as well as all those pilots.

Spitfire Mk.XIV NH695

Spitfire: Bewdley
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

A nut from a Spitfire which crashed in Postensplain, Wyre Forest.

This is our first crash site for a female pilot.

Mrs Rosamund King Everard-Steenkamp was at the controls. We are told that her husband had himself previously died in an aviation accident. She may have been the first woman to fly a jet.

Location: SO 74870 79165

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DHAS Merlin XII at Thorpe Camp

DHAS Merlin XII at Thorpe Camp
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

As promised, here is the Merlin 12 engine from the Windygates Farm Spitfire, courtesy of Mr Kirk of Derbyshire Historical Aviation Society.

It's not a Merlin 3, and it does not seem to have been left to rot. DHAS 2, Pat Cunningham 0.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IIA P7593

Spitfire:The Roaches
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

Lots of bits found at the site of this Spitfire crash at the foot of the Roaches, including what appears to be a panel clock. Click on the pic for an annotated version.

Talking to the farmer, someone was there at the site a month ago, who said they had previously published material on the wrecks. He didn't think it was Pat Cunningham, and he knew it wasn't Alan Clark, because he didn't bring his mum with him like last time. Whoever it was found a spade, apparently.

In preparation for visiting the site, we investigated the whereabouts of the Merlin 12 engine (not a Merlin 3 as stated in Pat Cunningham's book) removed from the site in 1978. It is in Lincolnshire, here. Its owners were still livid at the assertion in "Peakland Air Crashes" that they had left it to rot, and have sent me a pic of the state of restoration of the engine, which you can see a few posts above this one.

Location: SK 00294 61650

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