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Burma Spitfires set to be unearthed
16 April 2012Up to 20 Mk XIV Supermarine Spitfires could be set to return to the UK from Burma some 67 years after being buried there, it has been reported.
Prime Minister David Cameron is said to have taken a personal interest in helping return the iconic World War Two fighter planes to the UK after learning that a Lincolnshire farmer had spent more than a decade locating the aircraft.
David Cundall, 62, has spent some 15 years searching for the aircraft and finally confirmed the location of at least 12, which are buried 40 feet underground near a WWII runway in their original transport crates.
Cundall was first told about the Spitfires in 1996 by a friend who had been speaking with the American veterans who had buried the fighters.
After years contacting Burma Campaign veterans and appealing for information, he learned where the Spitfires, which had been rejected in August 1945 as 'surplus to requirements', were buried.
"Spitfires are beautiful aeroplanes and should not be rotting away in a foreign land," Cundall told The Daily Telegraph. "They saved our neck in the Battle of Britain and they should be preserved."
Cundall and his backers are now set to begin the £500,000 excavation process, and he told the newspaper he intended to restore as many of the aircraft as possible.
The Daily Mail quoted a 'Downing Street source' as saying that an agreement had been reached with the Burmese government to allow the return of the planes.
"It is hoped this will be an opportunity to work with the reforming Burmese government to uncover, restore and display these fighter planes and get them gracing the skies of Britain once again," the source said.
There are currently an estimated 35 operational Spitfires remaining worldwide, out of a total of more than 20,000 built.
HAVE YOUR SAY
16 April 2012
2 Squadrons worth...
We may end up needing these so please be careful with the crates.
Degradable - UK
16 April 2012
This is great news,get them up and bring them home.
Geoffrey collins - crewe,cheshire.
16 April 2012
Fantastic, if we could get a move on, perhaps we could convert them to Seafires and operate them off the new carriers, that should shut the Argies up.
I'm surprised Martin hasn't already mentioned this, they would be the ideal complement to his Sea Harriers and Buccaneers, we could call it the antiques road show. . .
Rob - Telford
16 April 2012
I think it would a great gesture when these aircraft are recovered to share them with other countries who helped in the Battle of Britain, particularly Australia,Canada New Zealand,Poland,USA.
David Wallbabnk - Qualicum Beach. Canada.
16 April 2012
This is indeed an outstanding news item. The Spitfires should be in a museum at least but maybe some could be flown. I was about to say flown again but obviously they never flew at all.
Rodney Travers-Griffin - Toronto,Canada-Ex British Army
16 April 2012
I'm a mechanical engineer with a spade!!..I wish someone would ask me to go and uncover these jems..
Dean McGee - Mansfield
17 April 2012
Thats great hope all success in getting these aircraft back and let them take to the air again with historic reasons.!!!
Andrew Mitchell - Lee London England
17 April 2012
Maybe we could use these instead of waiting forever for the F35 saga to end!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JC - UK
17 April 2012
My father was stationed in the RAF Burma just after WW2 - he was 2 weeks off getting his wings in Falcon Fields Arizona when the war finished so all training was stopped and he was sent there. He did once complain to me about the waste of aircraft as he was called on to dismantle and dispose of a number of Spitfires which were apparently surplus. This included removing the engine from one plane and welding the prop in place as a 'gate guardian' for the airfield. Alas, he died in 2000 but this story fits with what he told me.
Adrian Howson - Huntingdon
17 April 2012
For me the Mk 14 was the most beautiful of all the Spitfires so this would be amazing.
Graham - High Wycombe
17 April 2012
Graham...that's blasphemy haha. The MkV is by far the prettiest and nicest sounding of the Spit's.
HamishUK - GB
17 April 2012
HamishUK - GB
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder :)
For me it's the XIV was prettiest !
Graham - High Wycombe
17 April 2012
Erm - I wouldn't get too excited about this tale, which has appeared with several variations. In one version, the Spitfires, which supposedly arrived in Burma three weeks before the Japanese surrender in August 1945, were buried to prevent them being captured by Japanese troops. But organised hostilities in Burma had ended in May. Another explanation offered by Mr Cundall for burying the aircraft was that "....you couldn't leave them for the locals – they might have ended up being used against you". In which case, why not simply scrap them, rather than digging a 40 foot-deep hole, carefully burying them in their transport crates and putting "teak beams over the crates so they wouldn't be crushed by the earth when they were buried"? Because, apparently, "they might have planned to come back and dig them up again". Yet Mr Cundall is quoted in the same article as saying "In 1945, Spitfires were ten a penny. Jets were coming into service. Spitfires were struck off charge, unwanted. Lots of Spitfires were just pushed off the back of aircraft carriers into the sea." So, having established that the aircraft were completely worthless, he then argues that, on the contrary, the RAF valued these particular Spitfires ("ten a penny", remember) so highly that they carefully buried them when they pulled out - from the location in question? from Burma? - in the hope of coming back one day and digging them up again, like Captain Flint's treasure.
I'm afraid I'm not convinced.
Stan - York
17 April 2012
if we put a huck on them we will be able to fly them of the new carriers
glyn scot - nottinghamshire
17 April 2012
Great news, I hope they are salvageable, the media suggests they were 'greased' and in crates. Hopefully this was to protect them from the elements during their carriage to Burma, no doubt by sea so with luck they may still be in a half decent state(?)
I recall an old Ex RN colleague telling me that whilst serving on a carrier returning from the Far East they disposed of 'surplus' 'Fireflies' as well as spare engines (RR Griffons??) by pushing them over the side!! What a tragedy as today not one airworthy example survives in the UK!
Hereman - Wirral, England
18 April 2012
Iwould like to see how they came out of the ground and at lest one displayed still in its crate as found if possible
gary doutch - kalgoorlie western australia
18 April 2012
Mark 14s!
That's the Griffon engined variant?!
Fantastic, look forward to seeing most of those flying and the majority remianing in the UK.
Martin Bayliss - Stroud
18 April 2012
A good while ago after an appeal for any information on behalf of my father I did email someone with what he could remember,I never had any acknowledgement of it & have very often wondered if anything would happen so this is wonderful news & will make sure it is passed onto him.
J K - UK
18 April 2012
Hmm. I wonder if someone will ever dig up the Lancs that were buried alng with the anthrax bombs
destined for germany in 1942.
B. C. - RAF (Retired)
18 April 2012
i do hope they will have a tv crewe with them it would be great to watch them be recovered
stephen - nottingham
23 April 2012
Are they any good for stocking an aircraft carrier.....
Mark - Ipswich
24 April 2012
This is a Great Time for British WWII RCAF History and International Cooperation. I can not wait to see many pictures and Videos of these Treasures. Please Post Them ASAP.Yours Truly, Brian H. Ruddell.
Brian H. Ruddell - Fort St. John, Canada, Self
29 April 2012
Is it yet possible to give dates for this exciting development? i.e. When will things happen? This is potentially the most exciting development in historic aviation for years. These aeroplanes would, after all, be in new condition if protected by oilskin wrapping.
John Gilbert - Cradley, Herefordshire, UK
30 May 2012
surely these aircraft are the property of the "Ministry for Defence" stored in Burma awaiting collection.They have not been sold to anyone, nothing has changed. Let us get on with it.
A British tax payer.
David Myhill - Woking, England. retired.
01 June 2012
What a treasure trove!! How can they not be bought back to the UK? A truly wonderful and surprising find. I wish i had money to spare to help in the rescue. Hope i live long enough to see some of them fly,`cos they haven`t yet,have they?
Clive - Leeds
30 September 2012
It would be a great idea to restore one spitfire and present it to the Maltese Nation,who suffered so much and who contributing immensely to beat the germans out of Africa and eventually win the war.If it was not for Malta,the war would not have been won.
nicholas Mizzi. - Malta G.C.
24 October 2012
IF YOU BOYS WANT A HAND DIGGING THE SPITFIRES UP PLEASE CONTACT ME
CHARLES
CHARLES LAURENT - CAIRNS QUEENSLAND
18 December 2012
if mr.cundall is looking for a competent excavator/bulldozer operator for this interesting project i'm up for it.
h campbell
29 December 2012
I can use a spade, and willing to help
Jonny R - Glasgow