Spitfires buried in Burma in WW2 recovered

KevinTheCynic

Active member
One of the blokes I worked with mentioned he'd heard something about this so I did a google search and found a newspaper article listed here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...in-Burma-during-war-to-be-returned-to-UK.html

Basically, David Cundall of North Lincs, has spent the last 15 years trying to find the location of a group of Spitfires that were preserved, crated and then buried towards the end WW2 when they were "surplus to requirements". He found them at a former RAF base and apparently the crates are being returned to the UK after the improvement in the government relationship between Burma and the UK.

I for one would love to be there when they open the first crates!
 
One of the blokes I worked with mentioned he'd heard something about this so I did a google search and found a newspaper article listed here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...in-Burma-during-war-to-be-returned-to-UK.html

Basically, David Cundall of North Lincs, has spent the last 15 years trying to find the location of a group of Spitfires that were preserved, crated and then buried towards the end WW2 when they were "surplus to requirements". He found them at a former RAF base and apparently the crates are being returned to the UK after the improvement in the government relationship between Burma and the UK.

I for one would love to be there when they open the first crates!

ME TOO!!! And there's 20 of them!!!

I wonder what marks they are, purely out of interest. After the war dozens (if not hundreds) of perfectly serviceable Merlin's were broken up for scrap, nowadays they are getting as rare as hens teeth.

I also heard but I cannot get confirmation that a number of brand new Lancaster's were crated up and buried somewhere in UK.

There's an Aussie bloke who scours the world for crashed aircraft for his customers and brings them back to airworthy condition in his factory. The last one I saw on TV was a pranged P38 he finally found in the bush in middle of nowhere. Clever bloke.

If you check http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/d...rs-quest-to-find-lost-Spitfires-in-Burma.html, the farmer David Cundall is holding exactly the same picture I have of a Spitfire. My missus bought it for me one Christmas years ago.
 
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I'd be pushing shoving and tripping everybody else in the room for a chance to take a peek at one of these! Crowbar in hand! Let's get these crates opened as soon as possible.

Oh the good state of preservation they may be in... I can only imagine.

Luckily for the Royal Airforce I am not there, being as if I were only 19 Spitfires would be returning from their "extended" tour.

And lastily I could not imagine something like this happening today. Especially in the USAF, imagine burying 4 F 16 Block 60s because they "exceed unit requirements".

The budgeting committee would have a fiasco plastering CSPAN for weeks.
 
Oh yeah, I'd also like to be one of the people opening the crates and I can totally understand the idea of only 19 of the 20 returning to the UK!
 
Oh yeah, I'd also like to be one of the people opening the crates and I can totally understand the idea of only 19 of the 20 returning to the UK!

I'd dread to think of the fuel consumption of that Merlin, especially at full bore. Mind you one would look nice parked beside the gates to my property, I'd fire it up when I'd saved up some money and drool over that amazing Merlin sound.
 
I'd dread to think of the fuel consumption of that Merlin, especially at full bore. Mind you one would look nice parked beside the gates to my property, I'd fire it up when I'd saved up some money and drool over that amazing Merlin sound.

Oh hell yes! There's just something about the sound of certain engines - doesn't hurt that the Spit is a damned fine looking aeroplane either :smile:
 
From what I've heard, these are Spitfire Mark XIV’s, and outfitted with Rolls Royce Griffon engines.
 
From what I've heard, these are Spitfire Mark XIV’s, and outfitted with Rolls Royce Griffon engines.

There was a problem with the Griffon engines with the SAAF Shackleton's, they kept blowing their spark plugs out of the cylinder heads for some reason. Although I never heard of this problem with the RAF Shacks.

Even so I'd love to see and hear all 20 fired up.
 
From what I've heard, these are Spitfire Mark XIV’s, and outfitted with Rolls Royce Griffon engines.


Oh the mechanical grandfather of the BR 725, what a lineage that must be.

For historical purposes I would catch and put on display every blown spark plug.
 
At RAF Wattisham in 1970 we had a Spitfire with Griffon engine, contra rotating props and clipped wings as gate guardian. Beautiful aircraft.
 
You know, Merlin or Griffon, having 20 Spitfires all fire up at the same time... now that is a spectacle I'd like to participate in.
Call me soppy but I'd love to be one of the people that gets to turn over one of those Rolls Royce motors!

I have a particular passion for armoured vehicles but even though the biggest vehicle might have a 'grunty' sounding engine, it's nothing compared to the throaty roar of a prop (or turbo-prop) motor :)
 
You know, Merlin or Griffon, having 20 Spitfires all fire up at the same time... now that is a spectacle I'd like to participate in.
Call me soppy but I'd love to be one of the people that gets to turn over one of those Rolls Royce motors!

I have a particular passion for armoured vehicles but even though the biggest vehicle might have a 'grunty' sounding engine, it's nothing compared to the throaty roar of a prop (or turbo-prop) motor :)


A perfect way to have one wet themselves is to see a flight of war era beauties like this swooping out of the sun towards you on a open plain...

I'd don't know if I be wetting myself out of fear or excitment.

I never skip a chance to listen to the ole' prop driven aircraft that are still in flyable condition , which is a ever smaller and smaller community.

Each aircraft and each engine, whether it being the Packard V12 of an H model Mustang at a heritage flight has it's own character about it.

Or all four Wright Cyclones of a restored B 17 firing up... The smell of exhaust exhibits a nostalgia that you can't find anywhere else.
 
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A perfect way to have one wet themselves is to see a flight of war era beauties like this swooping out of the sun towards you on a open plain...

I'd don't know if I be wetting myself out of fear or excitment.

I never skip a chance to listen to the ole' prop driven aircraft that are still in flyable condition , which is a ever smaller and smaller community.

Each aircraft and each engine, whether it being the Packard V12 of an H model Mustang at a heritage flight has it's own character about it.

Or all four Wright Cyclones of a restored B 17 firing up... The smell of exhaust exhibits a nostalgia that you can't find anywhere else.
Yeah I can understand that, although not a particular fan of trains, there's something about the smell and noise from a steam engine that perks up my interest. I think the same way about prop planes.

Nostalgia or whatever, I don't know, maybe it's simply the notion that the journey is half the fun and modern transport is just too damned fast to enjoy the trip... or something like that?
 
Yeah I can understand that, although not a particular fan of trains, there's something about the smell and noise from a steam engine that perks up my interest. I think the same way about prop planes.

Nostalgia or whatever, I don't know, maybe it's simply the notion that the journey is half the fun and modern transport is just too damned fast to enjoy the trip... or something like that?

When I was a boy I would go on holiday to my grannys (my mums side) house in South Wales and always travelled by steam train.

It was so amazing while waiting at Paddington Station in London to catch the train. The sounds and smells were stunning, the hiss of steam, the sound of a steam engine as it pulled out of the station and the smell of burning coal. There were a number of adverts on the station walls, one I remember as clear as day was "5 Boys" chocolate bars. My mum stepping on a "Speak your weight" weighing machine which boomed her weight out across the station, causing her to go bright red, me laughing because I stepped on it when she wasn't looking and then getting a clip around the ear. We get on the train where I claimed a window seat, mum breaking out the sandwiches and flask of tea. Then the train jerked as it pulled out of the station, the click of the rails as she gathered speed, smoke coming into the carriage when we went through tunnels.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

We had a Battle of Britain open day on our station where a privately owned Hurricane did a balls to the wall low pass over the airfield, he climbed then did a slow barrel roll accompanied by the typical Merlin cough. Without a doubt she was the star of the show.

Wonderful memories.
 
Nice memories, BritinAfrica!!

I hope the Spitfires are in good nick, sadly the reminded me of a story about a town in America that buried a brand new car to celebrate the 50th or 100th year of the town .... why don't I just find a link??

Anyway, they car was not in great condition when it was unearthed ....

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj-Ebr8GGk0"]Tulsarama the Buried Car - YouTube[/ame]

http://www.ridrust.com/acid.asp#
 
I remember that car Gary, and you are right, it wasn't in great nick.

As far as I am aware the Spitfires were properly prepared before they were crated and buried, so with luck they will be ok. If not I am sure quite a few spares could be used to keep other Spitfires flying.
 
If anything one or two can at least be restored for static display.

I would rather see this as a last resort, but it beats being put on top of some run down gentlemen's club on an interstate somewhere to draw in patrons to see a few toothless beauties.
 
See that makes you want to crank your neck back and look up.

Don't get that living or working by an airport these days. Every time a plane goes over there all you can imagine is another late flight and the thought of someone's luggage being left on the ground.
 
See that makes you want to crank your neck back and look up.

Don't get that living or working by an airport these days. Every time a plane goes over there all you can imagine is another late flight and the thought of someone's luggage being left on the ground.

One of the things I miss about the RAF is the smell of burnt aviation fuel. I visited Southend airport many years ago to collect packages from their cargo sheds, immediately I could smell that wonderful odour of burnt fuel and in my mind I travelled back to the wonderful time of English Electric Lightning's taking off on reheat.

After watching the flight of those 16 Spitfires in the video, imagine what it would be like if those 20 Spitfires dug up in Burma were made airworthy. Absolute heaven!
 
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