"His memory lives on": Archaeologists excavate World War II pilot's Spitfire after 75 years

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Archaeologists say the memory of World War Two pilot Harold Penketh lives on following the excavation of his plane

A photo of a World War Two Spitfire plane propeller in a green field in CambridgeshireArchaeologists found the propeller of Harold Penketh's Spitfire on the fifth day of excavations last week© Caroline Fitton
Archaeologists say the condition of the artefacts recovered during the high-profile excavation of a World War II spitfire crashed by a popular pilot in 1940 has surprised them after finding the nose cone, oxygen tank and propeller of the X4593 plane in a Cambridgeshire field.

A photo of a World War Two Spitfire plane being dredged from a black pit by an orange craneThe engine of the plane was removed by a digger© Caroline Fitton
A photo of a World War Two Spitfire plane being dredged from a black pit by an orange crane© Caroline Fitton
Experts filled in the hole which had contained the remains of Harold Penketh’s aircraft on Saturday, two days after a Battle of Britain memorial flight was held over the Flag Fen site.

A photo of a large grey engine of a World War Two Spitfire plane being dredged from a black pitThe oxygen tank of the plane© Caroline Fitton
A photo of a World War Two Spitfire plane being dredged from a black pit by an orange craneThe first day of the dig© Mark Williams / G900 Photography
Stephen Macauley, the Project Director for Oxford Archaeology East, described the remembrance event for Penketh – a member of the 266 Rhodesian Squadron RF - as “very poignant”.

A photo of a World War Two Spitfire plane flying above a field of people in CambridgeshireThe Spitfire flypast at the site© Mark Williams / G900 Photography
A photo of a World War Two Spitfire plane flying in the sky© Matt Lodge
“We hoped that because the Spitfire crashed in peat soil that the artefacts would be well-preserved,” he said.

A photo of a World War Two Spitfire plane being dredged from a black pit by an orange craneDay four© Matthew Roberts
“But the condition of many the finds, including the headrest, oxygen tank and pilot’s helmet were beyond our expectations.

A photo of a World War Two Spitfire plane headrest being held by archaeologistsThe pilot's headrest was discovered© Lauren Stonebridge
“We were honoured to mark Harold Penketh's life and contribution.”

A photo of an archaeologist searching for a World War Two Spitfire plane in a field of people in Cambridgeshire© Jemima Woolverton
The finds are now being processed, cleaned and sorted.

A photo of a plate from a World War Two Spitfire planeAn RAF plate found among the remains© Caroline Fitton
A photo of a set of small finds from a World War Two Spitfire plane laid out on a tableBagged finds on day one© Day 1 bagged finds Mark Williams G900 Photo
"The excavation has proved fruitful and highly symbolic for our Fenland heritage,” said Kate Carver, the manager of the Great Fen project.

A photo of a man cleaning an artefact recovered from a World War Two Spitfire plane© Matt Lodge
A photo of a set of a tank from a World War Two Spitfire plane laid out on a tableThe oxygen tank© Jemima Woolverton
“All the teams have worked wonderfully well together with a strong sense of camaraderie which will stay with us for a long time.

A photo of a set of small finds from a World War Two Spitfire plane laid out on a table© Caroline Fitton
A photo of a set of a tank from a World War Two Spitfire plane laid out on a tableProject Manager Antony Haskins, from Oxford Archaeology East© Jemima Woolverton
“The memory of Harold Penketh now lives on in a far more tangible way."


What do you think? Leave a comment below.

RAF Manston Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum, Ramsgate
Splendid and original examples of the two World War Two fighter aircraft which served the Royal Air Force so well in so many areas of battle both at home and overseas. The Memorial Building is situated on one of the very few surviving airfields which participated in the Battle of Britain.

Royal Air Force Museum, London
Climb inside the Spitfire MK16 and take the pilot’s seat, learn about the aircraft and see what it would have been like to fly a Spitfire in The Spitfire Experience, at the RAF Museum until October 25 2015.

IWM Duxford
Featuring more than 30 iconic aircraft, including Concorde and the Spitfire, the permanent exhibition, AirSpace, tells the story of aviation in Britain and the Commonwealth.


Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/history-and-heritage/archaeology/art539169-world-war-two-spitfire-propeller-nose-cone-engine-great-fen


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