Hawker Hurricane
RAF Serial: V7535
238 Squadron
Pilot: Sgt. Jozef Jeka (survived)
Date: 5th November 1940
Place: Manor Farm, Sturminster Marshall

Although the ‘Battle of Britain’ ended, according to the RAF, on 31st October, 1940, no one informed the Luftwaffe. The air combats over Britain continued to rage into November, some days’ actions being just as fierce as some ‘official’ Battle of Britain days. November 5th was just such a busy day; 24 RAF aircraft were lost or damaged, and 14 of the Luftwaffe.

In the early afternoon, the pilots of 238 Squadron were patrolling Dorset when they were ‘bounced’ by JG2, led by Major Helmut Wick. Four Hurricanes fell; P/O. Considine baled out near Shapwick, Sgt. Jeka bailed out over Sturminster Marshall, P/O. Rohacek crash-landed at Tarrant Hinton and Sgt. Pearson crash landed at Tarrant Monkton – all locations are within a few miles of each other.

The crash site of Sgt. Jeka’s Hurricane, V7535, at Manor Farm, Sturminster Marshall, had been known of and searched for since the 1980s, but had never been located. Witnesses said that the aircraft had dived absolutely vertically into the ground at tremendous speed and disappeared, but were vague as to exactly where it had fallen.

Determined to locate the wreck, Gareth Jones visited the farm nine times with up to eight detectorists searching on each occasion. Eventually, determination won through, but no more than a dozen fragments were found near the surface.

Jozef Jeka survived the war, finally commanding 306 Squadron. He later became a test pilot in America, where he became the first Polish pilot to fly at Mach 2, but he died in a Lockheed U2 crash.