Supermarine Spitfire MkI
RAF Serial: N3231
609 Squadron
Crew: P/O. Michael E. Staples (survived)
Date: 7th October 1940
Place: Wynford Eagle, Dorset

One of the recoveries organised by the team in 2009 had an unexpected result.

On October 7th 1940, the Luftwaffe launched an attack by Me110s on the Westland aircraft works at Yeovil, escorted part of the way by Me109s. The attack was met by Spitfires and Hurricanes of 152, 238, 601 and 609 Squadrons, and in the ensuing dogfights over Dorset, several aircraft were lost. P/O. Staples abandoned his Spitfire over Blandford Forum and landed with severe burns and a bullet wound in the knee. Local legend has it that he flagged down a bus, which took him, along with all the passengers, to the hospital in Blandford. Oblt Anton MADER of 1/JG 2 and Lt Egon MAYER of 3/JG 2 both made claims at the right time and area, so they were likely to be the victors. The pilotless and burning Spitfire came down on the bank of the River Stour near Shaftesbury. An eyewitness remembered ‘looking into the cockpit and seeing all the dials’. Unfortunately, since then, the course of the river had been altered by the water board. The labourers had found some scrap metal during the work to redirect the river, dug it up and duly exchanged it for beer tokens. Many people had searched for this Spitfire, but the diversion of the river meant none of them had ever found it.

This was just one of four combats on the 7th October.

One tiny fragment of the aircraft remained on the surface, but the deep-seeking magnetometer suggested more. The landowner would only allow a hand dig, being concerned for his tenant’s livestock. Lots of shovel work got down to the wreckage at a depth of nine feet. Despite attaching a hand winch to a nearby tree, it could not be moved.

For a hand dig, it was a spectacular hole!

The mist begins to form at the end of a long first day’s digging.

A chance encounter with the tenant revealed that his father owned a field where another plane had crashed, and some people were planning to dig it up. Those people were us, and after a few ‘it’s a small world’ comments, a tractor was organised for the following day to lift out the remains.

Plan B. It didn’t work, despite the kind efforts of the tenant farmer. Plan D was a JCB, the following weekend.

Unfortunately, despite the tractor being large, the prop at the bottom of the hole still refused to budge. Attempt three was made the following weekend, this time with a JCB. The three-bladed DeHavilland prop saw the light of day for the first time since October 1940.

Up she comes!

Emerging from woodland. The fact the engine had stopped before impact, meant the blades stayed in the hub. A very rare Battle of Britain discovery.

Taken from Wingleader’s ‘Battle of Britain Combat Archive Vol. 18’.

It was a difficult day for 609 Squadron.

P/O. Michael Staples, the pilot of N3231, was badly burned when he was shot down, but bailed out and survived. After his recovery, he returned to flying, this time with 604 Squadron. However, he was killed flying a Beaufighter at night on 9th November 1941.

The RAF museum had plans for a major commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, with an impressive memorial tower at Hendon. The three-bladed Spitfire prop would have made a suitable centre piece. Unfortunately, not only was the memorial abandoned, but the Battle of Britain Museum itself disbanded.