GHOST OF THE SANDS

The worldwide quest for wrecks and relics of World War Two aircraft had undoubtedly gathered a great deal of momentum during the early 1970s, perhaps spurred on in part by the 1969 release of the epic film Battle of Britain, but also in equal measure by the enthusiasm of a new generation who had not participated in the conflict of 1939-45 and were now outgrowing their Airfix kits and war comics. Suddenly, the possibility of finding and recovering tangible relics from that period opened up a whole new vista. A veritable craze for hunting aircraft wrecks sprang up around the globe, although in the UK and Europe this was mostly just a case of salvaging the often rather pathetic and battered shards from crash sites where aircraft had fallen to earth. A few were found rather more intact in coastal waters, although corrosion and the difficulty of salvage usually meant that they remained in situ. On the other hand, rather more substantial sections of aircraft could still be found on mountains and high ground in the UK – left at the places they had crashed simply because wartime salvage had proved too difficult if not impossible. Nevertheless, even these wrecks were no more than twisted hulks of partial airframes or engines and invariably in very poor condition by virtue of the nature of impact and their long exposure to the elements. Further afield, however, virtually complete wrecks were being found in jungles on Pacific islands with many such aircraft being discovered, for example, in Papua New Guinea. The enthusiasts of the UK and Europe could only look on enviously at these exciting finds on the other side of the world and content themselves with grubbing battered engines and propellers out of marsh and moorland. The likelihood of an 'intact' airframe discovery in north-west Europe seemed more than remote. All of that changed, however, during the summer of 1980.

During the early autumn of that year the author received an unexpected telephone call from a Monsieur Jean Louf who was manager of the Calais Hoverport and also a private pilot. Having heard of the author's knowledge and interest in matters appertaining to the wrecks of wartime aircraft, he wanted to know if there might be any interest in a complete Spitfire wreck which he said had been found on the beach at Calais. At first, it was difficult to comprehend the fact that what Jean Louf had described as a 'complete Spitfire' could possibly have been found there. Indeed, how could a complete Spitfire suddenly be 'found' on a French beach near Calais? Whilst this was not exactly a notable tourist region it was, nevertheless, a well visited beach close to significant centres of population. Even if it had emerged from the sea at an unusually low tide why had its presence not been known before? Surely, it would have been seen before now? At the very least someone would have been aware that it was there and word would have long ago spread in the enthusiast world. It was difficult if not impossible to comprehend that a Spitfire that apparently still very much looked like a Spitfire, and even with its cockpit canopy supposedly still in place, could suddenly have come to light.

Fanciful stories about such discoveries certainly surface from time to time and it seemed likely that this was all that had happened here; ie a du coq á l' âne (cock and bull) story and not a Spitfire. Having shown polite interest in Jean Louf's story, the author nevertheless agreed that he would certainly like to see the local newspaper reports about the Spitfire wreck which were to be published imminently, but fully expecting they would at best show a battered and corroded Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and perhaps a few pieces of otherwise unidentifiable airframe. Nothing could have quite prepared the author, or the historic aviation world at large, for the stunning images that ultimately appeared in the French regional newspaper Nord Littoral of 16 September 1980. Quite simply, and just like Jean Louf's original report, they were nigh-on unbelievable.

Under the headline: 'Out of the Sand after Forty Years' the newspaper ran the following piece of editorial, explaining that the wreck had first been sighted on the beach at Waldam, Calais, by two local beach-combers, Monsieur Barbas and Monsieur Duquenoy. Barbas said:

"The wreckage of the fighter was about a kilometre from the Phare de Walde lighthouse just to the north of Calais. The carcass of the fighter was seen from afar with the tail, cockpit and right wing of the aeroplane clearly visible where it had emerged through the sand.

"Whilst the rear tail of the plane is in pretty good shape, part of the right wing is peeling off. The left wing of the aircraft is intact and certainly still buried in the sand.

"The cockpit of the aircraft was filled with sand and silt, to just below the cockpit sill. Just behind the position of the pilot's seat there is a support bracket for the radio antennae made from Bakelite and this is entirely undamaged. It is the same with the internal structures of the wings which are still present including some of the electrical circuits. The armament of the aircraft, particularly the machine gun located in the part of the wing that has emerged, has disappeared.

"The engine is relatively well preserved, especially some stainless steel parts which are still intact and still protected by their original grease forty years after they went for their long swim. The engine casing itself clearly shows the name of the manufacturer – Rolls-Royce.

"This indication suggests that this carcass is that of an aircraft likely to be a British Spitfire Mk IX [sic] as many of this type and mark were brought down in our coastal area during the last war

"After having been revealed to daylight thanks to the tidal action of the channel, this carcass of a Spitfire (which was last seen approximately 25 years ago) will ultimately be entirely covered by the sand once more. This is the same sand which, since 1940, has protected the Spitfire from damage by the sea."

If this editorial made for mouth-watering reading back in England, the images published with this short story certainly made for eye-popping viewing. Just as Jean Louf had described, and just as Nord Littoral had reported, this was indeed a pretty much intact Spitfire. Whilst only portions of...