This pilot was returning from a convoy patrol when his Spitfire flew into a snow covered gully on the edge of Spaunton Moor at around 1100ft above sea level whilst flying in low cloud on 25th January 1942. The pilot was thought to have survived the crash but suffering two broken legs, he was unable to leave the area of his machine and he was found dead six weeks later by a shepherd, Mr Stan Sturdy. Oddly the police report gives the date of crash as 17th March 1942 and the time of 14.30hrs; I presume this was when the aircraft and pilot were found. I have attempted to locate the Am1180 crash report for this incident - the RAF Museum state the aircraft was lost due to a "flying battle", this is yet to be proven by existing records (is the real reason for there being no Am1180 is that it has been mis-filed or stolen some years ago when some Spitfire records went missing). There is however no record of it being lost through enemy action and it seems likely that when returning to base the aircraft simply wasn't flying high enough and crashed into high ground. For the pilot to initially survive it suggests the terrain was reasonable flat around the crash location.

60 MU O.R.B. states that on "30th March 1942, Spitfire reported missing 25th January 1942 discovered by shepherd on Spaunton Moor on 18th March 1942. Police guides required to find aircraft at 1,100 feet. Two bogs had to be crossed."

Spitfire AD545 was built to contract B981687/39 by Vickers Armstrongs Ltd at Castle Bromwich. It was delivered to MU and after acceptance was issued to 122 Squadron at Scorton in October 1941. It was written off in the incident detailed above with Cat.E2/FA damage being recorded.

Pilot - P/O John M Fisher RAFVR (102556), aged 23, of Llangrove, Herefordshire. Buried Stilton, Huntingdonshire.

P/O Fisher's gravestone at Stilton, Huntingdonshire (thanks to Mr John Skinn for this photograph). The pilot was the son of Rev. Thomas Fisher BA and Edith Fisher of Llangrove. John Fisher attended Selwyn College prior to becoming a pilot. He received his commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 22nd June 1941.

Parts of the underside of a Spitfire were dug up in a Thorgill garden in 2009, the area dug over is believed to have been a farm tip some years ago and the parts discarded in it. It seems likely that these parts were attached to an aircraft which looks to have been involved in some form of accident, given its close proximity to the crash area of AD545 I am linking the parts as being from this aircraft. The photograph above is believed to show a large part of the radiator intake. The photograph below shows a large inspection stamping on this peice showing the "VACB" stamp refering to the Vickers Aircraft factory at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham.

The photographs below show a flap section from one of the aircraft's wings which still bares the light blue/grey paint on the outer surface, also shown is a part number sequence shown on one peice of this flap section.