Spitfire L1088 at Catterick airfield.
During the afternoon of 7th September 1939 the pilot of this 609 Squadron aircraft was instructed to undertake a weather test flight so took off from Catterick airfield and undertook the order. On his return to the landing circuit of Catterick airfield the wind direction caused him to make a landing from the northern end of the aerodrome site. A warning horn that indicated that the undercarriage was in the up position sounded but the pilot ignored it and as a result he forgot to lower the undercarriage. He only the mistake realised when the aircraft was about to clip the ground. The propeller struck the ground causing the engine to stall and it skidded to a halt on its belly on the aerodrome site at around 14.30hrs. The National Archives hold a Casualty File in the AIR81 series despite there being no recorded injuries to the pilot.
Pilot - F/O Alexander Rothwell Edge RAF (90325).
Spitfire L1088 was built to contract B.527113/36 by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) Ltd at Woolston / Eastleigh and was first test flown on 24th August 1939. Five days later it was allocated to 609 Squadron at Catterick and was taken on charge by them on 3rd September 1939 where it was coded 'PR-E'. As a result of the landing accident at Catterick on 7th September 1939 repairable Cat.R/FA damage was the assessment, it was dismantled and transported to No.1 C.R.U. at Morris Motors Ltd. at Cowley for repair. The repair was fairly swift and was one of Morris Motors first repair jobs. In October 1939 it was taken on charge by 610 Squadron at Wittering. On 16th October 1939 it received Cat.M/FA damage following a ground collision with Spitfire L1074. The damage was minor and it was was repaired on site. On 4th April 1940 it moved to Prestwick with 610 Squadron, then on 10th May 1940 with them to Biggin Hill and on 26th May 1940 with them to Gravesend. On 4th June 1940 it was transferred to 266 Squadron at Wittering, on 18th August 1940 whilst operating from the forward airfield at Hornchurch it was damaged in a strafing attack by Bf109's. Cat.M/FB damage was the asseement and it was again repaired on site. It was then taken on charge by 7 OTU at Hawarden on 23rd October 1940, on 1st October 1940 7 OTU was re-designated 57 OTU. On 17th June 1941 it hit a hanger on take off at Hawarden and destroyed by fire with its then pilot, P/O George Robert Cushon RCAF (J/4906) being sadly killed. Cat W/FA damage was the assessment for the paperwork and it was written off.
Alexander Edge served during the Battle of Britain. On 12th July 1940 he made a one third claim for a He111 damaged over Portland Bill. The He111 actually made it back to France and crash landing at Cherbourg. On 18th July 1940 he himself was shot down in Spitfire R6636 by return fire from a Ju88 he attacked off Swanage, he managed to limp back to the coast and crash landed on Studland Beach to be picked up by an RN launch.