Unidentified Spitfire at Catterick airfield.

On 1st January 1940 an unidentified 41 Squadron Spitfire is believed to have been slightly damaged at Catterick airfield but nothing more is known about the incident other than it is believed that the pilot was slightly injured. The identity of the aircraft is not known and as a result further research is very difficult.

Also on this date Sgt Ford is listed in the 41 Squadron records as making a forced landing at Bishop Auckland in the squadron's Magister, it landed undamaged and was later flown back to Catterick. This incident may relate to the mystery "Spitfire" on the same date and may be one and the same incident.

Pilot - Sgt Roy Clement Ford RAF (741683). Injured.

Roy Ford joined the RAFVR in June 1938 as a trainee pilot and joined 41 Squadron in mid-December 1939 after being called up and completing all his training. He was commissioned in November 1940 and later acted as a test pilot for Hawker in 1942 and then took a similar role at 20 MU at Aston Down in 1943. He survived the War and remained in the RAFVR in the Post-War period until 1952 reaching the rank of F/Lt. He died in 2002 in Worthing, Sussex.

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