Spitfire K9847 at Church Fenton airfield.
On 23rd April 1940 this 64 Squadron aircraft suffered a tyre bursting on take off from Church Fenton at 14.45hrs. The pilot completed his flight, a non-operational formation and practice attack flying flight, but on return he was ordered by his station commander to belly land on the airfield at Church Fenton. 60 MU recovered the aircraft on 25th April 1940 and it was later repaired.
Pilot - F/Sgt Ernest George Gilbert RAF (562706).
Ernest Gilbert joined the RAF way back in 1928 in the ground trades and remustered as a pilot in 1934. He served with 64 Squadron during the Battle of Britain but in January 1941 he was taken off flying duties. Retraining as a flying instructor he served with various training units from then on. He served in the Air Traffic Control post-war.
Spitfire K9847 was built to contract 527113/36 by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) Ltd at Woolston and was first
test flown on 16th January 1939. It was delivered to 41 Squadron at Catterick on 22nd January 1939 and moved
with this unit to Wick on 10th October 1939 and then back to Catterick with 41 Squadron on 25th October 1939.
It was damaged in a minor landing accident in January 1941 and was repaired on site and returned to the unit. It
then transferred to 64 Squadron at Church Fenton on 11th March 1940 and suffered Cat.R/FA damage on 23rd April 1940
in the incident detailed above. From here it went to Air Service Training Ltd, at Hamble on 4th May 1940 for repair.
On completion of repair it went to 12 MU at Kirkbride (ASU) on 2nd August 1940 and issued to 72 Squadron at Croydon
on 2nd September 1940. It moved with this unit to Biggin Hill on 14th September 1940 and suffered a further Cat.R/FA mishap
on 8th October 1940 when the engine cut and the then pilot made a forced landing at Halstead, Kent. Again it was transported
to AST Ltd, at Hamble on 12th October 1940. On completion of this repair it went to 39 MU at Colerne (ASU) who issued it to
57 OTU at Hawarden on 21st February 1941 as an 'operational' ground instructional airframe (an operational aircraft which
can be called back into service at any time). From here it is believed to have been transferred to RAE Farnborough on 8th
April 1941 where it remained until officially converted to a ground instruction airframe on 23rd June 1943 but its
registration "M" number is not yet known.