Spitfire K9948 at Church Fenton airfield.
On 8th January 1940 the pilot of this 616 Squadron aircraft overshot onto rough ground at Church Fenton. The pilot appears to have braked hard at the end the landing run and the aircraft tipped up onto it's nose. The aircraft was later repaired.
Pilot - Sgt Marmaduke Ridley RAF (565201).
Marmaduke Ridley was born in 1915 in Benwell, Newcastle upon Tyne, he joined the RAF in 1931 and did his training at Halton as an Aircraft Apprentice as a aero engine fitter. He served in Iraq in 1935 with 55 Squadron but later re-trained to be a pilot and eventually joined 616 Squadron in September 1939. He was injured in combat in May 1940 over Dunkirk. He was injured during combat over the North Sea on 1st August 1940 in Spitfire K9829, then on a similar interception operational flight on 6th August 1940 the same aircraft was slightly damaged by returning fire from Ju88's, again he was able to return to base at Leconfield. Sgt Ridley was killed on 26th August 1940 when Spitfire R6633 was shot down in combat with enemy fighters over the South of England. He is buried in Folkestone Cemetery. In all seven 616 Squadron aircraft suffered damage on the day Ridley died, all through enemy action. Dukey Ridley was twenty four years old. One of "The Few".
Spitfire K9948 was built to contract 527113/36 by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) Ltd at Woolston and it was
first test flown on 26th April 1939. It was then delivered to 66 Squadron based at Duxford on 28th April 1939 and then
transferred to 616 Squadron at Leconfield on 11th November 1939 during the units conversion from Gauntlets to Spitfires.
Following this incident detailed above Cat.M/FA damage was recorded, although the engine was deemed Cat.R. It was repaired
on site and returned to 616 Squadron having had the engine and propeller replaced. On 23rd February 1940 it moved
with the unit to Catfoss and on 9th March 1940 back to Leconfield before a move on 27th May 1940 with the same
unit to Rochford. On 1st June 1940 it was shot down on an operational patrol off Dunkirk by Bf109's. The pilot on this occasion,
F/O J S Bell, ditched the aircraft and was picked up unhurt by a Royal Naval vessel but not before being strafed in the water. The
aircraft was lost, Cat.W(m) damage recorded, and total flying hours recorded as 244.50hrs.