Spitfire L1012 at Leconfield airfield.
On 13th February 1940 this 616 Squadron aircraft was slightly damaged during a formation landing at Leconfield when the undercarriage collapsed. The pilot was watching the other aircraft around him and did not notice the warning light showing that indicated the undercarriage was not locked down.
Pilot - F/Lt Anthony Neville Wilson RAF (90300).
Anthony Wilson unfortunately died a few days after this minor mishap on 21st February 1940 when Spitfire K9810 failed to return from an operational patrol. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Spitfire L1012 was built to contract 527113/36 by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) Ltd at Woolston and was
first test flown on 10th June 1939 and then delivered to 5 MU at Kemble for storage on 13th June 1939. It was then
issued to 616 Squadron at Leconfield on 7th November 1939 and suffered this Cat.M/FA damage as detailed above.
Following this incident it was repaired on site but in the meantime 616 Squadron moved to Catfoss on 23rd February 1940
leaving L1012 behind at Leconfield. The unit returned to Leconfield on 9th March 1940 by which time L1012 had been repaired.
It then moved with the unit to Rochford 27th May 1940 and again back to Leconfield 6th June 1940 with the unit before a move
with the unit to Kenley 19th Auguat 1940. On 30th Augst 1940 it overshot at Kenley and crashed into a hedge. Cat.R/FA damage was recorded
and it was taken away and repaired in works and collected by 49 MU (Salvage and repair) on 5th September 1940 who then
delivered it to AST Ltd, at Hamble on 5th September 1940. On completion of the repair it was taken to 6 MU at Brize Norton on 2nd November
1940 and issued to 57 OTU at Hawarden on 15th November 1940. For an unknown reason it returned to AST Ltd, at Hamble on 4th December
1940 and on completion of this repair it passed to 39 MU at Colerne on 6th February 1941 and was then issued to 5 SofTT at
Locking on 11th March 1941 and became "flying" ground instructional airframe . There is a suggestion that it was
involved in a flying accident on 6th May 1942 from which it was not repaired but any details are not known. It was struck off charge
on 30th September 1942 and became 3223M. Much later it was returned to produce (RTP) on 24th January 1944, effectively broken up and melted down.