Spitfire P9560 at Bolton on Swale.
On 7th September 1940 the pilot of this 54 Squadron aircraft was undertaking a low level training flight when the aircraft dived into the ground at 12.30hrs near Bolton on
Swale, on the opposite side of the river from Catterick airfield. The pilot was sadly killed as a result of the accident on an area of land known locally as "Piggs Whin",
just north of the village.
Pilot - F/O Donald Joseph Sanders RAF (41619), aged 21, of Quinton, Birmingham. Buried Catterick Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Donald Sanders was born on 6th October 1919 in Birmingham. He had received a commission to the rank of acting P/O on probation before the outbreak of War and was graded as P/O on probation on 6th October 1939 but back dated to 3rd September 1939. He rose to F/O on 3rd September 1940 but the London Gazette did not carry the notification until 12th November 1940 so he may not have been aware of his promotion. He had only been posted to 54 Squadron on 3rd September 1940 and was almost certainly working up to flying operationally when this accident occurred. He does not qualify as a Battle of Britain pilot as he did not fly an operational sortie before his death.
In March 1999 small fragments of the aircraft were located by field walking by historians Ken Reast, Albert Pritchard and Eric Barton with permission from the landowner and thus confirming the site location. Eric retained these small fragments and these passed to me in 2022 to rehome.
Spitfire P9560 was built to contract 980385/39 by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) Ltd at Woolston and was first test flown on 15th May 1940. It was to be converted to "Turkish specification" (thirteen were ordered by Turkey but the contract for ten was cancelled and only three delivered). It was then test flown again on 20th June 1940 and on 25th June 1940 delivered to 9 MU at Cosford. After a period of storage it was taken on charge by 54 Squadron based at Hornchurch on 1st September 1940. On 3rd September 1940 it moved with the unit to Catterick and on 7th September 1940 sustained Cat.W/FA damage in the accident at Bolton on Swale.
