Spitfire P8168 at Catterick airfield.
On 22nd June 1941 this 41 Squadron aircraft landed at Catterick at night on return from an operational patrol with a flat tyre. The aircraft landed
near the edge of the runway and the wheel with the flat tyre struck the edge of the runway causing the undercarriage to collapse. The aircraft
sustained damage but was later repaired. The pilot had 42 hours flying on the Spitfire when this incident occurred.
Pilot - Sgt Alan Lindsay Bull RAAF (400219).
Alan Bull was born in Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia in February 1918. He enlisted in Melbourne. He arrived at 41 Squadron in early June 1941, the incident detailed above
was the second of three mishaps he had within a month. This aircraft had been damaged by him at Catterick on 11th June and was soon repaired
(detailed on its own webpage). On 8th July 1941 he was the pilot of Spitfire P8206 landing at Greatham landing ground when the aircraft hit a heap of rubble
hidden by long grass and the undercarriage collapsed. On 12th August 1941 he was shot down over France and captured and held as a PoW. In April 1945
he was part of well documented forced marches, he escaped and walked back to the Allied lines. He survived the War and died in 1997. My thanks to
Steve Brew and his 41 Squadron research for this information. Steve's great uncle was with Alan Bull when he escaped.
Spitfire P8168 was built to contract B.981687/39 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Castle Bromwich and was delivered to 33 MU at Lyneham on
13th March 1941. It was taken on charge by 41 Squadron at Catterick on 6th April 1941 and suffered a first mishap on 11th June 1941 and only
appears to have been very slightly damaged and possibly only burst a tyre with Cat.M(c) recorded on the AM Form 1180. It was soon repaired and
on 22nd June 1941 sustained this second mishap with the same pilot, after which Cat.R damage was recorded. It may have sustained a similar
incident exactly a month later at Catterick but I speculate that this is an error and perhaps a third incident at Catterick never occurred.
After the 22nd June 1941 incident it was repaired on site and returned to unit and on 29th October 1941 it transferred to 145 Squadron also
based at Catterick. On 5th December 1941 it transferred to 417 Squadron at Charmy Down then on 19th February 1942 to 53 OTU at Llandow. On
12th April 1942 it sustained Cat.A/FA damage in an as yet unknown incident and a repair in works was deemed necessary. It was taken to Air
Service Training Ltd at Hamble for repair. On 2nd October 1942 the repair was complete and it was taken on charge by 5 (P)AFU based at
Ternhill. On 31st July 1943 it transferred to 5 FTS at Ternhill then on 11th November 1944 it transferred to 7 PAFU at Peterborough but
on 6th May 1945 it crashed on landing at Peterborough and was initially assessed with as Cat.A/FA damage but on 30th May 1945 it was
re-Cat.E and struck off charge.