Spitfire K9968 at Church Fenton aerodrome.
On 5th June 1939 this 602 Squadron aircraft stalled while landing at Church Fenton airfield and sustained repairable damage. Any further details are not known. The squadron records are very brief during this period but do state while based at Abbotsinch, S/Ldr Andrew Douglas Farquhar and F/Lt Cyril Carlisle Hodder flew to Church Fenton to arrange details of the summer camp for the squadron that subsequently took place in July. I find it likely that it was one of these two pilots involved in this landing accident.
Pilot - Name unknown.
Spitfire K9968 was built to contract 527113/36 by Vickers Armstrong's (Supermarine) Ltd. at Woolston and was taken on charge by 602 Squadron at Abbotsinch on 8th May 1939. As a result of the damage sustained at Church Fenton on 5th June 1939 repairable Cat.M/FA damage was probably the damage assessment that probably saw a repair on site and it return to 602 Squadron. Here it's history is unclear as the published history cannot be correct, this claims that (even though the squadron were based at Drem, Scotland) it was lost on "31st November 1939" at Cherbourg, France. This cannot be correct and there is no 31st November 1939. What therefore became of it is therefore unknown.