Spitfire dig today
Discussion
There's an archaeological Spitfire dig going on in an Irish bog today – thought people might be interested.
Read the story here: http://bbc.in/jyUrsW
Follow live tweets and pictures from the dig here: http://www.twitter.com/digww2
Apparently the shiny rounds were in the breech when it crashed:
Read the story here: http://bbc.in/jyUrsW
Follow live tweets and pictures from the dig here: http://www.twitter.com/digww2
Apparently the shiny rounds were in the breech when it crashed:
Small encouragement to see that the British Government was nursing the seeds of stupidity that have grown into huge oak trees today:
'On 13 December 1941 he walked straight out of camp and after a meal in a hotel, which he did not pay for, he headed into nearby Dublin and caught the train the next day to Belfast. Within hours he was back at RAF Eglinton where he had taken off two weeks earlier in his defective Spitfire.
He could not have expected what was to happen next. The British government decided that, in this dark hour, it would be unwise to upset a neutral nation.
The decision was made to send Wolfe back to The Curragh and internment.'
'On 13 December 1941 he walked straight out of camp and after a meal in a hotel, which he did not pay for, he headed into nearby Dublin and caught the train the next day to Belfast. Within hours he was back at RAF Eglinton where he had taken off two weeks earlier in his defective Spitfire.
He could not have expected what was to happen next. The British government decided that, in this dark hour, it would be unwise to upset a neutral nation.
The decision was made to send Wolfe back to The Curragh and internment.'
And from which he was no doubt released within days - again.
Worth listening to these two documentaries from RTE (Irish) radio.
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/player.html?feed...
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/player.html?feed...
Having a quick read of the article, I think the "neutrality" they were concerned about breaching was that of the US, not the neutrality of Ireland/Eire.
By 1941 tens of thousands of Irishmen (and some women) had already signed up to the British war effort so contravening Irish neutrality was something that was of no major issue. Indeed, Ireland had contravened the terms of its own neitrality laws by sending Dublin fire brigade units to Belfast during the Belfast Blitz and allowing thousands of bombed out people from Northern Ireland to stay in the South until the British authorities could sort out alternative arrangements.
Worth listening to these two documentaries from RTE (Irish) radio.
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/player.html?feed...
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/player.html?feed...
Having a quick read of the article, I think the "neutrality" they were concerned about breaching was that of the US, not the neutrality of Ireland/Eire.
By 1941 tens of thousands of Irishmen (and some women) had already signed up to the British war effort so contravening Irish neutrality was something that was of no major issue. Indeed, Ireland had contravened the terms of its own neitrality laws by sending Dublin fire brigade units to Belfast during the Belfast Blitz and allowing thousands of bombed out people from Northern Ireland to stay in the South until the British authorities could sort out alternative arrangements.
Edited by Eric Mc on Tuesday 28th June 16:09
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