Dozens of Spitfire fighter planes that were buried by British troops in Burma as the second world war
drew to a close are to be excavated after an agreement to dig up the
historic aircraft was signed by the Burmese government and an aviation
enthusiast from Lincolnshire.
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After 16 years of searching and
lobbying, David Cundall, 62, has signed a deal to recover the lost RAF
planes, which are believed to have been packed in crates and hidden by
British forces on the orders of Earl Mountbatten shortly before the
United States bombed the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945.
During
his visit to Burma in April, David Cameron reached an agreement with
President Thein Sein about the recovery of the missing aircraft. The
British embassy in Rangoon said the newly signed deal was a chance to
work with the new Burmese government "in uncovering, restoring,
displaying these fighter planes".
Excavation work is expected to
begin by the end of this month. The number of Mark 14 Spitfires awaiting
discovery remains unclear, but Htoo Htoo Zaw, managing director of
Cundall's Burmese partner, the Shwe Taung Paw company, said he estimated
there were at least 60. Previous estimates have varied between 20 and
36. Even that number would represent a large increase in the global
Spitfire population: while 21,000 were built, only 35 remain in a good
enough condition to fly. (Source: The Guardian)
Best regards,
Daniel
