Burmese Spitfires don't exist

[Drago]

This is quite funny.

 

[vernon]

There's a jeep buried somewhere in Aden. My mates dad and his mates built it from requisitioned parts from stores and used it to get about without having to fill in paperwork. When the camp was moved they found it easier to bury it than to face charges after accounting for a surplus vehicle.

Not worth seeking out though it wasn't gift wrapped.

 

[srw]

tbh, i'd be more excited if it was something like mosquitos or whitleys, although the former would not have fared at all well in water, due to wooden skin…

If there's enough water they'd be fine (think Mary Rose).

 

[Arch]

They found a water filled crate whose contents were unknown.

well, apart from water, I guess...

If there's enough water they'd be fine (think Mary Rose).

Indeed. Depends on the level of drainage within the wet soil, plus the soil chemistry.

I haven't been following this story apart from hearing the odd reference on the news. Have they actually had to go and dig to find this out? A bunch of Spitfires ought to show up on several difference geo-physics techniques*, and a site like an airfield (assuming that means flat and grassy) should be fairly easy to survey.

*Admittedly aluminium isn't a material widely dealt with in archaeology, but resistivity and ground penetrating radar should oick it up, and magnatometry ought to work too, on what ferrous metal there was...

 

[thom]

In other news Spitfires are not buried in Central London, Amsterdam or Sydney.

"A scheduled press conference was cancelled on Friday morning by Wargaming Ltd, with a spokesman saying he hoped to give more details later.
When pressed, the spokesman said there are no Spitfires, our correspondent says."

I wonder who "our correspondent" is - clearly too embarrassed to be name checked for having followed up the story...
Apparently the expedition is financed by Belorussian money, people hoping to be able to flog off expensive Spitfires round the world.

 

[Arch]

In other news Spitfires are not buried in Central London, Amsterdam or Sydney.

"A scheduled press conference was cancelled on Friday morning by Wargaming Ltd, with a spokesman saying he hoped to give more details later.
When pressed, the spokesman said there are no Spitfires, our correspondent says."

I wonder who "our correspondent" is - clearly too embarrassed to be name checked for having followed up the story...
Apparently the expedition is financed by Belorussian money, people hoping to be able to flog off expensive Spitfires round the world.

If you read the rest of the story, you'll see it name-checks Feargal Keane. Not hard to find.

 

[thom]

If you read the rest of the story, you'll see it name-checks Feargal Keane. Not hard to find.

Ah - indeed ! I knew it was him - he had tried hard to avoid being sent out there. BBC have just seen a cash outlay for a doc on this go down the pan.

 

[Arch]

Ah - indeed ! I knew it was him - he had tried hard to avoid being sent out there. BBC have just seen a cash outlay for a doc on this go down the pan.

Oh, I dunno. Time Team managed well enough on occasionally thin pickings....

 

[thom]

Oh, I dunno. Time Team managed well enough on occasionally thin pickings....

Ha ha ha - fantastic suggestion !

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

I always thought there was something symbolic about finding intact buried Spitfires. Rather like the predicted return of King Arthur* in time of need.


* No, I don't mean Arthur Scargill..

 

[Aperitif]

According to Radio Four news the sites under investigation contain no Spitfires.

That's a lot of money and dreams gone to waste.

As Peter Sellers might have said "That's a bit of a Burma..."
I thought this story 'romantic' and adventurous. Perhaps the Americans will make a film, and discover Grumman F4F Wildcats in pristine condition, as well as build a zoo for all the stray animals in the jungle.

 

[neil earley]

Bit off subject my mate was trekking through Vietnam and he told me he spotted a Huey flying around with a us medic sign painted on the side! still dont know if he was pulling my leg, what do you think!

 

[Yellow Fang]

I gather there are companies that can 'restore' Spitfires from a serial plate.

 

[Archie_tect]

...Time Team managed well enough on occasionally thin pickings....

Time Team, and especially the Baldric man, were incredibly smug and arrogant and refused to look at a housing site that Stockton Council wanted them to get involved with, unless they were paid £30,000 sponsorship by the housebuilders. They were told politely that they could take a running jump.
A local archaeologist did it for £3500 including fantastic record drawings of the finds for EH.

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

I gather there are companies that can 'restore' Spitfires from a serial plate.

You used to get one if you collected enough cereal packets.. I was surprised how small they were.