Warbird Information Exchange

For 66 years, the remains of a brave Spitfire pilot and his plane lay on a river bed off Normandy in France.

The pilot, identified as Flight Lieutenant Henry `Lacy' Smith, 27, from Sydney, was buried with full military honours in France in April.Now a team of experts in Melbourne are doing their best to preserve what is left of his plane.

The Spitfire MJ789 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire on June 11, 1944 in the battle that followed D-Day.It crashed into the River Orne, near Caen, in northern France during the Battle of Normandy, one of the largest battles of WWII.

Smith and his aircraft were deemed missing in action until they were found last November in the Orne Estuary by local museum curators.The aircraft remains were shipped to Australia in September where experts at the RAAF Museum at Point Cook in Melbourne are removing the dirt, slime and foreign matter.

Despite its history, the plane - which has two bullet holes in its right wing from where it was pounded with anti-aircraft fire - is in good condition."It looks fairly good for something that's been laid in the salt water since 1944," museum director David Gardner said."It'll be conserved in its current form and the way we put it on display will tell the story of the RAAF's contribution to the war effort in Europe.

"It will also add to the fact that we are actively looking for those that are declared missing during the conflict."The conservation effort will involve cleaning the aircraft, then hoisting it into a tank of fresh water for between six and eight months to desalinate it before it is preserved for the long term.

"We've got to get rid of the salt so we can stop the corrosion and corrosion's the biggest killer," Mr Gardner said.Smith was from No 453 Squadron, the first Australian squadron to go into action on D-Day - June 6, 1944 - providing tactical support for the troops landing on the Normandy beach head.

He was buried with full military honours at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Ranville, Normandy, in April.Gary Walsh, a registrar at the museum who is working on the preservation, said he felt fortunate to work on the project."It's a very poignant moment for me," he said."There were some brave people involved with this and unfortunately this person lost his life defending his country.

"It's a sacred thing from our perspective too." Staff hope to have the plane on display in the next six to eight months

A touching burial for Flight Lieutenant Henry ‘Lacy’ Smith occurred in the morning of the 19th April 2011, with full military honours being paid. Members of No. 453 Squadron (453SQN) from the Royal Australian Air Force, FLTLT Smith’s former squadron, paraded as a mark of respect for the fallen pilot. FLTLT Smith was from Sans Souci in Sydney NSW, and was shot down by anti-aircraft fire on 11th June 1944. His Spitfire aircraft crashed into the River Orne, near Caen, in northern France and was not discovered until 2010. The first Australian squadron to go into action on 6th June 1944, 453SQN, operated from advanced bases in the beach land providing tactical support for the troops landing on the Normandy beachhead. The squadron carried out operations that included harassing the retreating enemy, attacking enemy convoys, bombing missions, armed reconnaissance and bomber escort duties. Today 453SQN is a Joint Battlefield Airspace Control squadron, headquartered at RAAF Base Williamtown

The nephew of a Australian World War II pilot whose fighter plane was recovered in northern France is indifferent as to who gets to keep the aircraft, maintaining it's only "scrap metal".

Is it the one who was recovered by a local team without any authorization and left the wrek sitting in their garden for weeks without any conservative work done ?

(The plane was seized by the legal authorities, the remains of the pilot (put by the jackass team in a simple box in the cellar) were retrieved and transmitted to the NZ autorities.)

Iclo,
Welcome back buddy! been wondering where you disappeared to-

For the pilot's remains, I red that the Australian autority decided to buried him in France. (I suppose that the majority of Australian soldier were buried in Europe, vs be brought back home ?)