Spitfire recovered Italy

[volto71]

14th Oct Romagna Air finders recovered a 111 Squadron's spitfire with the pilot remains, W/O Coates from York UK

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news...bury-1-8876435

https://www.flickr.com/photos/394581...57688749937374

Alessandro

[Berf]

While I find this sort of recovery historically quite interesting I do have a conflict with whether it would simply be better to leave it as it is - effectively a war grave or dig it up so a more formal burial could be made.

[iainpeden]

While I find this sort of recovery historically quite interesting I do have a conflict with whether it would simply be better to leave it as it is - effectively a war grave or dig it up so a more formal burial could be made.

Years back I was a member of an aviation archeology group. One of the group had to visit an old lady as part of his job. On her mantlepiece he noticed a picture of a man in RAF uniform. It turned out that it was the lady's father who had been shot down over Germany; she had never met him and that was the only photo she had. She didn't know where he had been shot down or buried.
Short version - the group member did some research and was able to give her details of the shoot down and where her father's remains where buried.

She visited the grave the following summer.

[Berf]

Yes - that's the conflict for me sometimes it seems the right thing and other times not....

[volto71]

Yes - that's the conflict for me sometimes it seems the right thing and other times not....

I think each pilot,each soldier still MIA (like "Harry" was), must have a place to rest in peace.
Next year I hope W/O Coates will return to York after 72 years,forgotten in the venetian countryside.
Ciao
A.