Flt Sgt Copping's P-40 From The Egyptian Desert

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Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,978

Thanks Mark, good to hear.

Member for

15 years 6 months

Posts: 4

Copping's photo

Oh dear

I'm Dave O'Malley and I manage, write and design the Vintage Wings website and I posted those photos of Copping and took the “photos of the photos” for our web story. I honestly wondered that the guy in the P-40 really didn't look like the guy in the doorway, but I attributed it to the mustache. I am mortified that the photos which I found in articles in major news organs are now wrong. I will work this weekend to get new photos in the cockpit and to remove the incorrect ones... sure hope I haven't offended anyone... it' s just that those photos were in the same articles with photos and quotes from his relatives and I believed it. Hopefully our tribute is not tarnished by this.

Dave

Member for

17 years 8 months

Posts: 199

Bit early - 28th JUNE 1942 was the date he went missing.

My mistake - I had May 28 in my head for some reason. So the anniversary is a fortnight away.

Been told that there has been no further damage.

Everything else - well, its onging.

Mark

Thanks Mark, good to know.

Cheers,
Matt

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,978

Oh dear

I'm Dave O'Malley and I manage, write and design the Vintage Wings website and I posted those photos of Copping and took the “photos of the photos” for our web story. I honestly wondered that the guy in the P-40 really didn't look like the guy in the doorway, but I attributed it to the mustache. I am mortified that the photos which I found in articles in major news organs are now wrong. I will work this weekend to get new photos in the cockpit and to remove the incorrect ones... sure hope I haven't offended anyone... it' s just that those photos were in the same articles with photos and quotes from his relatives and I believed it. Hopefully our tribute is not tarnished by this.

Dave

Far from it Dave, I think what you are doing is superb, you could not forsee this and it in no way tarnishes or diminishes what you are doing... They say to remember these guys for what they did means they did not die in vain, and your site is keeping his memory well and truly alive.

Member for

15 years 6 months

Posts: 4

Copping's photo

Thanks Tony

That means a lot to us... and particularly me.

Dave

Member for

14 years 5 months

Posts: 282

P40 / Copping

Dave

Don't worry. Only the nephew know it was wrong and after it had been sent to the press by the family member dealing with the family photos. The pic was not captioned and they do look similar. It only relates to the pic of the pilot in the doorway. Still trying to find out who Walter is/was.

The cowling stencil is a great tribute to Dennis Copping. June 1942 was a horrendous month for the Desert Airforce and 260Sqn.

There are possibly six other Canadian pilots who may have flown ET574 in June 1942 and am gradually trying to find relatives though log books are like hens teeth if they were killed or POW. Stocky Edwards flew ET575 in July 42 and claimed a Bf109? He indicates he did not fly ET574 but does not confirm whether he flew a 'B' in June 1942. If so this would have been ET574 as this was the 'B' airframe for June 1942 having arrived at the end of May 42.

regards

Mark

Member for

17 years 1 month

Posts: 180

Thanks Tony

That means a lot to us... and particularly me.

Dave

That tribute is superb Dave(the P-40 is a beauty BTW),the story is fantastic.

Many thanks for posting it up.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,168

Dave O, no worries there Sir, what you and the guys at Vintage Wings are doing will never be tarnished..! You are keeping the memory of these hero's alive for generations to come!

Member for

15 years 6 months

Posts: 4

Copping's photo

Thanks to everyone. We try our best and look to the UK and the Anzacs for guidance in these things. We have just been on the map for 5 years. Our main purpose is to use these wonderful aircraft only as tools to tell the stories of the men that flew and maintained them. Flyers first, aircraft second. (though we all love the machines as well)

Member for

17 years 5 months

Posts: 8,978

Looks like a search is being organised to find him within a 20 mile radius

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/9264072/Pilot-of-lost-Second-World-War-plane-to-be-buried.html

The defence attaché at the British embassy in Cairo is due to visit the RAF Kittyhawk in the next few weeks and has already confirmed a search of a 20 mile radius of the plane will be conducted.

That is one heck of a lot of desert!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,168

Hopefully they find him!

Member for

12 years 1 month

Posts: 442

By what means do they hope to discover the poor fella? It'll take a bit more than the mark 1 eyeball to search that area.

Member for

14 years 5 months

Posts: 282

P40

Getting to the site would be a start.

70th Anniversary coming up. :-(

Mark

PS Interestingly, 28th June is the same day that the Bomber Command Memorial is officially opened in London. Though Dennis Copping was not in Bomber Command his P40 and 260Sqn did undertake sorties with a 500Ib bomb under the fuselage.

Member for

11 years 9 months

Posts: 52

dear readers
ARIDO researchers come back from the desert and found a lot of news! we have found human relics and a piece of parachute about 8 miles SE from the wreck direction Farafra, the topographic survey of the wreck showed that Coppin has landed with the landing gear retracted and many other inconsistencies with the ratio STIKY
all authorities (egyptians, english ambassy military attachè) are informed
see www.qattara.it for more info

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,435

gattara, that is poignant news. Thanks for letting us know and we await more developments.

Member for

17 years 8 months

Posts: 199

Thank you for your work and for the update. Just days short of the seventieth anniversary, some closure has been obtained for Flight Sergeant Copping's family.

Member for

13 years 2 months

Posts: 251

Englsih translation from Italian Website

caption 1
It's dawn and the ARID Club is already up, breakfast briefing on the mission that awaits us.

Body copy

Today we have a task all the more difficult and impossible, i.e., having previously studied the paper, reports and surveys on the ground, trying to retrace the path that the battered Sgt. Copping may have undertaken in the vain hope of finding Salvation: approx. 50 Km towards 40° oasis of Farafra 123.We know that crashlanded "piloted" but the impact on the ground has been violent and perhaps is hurt; has little water available, about 1 or 2 liters (had to do a transfer flight of about 20 ').On June 28 of 42 was very hot (45°), as in these days (have gone exactly 70 years!) and then you would be moved only at night with cool.He disassembled the radio, blasted the IFF (identification friend or foe) cut off their seat belts, made a shelter by parachute near the plane and maybe you stayed around for at least a day.Some shocked, disorientated, he consulted the map and estimated that perhaps can get to Farafra or intercept a track (near the old track to Ain Dalla marked on maps); and so walks towards his bitter and almost unknown fate.We do all of these reflections, in front of a cup of tea, and assails us sadness and a little angst.We will have to walk for several miles in the plain degrading as a series of concentric bowls in the center of which lies the OASIS, but we plan to restrict searches to a 123° radial to maximum 15 km.We know that we will reach the highest distance when the Sun is high above the horizon with temperatures exceeding 45° 43, whereby we load in backpacks, as well as the equipment, even a fair supply of water that eventually will be hot ...We distance ourselves by about 300 meters from each other and we leave.

Caption 2
The expectations are there, but as soon as we begin to wane: but how do you find something in this barren depression?At around 10, 5 km from the wreck, my radio announces that Riccardo made the finding of something, just about 123°: a metal button engraved with ... ... ... ....

Caption 3
We are on the right path! I Think.Armed with renewed strength we look back at us and March.We are on the horizon, a series of fans high just over 30 50 metres, achieved two of them stand before me a "step" that leads into another depression: no trace of wheels.

Caption 4
I did three miles with bow 100° e in the middle of the pitch, in soft sand and Virgin identify something metallic

Caption 6
It is a copper plate excellently preserved (as the rest of the exhibits and the shipwreck) with the name of a factory and a date ... ... ... ...

Caption 7
By a subsequent search revealed that Elliot in Birmingham is a company still in business and works and scrap metal during the war was the supplier of the RAF.The unbearable heat, hot water, but fortunately, brings to mind the sufferings of our researched and after a short break we continue the research.

Body copy 2
Before us a barren expanse and about 3 km 2 the usual fans. .. .and the sun beats down and the clock runs and Copping a few likely clue.Andrea decides to climb on a hillock and scrutinize with binoculars, the hour is late so we decide to return.Andrea, via radio, announced that in a corner about 500 meters on the left sees something waving (Fortunately the wind assist us in quench the heat become unbearable) ... maybe the usual plastic bag.Part toward the ravine and soon screaming over the radio that there are bones and a piece of fabric.Come everyone, nobody touches anything until we detect.From my experience of doctor late in identifying the remains as human: some certainly coast, three four vertebrae (7 cervical, thoracic° two and a lumbar) a left clavicle, integrates a metatarsal and phalanx.The fabric is white silk, red striped PARACHUTE!!!!!!!!!!During the relief of bony remains, from a metal object, a plate engraved with the number 61: it seems almost a keychain of a locker, we supposed ...

Caption 8
Obviously we do not know who owns, we note and we all do GPS and not exhausted to the field.

Caption 9
We have obscured the remains out of respect

Body copy 3
Be advised via radio the official Commons which says, "your job"with the satellite we immediately Colonel Collins, British Embassy military attaché who tells us: "good job thank you i want to meet you ...."Our mandate was to detect the wreckage and carry out pilot investigations promptly notifying authorities if we found something, and we have adhered to the Protocol report.Metal findings were handed over to Egyptian authorities, the human remains were obviously in the discovery awaiting decisions over what we put back by offering our full cooperation.Now authorities determine who owns those mortal remains

Caption 10
A total success of ARID team supported by experience and logistics of SIWA PARADISE EXPEDITONS and financial support of ITALEGYC

Foot note
June 21, 2012Kittyhawk mission 14-18 June 2012 the Egyptian Western desertBeyond any wildest expectation

Beachcomber

Member for

14 years 3 months

Posts: 1,205

Some seriously dedicated work has gone on here, I think we can all thank the ARIDO team for helping to put some closure on the Copping story. Hopefully ths pilot's remains will be duly repatriated for a more proper burial closer to home.

Member for

14 years 3 months

Posts: 1,665

Well done the ARID team. One more missing pilot found.