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

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19 years 11 months

Posts: 1,988

Cart before horse?

or perhaps cart in preparation for the horse.

Whatever the raison d'etre, the planning application seems to mark the end of the upper galleries - which I always thought were worth a lengthy wander and were full of interesting smaller items like the pressure suit from the Bristol 138, the RRAC and other artefacts.

PS Anybody read the new FP on the subject?......

Is this still the P40 'secure storage' does anybody know? It was supposed to be its 'home' immediately post-recovery.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 9,780

Its fine ! They didn't put one of those cheap Chinese padlocks on the container !

Member for

11 years 1 month

Posts: 173

I can only agree with Jeepman. The loss of the upper galleries is a sad one: will the artifacts that were in them be displayed in a new place? I've always been fascinated by the displays there (when they've been accessible), ever since the Museum opened and I was only about 6 or 7 when I first visited. Whatever happened to the dioramas? They fell out of favour and got removed. I saw the WWI trench one, sans aircraft, in a corner of The Graeme White Hanger a few years back, maybe they are in a hut somewhere.

If 'modern museum visitors' want hanging aircraft and no uniforms, flying suits, medals etc, etc then they have to be catered for. But some concession to those of us who do would be nice, I hope that comes to pass too. (Along with a decent display of the nose art in the BC hall...)

P.S. I REALLY like Hendon, for all its niggles it does do so much so well.

Thread creep over, back to the more important matters.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,707

or perhaps cart in preparation for the horse.

It's generally best to build a stable before getting a horse :-) Very interesting news; I share the concern as the the remains of Flt Sgt Copping

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11 years 4 months

Posts: 93

Please could I know where I can find the photographic documentation relating to aerial
reconnaissance made in North Africa (Tobruk-El Alamein) in the period 1941/42 ?
Thanks

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18 years 1 month

Posts: 2,123

I was at the RAFM last weekend. I asked the attendant whether they had yet received the Egyptian P-40. Yes said he, it's over there, indicating THEIR P-40. Not that one, said I, the one from the desert. Oh you mean the one that crashed and the pilot walked away and was never found. Yes, said I. He then needed to speak to someone higher in the pecking order, and came back with the word that no-one knew anything else about what I was asking about ... but he was very charming with it!

As far as we know, and following RAFM's exchange of a Spitfire to their contractor in return for getting the P40 out of the desert, the P40 is still sat in Egypt. Unless it is in that vast and very secret government repository alongside the crate marked:'Ark of The Covenant'. According to other sources the Spitfire is with 'RAFM Reserve Collection North Weald'.

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11 years 4 months

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Martin thanks for the link !

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19 years 6 months

Posts: 96

Might be worth looking here; http://www.raf.mod.uk/ahb/sourcesofinformation/aerialphotos.cfm

THANK YOU Martin!!!

Had wished for years to find old aerial photographs of my house and neighborhood (I'm living in the North of Brussels) but had given-up. Now, thanks to this link, two perfect 1944 photos were just a few clicks away.

Laurent

Member for

11 years 10 months

Posts: 52

[ATTACH=CONFIG]229010[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]229011[/ATTACH]dear all
now the story of p40 is in the public domain, of course not in its original form, but mystified by malicious false leads.
what we had to say we told you all stakeholders as possible, but we have always had an answer and a thank you enough.
Our vice president has been questioned by Egyptian secret services, has provided guidance to the British authorities dopodiche we only had problems emormi: Website blocked, telephones intercepted obstacles.
the bones have disappeared at some point, someone had secretly recuparate (not us) and I do not know what has been done.
The wp of the resort were not known to anyone, but obviously a spy or an interception nullified the subsequent work of a DNA test. (we had already contacted the family and we had the available sample).
RAI has a dedicated transmission to P40 and to our discovery, but unfortunately we had to stop due to force majeure.
Also the container is gone from Alamein and do not know what happened

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24 years 2 months

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This is all getting more than a little murky.

Thanks for posting.

Moggy

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11 years 10 months

Posts: 52

[ATTACH=CONFIG]229013[/ATTACH]

this is the area where we found the bones in June 2012

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16 years 5 months

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So has the Spitfire (a Mark 22 I believe) been traded to Kennet themselves or is it destined for the Egyptians?

Doesn't seem like a good trade? A rare Spit 22 for a P40?

Member for

18 years 1 month

Posts: 2,123

Qattara
Do you mean that someone has "stolen" the bones that you found? Remember also that there were reportedly a second set. What happened to them, if they ever existed?
I don't quite understand what you imply by "a spy or an interception nullified the subsequent work of a DNA test. (we had already contacted the family and we had the available sample)."
Do you mean you kept a sample from the bones you found for DNA analysis? I had understood that you left all the bones "in situ". Were, then, samples taken? And who was to do the DNA? Remember that I had arranged for the analysis to be carried out, but I was never able to obtain specimens, as only you seemed to know where they were. We too had the family's agreement for recovery and analysis.
I should be grateful for more information, either in the thread or privately.
Ciao

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24 years 2 months

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Doesn't seem like a good trade? A rare Spit 22 for a P40?

Err, not that simple!

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,208

Indeed, as there is still no sign of the P-40 in the UK. The trade would appear to have been a Spitfire in exchange for facilitating the packing and moving the P-40 to a more secure location (feel free to correct this if I have been misinformed).

Member for

11 years 3 months

Posts: 119

That red circled area doesn't appear to match up with the other photo of where the remains are though? ie: more around to the left?

Presumably not covered by sand?

Is the parachute material gone as well?