Hurricane in East Sutton, Kent

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,183

Hi folks,

Just an idle inquiry really. I remember reading a "short" in Flypast a while back that a team were restoring a Hurricane that had been shot down at East Sutton in Kent during the Battle of Britain - to airworthiness, I think.

Anybody know any more? I'm intrigued as to how much was left (rebuilt and went to Russia? Big-hole-in-Kent job?), and roughly where it crashed. I went to school at East Sutton, but not until 42 years after the event - bit late to look for bits!

Adrian

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,835

Hi Adrian

Need the serial number really to check which Hurri it is. Maybe someone out there will know...

Member for

15 years 8 months

Posts: 159

Hi Adrian, I've just found your original question while doing some research into a short film project on Hurricane V7497 (G-HRLI).

This is the Hurricane to which you refer.

it was shot down and lost during combat with enemy Messerchmitt Bf109s over Deal, Kent on 28th September 1940. At 0955 hours that day more than 120 enemy aircraft approached the Kent coast, with 70 crossing the English coast in two waves and flying inland over Kent. The first wave of 30 enemy aircraft flew towards Biggin Hill and 6 of those flew on to reach London. The second wave of enemy aircraft only flew as far as Maidstone. RAF Spitfire and Hurricane fighter aircraft from 501 Squadron (RAF Kenley), 41 Squadron and 603 Squadron (RAF Hornchurch) and 66 Squadron (RAF Gravesend), were scrambled to meet the raids, which were eventually dispersed by 1040hrs. The enemy bombers making up the raid were far outnumbered by supporting enemy Bf109 fighters, which were flying high above the bombers.

Having been shot down, Hurricane V7497 crashed and burnt out at Chartway Street, East Sutton, near Maidstone and its pilot, Pilot Officer Everett Bryan Rogers, parachuted to safety. 

The surface wreckage of the aircraft was cleared from the site immediately afterwards. An 'archaeological' dig many years later recovered further parts of V7497 including the aircrafts identity plate. This and other parts were then acquired by Tony Ditheridge of Hawker Restorations and this aircraft is the result of a 'full airworthy rebuild', which is effectively a completely new Hurricane aircraft built around the original identity plate and other useable recovered parts. The 'new' V7497 flew again on 13/9/2018. Here are some website links concerning the aircraft and rebuild project:-

https://www.hurricane501.co.uk/history/hawker-hurricane-1940-battle-of-…

http://hawkerrestorations.co.uk/sale/g-hrli-v7497-hurricane-mk-1/

I'll post a link to my film of it shortly.

Steve.

Member for

15 years

Posts: 1,712

Look forward to your film link Steve

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,183

Wow, that's an impressive bit of thread resurrection! I shall watch that in the next day or so, Steve, thank you very much for posting it!

 

I have kept an eye on V7497 over the years - at one point I had a letter, via the good offices of a certain Andy Saunders, from one of the dig team with some photos and a tiny piece of her Form 700, but I haven't found it since a house move (it's in there.... somewhere!). I was amused to see, from the gateway into the field, that had crashed somewhere I'd been past many times. 

 

Adrian