Spitfire adventure story at library
The aviation enthusiast who found the now famous Donegal Spitfire is to give a talk about his adventure this Thursday night.
Jonny McNee, who after many years of research finally located a lost Spitfire buried deep in Inishowen bogland last summer, is inviting anyone interested in hearing the story to come along to Derry’s Central Library at 7pm.
The painstaking recovery of the fighter plane was featured in a three part BBC documentary - presented by Dan Snow and filmed by Derry-based firm 360 Productions - which is currently being shown on Mondays at 9pm. Jonny told the ‘Journal’: “It will provide an excellent opportunity for anyone who has been interested in the story to hear first hand how I found the crash site and organised the recovery of the iconic WW2 fighter as part of the three-part ‘Dig WW2’ series which started earlier this month on BBC NI on Mondays at 9pm.”
In association with Derry City Council’s Museum and Heritage Service, a selection of items recovered from the war plane are currently on display in the Workhouse Museum in the Waterside.
Admission to Thursday’s talk is free and copies of Jonny’s recently published book ‘The Story of the Donegal Spitfire’ will be available on the night.
The Donegal Spitfire was the first of 20 aircraft commissioned with £100,000 donated by Canadian millionaire Willard Garfield Weston during the Battle of Britain.
He donated the money following a day in which the RAF endured particularly heavy losses in August 1940.
The 23-year-old American pilot of the Spitfire, Roland ‘Bud’ Wolfe - a member of the RAF’s 133 Eagle Squadron - was returning from Atlantic convoy patrol on November 30, 1941 when the engine overheated eight miles from his base at Eglinton - now City of Derry Airport.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Derry
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 28 mph
Wind direction: North
