WIX Archives

Re: Spit in sea off Cyprus...

Posted by Tony on Thu Dec 20, 2001 01:25:36 PM

In reply top Spit in sea off Cyprus... posted by Elliott on Thu Dec 20, 2001 01:07:54 PM

15 miles NW of Cyprus Elliott, and first reported as a bomber.

The guy involved, is the owner of one of Turkey's biggest diving schools, and is quite militant, about wrecks being left where they are, as there is relatively little in that part of the world, that hasn't been blitzed by turkish scrappies!

As regards not alowing the RAF to recover the body, well, that's just balls. They could get the Turks to lean on him. I imagine loss of diving permits, would soon bring him round.

Have they approached him, about recovering the body? That way, we get a hero returned, the aircraft is secondary

Tony







: Copies & pasted from a diver forum....
: **********************************************************
: **
:
: Hi All,
: I might be going over old ground here, but have you guys r
: ead/heard about the Spitfire (complete with Pilot's remain
: s) that has been 'claimed' by a Turkish DM off the North o
: f Cyprus?
:
: He's refusing to give the MOD the exact co-ords as, and I
: quote, "It is my wreck and I want it left here as there ar
: e not many wrecks to dive in the area". This Turk obviousl
: y showing all the sensitivity of his Paratrooping brethere
: n that wandered in univited in 1974.
:
: The wreck is about 80ft down and well covered in silt: whi
: ch has allowed the wreck to be rather well preserved. The
: MOD are stating that there are formal channels in which su
: ch a claim can be registered which include engaging with t
: he Island's authorities; although given that the authoriti
: es in this case mean the Cypriot Gov't and not the shower
: of bandits that currently occupy the North of the Island m
: ight figure in his reasoning not to.
:
: The MOD state that because he will not even give them the
: plane's identification number, they are not in a postion t
: o identify the plane and consequently the name of the flye
: r who still rests in its cockpit. Once this has been estab
: lished, the MOD state that it would then provide an MOD di
: ving team to examine the wreck and take any appropriate ac
: tion: ranging from retrieving the body to leaving it there
: (should any extant relatives or the RAF Assocation decide
: on such a course) and designating it a War Grave.
:
: Yet another example of the MOD displaying the splinters in
: its arse from all that fence-sitting what? On being offer
: ed a gift such as this (and moving heaven and earth at the
: opportunity of recovery of the remains of one who died fi
: ghting for his country) you might hope that they might gra
: b that gift with both hands........or rather (and to parap
: hrase), as in this case, beware of Turks bearing gifts.
:
: I don't want to get all "If I should die in a foreign fiel
: d...." etc. and invoke Flanders-type sentiments, but you'd
: like to think that if you'd done your bit in the world's
: largest conflagration and bought the farm doing same, then
: your gov't would be stand-up enough to bring you home. Mi
: nd you, we are dealing with the Whitehall Wallahs of the M
: OD and, let's be honest, you wouldn't vote for them, would
: you?
:
: Let's hope that this flyer can one day be laid to rest wit
: h the all the requisite honours and tributes of a very gra
: teful nation.
:
: Cheers
: Bren.
:

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