WIX Archives
That Gladiator!
Posted by Paul Coggan on Wed Jan 16, 2002 01:02:35 PM
In reply top null posted by null on null
After getting in touch with the Norwegian Museum re N5719, here is the reply.....
N5719 was the Gladiator flown by P.O.Craig-Adams. This Gladiator crashed at
H?gfjellet close to Bardufoss, Norway 22.05.40.
Most probably he was shot down in an aerial battle with a HE111as the Gladiator was observed by locals as diving down from the clouds and crashing into the
mountain. The Gladiator belonged to 263 Sqdn which was on the second tour in Norway operating from Bardufoss after first operating from Lake Lesjaskog.
The remains of P.O.Craig-Adams was recovered after the war by local mountain-climbers.This because of the inaccessability of the crashsite. He is buried at the local cemetery at S?rreisa which is the closest village to the
crashsite.
The remains of this aircraft was recovered September 2000 and taken to England
(Retro&Track).
The operation is a cooperation with the RAF-museum, Imperial War Museum, Jet
Age Museum, Malta Air Museum and Norwegian Aviation Museum, Bod?.
Details from other Gladiators is to go into this cooperation. A fuselage for a Gladiator is to be rebuilt as a return for the efforts from MAM in collecting the details. This fuselage will hopefully be joined with a set of wings now at Gardermoen close to Oslo. Subsequently this will result in a Gladiator in Norwegian markings and with the serial of the Norwegian Gladiator that had these wings.
The serial no. of Craig-Adams aircraft was verified from the remains.
Best regards
Birger Larsen