Sharpe, A. (2017). Frythens Farm, St. Erth, Cornwall: archaeological excavation of a WW2 Spitfire crash site. Cornwall Council Historic Environment Service. https://doi.org/10.5284/1046164. Cite this using datacite

Title
Title
The title of the publication or report
Title:		 Frythens Farm, St. Erth, Cornwall: archaeological excavation of a WW2 Spitfire crash site
Series
Series
The series the publication or report is included in
Series:		 Cornwall Council Historic Environment Service unpublished report series
Downloads
Downloads
Any files associated with the publication or report that can be downloaded from the ADS
Downloads:
cornwall2-292297_1.pdf (13 MB) : Download
Licence Type
Licence Type
ADS, CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY 4.0 NC.
Licence Type:
ADS Terms of Use and Access icon
ADS Terms of Use and Access
DOI
DOI
The DOI (digital object identifier) for the publication or report.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5284/1046164
Publication Type
Publication Type
The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book
Publication Type:		 Report (in Series)
Abstract
Abstract
The abstract describing the content of the publication or report
Abstract:		 On the evening of 24th March 1942, Squadron Leader Cremin RAF and Sergeant Norman RAAF of 66 Squadron, RAF Portreath, Cornwall, flying Spitfire Vcs during a night flying exercise were involved in a mid-air collision over west Cornwall, crashing into adjacent fields near St. Erth. The pilots were killed on impact and their bodies were retrieved for burial. The remains of the aircraft were salvaged and the crash sites returned to agriculture. In 2017 a researcher illegally investigating one of the sites found human bones which he reported to the local police. The Cornwall Coroner instructed Cornwall Archaeological Unit to excavate the site to recover the human remains. The work was undertaken under a JCCC licence, and was observed by a Defence Infrastructure Organisation Archaeologist. The human remains were passed to the Cornwall Coroner; the pilot's identity will be determined by DNA matching. Surviving artefacts were recovered from the site for analysis. The archaeological investigation suggested a low angle ground impact consistent with the account of S/L Cremin's plane spinning in. The absence on site of the aircraft's engine block, wings, and rear section indicated that the aircraft had broken up catastrophically on impact; the relatively shallow impact crater excavated on site contained only a small part of its cockpit - this had been smashed beyond recognition during its violent burial. A report on the findings of the investigation was prepared for the Coroner; copies were also supplied to the JCCC and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Archaeologist.
Author
Author
The authors of this publication or report
Author:		 A Sharpe
Publisher
Publisher
The publisher of the publication or report
Publisher:		 Cornwall Council Historic Environment Service
Other Person/Org
Other Person/Org
Other people or organisations for this publication or report
Other Person/Org:		 Historic England (OASIS Reviewer)
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Historic Environment Record (OASIS Reviewer)
Year of Publication
Year of Publication
The year the book, article or report was published
Year of Publication:		 2017
Locations
Locations
Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published.
Locations:
Site: Frythens Farm
County: Cornwall
District: Cornwall
Parish: ST ERTH
Country: England
Grid Reference: 154563, 33413 (Easting, Northing)
Subjects / Periods
Subjects / Periods
Subjects / Periods associated with this record.
Subjects / Periods:
20TH CENTURY (Historic England Periods) AIRCRAFT COMPONENT (Object England)
20TH CENTURY (Historic England Periods) AIRCRAFT (Monument Type England)
EXCAVATION (Event)
Identifiers
Identifiers
Identifiers associated with the publication. These might include DOIs, site codes, Monument Identifiers etc.
Identifiers:
OASIS Id: cornwall2-292297
OBIB: 2017R051
Note
Note
Extra information on the publication or report.
Note:		 A4 double sided, comb bound, 49pp, full colour. Word and PDF formats.
Source
Source
Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in.
Source:
Source icon
OASIS (OASIS)
Relations
Relations
Other resources which are relevant to this publication or report
Relations:
Created Date
Created Date
The date the record of the pubication was first entered
Created Date:		 12 Feb 2018