Hats off to David Cundall by neiwil
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Description
When David Cundall was 47, a friend passed along a comment he heard from a group of U.S. veterans who said they buried a fleet of World War II Spitfires deep in the Burmese jungle to hide them from Japanese troops.
Cundall, now 62, a British farmer has not only been searching Burma (Myanmar) for the past 15 years, going there a dozen times, and running his savings down by more than £130,000,he has actually found the planes.
Somewhere in the jungle, still crated, with their wings folded back along their bodies, covered in grease and wax paper, sit 20 brand new Spitfires buried in their original shipping crates.Most are believed to be Mk XIV like the one above, photographed at Duxford, along with a few Mk VII.
Following her visit to Britain,Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy campaigner held under house arrest for 22 years by the military regime, and who was elected to parliament in a sweeping electoral victory earlier this year, has signed an agreement with David Cameron, to see all the aircraft returned to Britain.( never thought I'd say this but "nice one Dave" ).
Every so often a dream comes true.....
Comments (22)
Tholian
Interesting.....
flavia49
marvelous
icerian
Beautiful airplain. Well done.
Diemamker
Awesome!...hope they restore them...
android65mar
Truly amazing story, will be interesting to see them restored to their former glory.
goodoleboy
Fantastic for David Cundall! Way to go, mate! A splendid photo of the model Spitfire which were uncovered deep in the jungles of Burma. What a windfall! I hope he is financially reimbursed for his tireless efforts. And what a series of airshows this is going to provide after they are restored and take flight.
coyoteviper
and a little of history comes home. outstanding event.
taliesin86001
Wonderful news! And great capture by the way, Neil!
tigertim
Nice one Dave, both of them. As soon as I saw the thumb the heart rate went up.. Spitfire XIV in the offing :o), and yep, not disappointed... cool photo. Thanks for the update on the Burma Spits.. best news on the Warbird aviation front in a while. I guess the UK Govt technically still owns them.. wonder what they will do with them......
UVDan
That is like finding a lost gold mine. Woohoooo!
Osper
WILD!!!!!!
Clearbeer
This has always been one of those mythical stories on par with the search for the tomb of King Arthur , except that this one is true!!!!
whaleman
Awesome story!
fly028
Amazing story! Superb shot
dbrv6
Fascinating!
T.Rex
TWENTY "brand new" Spitfires! What will the collectors say? This may well lower the value of their loved planes. But, on the other hand, that means a few more flyable ones doing the rounds! I recall reading about this burying/hiding story in the early 1960s. Fascinating reading back then, and still so today. Thanks for telling the tale, and that they have been found and recovered. Most of all, that they are being returned to the UK! Very nice photo. Hope it's NOT Tailspin in the cockpit! Never know what that bloke will do next! Keep up the good work! I bet you'll be the first to photograph the returned "Burmese" planes! :-)
Tamarrion
Dare I say it... but after the defence cuts, those Spitfires will be a welcome addition to the RAF! ;) Great photo!
Maxidyne
This is an amazing story Neil and what a boost for the country. Well done to David Cundall for such dedication over the years. Well done to David Cameron as well and maybe he should consider reimbursing David Cundall, after all the money paid for the Olympics just look at what he found for Britain.
bmac62
A truly amazing story!!! Good for Cundall, Aung San Suu Kyi and David Cameron. Ooooo-Weeee! What a national treasure. Can we buy a couple of 'em?
Briney
Well they don't make them like that any more... wow! and myself in the middle of something of a Spitfire "run"
debbielove
20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! The thought of that at Legends (which would never happen as they'd be sold to all over!), but Oh!!! Could you imagine the NOISE!!!! Great shot! Great paint scheme on this Spit!! One of the best I've seen.. Rob
DukeNukem2005
This is a very beautiful!