ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 21998
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| Date: | Thursday 22 February 1940 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 602 (City of Glasgow) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | K9962 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | East Coldingham, Berwickshire, Scotland -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Drem, East Lothian |
| RAF Drem |
The pilot shot down a Heinkel 111 and then overturned his aircraft trying to land near the downed bomber in a failed attempt to prevent the German crew from setting fire to their aircraft. The Germans rescued Farquhar from his Spitfire .
K9962 went to Air Services Training on 4/3/40 for repair.
Crew: Squadron Leader (90158) Alistair Douglas FARQUHAR (pilot) DFC RAF - OK
Sqn Ldr Farquhar landed his plane alongside the downed He 111 at high speed; the bomber's crew looked on in disbelief as it trundled on down the hill and cartwheeled into a bog. They first hauled out their injured rear gunner and set fire to their plane, then ran down the hill to rescue the gallant Squadron Leader, who was suspended upside down by his safety harness, the bomber's crew all took part in this rescue.
By then, the Heinkel was well alight so they all rushed up the hill (Sqn Ldr Farquhar included) to pull the German rear gunner further from the flames. The comedy of errors was not quite over, the LDV (Local Defence Volunteers, a.k.a. The Home Guard) arrived on the scene over the crest of a nearby hill and because they hadn't seen the Spitfire at the bottom of the hill, they assumed that the Squadron Leader was part of the Heinkel's crew, so they arrested him too!
It was only when he produced an OHMS envelope bearing his latest income tax demand that they transferred him to the side of the "good guys". One of the Heinkel's crew, Fw Sprigarth, was mentioned in Parliament for his part in the rescue.
Sources:
1. http://ne-diary.genuki.uk/Inc/ISeq_03.html
2. http://coastkid.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-north-berwick-heinkel.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Aug-2008 11:30 | Anon. | Added |
| 19-Dec-2011 14:20 | angels one five | Updated [Cn, Operator, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Dec-2011 09:59 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 25-Dec-2011 10:08 | Nepa | Updated [Operator] |
| 28-Dec-2011 06:06 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Destination airport] |
| 10-Jan-2012 02:56 | angels one five | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 13-Jan-2012 02:04 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Destination airport] |
| 05-Nov-2012 00:18 | angels one five | Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative] |
| 13-Sep-2014 09:20 | angels one five | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 01-Jun-2015 16:11 | Angel dick one | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 28-Sep-2018 23:01 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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