ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 163396
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| Date: | Sunday 22 November 1942 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Supermarine Spitfire Mk IIa |
| Owner/operator: | 53 OTU RAF |
| Registration: | P7829 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Flemingston, near RAF St Athan -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RAF Llandow |
| Return. |
Loss of control. The Spitfire dived into the ground near RAF Station St Athan and was destroyed.
Pilot:
Sgt Frantisek Remes (Czech pilot) RAFVR - killed.
R.I.P.
Details:
Another Castle Bromwich product and taken on RAF service with 24MU on the 1st of January 1941. After having the military equipment installed, her first posting was to No.65 squadron on the 13th of January who were stationed at RAF Tangmere. She didn’t actually arrive with the squadron until the 18th, due to the extreme bad weather. Her first flight with the squadron took place on the 22nd of January and flown by P/O Drobinski, an experienced flyer and needed experience on the new mark 2 Spitfire. She was in the air again on the 4th of February and flown by P/O Norwood on the ‘Dawn Patrol’. In the afternoon she was in the air and flown again by Drobinski. The following day (5th) Drobinski was again flying P7829 as part of a twelve aircraft fighter sweep over enemy occupied France. Calais-Dunkirk.
The sweep saw two Spitfires failing to return and the pilots, P/O Hill, later reported as a POW. The other, Sgt Orchard, sadly confirmed as killed.
14-2-41 Dawn patrol in P7829, flown by Drobinski, then on the 15th, take off at 11:05hrs with P/O Glaser at the controls, landed at 11:50hrs.
Drobinski took her up in the afternoon.
(Squadron records have omitted to include the circumstances of the accident!)
But what is known, he was injured in a flying accident which resulted in him being grounded to recover and was back flying on the 22nd of February. As for P7829, she suffered Cat’E damage and was taken away for repair.
She was soon repaired and allocated to 616 squadron on the 26th of February! The squadron's first operational sorties were over the Dunkirk withdrawal in late May 1940. During the first phase of the Battle of Britain No. 616 was based at Leconfield, moving south to RAF Kenley during August to be nearer the front line. The improved Spitfire Mk.II was received in February 1941 and was used from April on sweeps over occupied France from RAF Tangmere, continuing until October, but P7829 had moved to 412 squadron on the 12 of August. 412 (Fighter) Squadron was formed at RAF Digby on the 30th of June 1941 as a unit of the RCAF and became operational on the 30th of August and flew their first sweep over France on the 21st of September, in which P7829 took an active part, again for the third time with its third squadron. P7829 was becoming a true veteran of the war so far!
On the 12th of February she was given new squadron codes ‘GW-C’ when she arrived at her fourth squadron, this time it was the turn of 340 (Free French) Sqn’ RAF. Becoming operational on 29 November with the operational code 'GW', the squadron flew defensive patrols until moving south in April 1942 to begin fighter sweeps over northern France. However, P7829 spent less than a month with this squadron and soon she was finally obsolete with the new mark five.
She finally came to 53 OTU on the 27th of March 1942. She spent the following months without so much as a scratch until on the 22nd of November she was seen by the people of the village of St Athan, who being used to the sound of the Merlins, knew something was wrong. They were helpless to see the sleek Spitfire simply dive into the ground at Flemingstone Farm, less than a mile to the Northeast of RAF St Athan. When some locals arrived at the site, it was obvious there was nothing that could be done for the young pilot.
Crew:
Sgt Frant Remes 23yo 787351 (Czech) RAF. Pilot. Killed
Buried:
Llantwit Major Cemetery. Section C. Grave 35.
Wreckage:
Not known what was recovered at the time and what remains below ground.
Memorials:
CWGC Headstone.
CWGC Memorial.
Additional Information:
Boleslaw Drobinski was born at Ostrog in Poland on 23rd October 1918 and educated at Dubno High School. He joined the Polish Air Force on 1st January 1938 and finished training on 31st August 1939. The following day Drobinski and other pilots went to south-east Poland, expecting to pick up Hurricanes that were being sent from the UK to Romania. This never happened. In mid-September Drobinski was ordered to go to Romania and he was interned there. He escaped, went to the Polish consulate in Bucharest and was given money and papers to enable him to reach France, via Yugoslavia and Italy. Upon reaching France, he went to Cherbourg and then Southampton, arriving in January 1940.
He was commissioned in the RAFVR on the 27th and was posted to RAF Eastchurch for an induction course and tuition in English. He moved to the Polish Wing at 3 School of Technical Training Blackpool on 1st June 1940. Drobinski went to No. 1 School of Army Co-operation at Old Sarum on 22nd July on the 3rd Polish Pilots Course, for testing and grading. He moved to 7 OTU Hawarden on the 29th and after converting to Spitfires joined 65 Squadron at Hornchurch on 22nd August. The squadron moved north to Turnhouse on the 28th of the month. Drobinski was posted to 303 Squadron at Northolt on 2nd March 1941. On a sweep on 15th May he damaged a Ju52 on the ground, between 18th June and 3rd July he claimed six Me109s destroyed, on 6th July shared a probable Me109 and on 24th October he destroyed a Me109. His final victory was a Me109 on 13th March 1942. Five days later he was posted to 58 OTU Grangemouth as an instructor.
He rejoined 303 Squadron on 9th August 1942, was awarded a second Bar to the KW (gazetted 20th August 1942) and returned to 58 OTU on 9th April 1943. Drobinski was posted to 317 Squadron at Northolt on 18th October 1943 as a Flight Commander.
He was appointed ADC to the Polish Minister of Defence on 3rd April 1944. He was given command of 303 Squadron at Coltishall on 26th September 1944. He was awarded a third Bar to the KW (gazetted 5th January 1946) and posted away from the squadron on 1st February 1946 to 61 OTU at Keevil. Drobinski went to HQ 11 Group on 20th March 1946 as Polish Liaison Officer. He was released in 1948 as a Squadron Leader
He called at the Aliens Office to obtain a British passport. 'You will have to wait five years' he was told by a civil servant. 'But I have been fighting with the RAF and Polish Air Force since 1940' pleaded Drobinski. 'Oh, that doesn't count' said the official 'you came here without permission to land'.
Drobinski took up a family invitation to work in an oil business in America. After six years he returned to Britain to help his sick father-in-law to run his farm. In 1960 he was finally granted British citizenship.
He died on 26th July 1995.
Sources:
Spitfire production list
RAF Casualties-1942
www.rafcommands.com
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
www.bbm.org.uk
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Jan-2014 22:07 | angels one five | Added |
| 16-Jul-2015 20:57 | Angel dick one | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 26-Apr-2021 00:09 | angels one five | Updated [Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 26-Apr-2021 00:10 | angels one five | Updated [Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 10-Nov-2022 06:44 | Davies 62 | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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