Article and Photos posted by Frederick Galea on Facebook on the 30/03/2023.
A Malta Police Report reads as follows: “23.03.1943. – A Spitfire struck a cliff near Fungus Reek, Dwejra, Gozo, whilst trying to land in a field nearby. The pilot was extricated and conveyed to Victoria Hospital”. A 1995 cross-check with the records at the hospital shows that on that day, at 8.30 am., Flt Sgt Percy Stratford, age 26 years, an RAF pilot, was admitted suffering a broken arm and leg. He was later transferred to 90th General Military Hospital on 29.03.1943 at 2.30 p.m. We are reliably informed that Surgeon, Capt. Vincent Tabone MD RMA (later President of the Republic; of Malta) attended to the pilot’s injuries.
An RAF, the same sub-aqua team, whilst at Gozo, visited the underwater Dwejra wreck site – a report in an article ‘RAF Malta Sub-Aqua Club Diving Sites’, has this to say on the Dwejra wreck: “There is a Spitfire straight out from the slipway under the point of rock on the left hand side, depth 30 feet”. Ray Jones who published this guide in March 1970 has sat in the cockpit of this aircraft under water. He claimed it was very complete then and to his knowledge nobody went there much, and it was not known to have been salvaged up to the time of writing of the report.
Air historian Albert Chivers looked into the Operations Record Book, RAF Form 540. for 1435 Squadron. An entry dated 27.03.43 confirms that at 08:00 “F/Sgt D. Stratford was unfortunate enough to prang on a very small island in a bay on West coast of Gozo. His aircraft was short on petrol, and he was fortunate enough to put his aircraft down on a small rock not much bigger than the Spitfire. He suffered a broken arm and leg and was rather bent about the face”. RAF Form. 541 shows that Flt Sgt Stratford had been flying Spitfire Vb EP122, coded L.
During the first days of the National War Museum Association, the Restoration Teams scoured the Islands to collect known surviving wartime wreckage. Not only from on land at Malta, but also on the bottom of Dwejra Bay, Gozo, was material found; in this case some Spitfire aircraft wreckage was recovered by scuba diver Tony Lautier, employed by the Museums Dept. This consisted mainly of a badly broken and severely corroded Merlin engine with extremely little forward fuselage parts. So poor was the wreckage that it was allowed to be carted along to a scrapyard.
For those persons who are interested in the finer details on EP122, the following information comes via Albert Chivers, from the UK: EP122 was constructed to the fourth order for 904 Spitfires F. Mk Vs dated 23/08/41. Built as Mks Vb and Vc between April and August 1942. EP122 was a Mk Vb (Trop) and built in a batch of 45 aircraft with the serials EP107 to EP152, by Vickers Armstrong Castle Bromwich at Birmingham, to contract number B981687 and fitted with a Merlin 45 engine.
After completion it was taken on charge by 39 MU Colerne on 24/05/42. Chosen for shipment to the Middle East, transferred to 47 MU at RAF Sealand (an overseas packing station). It was shipped on SS Guido to Gibraltar on 12/06/42, placed on board an aircraft-carrier for shipment to Malta where it arrived on 01/08/42.
It is known to have served with 1435 and 185 Squadrons, and possibly also with 249 but this cannot be confirmed through the Operational Records of that squadron. In the eight months of operational flying it was flown by Sgts. Fuller, Brown, Thompson, Sharun, Schou, Cameron, Bray, Ilsley, Hawkins, and Stratford; P/Os McLennan, Taggart, Wood, Stewart, Martin and S/L O’Neil.
NOTE: Today, in place is Maltese legislation protecting underwater cultural heritage.
