Dog walkers discover WWII RAF fighter plane buried in sand for 76 years

These are the remains of a World War Two fighter plane that finally emerged from the sand after 76 years.

Debi Hartley, 51, was walking her dog Bonnie with partner Graham Holden, 54, when they made the ‘one in a million’ discovery. The carcass of the airplane revealed itself on an undisclosed patch on Cleethorpes beach, with its wings protruding through the shifting sands.

The RAF confirmed that the wreckage is one of their Bristol Beaufighters, believed to be aircraft serial number JM333 of 254 Squadron RAF. It is said to have flown during the night to torpedo enemy ships in the North Sea as part of the air force’s Coastal Command Strike Wing.

But its service was cut short in 1944 when its engines blew shortly after take-off from the RAF’s North Coates base, in Lincolnshire, It was forced to make an emergency, ‘wheels-up,’ crashing landing on Cleethorpes beach.

Debi, from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, said: ‘We were on a walk on Cleethorpes beach with our dog when we saw these unusual objects. My partner has walked up and down these beaches for over 20 years and never found anything like this.

‘It was so unexpected and incredible. We were trying to work out what it was and just stood around it for 45 minutes. I have never seen something so amazing before in my life. It was a one in a million find.’

The couple spent nearly an hour scanning the wreckage on Bank Holiday Monday and they haven’t stopped talking about the find since.

The mum-of-three said: ‘It feels like you’ve stumbled upon a bit of history – it was just amazing. Finding it made our day and we’ve been researching all about it now. We haven’t stopped talking about it since.

‘Apparently both pilots walked out of the crash alive, which is great to hear. I wonder if they knew their plane was still here after all these years.’

The head of collections at the Royal Air Force Museum in London Ian Thirsk said both the pilot, Sargeant A.W. Burborough, and his navigator survived the crash.

Mr Thirsk said: ‘On April 21, 1944, JM333 ditched near Haille Sands when both engines failed shortly after take-off from North Coates. The crew were uninjured and escaped to safety.’

An incident log states: ‘The aircraft suffered a starboard engine failure at 500ft while on a familiarisation flight.

‘This forced the pilot to make a forced wheels-up landing on the beach just outside the perimeter of the airfield.

‘No injuries were reported by either Sgt A.W. Burborough or his navigator. The aircraft was deemed a total write-off and the wreck is still visible today.’

The Bristol Beaufighter was first introduced into the war on 27 July 1940 and nearly 6,000 were built between 1940 and 1946.

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