Fragment believed to be from Amy Johnson's crashed plane, bought by Kent Battle of Britain Museum with other items for £2800 at Hansons.
The 83-year-old tiny relic sold at Hansons' auction in Etwall, Derbyshire, on February 28, with the museum successful with its bid of £2800 (plus 26% buyer’s premium).
It is thought to be from the parachute exit door which Johnson would have used to leap from her stricken plane. Mystery still surrounds her death at the age of 37. Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from London to Australia, was killed in an aviation accident on January 5, 1941. Though adverse weather conditions were blamed, it was later claimed her plane had been downed by friendly fire.
She was piloting an Airspeed Oxford for the Air Transport Auxiliary from Prestwick to RAF Kidlington, near Oxford. Reportedly out of fuel, she bailed out as her aircraft crashed into the sea near Herne Bay. Her body was never found.
Fragment believed to be from Amy Johnson's crashed plane, bought by Kent Battle of Britain Museum with other items for £2800 at Hansons.
'Scooped out of the water'
Matt Crowson, head of militaria at Hansons, said: “The item was inherited by our vendor from his uncle, Ronald Arthur Clark, both from Enfield, north London. Ronald said he’d scooped it out of the water and put in his pocket during efforts to rescue Amy.
“Back in 1941 Ronald was an Able Seaman on HMS Berkeley, an escort vessel in the English Channel. It was among ships which attempted to rescue Amy after her parachute was spotted coming down. She was seen alive in the water, calling for help. However, conditions were poor. There was a heavy sea and a strong tide, snow was falling and it was intensely cold. Ropes were thrown to Amy but she couldn’t reach them. Her flying bag, log book and cheque book later washed up nearby.”
The fragment is constructed from two layers of thin plywood, glued together and set at a 45-degree angle to provide maximum strength. The surface paint was compared to an existing Airspeed Oxford in London’s RAF Museum.
“Given the distinctive green shade and traces of yellow, it’s likely the piece was from the parachute exit door,” added Crowson. “This was the only part of the aircraft constructed from ply, the fuselage section being linen covered.”
Ronald Clark who found the fragment believed to be from Amy Johnson's crashed plane, bought by Kent Battle of Britain Museum with other items for £2800 at Hansons.
The reverse of the fragment was inscribed by Ronald Clark at the time stating ‘piece of fuselage from Amy Johnson’s plane, crashed 1941’. His Royal Navy service records confirm his service on HMS Berkeley at the crash site.
Crowson said: “The vendor remembers his uncle telling him the story in the 1950s and showing him the fragment. The technical aspects of the style of manufacture, paint colours, service records, anecdotal evidence, and the fact that this type of aircraft would not have routinely been in the area, all added up to it being correct.”
The fragment was offered together with Clark’s Second World War medal group, badges, bosun’s whistle, plus period photographs and documents, estimated at £1000-2000.
Medals and other items belonging to Ronald Clark who found the fragment believed to be from Amy Johnson's crashed plane, bought by Kent Battle of Britain Museum for £2800 at Hansons.
On display
The fragment will join the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) display at the private museum. Dave Brocklehurst, MBE, chairman, curator and volunteer, said: “We’re delighted to secure this item. Amy was one of the original ATA girls. It’s important to commemorate someone who lost her life in Herne Bay, preserve a piece of history and keep it in Kent.”
