Holme Fen Spitfire - X4593

During October 5th to 11th 2015 Oxford Archaeology East, local community volunteers, and members of Operation Nightingale excavated the remains of Spitfire Mk Ia X4593 'Kerala' near Holme Fen, Cambridgeshire.
Spitfire X4593 crashed on the 22nd November 1940, on a routine training flight and Pilot Officer Harold E Penketh was killed. The official MoD records note that a recovery team excavated down to the aircraft in the week following the crash and recovered the remains of Pilot Officer Penketh. Evidence for this subsequent excavation and recovery of Pilot Officer Penketh was found, along with an RAF mess plate believed to have been left on the site by the recovery team as a marker.
Remains of the Spitfire, including the engine block and parts of the cockpit were found in-situ at a depth of -6.27m OD, along with other parts of the airframe (including .303 ammunition) that were within the area excavated during the recovery operation.
Mark 1a Spitfire, including the engine block and parts of the cockpit were found in-situ at a depth of -6.27m OD, along with other parts of the airframe (including ammunition) that were within the area excavated during the recovery operation.
Sadly some remains of Pilot Officer Harold Penketh, that were not recovered in 1940 were discovered, along with some of his personal effects including a cigarette case (engraved with his initials) and his watch.
The remains of the aircraft were transferred to the Pathfinder Museum at RAF Wyton for conservation and display.