Battle of Britain RAF pilot's charred notebook for sale
Sgt Eddie Egan died aged 19 on Sept 17, 1940, when his Hurricane was sent nose-diving into a wood on the Kentish Weald, exploding in flames.
Such was the speed of the crash that it buried both plane and pilot 20 feet beneath the leafy carpet covering the floor of Daniel's Wood, near Maidstone.
The wreckage and remains would have lain where they fell, hidden in dense forest for ever, before a desperate plea from his mother Grace led a team to find the missing hero's body in 1976.
Now the full story of his heroic death 68 years ago to be revealed in a modern-day auction room.
A photograph of Sgt Egan standing proudly beside his Hurricane, the ill-fated fighter's identification plate, the remains of a charred notebook and a solitary shirt button recovered from the crash site are due to go under the hammer.
The items are expected to fetch between £400 and £600 at Dreweatts Donnington Priory saleroom, near Newbury, Berks on November 19. Malcolm Claridge, the auctioneer, said: "We are expecting a lot of interest from Battle of Britain collectors, especially as this year is the RAF's 90th anniversary.
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
Such was the speed of the crash that it buried both plane and pilot 20 feet beneath the leafy carpet covering the floor of Daniel's Wood, near Maidstone.
The wreckage and remains would have lain where they fell, hidden in dense forest for ever, before a desperate plea from his mother Grace led a team to find the missing hero's body in 1976.
Now the full story of his heroic death 68 years ago to be revealed in a modern-day auction room.
A photograph of Sgt Egan standing proudly beside his Hurricane, the ill-fated fighter's identification plate, the remains of a charred notebook and a solitary shirt button recovered from the crash site are due to go under the hammer.
The items are expected to fetch between £400 and £600 at Dreweatts Donnington Priory saleroom, near Newbury, Berks on November 19. Malcolm Claridge, the auctioneer, said: "We are expecting a lot of interest from Battle of Britain collectors, especially as this year is the RAF's 90th anniversary.