Control tower hopes for secret Spitfire (From Western Telegraph)

Control tower hopes for secret Spitfire

2:30pm Sunday 21st October 2012 in News

A popular Pembrokeshire tourist attraction has joined forces with local MPs in a bid to secure one of the 36 ‘secret Spitfires’ discovered buried in Burma.

As there are only 35 flying Spitfires left in the world, the Burmese planes, buried by the RAF for safekeeping in 1945, are highly sought after, and are now due to be dug up and shipped back to the UK.

Volunteers from Carew Cheriton Control Tower are liasing with Simon Hart and Stephen Crabb to try and get their bid for one of the iconic planes off the ground.

The MPs in turn have contacted Prime Minister David Cameron to express an interest in bringing one of the planes to Pembrokeshire.

South Pembrokeshire MP Mr Hart said: “I am delighted to help with this exciting bid.

Carew Control Tower has become a leading attraction in our county and would be the perfect home for one of these historic aircraft.”

Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Mr Crabb added: “There are so few of these historic aircrafts available.

“We have made David Cameron aware of the interest held locally in hosting such a historic aircraft which would be a welcome addition to the other activities taking place with the Sunderland Flying Boat recovery.”

“Pembrokeshire is the natural home for such a plane given the area’s involvement in British military history.”

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Hugo Swire has pledged to put the Control Tower group in touch with the commercial organisation that wins the bidding war to carry out the excavation work.

Carew Councillor David Neale, who is also a volunteer at the Control Tower, added: “Spitfires flew from here in the war; I know it’s a long shot but it would be immense if it happened.

“It would be the jewel in the crown of our collection – to have ‘the plane that won the war’ would be wonderful.”