80 years on: Hunt for relatives of Polish WWII pilot killed in Henley Spitfire crash

A METAL detectorist from Henley is appealing for help to trace the family of a Second World War pilot after uncovering the remains of a crashed Spitfire more than 80 years after it went down.

Danny Jones, 58, has recovered around 1,500 fragments of the aircraft since first discovering a small aluminium bracket in woodland on the outskirts of the town in March 2021.

Within days of the initial finding, he had uncovered dozens of pieces from the cockpit and fuselage, returning repeatedly to the site to search an area of around 200 square metres.

His discoveries have helped piece together the story of the doomed flight and identify the pilot as Sylwester Jerzy Godlewski, a 27-year-old Polish airman who died during a training exercise on May 29, 1942.

Mr Jones, a Royal Mail engineer working in Langley and a grandfather of three, said he hopes to locate the pilot’s relatives, but successful searches have come in ‘peaks and troughs’.

“It was so tough, at times I nearly gave up because it’s not my game, this research online. It was a long slog, and I’m still researching now,” he told the Standard.

“The 90th anniversary of the first test flight of the Spitfire on March 5 spurred me on to start trying again.

“Hopefully, this is the push to get the story over the line and finally find the family.”

Pictured: Danny Jones with his dog, Scrabble.

The RAF Supermarine Spitfire is believed to have plunged from around 22,000 feet before crashing into woodland near Henley during a high-altitude training flight.

A Ministry of Defence report at the time suggested the pilot may have lost consciousness before the plane entered a fatal spin.

“The pilot probably fainted from unknowns. The aircraft went into a spin, crashing into a wood, and was completely destroyed,” the report stated.

Mr Jones began investigating the site after his metal detector picked up unusual signals at a grass bank near his home in Elizabeth Close, where he lives with his wife, Justine, 55.

Over a series of visits, he uncovered cockpit and fuselage fragments, bullets, engine parts and even a cockpit clock.

One key discovery was a warning sign in English advising pilots not to re-cock guns mid-flight, which confirmed the wreckage was from a British fighter aircraft.

By analysing part markings and sharing images on online forums, Mr Jones, who was working near Heathrow Airport at the time, identified the plane as a Spitfire Mk IIb.

Further research in the National Archives and the Ministry of Defence revealed that the aircraft had belonged to the No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron, which led to the identification of Sylwester, who had been based in Britain during the war after leaving his native Warsaw.

Sylwester’s remains were taken to a mortuary at RAF Benson, and the larger pieces of the Spitfire were taken to Plant Oxford, a car factory in Cowley.

Despite contacting members of the Polish community and carrying out extensive research, Mr Jones has so far been unable to trace any surviving relatives.

He regularly visits the pilot’s grave at Northwood Cemetery and has taken his photograph to Remembrance events, but says the search has been ‘impossible’ without being able to speak Polish.

“It’s just about keeping his memory alive. I’m at the final bit of the puzzle – I need to find his family, and that’s the puzzle complete,” said Mr Jones.

“Since I’ve put a face to him, he’s become family. My end goal is to find his family and hopefully become part of theirs because we class Sylwester as part of ours.”

Mr Jones was born in a British military hospital in Rinteln, West Germany. He has multiple familial ties to the military and is an avid collector of military artefacts.

A lifelong Henley resident, he has been metal detecting since childhood, when he would scour Harpsden Wood with his gifted detector because he has always had an interest in history.

“From that point, I was hooked. It is so good for your mental health and wellbeing – it’s a beautiful hobby,” said Mr Jones.

The father of five returned to his hobby more than a decade ago, accompanied by his late collie Oscar and now his collie spaniel, Scrabble.

Pictured: Danny using his metal detector in Henley woodland.

His collection includes Medieval, Bronze Age and Roman coins, brooches and nails. He said it wasn’t uncommon to stumble on military material, but not part of an aircraft.

“My family and friends have been amazing. They’re so enthusiastic. This is such a passionate story to my family and me,” said Mr Jones.

“I hope he’s got family that know and are proud of his story, but if not, my goal is to tell them and bring him to life.

“We can visit them in Poland, and they can visit us in England. Take them to the crash site, explain my findings, and take them to the cemetery.

“My goal is not to end it once we find his distant relations; that would be the start of it.”