World War 2 plane crash seat finds home in museum
Photo credit: Laura Stopforth
Laura Stopforth expressed that it was "wonderful news" that Dave Brocklehurst (left) from The Kent Battle of Britain Museum expressed interest in the seat. She was accompanied by Lawrence Barkley, Jack's 104-year-old brother.
A pilot's seat from a crashed World War Two aircraft will be donated to a museum in Kent following efforts by the pilot's daughter to have it exhibited.
Laura Stopforth, a resident of Tilehurst in Berkshire, possessed the Bristol Blenheim aircraft that was retrieved by a farm worker in northern France in May 1940.
Her father, Jack Bartley, who served as the gunner and radio operator on the aircraft, managed to survive after it was shot down. He eventually came together with the seat during a visit to the Ardennes.
The seat will now be showcased at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum.
Photo credit: Laura Stopforth
The openings in the seat are believed to have resulted from shrapnel or gunfire.
Mr. Bartley originally gave the seat to a museum in France, but it was sent back to Ms. Stopforth when the museum had to shut down several years later.
Ms. Stopforth mentioned that her efforts to donate the seat were rejected multiple times before she was finally connected with a museum in Hawkinge, Kent, which eagerly accepted it.
"That's really great to hear," she remarked. "My dad didn't want to hold onto it just for himself… he was far more focused on letting it share a story."
She mentioned, "The key aspect is that [The Kent Battle of Britain Museum] highlights the narratives of the individuals connected to the artifacts, which is precisely what we aimed for."
It's believed that the openings in the seat were made by shrapnel or gunfire.
At the age of 19, Mr. Bartley served with No. 21 Squadron, which was stationed at RAF Watton in Norfolk.
On May 14, 1940, while conducting a bombing mission against a group of German tanks in northern France, his aircraft was struck and brought down.
Ms. Stopforth had previously mentioned, "I believe my dad thought he was finished."
In his autobiography, he recounts how he could see the treetops below him scraping against the plane's body, and he genuinely believed he was about to meet his end.
When Mr. Bartley made an emergency landing in a forest, he suffered several shrapnel injuries but managed to survive along with his two crew members.
Image credit: Getty Images
Mr. Bartley was piloting a Bristol Blenheim, which is a British lightweight bomber aircraft.
According to Dave Brocklehurst of The Kent Battle of Britain Museum, the seat is an absolutely ideal piece.
We honor the 2,938 men referred to as 'The Few', including 800 who piloted Bristol Blenheim planes, making this aircraft particularly significant to us.
"We're eager to create the backdrop of the Battle of Britain by sharing the narrative of the Battle of France, making it an ideal way to recount the experiences of the Blenheim crews."
Mr. Brocklehurst mentioned that the seat will be showcased in one of the museum's hangar spaces.
His team is currently working to gather more information about Mr. Bartley's crew in preparation for the museum's reopening set for March 2025.
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