"Many Photos" - Hurricane fighter plane could be rebuilt after being unearthed

A Second World War Hurricane fighter plane has been unearthed nearly 80 years since crashing near the Thames Estuary - and there are now hopes it could be rebuilt and take to the skies once again.

The plane went down over Essex during the Battle of Britain on August 26, 1940, when piloted by 21-year-old Paddy Hemingway, of No.85 Squadron in Croydon.

With his aircraft plunging 17,000ft as he was hit from behind, Mr Hemingway - now aged 99 and who lives in Ireland - bailed out of the plane and landed safely.

Following decades spent trying to locate the crash site between Basildon and the River Thames, modern imaging was used to discover the plane and it was finally removed on Saturday with a specialist excavator used to created a 35ft deep hole.

Following decades spent trying to locate the crash site between Basildon and the River Thames, modern imaging was used to discover the plane and it was finally removed on Saturday with a specialist excavator used to created a 35ft deep hole

The parts unearthed included a Browning machine gun and some of the Merlin engine - with the Rolls Royce plate still in place - as well as the control panel with the gun switch still set to 'fire'

Gareth Jones, one of the excavation organisers, told Sky News: 'Of all the Battle of Britain digs, this is one of a handful remaining. It's quite unique to find one in these ground conditions where it's almost all still there.'

The parts unearthed included a Browning machine gun and some of the Merlin engine - with the Rolls Royce plate still in place - as well as the control panel with the gun switch still set to 'fire'.

The Hurricane, one of the last 1940s war planes, will now be carefully cleaned and restored, in the hopes it could be rebuilt.

Aviation historian Simon Parry said: 'In the skies above the Thames was a dog fight. Paddy in his Hurricane flew high to try and attack a big group of Messerschmitts, but he was hit from behind.'

Pilot Officer Paddy Hemingway, of No.85 Squadron, from Dublin, who was flying the Hurricane when it was shot down over Essex during the Battle of Britain

Pilots seen running to their Hurricanes in Yorkshire in April 1941. The plane, the first in RAF service to pass the 300mph barrier, was solid and tough in combat

Ireland's last surviving Battle of Britain pilot: How John A 'Paddy' Hemingway was shot down four times in the Second World War

Ireland's only surviving Battle of Britain pilot John A 'Paddy' Hemingway, 99, who was born in Dublin, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery and shot down four times in the Second World War.

After joining the RAF in 1938, Mr Hemingway was posted to France to provide air support for the British ­Expeditionary Force as part of the No.85 Squadron in Croydon.

After drowning his first enemy plane in May 1940, which was a Dornier bomber, his Hurricane fighter plane was targeted and hit by anti-aircraft fire and had to make a forced landing.

And between July and October 1940, Mr Hemingway had to bail out first after intercepting a flight of German Junkers over the North Sea, where he was saved by a ship that had been passing by.

The second time saw him jump for his life after firing on German planes above the Essex coast.

After he was posted to Italy as a squadron leader, his Spitfire was hit by German ground fire in April, 1945 and he bailed out again.

The years following the war he continued to serve in the RAF before retiring as a group captain in September 1969. Other post-war RAF jobs included stints at Nato in Paris and the Air Ministry.

After the death of his wife Bridget, Mr Hemingway now lives at a nursing home on the outskirts of Dublin and is now one of the last members of 'The Few' who defended Britain in her darkest hour. 

Last year, the Irishman hit headlines after he was wrongly thought to be missing and presumed dead based on the official roll of honour naming the airmen that are still alive.

It was only until a member of Mr Hemingway's family got in touch with the Battle of Britain Fighter Association to point out the oversight, that their information was amended.

Speaking at the time, Mr Hemingway's son, Brian, 66, from Guildford, Surrey told The Mirror: 'He's not particularly interested in the past. Like so many of his generation, he doesn't feel as though he did anything special.

'But he likes the idea he's one of the last nine and he's tickled by the fact that he's the last known Irishman to have fought in the Battle of Britain. He's loved and he's not forgotten and that's the way he likes it.'

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