WW2 sculpture commemorates tragic story of Spitfire pilot

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The tragic tale of a WW2 airman who died when his Spitfire crashed near Stirling during a training exercise is to be commemorated in sculpture.Dunipace engineer turned artist Ken Elliott has started work on the piece which will include two aluminium fuselage fragments from the downed aircraft.Belgian pilot Henri Jeanne Paul De La Bastita, was killed on January 29, 1943, aged 37, while flying the Spitfire named Gibraltar.

He had earlier taken off from Balado airfield in Fife, a satellite of RAF Grangemouth.A plaque to mark the crash site near North Third Reservoir had been installed there earlier this year.Ken said this week: “I feel a sense of responsibility, and creative excitement handling these historical artefacts.“It’s an honour finding a three dimensional visual way to represent the essence and spirit of the aviator, as well as the sense of human endeavour and determination, spanning Gibraltar, Belgium, and Stirling.“I have respect for those who designed, built, and operated such an awe-inspiring machine, but there is also sadness linked to the ultimate tragedy and sacrifice that gives this story such poignancy.”Henri’s body was recovered three days after the crash.

His remains were returned to his family in Brussels after the war. He now lies in the Belgian Airmen’s Field of Honour, Brussels Communal Cemetery.Submerged in bogland, much of the Spitfire wreck was removed by Stirling man Campbell Chesterman in 2000 along with researcher Alan Leishman and aviation historian Ray Sturtivant.The Spitfire fragments contained within the sculpture are from the main fuel tank and the underside wing of the aircraft.Ken, a former engineer at INEOS Grangemouth who retired a few years ago, added: “The fragments had stayed in