A Prize in the Woods

The Fairey swordfish wreckage is buried treasure to war historian Gary Gaudet. The plane crashed in Digby County in January 1944 and was one of many flown out of Yarmouth airport.

The planes were modified locally by winterizing the canopy to provide some protection from the elements for the gunner.

Because of this Gaudet says the plane he’s working to recover is unique.

“There are eight Fairey swordfish left on the planet, restored, total,” he said.

“When we first found it there were cigarette butts and smashed beer bottles lying around it. It’s a piece of our history. As far as aircraft archaeology and history, that Mark lV is the only one left on the planet, hands down. Hence the reason to get her out of there,” he said.

Through Hank Reid’s book ‘Memories of East Camp’ Gaudet learned the name of the pilot, Bert Joss, and the story behind the crash which was caused by a faulty fuel valve switch that hadn’t been reinstalled properly.

French-Acadian loggers in the area rescued the three survivors who sustained minor injuries. The crew was taken back to East Camp and a recovery team returned to remove the engine, the front prop, guns and ammunition.

Gaudet was able to track down Joss, now 90, and has been communicating with him on a regular basis.

The younger historian’s enthusiasm for the discovery is contagious. He paints a vivid picture of the canvas biplane in its prime.

“Out of all the planes in World War Two it was one of the most famous because it came out in the 1935 era so it was out of its time but they used it through the entire war,” he said.

“It had an open cockpit. So you had three guys, 3,000 feet in the air over Yarmouth in minus 40-degree weather with no cockpit and plastic goggles on their eyes.”

Gaudet says the slow-flying swordfish were used to attack the Bismarck at 135 miles an hour compared to the Spitfires, which can reach 400.

“Normally you would attack a battleship going 400 mph because you don’t want to get hit,” said Gaudet.

“But the swordfish, they just launched themselves at these ships. It’s a paper airplane. It’s insane. I met one of the guys who did the Bismarck run, Les Sayer. He remembers they went by and dropped their torpedo and it missed. He said “I felt so useless.’ So he yanked his Bren gun out of its casing and unloaded it at the deck of the Bismarck hoping to hit someone.”

Gaudet plans on recovering the swordfish wreckage this spring using his own funds. Ultimately he’d like to see sections on display in a permanent war museum locally. He is also following up leads for other known plane crashes in the area.