County: Monaghan Site name: Figullar
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 17E0167
Author: Derek Gallagher, Archaeological Consultancy Services Unit
Site type: WWII Spitfire R6992 Crash site
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 669330m, N 847724m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.373436, -6.932967
An archaeological assessment (excavation) was conducted at Figullar (north-north-east of Emmyvale), Co. Monaghan on 13 May 2017.
The project was to excavate the crash site of a World War II fighter plane, a Battle of Britain veteran Spitfire R6992 which crashed at the site on 20 September 1942. The crash site was located from multiple sources including eye-witness accounts, Army records and Ground Penetrating Radar which was conducted under licence (17R0001) on 28 January 2017.
An area c. 5m square was stripped of topsoil and the area of the crater was identified. No non-aircraft archaeological deposits or artefacts were identified. The excavation concentrated on the impact crater and burnt aluminium and small metal fragments were exposed. The excavation continued down, and the remains of the Spitfire’s Rolls Royce Merlin engine was identified at a depth of c. 3m and removed. Multiple small metal fragments were removed to be cleaned and identified (where possible). The majority of the plane was removed by Local Defence Forces in 1942. This engine and other fragments of the plane will go on display as part of Monaghan County Museum’s permanent exhibition.
The site is fully excavated and has being backfilled.
Unit 21 Boyne Business Park, Greenhills, Drogheda, Co Louth
