The remains of a heroic RAF Spitfire pilot have been discovered nearly 80 years after he died in a mid-air crash.
Squadron Leader Daniel Cremin was killed in 1942 after his fighter collided with another plane.
A year before, the 25-year-old Australian flying instructor had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by King George VI for his bravery in action.
Following the discovery of his remains on land near St Erth, Cornwall, an inquest will now be held by a coroner into the circumstances of his death.
The remains of an RAF Spitfire pilot have been discovered nearly 80 years after he died in a mid-air crash. Squadron Leader Daniel Cremin (above) was killed in 1942 after his fighter collided with another plane
A year before, the 25-year-old Australian flying instructor had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by King George VI for his bravery in action. Pictured, Cremin (middle row, third right) with fellow RAF personnel
Following the discovery of Cremin’s remains on land near St Erth, Cornwall, an inquest will now be held by a coroner into the circumstances of his death. He is seen above (second left) in the Iraqi desert
Records reveal that Squadron Leader Cremin, who was born in Sydney, joined the Royal Australian Air Force before transferring to the RAF.
He served with 127 Squadron in the Middle East and then with 252 Squadron. By 1942, he been assigned to command 66 Squadron, which, at the time, was based at Portreath.
Reports suggest that he died after colliding with another Spitfire plane on March 24, 1942, during a training flight.
The other pilot, William Norman, was also killed and is buried at St Illogan Church at Illogan in Cornwall.
Reports suggest that Cremin died after colliding with another Spitfire plane on March 24, 1942, during a training flight. He has a Commonwealth War Grave headstone, at the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Wardour in Wiltshire
Daniel Cremin (left, in Egypt, next to his wife) served with 127 Squadron in the Middle East and then with 252 Squadron. By 1942, he been assigned to command 66 Squadron, which, at the time, was based at Portreath
Lt Cremin flew Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft as a flight instructor and part of 66 Squadron. Above, a squadron of Spitfire aircraft in 1944
His son, Mark Cremin, who lives in East Sussex, said he was informed last year that bones had been found by a metal detectorist on farm land.
He was just two years old at the time of his father’s death.
Daniel’s son, Mark Cremin, who lives in East Sussex, said he was informed last year that bones had been found by a metal detectorist on farm land. He was just two years old at the time of his father’s death
He said: ‘It’s a bit of mystery why they are having an inquest now. His remains, or so my mother thought, were buried in 1942. Quite clearly, there was nothing in the coffin except sand bags.
‘He was in charge of 66 Squadron and went out on a training mission with another pilot when they collided in mid-air.’
He added: ‘A metal detectorist discovered the bones and reported it to the police, so I suppose they have to have an inquest now.
‘I took his bones and interred them at his grave, where he has a Commonwealth War Grave headstone, at the Roman Catholic Cemetery at Wardour in Wiltshire.’
The obituary for Squadron Leader Cremin in The Times on June 6, 1942, reads: ‘Acting Squadron Leader Daniel Edward Cremin, D.F.C., killed on active service, was an Australian, born at Sydney in 1917 and educated at Sydney High School.
‘He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1936, became an air cadet the following year, and was commissioned in the RAF as a pilot officer on February 10, 1938.
A cartoon of Lieutenant Cremin which was drawn by one of his squadmates
‘After training, he qualified as a flying instructor, and was employed as such in the Middle East Command from November, 1938. He was promoted to flight lieutenant in January, 1940.
‘In October, 1941 he was awarded the D.F.C. for gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations.’
His name is also listed on the Australian national war memorial in the capital Canberra.
The Cornwall Coroner’s Office confirmed that an inquest will be held in Truro on Monday after the remains were discovered last June.
Lieutenant Cremin with his wife and her sister in an image taken in Egypt before the war