SEARCHING

In early 1961 the partial remains of a skeleton of a woman were found in the seabed mud off a beach in Herne Bay, Kent, England. It was speculated at the time they could have been the remains of Amy Johnson as her fatal crash occurred in the estuary near the town.  The story hit the press and caused a sensation. The bones went to New Scotland Yard for analysis and after six months the East Kent Coroner recorded they were the remains of an unknown woman.

The Amy Johnson Project are trying to locate these bones.  We are not calling into question the decision made in 1961 based on the scientific research carried out and the work of those experts who examined and reported on these bones at the time.   But we believe there is enough evidence to reopen the investigation with the objective of identifying the human remains using modern scientific practices not available in 1961.

If the bones are those of Amy Johnson, a pioneering aviator and global heroine lost without trace during a world war, this is a case of international historic significance. But most importantly, Amy could be laid to rest over 80 years after her tragic death and allow her family, and the world, to finally say goodbye.

If you have knowledge and experience in this area and are able to assist with this search we would love to hear from you so please get in touch via the contact page.

Work began many years before the Amy Johnson Project was officially formed. Project Director Jane Delamaine’s personal interest in the mystery surrounding Amy’s death fuelled her to begin her own research into why the wreckage of the Airspeed Oxford Amy was flying when she died had never been found. This is where the adventure really began.

Jane’s research uncovered a twin anomaly in the Thames Estuary not too far from Amy’s crash site and in 2013 she approached the Canterbury Divers to see if they would dive the site.   That summer the team successfully dived the coordinates and found a previously undiscovered Heinkel HE111.  The wreck was reported and protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1984 and a licence was granted for the partial excavation of the aircraft for the purpose of identification.  It is believed to be an aircraft shot down during the Battle of Britain.

This find was very exciting for Jane and the Canterbury Divers and they worked together for many years with Jane finding anomalies the team diving them.  The search for the wreck is complex but continues.  In recent years the focus has become more research based investigating new evidence which may account for why the wreck has never been found.

Amy Johnson Project Founder and Director, Jane Delamaine and Canterbury Divers Project Lead, Simon Woollett

Founder and Director Jane Delamaine has been researching the death of Amy Johnson since 2011. Her earliest breakthrough was uncovering the RAF Accident Record Card for Amy’s crash which names Herne Bay as the end point of Amy’s final flight.

Nobody can ‘own’ the death of Amy Johnson as she was lost to the waters of the Thames Estuary, but the crash occurred approximately 12 miles off the shores of Herne Bay and this document validates the small seaside town being the rightful place to commemorate her.

Other breakthroughs have been made and previously undiscovered witnesses found, bringing more questions than answers in the attempt to piece together a complex wartime puzzle. But the work is necessary and continues.